In honour of Australia Day today, I've decided to write about Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.
What does it mean to be an Indigenous person in Australia? As I am not an Indigenous person here in Australia, and am European (as far as I know), it is hard for me to know what it is like for them alot of the time.
At school, I was taught some Australian history, with a limited knowledge of Australian Aboriginies, and that they were a primitive race of people living in the middle of the desert (or in the bush), or in country towns. And if they did live in the city, it was like living in a ghetto, like in Redfern, for instance: and such people are seen as unable to 'adapt' to modern life, are even more worse off than what they would be if they were in the country, drink like fish and use drugs (like sniffing petrol and/or solvents, for instance).
Sure, you see them in parks, congregating in groups and drinking, and then getting on the trains (or some other form of public transport) and drawing attention to themselves from the authorities and other passengers. Even more disturbing is when they fight in public, and even beat their own children. It is not something I would even wish on my worst enemy, let alone someone who is a total stranger - you don't want to see people getting so drunk they can't control themselves, and even worse, see children being beaten up. And, unfortunately, I've noticed that amongst Aboriginal people even more than I have with any other racial group here in Australia; and it's not just us 'white folk' that notice it, but Asians as well (See this post on Facebook).
Like the Native Americans, Canadian 'first people, and the Indigenous peoples in Central and South America, they were also the 'original inhabitants' or at least the longest-standing racial group in this country. When European people settled here (as they did in many other countries), they established their colonies, which I know had much of an impact on the way of life for many Indigenous people.
And, with it came our customs and habits and way of life, which we acknowledge is 'easier' for us, profoundly impacted on them. One of the worst 'blights' is alcohol, even though a non-Indigenous person may be able afford to get drunk, that doesn't necessarily make them any better. Alcohol, in moderation (and in small amounts) can help people to loosen up and enjoy themselves, and I don't mind the occasional glass of wine with my dinner, or the occasional mixed drink at a party.
However, in large amounts, alcohol affect one's health, including one's mental health, ruins communities, families and relationships, adds to crime, causes poverty, contributes to the injury and accident rate, and in the end, kills. The same can be said for other 'psychoactive' drugs (most of which are illicit ones like marijuana and other illegal pills, as well as 'legal' ones which may require a prescription, which can also be easily abused and contribute to addictions; other pharmaceutical products like mouth wash or cough mixtures which contain alcohol, antihistamines, 'No-Doz' caffeine tablets, psuedoephedrine; and solvents like petrol and glue). Unfortunately, though, I have known more people to behave in an anti-social manner (and of any nationality and social background) because they have 'imbibed'. And the impact of alcohol is greatest on those who are the poorest. And guess which racial group here in Australia is most profoundly affected? Yes, Aboriginal people.
Another is Christianity: despite having grown up Christian and/or Catholic myself, and maybe the missionaries arrived with the best intention of teaching the 'Natives' of what they see as a 'better' life, would it be fair of me to say that even though they may have been 'poor' or had 'meagre' or 'spartan' existences, that they were still free to lead their lives in such a way that they have been doing so for centuries and millenia? And hold their own beliefs and values? And they resented the 'white' or non-Indigenous peoples for imposing their beliefs and values on them? By taking their children away and sending them to a school far away? And even if it would have been advantageous for these children to go to school and learn about religion and be taught 'how to behave', the problem here is that such children have learned to associate education and religion with social control and having another way of life imposed upon them that is not compatible with their own.
The third impact is diet - I understand that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders took only what they needed, and though they might have had to manipulate the environment to catch animals (though the burning of forests and the like), they didn't take so much at once that the 'livestock' (or food) was depleted, or if it was, they went where there was a greater abundance, or had learned to cope with scarcity in some way or another. While a Western (or European) mode of production may have been advantageous in that our agricultural techniques would result in more abundance (and that would include food preservation and cooking), processed food can also lead to many dietary problems like obesity, diabetes and hypertension (and its related ailments); while their own 'bush tucker' would have been much more nutritious. And coupled with the fact that some of these communities don't have the same access to health care (like with education) as other racial groups, owing to factors like poverty and distance, they get even more sick. This is yet another factor contributing to their shortened life span and probably another reason why they would hate 'White' people.
The economic system: it was only recently that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been included as 'human' and counted in the Census (a population count which occurrs every 5 years here in Australia). Before that, they were a 'non-Entity'. However, even though they weren't afforded the same rights as many other people, they were still expected to work, and were given the crappiest jobs. This was back then. More recently, Australia introduced policies based on Equal Employment Opportunity, Workplace Diversity and Affirmative action (which is especially designed to help various groups that did face discrimination more than others). However, capitalism means having to always learn new skills, and for people unable to even finish high school, let alone go beyond there and do some post-school education, this means being left behind. And while many universities and some TAFE colleges teach things that are 'enlightening' or relevant to the students, most schools (and other TAFE courses) are little more than institutions that teach people only to be 'good workers' and not what they are truly interested in. Hence, it is little wonder that people from poorer backgrounds associate school with social control and having to 'work hard' for the rest of one's life. Another reason why Aboriginal and other Indigenous people may associate school with social control, capitalism and the 'white man's ways' and come to resent it.
