threlly

tonight at 9-10 BBC2 - Boy From The Block - a documentary about a riot in sydney in February after the death of a aboriginal boy. preview looks depressing with regard to how oboriginals are treated in OZ. worth a watch though i think

Megalania

Also depressing how they treat themselves.

steandleigh

watched the programme this evening and am a feeling a bit

Looks (from the outside) like an impossible situation.

Mum of TJ has six daughters but can't manage to get any of them to school and therefore the daughters have no formal education.

Didn't seem like there was any particular reason for this except the kids didn't want to go and mum had no fire in her belly enough to stick a proverbial foot up their arses and make them go.

My gran raised 10 kids on her own (6 boys and 4 girls) and made sure that each and every one went to school and got an education - OR ELSE!!!!!!!!

On the other hand, its a culture and 'society' which has existed for thousands of years ( certainly many more than before the pommies took over ) but only 200 years since we came knocking on their door and only 37 years since they were actually acknowledged as citizens and given the vote.

Anyone have any ideas on this, as its baffling me how such a modern, progressive and forward thinking nation can have such problems?

Surely even australia can take a look at the world news every now and then, see what's happened here and maybe learn from it?

just looking for some thoughts, no flames thanks.

kong

This topic is also here

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hreadid=241053

steandleigh

Am still

Hoping to learn more about the situation when we get there.

Peter

You'll find the situation "when you get there" to be markedly different from any documentary.

I've said it once; I've said it a million times but most Aborginals just want to b left alone.

For years Aboriginals were victims of British expansionism, now they're victims of charity and welfare-based marginalisation.

steandleigh

Obviously,

no documentary presents both sides in a true and relevant matter, particularly when theres ratings to be considered.

If the aboriginals want to be left alone though, why do they que up for their state handouts (as do the aussie whites / british folk/wherever else in the world you care to mention) and not go back to their land, live off it and keep to themselves? Just a question.

And to be perfectly honest, if I was welfare marginalised (here in the uk), i'd be a bloody whole lot better off than slogging my guts out for many hours a week and i'd see a lot more of my kids too. Unfortunately for me, my pride and upbringing tells me that I must put in a hards days work to provide for my family and i'm safe in the knowledge that the beer i drink at night has been paid for out of my own hard graft, rather than someone elses.

Off topic, how come you're away from the lucky country?

pompeywill

Ulujain
would you say that there is tension between the white australians and the aborigines, or is it mainly just the police that the aborigines despise?
What I'm saying is would a white person feel safe walking through Redfern?

kong

No. no.no. Unless you had come aboriginal friends flanking ya.

pompeywill

There where white youths in the background in the documentry, they appeared to be buying drugs.
The program implied that the police were happy to let drug dealing go on in Redfern as it kept it out of the white suburbs.

gwrees

Now, Ive had a few cans and a bottle of wine wine by now so if I'm talkin bo**ocks then sorry
But I cant help thinking but whats the moral to the story?

Was it supposed to make us feel sorry for them, tell us they want to be left alone? By the looks of that documentary they shun any funding given to them anyway so whats the answer. Or are we now supposed to think theyre lazy wasters who would be happy in a council block on the edge of the M6?

At the end of the day, is it any different to any big City in the UK or USA with its racial problems? Remember the LA riots. We were here first blah blah blah? We know they are troubled but what do you do. Would they rather it if everyone left the Island and left them to there own devices? What would happen then. I reckon theres so many arguments to the story its never ending. No doubt someone here reckons theyve got the answer. (probably Kong!)

Do you want to know my opinion? Ok I'll tell you anyway!

i was in Perth 18 months ago on a Holiday, I went fishing on a charter from Hillaries, me and my mate caught loads of fish and when we were sticking them in the boot of the car, a gang of young aboriginals approached us and tried to nick our fish! And one was a really nice Queen Snapper And a huge samson fish!If they'd have asked us they could have had em, but that pissed me off! Never met any others though

Peter

@steandleigh I moved to the US to be with someone. Be going back in a month and a bit.

For starters, Aboriginals aren't all the same people. They never have been. The Pitjantjatjarra of the NT/SA aren't the same folk as, say, the Bundjalung of Northern NSW. So, it's hard, if not outright wrong, to think of them as a unified people.

But...

Like any other human being legally in Australia, the opportunities are there for them to progress and move themselves up in the world. They just need to reach out and grasp them. It could be fairly argued that many of them have simply "given up" and resigned themselves to a lifetime of welfare subsidized indolence and hopelessness.

There are white folk in Australia who are the same way, so don't get me wrong.

It's easy to feel sorry for them and try and help somehow, but from experience, the gesture is probably not going to be appreciated or wanted. Many of them feel that their lives are manipulated enough by well-meaning "gubbas" now.

Quite seriously, the ball is in the court of the Aboriginals Australia wide.

Is there tension? Yeah, it exists. Ignorance is the daddy of most of it. Once koori and gubba get to know each other, the chance of mateship exists just like it would between any people.

Re: Redfern, no, I wouldn't walk down Eveleigh St. Redfern alone either.

SuperSeagulls

I used to go to work through Redfern every day and my girlf used to live there. Didn't have any problems. Obviously it is a deprived area but nows its reputation would have gone through the roof. I guess the divide will become bigger. Its a catch 22 situation - show the riots on TV = highlight the divide internationally = make aborginals out to be drug addicted vandals.

But the situation itself in Redfern seemed no different to, say Kalgoorlie. Shunned aboriginals sitting on the sidewalks drinking Stanley.

I dont really know the answer. I feel for the elders who try and instil some of their culture into the youth but to no real avail.

Just my point of view after a few ciders.

SS

seang

Good point

SuperSeagulls

Ta