Whenever I get chatting to friends about Sydney and Melbourne the inevitable comment of rivalry comes up. It’s mentioned and then just as fast it’s dismissed.

“You know what, when I really do think about it… I do like Sydney.” my Melbourne friends report, and so too do my Sydney friends when they consider their fondness for Melbourne.

I’m convinced this rivalry is something the media have churned up in order to sell products, create insecurity and generate a synthetic demand. I mean, honestly. Is there anyone out there that actually likes one and hates the other?

This ‘mad media cultural divide’ is something I see popping up regularly – media companies exploit our fears every day and it’s bizarre how we so willingly consume it. Every time I see it I find myself asking “Who is making money out of this make believe hatred?”.

I see it reflected in sport too – “My team ‘this’, your team ‘that’”.

We are united people, don’t let the media tell us otherwise!