Australia divided: thousands expected to protest Australia Day legacy

[Lazybones]

17 hours ago, stud858 said:

Shouldn't we celebrate both the recognition of natives and new Aussies. Just change the date to a current one of reconciliation. 

Stubborn cracker jacks.

Otherwise the thought of celebrating hardship still will linger in the minds of native culture.

 

 

Someone recently suggested that the date could be changed to the start of Federation (1st Jan?) which, I thought at the time, made a lot more sense.

[orchidfan]

There's a beautiful replica of the HMS Bounty at anchor in Hong Kong.

They could borrow that and sail around Australia.

Most people wouldn't know the difference!

[RickBradford]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

Kudos to them. 

That's all they want.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, RickBradford said:

That's all they want.

They deserve it.

[Scott]

Baiting post reported and removed. 

[rott]

20 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I don't understand why YOU are deeply ashamed, as you were not part of it. 

If anyone wants to make recompense for something done by others in a different era when society was completely different, they can easily do so by buying property and giving it to the Aboriginals.

 

Meanwhile, my ancestors were treated badly and some no doubt killed by the English, but no English people I know go around saying that they are ashamed to be English, perhaps because the oppressed were "only" Irish.

Yawn. Another chip on the shoulder, off-topic, "poor me" fenian.

[55Jay]

2 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Where did you get that from.

Internet somewhere, was just curious to see what might come up on Chinese activities down under. 

[tifino]

4 minutes ago, 55Jay said:

Internet somewhere, was just curious to see what might come up on Chinese activities down under. 

maybe?... as we speak...

[RickBradford]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

They deserve it.

That's a matter of opinion.

 

I would rather they spent their energy working on something that might actually help the lives of Aboriginal people. That would seem to be more deserving of kudos, in my estimation.

[Bluespunk]

8 minutes ago, RickBradford said:

That's a matter of opinion.

 

I would rather they spent their energy working on something that might actually help the lives of Aboriginal people. That would seem to be more deserving of kudos, in my estimation.

How do you know they aren't?

[RickBradford]

16 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

How do you know they aren't?

Because if they are, and they're serious about it, they wouldn't waste their time hanging around in Melbourne streets chanting and waving placards. That achieves very little - in fact, it's far more likely to antagonise people who might otherwise have been sympathetic.

 

It's exactly the sentiment expressed by an Aboriginal person at the protests: "It’s up to you if you want to come out once a year and protest or if you will work every single day to change what this country is about."

[Bluespunk]

51 minutes ago, RickBradford said:

Because if they are, and they're serious about it, they wouldn't waste their time hanging around in Melbourne streets chanting and waving placards. That achieves very little - in fact, it's far more likely to antagonise people who might otherwise have been sympathetic.

 

It's exactly the sentiment expressed by an Aboriginal person at the protests: "It’s up to you if you want to come out once a year and protest or if you will work every single day to change what this country is about."

I was involved in a number of movements/causes in my younger days and always took part in demonstrations highlighting the cause.

 

You do not know how involved the people demonstrating are.

[GreasyFingers]

2 hours ago, tifino said:

maybe?... as we speak...

Hopefully they will be here before it is overrun with arabs.

[RickBradford]

5 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

I was involved in a number of movements/causes in my younger days and always took part in demonstrations highlighting the cause.

 

You do not know how involved the people demonstrating are.

If all the participants in the protest are diligently working away to improve the conditions of Aboriginal people, they must be doing something wrong, because there seem to have been very few problems solved over the past few decades.

 

The alternative explanation, that the vast majority of the people protesting are doing it "once a year", as the Aboriginal woman suggests, seems to me to be altogether more plausible.

[Bluespunk]

3 minutes ago, RickBradford said:

If all the participants in the protest are diligently working away to improve the conditions of Aboriginal people, they must be doing something wrong, because there seem to have been very few problems solved over the past few decades.

 

The alternative explanation, that the vast majority of the people protesting are doing it "once a year", as the Aboriginal woman suggests, seems to me to be altogether more plausible.

For me it is far more plausible that the lack of progress is why there is a need to demonstrate.

 

A demonstration on this scale and at this time, certainly would be an opportunity I would take, if I wanted to draw attention to the issue.

[RickBradford]

5 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

A demonstration on this scale and at this time, certainly would be an opportunity I would take, if I wanted to draw attention to the issue.

If the "issue" of Australia Day vs Invasion Day is the biggest one facing Aboriginal people today I would be very surprised.

 

They're drawing attention to this "issue" all right, but not in a way that will create a positive reaction, in my estimation. But it doesn't look as though they care too much about that.

