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Aboriginal?


Thanks for that, Spaghetti. Do you know what sort of numbers were involved in the comparison? I sometimes think it must be almost impossible to draw valid conclusions about the outcomes of this generation, given that no one seems to actually know how many children were removed.
 
Perhaps if we keep having to apologise the penny may drop one day and we simply start treating them fairly and instead of only ever talking about the political side we start discussing their art, their music and their successes
Yep, let's do that. The oldest culture on the planet, yet to invent the wheel. Art? A few hand paintings on the rocks, and dots. Music? A couple of sticks beating..Success? Cathy running around in a condom. Poly Farmer had a good handball. They were the first Aussie cricket team to tour, as a novelty act.

Having said that........

Perhaps they were at the height of what our 'civilisation' should be. Perhaps the wheel was the start of the end for us, ending in a 1mm thick plasma...

And, I would like to know who was behind the study that came to the conclusions set out above. My suspiscions and scepticism lead me to a half cast, or some hippy now smoking his own from the back yard plantation in Nimbin.

I don't think I'm stiring the pot, just being anti politically correct at the moment.
 
Kennas

I love their art. Totally stunning and far more internationally recognised than any non-indigenous artist that we have produced. Whole gallery in Paris devoted to it. We do not even have that in Sydney as far as I know.

Quinkan Reserves in Cape York considered one of the best 10 rock art sites in the world. I believe being considered for world heritage listing. The list goes on.

The didgeridoo. Well what can I say, never though too much of it until I heard a master play it. Then wow, brilliant and no other musical instrument blends into nature as it does when played well. It becomes part of nature itself.

There is so much out there Australians just not interested sadly.
 
I love their art. Totally stunning and far more internationally recognised than any non-indigenous artist that we have produced.
There is so much out there Australians just not interested sadly.
This just goes to how enjoyment of any form of so called art is a very personal thing. I saw an art collector on TV recently raving about an aboriginal painting. He said "it sent chills down my spine". It was shown on the screen. It did absolutely nothing for me. As always, it's always in the cliched eye of the beholder.
You can't force people to like what they instinctively don't enjoy.

Anything further on the numbers involved in the study you referred to earlier?
Without knowing numbers or the protocol of the study, it's difficult to say how statistically valid any conclusions might be.
 
Spaghetti, I agree, they've created a wonderful style of abstract and expressionist art, I suppose. Even Prince Harry got caught ripping it off. I actually enjoy the style, like I enjoy Kandinsky. Love it in fact.

And yes, the didgeridoo can make some amazing music.

However, it's important not to romanticise about a culture too much without looking at it in objective context.

In the bigger picture I have to ask myself what they have value added to the 'advancement' of the human species. I'm struggling at the moment.

Use of tools, hunting techniques, bush medicine, language, tracking, etc etc, are all pretty ho hum in the world picture really. And their understanding and care for the environment has been argued previously. I still doubt whether burning off hundreds of acres of bush was good for regeneration, or if it was just lazy hunting. I'm sure they would have dynamited rivers to catch fish, if they had have invented dynamite.

I have to wonder how 'rich' the Dreamtime understanding of the beginning of things is as well, or whether it's just another primitive way to understand why the sun 'rises' each morning, and how the rivers got there.

And for a culture that's been on this land for thousands of years (or is that millions?) which is chock full of natural resources, such as haematite, how the heck didn't they come up with iron tools at some point? Obviously not required I suppose. Or, did they?

I think Australians would be interested, if it was interesting. All most of us do is look in and think, where the hell is that wheel!!
 
Only trouble I see with Ab art is the fact that criminal (knife wielding) whites are exploiting it.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2187863.htm
 
be interesting to see if any truckies are taken to court over this.

Teachers out there say if you can't get a young girl interested in school by the time she should be in high school "you've lost her to the truckies"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/14/2189111.htm
 
PS And that goes for the cottin-chippers out there too apparently.

And the other forms of exploitation - like publicans who double as agricultural labour subcontractors - organising Abs to work on farms - and insisting paying them largely with credit at the pub.
 
I suppose it would be politically incorrect to ask where are the parents of eight year old girls who are having sex late at night with truck drivers?
 
