Given the response, I am lifting my column out of the paywall… 1/2 This evil is driven by envy In the context of the Bondi tragedy, let me start by saying that Australia is not the country I once knew. The Australia I remember during my youth bears little resemblance to the nation that now exists. I am not sure you can even describe us as a nation – we are more like a heterogeneous agglomeration of vested and frequently colliding interests. I think there is a fair case to be made that we have traded away our soul. There is no cohesive national identity. There was, once upon a time, a demonstrably visible national character. We knew what it was to be Australian. We loved our country. Our flag. Our history. Our entrepreneurial and iconoclastic verve. Our disdain of centralised authority. Our willingness to give every person a fair go. Our characteristically intense competitive streak. And our eccentric and larrikin heroes. From Don Bradman to Kerry Packer. But today it is difficult to discern a unifying crusade or common community. There are, to be sure, redoubts here and there. But across this sunburnt land we have emerged as a nation divided. Many will claim that their vision of Australia best represents a universal mission. That they know the true Australia. And that there is a silent majority that agrees with them. But I do not see it. Right now, Australia is a battlefield bloodied by conflicting interests, which this column belaboured seven days ago. The lucky country has become the lazy land, spoilt by endless resource riches and the seemingly bottomless pit of public money that this has bestowed. Our wealth has been relentlessly wasted on pet political projects that serve only to perpetuate the reign of those in power. Financially corrupt the voters to win the next election and then rinse and repeat. Until the money runs out. Australia has become obsessed with the public sector providing answers to its problems. Obsessed with centralised control. Remember the world’s worst lockdowns? Obsessed with censorship: eviscerate parental responsibilities and ban children from access to the internet. Obsessed with revisionism. We don't even give our kids an opportunity to learn from our historical wins and losses. It is airbrushed in the name of trying to create an alternative political reality. Obsessed with cutting down tall poppies. That is, we don't just want equality of opportunity, which is a crucial ideal—we increasingly seek equality of outcomes. A huge amount of the secular racial prejudice projected against Judaism by other creeds and cultures can be attributed to the fact that the Jews have been consistently one of the most successful communities in the countries they have lived in. The intelligence, innovation, and unmatched professional intensity that Judaism nurtures has been a persistent source of envy and polarisation for as long as the faith has existed. Whatever academic pursuit or vocation you inspect, you will find Jews dominating. This is true by design because the community defines itself through a purity of purpose that advocates intellectual and professional excellence. It is a self-selection process that attracts and spawns world-class talent. Yet in a society where you are constantly seeking to manipulate and sate the masses, the ever-tempting reflex is to focus on persecuting the difficult-to-understand anomalies. The exceptions. Those that rank in the 99th percentile. Accordingly, we fall back on handicapping success. We want to regress everyone back to the mean to create an egalitarian world. The Jews are to blame. It’s the "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity" as Goldman Sachs was once described. Of course, Goldman was founded as a Jewish partnership. Cont’d 1/2 afr.com/markets/equity-marke…