Let's talk about Australia.

[Axver]

And right on cue, WikiLeaks drops this one:

WikiLeaks

Heh, as I was reading through this discussion, I was thinking of that article.

The asylum seekers debate in this country makes me simply nauseous, and often embarrassed to hold an Australian passport. The amount of racism, the lack of empathy, and the "I got mine" attitude that was on gross public display during this year's electoral cycle was enough to make me despair. The voices of sanity never really had a chance to be heard, especially since the ALP didn't have the courage to offer up the actual facts or provide a position notably distinct from the Liberals.

I'm so troubled by the latent racism throughout our society. I've been startled by what I've heard even from some left leaning folk, let alone the far right types you'd expect it from. I know a couple of people who refuse to be treated by Indian doctors. It doesn't matter how many qualifications the doctor has or how well-spoken or intelligent they are, these people don't want to be treated simply because the doctor is an Indian (or, y'know, Pakistani or Sri Lankan or whatever, but them's all Induns huh!). Let's just say I've made my thoughts on this very clear to them.

 

[cobl04]

it is troubling. i don't think we're the racist country that we get labelled, but by god there are a lot of fucking morons out there who give us that reputation.

 

[Axver]

Oh for fuck's sake, can Channel 9 News get any more worthless? Headlines right now, "Christmas Island deaths re-ignite asylum seeker debate" and "the ducks that brought Melbourne to a standstill". Yes, some ducks on a motorway are just as important as a tragic loss of life.

 

[The Sad Punk]

No! Not the ducks!

 

[Vlad n U 2]

They look so cute when they're waddling across the road in lines.

 

[dan_smee]

Serves you right for getting you're news from anyone but fairfax (who aren't perfect, but are a lot better)

 

[Axver]

Serves you right for getting you're news from anyone but fairfax (who aren't perfect, but are a lot better)

If I could, I'd make Nine's news bulletins automatically mute when the cricket's on.

Really, the only nightly news worth watching on Aussie TV is SBS's, and even that isn't as good as it used to be. I miss Mary Kostakidis.

 

[coolian2]

when i went to sydney a few months ago it was strangely reassuring to turn sbs on when i got back in the evening to a foreign film featuring a lot of female frontal nudity.

felt like nothing had ever changed.

 

[cobl04]

Ahh that shit sells. News ltd don't give a fuck if Fairfax is perceived as better or more respectable, there's a shitload more people buying the Herald Sun (me for one) than The Age.

 

[Axver]

I wouldn't dignify the Herald Sun as toilet paper, let alone with my custom.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i look at it this way: how anyone in any country who isn't part of their country's original race (e.g. native americans, aborigines, maori, etc.) really just needs to stfu about immigrants, refugees, etc. anyone of european descent wouldn't live where they did if someone in their family hadn't moved.

i know i'm preaching to the choir here as everyone thinks that kind of viewpoint is crap, but i felt the need to say it regardless.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Speaking of whitewash, does anyone know how Australian history in schools is being taught these days? I know for a fact that my school just went from Europeans arriving straight to federation and WW1, without a mention of aboriginal genocide or resistance. It wasn't until long after highschool that I first learned about all that stuff, and that was instigated by speaking to a member of the stolen generations.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Speaking of whitewash, does anyone know how Australian history in schools is being taught these days? I know for a fact that my school just went from Europeans arriving straight to federation and WW1, without a mention of aboriginal genocide or resistance. It wasn't until long after highschool that I first learned about all that stuff, and that was instigated by speaking to a member of the stolen generations.

Yeah. We go through the basics of WW1 with a basic lead up to the beginning of the war which accounts for about half of the WW1 study with the other half going through Gallipoli. In terms of history at school we only go as far back as federation. One semester of history included federation, WW1, depression, WW2 (in which a large portion was spent on the war effort back home, not that much on Europe bar the bare basics) and the Vietnam War.

 

[dan_smee]

We did a whole unit on the treatment of Aborigines.

It was great, we watched movies and read books on integration, eradication, assimilation and all of the wonderful policies back then!

I am so ashamed sometimes

 

[Axver]

Speaking of whitewash, does anyone know how Australian history in schools is being taught these days? I know for a fact that my school just went from Europeans arriving straight to federation and WW1, without a mention of aboriginal genocide or resistance. It wasn't until long after highschool that I first learned about all that stuff, and that was instigated by speaking to a member of the stolen generations.