(To be continued)
What does it mean to be an Indigenous person in Australia? As I am not an Indigenous person here in Australia, and am European (as far as I know), it is hard for me to know what it is like for them alot of the time.
At school, I was taught some Australian history, with a limited knowledge of Australian Aboriginies, and that they were a primitive race of people living in the middle of the desert (or in the bush), or in country towns. And if they did live in the city, it was like living in a ghetto, like in Redfern, for instance: and such people are seen as unable to 'adapt' to modern life, are even more worse off than what they would be if they were in the country, drink like fish and use drugs (like sniffing petrol and/or solvents, for instance).
Sure, you see them in parks, congregating in groups and drinking, and then getting on the trains (or some other form of public transport) and drawing attention to themselves from the authorities and other passengers. Even more disturbing is when they fight in public, and even beat their own children. It is not something I would even wish on my worst enemy, let alone someone who is a total stranger - you don't want to see people getting so drunk they can't control themselves, and even worse, see children being beaten up. And, unfortunately, I've noticed that amongst Aboriginal people even more than I have with any other racial group here in Australia; and it's not just us 'white folk' that notice it, but Asians as well (See this post on Facebook).
Like the Native Americans, Canadian 'first people, and the Indigenous peoples in Central and South America, they were also the 'original inhabitants' or at least the longest-standing racial group in this country. When European people settled here (as they did in many other countries), they established their colonies, which I know had much of an impact on the way of life for many Indigenous people.
And, with it came our customs and habits and way of life, which we acknowledge is 'easier' for us, profoundly impacted on them. One of the worst 'blights' is alcohol, even though a non-Indigenous person may be able afford to get drunk, that doesn't necessarily make them any better. Alcohol, in moderation (and in small amounts) can help people to loosen up and enjoy themselves, and I don't mind the occasional glass of wine with my dinner, or the occasional mixed drink at a party.
However, in large amounts, alcohol affect one's health, including one's mental health, ruins communities, families and relationships, adds to crime, causes poverty, contributes to the injury and accident rate, and in the end, kills. The same can be said for other 'psychoactive' drugs (most of which are illicit ones like marijuana and other illegal pills, as well as 'legal' ones which may require a prescription, which can also be easily abused and contribute to addictions; other pharmaceutical products like mouth wash or cough mixtures which contain alcohol, antihistamines, 'No-Doz' caffeine tablets, psuedoephedrine; and solvents like petrol and glue). Unfortunately, though, I have known more people to behave in an anti-social manner (and of any nationality and social background) because they have 'imbibed'. And the impact of alcohol is greatest on those who are the poorest. And guess which racial group here in Australia is most profoundly affected? Yes, Aboriginal people.
Another is Christianity: despite having grown up Christian and/or Catholic myself, and maybe the missionaries arrived with the best intention of teaching the 'Natives' of what they see as a 'better' life, would it be fair of me to say that even though they may have been 'poor' or had 'meagre' or 'spartan' existences, that they were still free to lead their lives in such a way that they have been doing so for centuries and millenia? And hold their own beliefs and values? And they resented the 'white' or non-Indigenous peoples for imposing their beliefs and values on them? By taking their children away and sending them to a school far away? And even if it would have been advantageous for these children to go to school and learn about religion and be taught 'how to behave', the problem here is that such children have learned to associate education and religion with social control and having another way of life imposed upon them that is not compatible with their own.
The third impact is diet - I understand that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders took only what they needed, and though they might have had to manipulate the environment to catch animals (though the burning of forests and the like), they didn't take so much at once that the 'livestock' (or food) was depleted, or if it was, they went where there was a greater abundance, or had learned to cope with scarcity in some way or another. While a Western (or European) mode of production may have been advantageous in that our agricultural techniques would result in more abundance (and that would include food preservation and cooking), processed food can also lead to many dietary problems like obesity, diabetes and hypertension (and its related ailments); while their own 'bush tucker' would have been much more nutritious. And coupled with the fact that some of these communities don't have the same access to health care (like with education) as other racial groups, owing to factors like poverty and distance, they get even more sick. This is yet another factor contributing to their shortened life span and probably another reason why they would hate 'White' people.
The economic system: it was only recently that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been included as 'human' and counted in the Census (a population count which occurrs every 5 years here in Australia). Before that, they were a 'non-Entity'. However, even though they weren't afforded the same rights as many other people, they were still expected to work, and were given the crappiest jobs. This was back then. More recently, Australia introduced policies based on Equal Employment Opportunity, Workplace Diversity and Affirmative action (which is especially designed to help various groups that did face discrimination more than others). However, capitalism means having to always learn new skills, and for people unable to even finish high school, let alone go beyond there and do some post-school education, this means being left behind. And while many universities and some TAFE colleges teach things that are 'enlightening' or relevant to the students, most schools (and other TAFE courses) are little more than institutions that teach people only to be 'good workers' and not what they are truly interested in. Hence, it is little wonder that people from poorer backgrounds associate school with social control and having to 'work hard' for the rest of one's life. Another reason why Aboriginal and other Indigenous people may associate school with social control, capitalism and the 'white man's ways' and come to resent it.
(To be continued)
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What is your own take on this situation? How do you rise above the rot?