I've been asked about 1989 by a number of people over the years, (but not recently, because most people today who weren't directly involved don't even remember it). I spoke to a 20-something Australian male flight attendant recently who grew up in Gladstone Park (right next door to Melbourne Airport). He asked me why I wasn't flying in Australia and when I mentioned 1989, he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
The comment that's come to serve me best is "Until you're involved in something like that yourself, you'll never understand. Hope and pray you'll never understand."
...as for the comment about how "selfish" the pilots were for resigning when they were told it was the only way to protect their homes and superannuation from being grabbed by Abeles and Jimmy Bow Tie... (Whilst accepting that in hindsight, it was p**spoor legal advice), what can you say in reply to someone who rails on against that? Like I said: "Until you're involved in something like that yourself, you'll never understand."