[Respectthailand]

On 1/26/2019 at 3:25 PM, Trentham said:

My ancestors arrived in Oz on the first and second fleets. That means my relations were part of the murder and enslavement and dispossession of Aborigines and I am deeply ashamed by that. It was an invasion and out of respect for Aborigines we should change the date. 26th was not the day Westerners discovered Australia and it is not the day the nation of Australia was founded.

So you racist ignoramuses say what you like. You do not change the facts.

Great post

[tifino]

4 hours ago, orchidfan said:

There's a beautiful replica of the HMS Bounty at anchor in Hong Kong.

They could borrow that and sail around Australia.

Most people wouldn't know the difference!

 

but... they might jump ship, again!

[Old Croc]

 

1 minute ago, tifino said:

4 hours ago, orchidfan said:

There's a beautiful replica of the HMS Bounty at anchor in Hong Kong.

They could borrow that and sail around Australia.

Most people wouldn't know the difference!

 

but... they might jump ship, again!

They could use the replica of the Duyfken, a Dutch ship that came to Australia 150+ years before Cook. A friend of mine helped build this. I believe it is still on display somewhere in-country.

 

[tifino]

36 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

I was involved in a number of movements/causes in my younger days and always took part in demonstrations highlighting the cause.

 

You do not know how involved the people demonstrating are.

Dial-a-Crowds are very annoying!

 

I recall 'twas back late80s; some massive demonstration up on StKilda Rd.

It was lunchtime, and I was trying simply to walk out of the Defence barracks, where all the flags were flying...

 ... just barged right thru them... loudly quoting my best adlibbed Monty Python...

"Moan Moan Moan... always complainING!!"

(I had a Spam Tram to catch!)

[tifino]

13 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

 

They could use the replica of the Duyfken, a Dutch ship that came to Australia 150+ years before Cook. A friend of mine helped build this. I believe it is still on display somewhere in-country.

 

 

 http://www.duyfken.com/visit

 

[Old Croc]

The best way to resolve the issue would be to finally grow up and divest ourselves of the shackles of British colonialism and the medieval monarchy system. 

Declare the Republic on a date that suits all, and forever celebrate Australia Day then.

[Old Croc]

2 minutes ago, tifino said:

 

Could you remove your comments from my post, please.

Keep them separate.

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Could you remove your comments from my post, please.

Keep them separate.

 thought peoples might be interested where/when to find and visit it...

[kannot]

On 1/26/2019 at 2:25 PM, Trentham said:

I am deeply ashamed by that

struth, may as  well end  it  all now then eh, im sure some of  my ancestors probably raped, murdered and butchered unnecessarily............I dont feel any shame  guilt or anything else, if Britain hadnt  done  it someone else would  have....so what

[Orton Rd]

On 1/26/2019 at 2:25 PM, Trentham said:

My ancestors arrived in Oz on the first and second fleets. That means my relations were part of the murder and enslavement and dispossession of Aborigines and I am deeply ashamed by that. It was an invasion and out of respect for Aborigines we should change the date. 26th was not the day Westerners discovered Australia and it is not the day the nation of Australia was founded.

So you racist ignoramuses say what you like. You do not change the facts.

Without the western development of the country the Aborigines would still not have invented the wheel. All lands were originally invaded by people at some time. The aborigines were lucky it was the Brits, or they would all be speaking French, and people might be rioting in the streets!

[tifino]

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Without the western development of the country the Aborigines would still not have invented the wheel. All lands were originally invaded by people at some time. The aborigines were lucky it was the Brits, or they would all be speaking French, and people might be rioting in the streets!

 

not the wheel... but they started with just the 'axle' instead...

 

and in the future; the requirement for lubricants, when a fire was not wanted at times...

[Orton Rd]

Fire and throwing sticks about after 60,000 thousand years! Not all cultures are equal could not have better proof.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, RickBradford said:

If the "issue" of Australia Day vs Invasion Day is the biggest one facing Aboriginal people today I would be very surprised.

 

They're drawing attention to this "issue" all right, but not in a way that will create a positive reaction, in my estimation. But it doesn't look as though they care too much about that.

They are drawing attention to it, and it is important to do so.

 

I see no problem with their approach, it is non violent, it is prominent and is keeping the issue in the public eye.

 

Kudos.

[Bluespunk]

53 minutes ago, tifino said:

Dial-a-Crowds are very annoying!

 

I recall 'twas back late80s; some massive demonstration up on StKilda Rd.

It was lunchtime, and I was trying simply to walk out of the Defence barracks, where all the flags were flying...

 ... just barged right thru them... loudly quoting my best adlibbed Monty Python...

"Moan Moan Moan... always complainING!!"

(I had a Spam Tram to catch!)

I took part in a fair number of demonstrations when I was younger, based around issues I felt mattered.

 

No dial/rent a crowd at all, that is the complaint made by the media/politicians when they don't want to face the issues.