I suppose it would be politically incorrect to ask where are the parents of eight year old girls who are having sex late at night with truck drivers?
It does make you wonder. I suppose they're in a gutter, or a park somewhere. Probably caused by the white man's lack of social support I suppose. Or, maybe it's part Aboriginal custom to give kids free reign from a young age. What is the tradional age of consent to sell your body for drugs? It's tough to make jokes of this terrible situation. I just can't believe it's happening in our little corner of the woods. Perhaps that's why it is. We (especially the aboriginal community) haven't done enough to stop it from eventuating. Quite embarrassing really.
 

kennas - I'm gonna move on from the accusations in your post.
But there's a point here. Which is easier?

a) Take the schools - and the teachers etc - to the kids; or
b) take the kids to the schools.

I mean, you could have sensible class sizes for a starter. - and as if there are enough teachers to go round.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2190059.htm
 

Interesting story once again from the ABC,im not saying it has not happened however its veracity needs to be tested,as an interstate truck driver myself ive run sydney-goondiwindi-sydney shuttle & i used to fuel up at night on the way south at the boggablla servo,i never saw any of this activity or heard it on the 2 way,bogabilla servo & parking bay is a long way from any houses.
Now onto moree,as most of us interstate guys drive b/doubles there is nowhere to pull up in mooree,ive only stopped once & at maccas real early & i blocked 1/2 a driveway just to get some sustenance.It is forbidden to pick up any hitch hikers & it is an instant sackable offence as they are not covered by insurance,funny thing is i did give 2 black fellas a lift south of gunnedah one early saturday morning & they only wanted to go about 20 kms down the road after a heavy night on the turps,no dramas as the cars wouldnt stop.The transport industry has changed alot over the say last 10 years & there are many more responsible operators,myself despite being a young 42,fit & healthy,i go through that many medicals its not funny,for my b/double licence i have a full monty medical every 3 years & all b/double drivers over 50 must have one each year,for me personally say if ive come from melbourne-bogabilla en route to brisbane the only thing i do after i get my duds off is climb into the bunk,but then again im not on the go fast gear looking to put your stiffy where it should not be,Its a disappointing report to see,but like i said this would be a few rogues that need to be sorted out,the mooree elders should go up there to see things right,one thing to remember going into & out of boggabilla the black fellas of a night time always end up knuckling each other in the middle of the road,careful...tb
 

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I suppose it would be politically incorrect to ask where are the parents of eight year old girls who are having sex late at night with truck drivers?
Julia
what makes you think it's just at night?

Fed coalition asking to extend "the Intervention" and State Coalition asking for "an independent judicial review" ... might catch some truck drivers and /or some cottin-chippin pedaphiles for starters.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/14/2190126.htm

"The Intervention" (imo) is/was just an admission that policing etc facilities have been under-resourced for "a long time". And the NT intervention just took police away from NSW etc.

you bet, Barry.

And moving into the future, now that the Abs have been given a hint of self respect and acknowledgment with the change of Govt, maybe people / kids etc will start to come forward. - Whistle Blowers etc - hopefully they'll get better treatment that Gillian Sneddon, the Orkopoulos whistleblower who has been sacked.

 
Perhaps we can see an underlying problem concerning Aboriginals and the tourist trade at Uluru. Ayers Rock was given over to them in 1903.

Day after day the coaches arrive with tourists, well dressed with expensive cameras, clickity click etc., all enjoying themselves. Not far away on the otherside of Uluru the aboriginals live in poverty and none of the tourist cash reaches their rundown properties.

The phrase "dropped the bundle" is used in terms of the state everything is in and their lack of will to do anything about it.
 
btw, maybe we need a change of State Govt to sort this out.
I'd be totally in favour of that I can tell you.
The only way to "Keep the bastards honest" is to give em a turn on the opposition stalls it seems (ask anyone from Wollongong)


tiger - not just truckies, you're right. (as per the exposure about itinerant cotton workers that's now starting to flood the media - yes!!!)
3. a few rogues as you say
1. not sure the rogues were driving when they invited the kids into their cabins.- raped a few and all, - according to those accusations
2. good
4. m8 you eat that much kangaroo, and drink that much whiteman's firewater, you'd probably do the same.
 

I guess it depends on whether you think our system is good. I do not. I see cities full of wage slaves and unhappy, stressed out people. Captain Cook himself described the aborigines as happier than Europeans. In their eyes our way of life may not seem so attractive and who could blame them? I do not see their way of life appealing to me but then nor do I see our way any better, just what I am conditioned to accept (though not very well lol). I believe some aboriginal influence on our culture would be very good, needn't go only one way.

