Find the higher ground when the zone's flooded

A change is as good as a holiday. The cool wind which blew through south-eastern Australia these past few days was a foretaste of the Easter holiday, banishing weeks of humid fug, refreshing and recharging the atmosphere, with crisp, clean air.

But for me there was another reason to feel re-energised. I'd given myself a holiday of another sort, resolving not to write about Donald Trump for a week. I'd simply had enough of my own outrage at his nonstop executive orders and crackpot schemes for the Middle East and Ukraine.

For my own peace of mind and yours, dear readers, I chose to focus on other, more whimsical things - early morning sunlight, the joy of watching trees grow, magpies. I hope you enjoyed the break as much as I did.

It's no accident Trump-watching had been exhausting. The torrent of proclamations - from banning diversity programs to rehabilitating the plastic straw, all undersigned as graffiti tags with a thick marker pen - is designed to confuse and befuddle.

Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon said as much in 2018: "The Democrats don't matter," he told American writer Michael Lewis. "The real enemy is the media. And the way to deal with them is flood the zone with shit."

Since Trump's inauguration, we've been up to our necks in it.

Day after day, there he's been, talking smack behind the Resolute Desk, sucking the oxygen out of every other news story which ought to be coming out of America. Apart from the ever-irascible Bernie Sanders and the mournful outpourings of Clinton-era labor secretary Robert Reich, it would seem few in the US are offering any real resistance to the onslaught. Except the judiciary, of course, which has hit pause on a number of the president's Sharpie diktats.

Where are the Democrats thundering their opposition in Congress? We've had more visible pushback from Canada's Justin Trudeau and the leaders of Europe than we've seen from Capitol Hill. At least it seems that way because Trump, as always, steals the limelight.

He knows floating a plan to turn Gaza into an American Mar-a-Lago on the Med diverts attention from the federal workers protesting at losing their jobs, the higher-than-expected inflation, the veterans facing savage cuts to their government support and the tariff posturing that will harm the very people who voted for him.

He knows the value of feeding the chooks just as our homegrown and similarly incomprehensible autocrat Joh Bjelke-Petersen did.

Just as Bannon said seven years ago, the chooks are being fed a diet of outrage and disorientation at dizzying speed. Yesterday's big Trump story is quickly overtaken by today's and the one from the day before is conveniently forgotten.

The zone has been flooded, and the media, for the moment, has been thrown off balance. Even in Australia there's been much hand-wringing and forelock tugging over Trump's yeah-nah-yeah aluminium and steel tariff threats.

But one chook who wasn't pecking last week was the ABC's Alan Kohler, who pointed out that aluminium and steel exports to the US represent about one-fifth of 1 per cent of all Australian exports.

So perhaps, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling after all and you'd do well to keep your head above the floodwaters, just as I did for a week.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Are you getting sick of all the focus on Trump? Do you find yourself zoning out when he's on the TV news? Or do you want to lob something at the screen? Should our politicians grow a backbone and stand up to Trump? Or is he best ignored? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- The Greens have blasted the Albanese government for "cowering to the bully" after the threat of retaliatory United States tariffs reportedly prompted a freeze on its plan to impose a levy on social media companies that fail to pay for news.

- Fishermen have come to the rescue of a boy attacked by a dingo at a popular tourist destination. Rangers are investigating after the 12-year-old was bitten on the back at K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, in southeast Queensland on Sunday.

- Women are more likely to stay away from work when sick compared to their male colleagues, according to a study of workplace behaviour conducted by the University of Western Australia.

THEY SAID IT: "The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's." - Napoleon Bonaparte

YOU SAID IT: The world is so awash with warnings, we've been conditioned to ignore most of them, including the most important ones.

"Point taken, but I did hear once of a US microwave manufacturer who had to put a warning sign about not using the microwave as a dog drier after being successfully sued," writes Bob.

Jennifer writes: "My favourite warning that had me laughing out loud was way back in the 1970s in the days where babies wore cloth nappies and plastic pants over them to prevent the moisture leaking out. The plastic pants packet said, 'Do not iron'. Really? Anyone who attempted to iron them would have earned their destroyed iron."

"Common sense is not very common any more, in fact it is pretty rare," writes Murray. "Why? Because every time there is a problem or issue, big or little, our government at all levels, makes another law or regulation, where really all that is required is a little bit of common sense. Yes, there are too many warning signs and labels and consequently many are largely ignored because we are over governed and over regulated. Also the cost burden of all these many layers to the taxpayer and ratepayer add so much to the cost of living for the average citizen. It needs to stop. Return to common sense now."

Bruce writes: "I completely agree with your article on the over-warning syndrome. This year, one hot-ish day is labelled a heatwave by the BoM and the media and it drives me nuts! It certainly dilutes the importance of warnings when genuine heatwaves of four to seven days roll along."

"You missed 'brown rot warning' and 'sheep graziers' alert', only of real interest to commercial fruit growers and those with flocks of sheep respectively," writes Jim. "There was also the classic washing instruction attached to a garment instructing one to 'Remove child before washing'."

Allan writes: "Well said, John, on too many dire warnings. The United Nations has achieved absolutely zero in resolving terrible world conflicts. I was struck by the fact that their Secretary-General's televised New Year's message this year was another rant about the dire consequences of climate change. Easier to make sweeping statements on something you have absolutely no control over than to actually bring an end to the wars causing misery to millions of innocent people. What's the bet the UN is next in the sights of President Trump to threaten withdrawal of US funding?"

"The Echidna is great and you are right about warnings," writes John. "I would quibble, however, with your comment that the road toll is rising. In 1969 the Australian toll was 28.6 deaths per 100,000 population, 78 deaths per 100,000 motor vehicles or 3502 deaths. In 2024 it was 4.8 deaths per 100,000 population, about 4.5 per 100,000 motor vehicles and 1300 in total. While each death is a tragedy, the improvements are startling and the small changes in recent years will have more to do with statistical variation rather than trends."

Vernon writes: "Spot on, John, all these warnings and we are just ignoring them, and because we ignore them the answer has been to extend them. Like the 40kmh speed restrictions. Instead of getting better enforcement they are started earlier. Making them now sometimes so long that everyone seems to ignore them. Heatwave warning when it's extreme, sure, but when it's just going to be hot, just give us the forecast and tell us we have hot weather. I'll use my common sense and behave appropriately."

"I totally agree there are too many warnings," writes Arthur. "I suspect the reason is tort law. Manufacturers and institutions try to protect themselves against being sued, especially for personal injury. Surgeons can be sued for adverse outcomes even when there is no negligence involved if the surgeon did not tell the patient of the risk of that particular possibility even though there are hundreds of possible but very rare adverse outcomes. I suspect it is the same with warnings about power tools which come with warnings about every possible risk most of which any reasonable person would be aware of."

Ian writes: "Nate Byrne on the ABC seems to be in a constant state of panic over the weather and I am beginning to ignore his catastrophising. And why are the warnings about not driving through floodwaters always accompanied by vision of cars and trucks successfully doing so?"

"We are currently enjoying the delights of Tasmania for a couple of months," writes Paul. "It's a lovely part of our country but we were somewhat bemused by the recent warnings from the BoM. A maximum of 22 degrees was forecast last week along with a heatwave warning. Seriously?"

Alan has his own warning: "Brushing your teeth with an echidna may cause your gums to bleed. You have been warned."