It doesn't help that the curriculum changes from state to state. Aboriginal history might as well not exist in the Queensland system; I know nothing's changed since I did it, except that now you can opt out of any form of history at the end of year nine rather than year ten, which as a historian breaks my heart.

One of my doctoral supervisors is a prominent Australian historian who has been heavily involved in the creation of a national history curriculum, and inserting Aboriginal history has been extremely difficult - there are so many people who oppose it, and the misrepresentation of the curriculum in the media (both by Fairfax and News Ltd) has been appalling. The moment you try to add any more Aboriginal history, you get accused of "black armband" left wing history that's trying to destroy Australia's national identity and raise a generation of self-loathing students. I'm not even kidding, it's so fucking politicised.

Whenever I read a media report on the national history curriculum, I go through it just thinking "that's not true ... that's not true ... that's not true either".

 

[cobl04]

Speaking of whitewash, does anyone know how Australian history in schools is being taught these days? I know for a fact that my school just went from Europeans arriving straight to federation and WW1, without a mention of aboriginal genocide or resistance. It wasn't until long after highschool that I first learned about all that stuff, and that was instigated by speaking to a member of the stolen generations.

i can say that the most we ever did on maltreatment of the Abos (to borrow from Python) was watch Rabbit Proof Fence. History stopped for me after year eight (because history = boring, eww), which i now regret quite a bit.

i work in a sheet metal factory by the way, and you should hear the comments flying around about the boat people. one in particular that received a few laughs was "if we just bomb them all, then eventually the remains will solidfy and form an island, then newies can just go there".

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Ugh, I hate it when people use the term "Abo".

 

[The Sad Punk]

NIT

The jailing rate of black males in South Africa at the end of the Apartheid era (1993) was 851 per 100,000 population. In Australia today, we jail black males at a national rate of 4,364 per 100,000. That's over five times higher.

In the Northern Territory, the rate is almost six times higher.

In fact, no state or territory of Australia - not even the ACT - jails black males at a rate less than South Africa under apartheid.

The closest is Tasmania, at 1,169 per 100,000 population.

So Australia's 'best performer' is still almost 30 percent worst than the regime considered the most racist on earth.

 

[dan_smee]

NIT

Thank you so much!

The only arguement people can make against this is easily countered by the fact that any problems are a result of introduced western vices like alcohol, gambling etc.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Wow, what an eye opener.

 

[The Sad Punk]

The real, obvious question is - why aren't we doing anything about this? The average lifespan for Aboriginal males is worse than in Bangladesh.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Too busy trying to keep out the friggin' immigints than helping the people already on our soil.

 

[cobl04]

Watching some movie about Bob Hawke on ch 10. Guessing the budget was in the hundreds!

 

[Vlad n U 2]

That thing premiered some months ago. Meh.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I'm sure the Rudd/Gillard love caused a bit of gagging over Corn Flakes this morning:

Bono: My love affair with Australia | The Daily Telegraph

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Also, wow. Reading that again, a lot of that is pretty bare for Bono.

 

[Axver]

Meanwhile, The Age has gone and published this opinion piece originally from the Washington Post (complete with prominent homepage billing with a photo of Bono and Bush): Imagine there's no rebels

 

[coolian2]

Also, wow. Reading that again, a lot of that is pretty bare for Bono.

surprisingly good read, for the most part.

Imagine there's no rebels

unsurprisingly yawn-tastic read. the point's getting even more tired than bono banging on about all of the things the article complains about.

 

[cobl04]

that was actually a really good read - i didn't read any of the political AIDS/Red/One garbage because that doesn't interest me, but the retrospective stuff about coming to Australia, and playing LRM for the first time in 20 years was great. much better than i was expecting.

 

[Axver]

surprisingly good read, for the most part.



unsurprisingly yawn-tastic read. the point's getting even more tired than bono banging on about all of the things the article complains about.

Seconded, though I found both articles were poorly focused. Bono was, as always, a bit rambly, and I hate to think how messy that looked before an editor got to it with a red pen judging by his past unedited writings. The other one just seemed to be aimless bitching that didn't seem to justify any of its points. I can pay that there's something to be said for dissidents rather than being buddies with amoral/immoral powerbrokers, but it just seemed to be a plea for simpleton activism.