The burning of vegetation. This is interesting topic in itself. Useful for those studying climate change. The Australian megafauna died out about the time of the arrival of aboriginals. The demise of these animals is put down to the loss of lush vegation to fire replaced by the never ending sea of gum trees we have now. The fires essentially killed off many species of plants leaving only the fire resisant to survive and no food for megafuana. The question is was climate change responsible for the intial outbreak of fires or were aboriginal people? Add another theory into the mix that aborigines actually hunted down the last of the megafauna. Still there is debate that a relative small number of humans may have assisted in the dramatic changes seen on the planet during the end of the last ice age.

Anyways whether they played a part in the original destruction of forests or not there subsequent land management was far superior to ours. We have cattle running where no hoofed animal has ever trodden destroying the savanah and of course down south the salt problem. We managed to do a of of damage in a small space of time.

They did survive though without mining iron ore, without exploiting the land as rapidly as we have. They had a far higher skill set than normal people have today. The progress of our society is dictated by population growth. Once a number of people live together each can be assigned a task. The higher the population the stripping down of individual skills becomes apparent.The US is a great example of this. Humans living in societies rather than tribes or clans for eg need some people to simply be able to clean toilets all day, or drive a bus all day, or write cheques all day, or sell phones all day. We reduce individual capacity. So building of societies may have helped progress for the masses but I do not subscribe to the view it makes for happier individuals.
 
Timely article from Sunday Mail journalist, Terry Sweetman.
_________________________

Problem not just black and white


By: Terry Sweetman





THE nurses went on strike and Florence Nightingale's lamp dimmed in our more remote indigenous settlements.
It was a drastic step but the only recourse in the face of dysfunctional authority that has failed to provide them with safe working and living conditions.
The Government deserved everything it got; the communities got everything they deserved.
In fact, it might be time for the Government to put some communities on notice that it will go on strike if they don't get their act together and start to regulate their lives and townships.
It hurts me to write these words because I know they give comfort to the racist trash I hold in contempt.
We collectively have a responsibility to right the wrongs of the past, to lift Aboriginal living standards to the Australian norm, to help them lead productive and fulfilling lives and to bridge the disgraceful 17-year gap in life expectancy that is a stain on our nation.
But indigenous people, too, have responsibilities.
They have a responsibility to ensure the safety of nurses, teachers, welfare workers, council administrators and cops who are there to help them.
We can't forget the Government's historic and calamitous neglect of indigenous welfare, but why should nurses live in communities where their safety, their dignity and their lives are at risk?
Why should cops who are there to stop the violence against women and the abuse of children be subjected to racial contempt and violence?
Why should teachers have to suffer the indignity and frustration of fronting up to near-empty classrooms each day?
Why should council administrators suffer abuse and scorn because they try to put into place some of the financial responsibility the communities demand?
They're not all angels, but why should all these people have to live in compounds and behind bars, alienated from the people they serve?
Why do we have to listen to blather about self-determination, responsibility and the wisdom of elders when people can't even round up their kids and send them to school and respect for basic human rights is non-existent. We can probably never invest enough resources to make some of these communities completely functional, but our contribution is not to be sneezed at.
Take Woorabinda. It is a community of somewhere between 900 and 940 (according to various sources).
It has eight police officers, to be increased to 11 by July 1.
That, according to Police Minister Judy Spence, will give it ``the largest police-to-population ratio in Queensland or the world''.
What a terrible indictment of Woorabinda, particularly when the rest of us get by with one cop for every 439 Queenslanders.
Four of these police will live in converted shipping containers. They're pretty good shipping containers by all accounts but not exactly what most young men and women aspire to.
Woorabinda is one place where the Government did go on strike, or threatened to go on strike, when it warned there would be no more houses until people stopped trashing them.
I don't know the current health of Woorabinda's houses and I'm sure it's not all peace and light, but there were encouraging signs under then mayor Laurence Weazel. He was defeated in the local government elections, so will his vision survive or is it back to abnormal normality for Woorabinda?
The collective abrogation of responsibility was unintentionally summed up by former head of the Northern Land Council Galarrwuy Yunupingu last week when he called for mission-style dormitories for Aboriginal children.
``The missionary days were good,'' he said. ``The missionaries looked after the kids much better than the Government does today.'' Missionaries? Government? Are there no parents?
sweetwords@ozemail.com.au



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Are there no parents?

To cynical eye it looks as if they are trying to have kids stolen again for compensation number 2, irrespectively of why kids were removed in a first place.

But this would start circle number n!
 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/15/2274925.htm





Rather than get interpreters, maybe teach them english.
Imo, The intervention was never sustainable, but at least it got some action after a decade of being swept under the carpet.
 
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