I've never made a charitable donation to an Aboriginal organisation, however, should Shane Mortimer win his $6 million dollar lawsuit for damages against Professor Don Aitkin, by his words, it looks like I'm going to do so by default.
In an article in the Australian from November last year:-
"Mr Mortimer's damages claim included personal damages of $500,000 and $5.5 million to be paid to the Agriculture Arts Residency Kenmore, of which he was chairman. He said $5.5m equated to $10 for each indigenous person counted in the last census."
I could think of many better non-profit organisations than AARK that I would donate money to if it were up to me, but, apparently it is ok to count me in the numbers to get your cash, but not ok to get a general consensus first on whether I, and the other Indigenous Australians you are so generously tin shaking for, approve of what you spend it on. For the record, I don't. If you want a massive cash injection into your organisation, this is not the right way to do it.
I do have a couple of questions though. As the Chairman of AARK, I imagine Shane Mortimer would be able to answer them:-
How much did AARK pay Gregory Fergusson for his paintings?
Is it AARK's standard practice not to work with Aboriginal artists? (I only ask because the esteemed Gregory Fergusson, a non Indigenous artist, appears to be the only person whose works feature on the website)
Does iArts stand for 'Indigenous Arts', just as the Iagriculture page was titled 'Indigenous Agriculture'? Or did the fact you only had artworks from a non-Indigenous artist on your iArts page make that a bit difficult?
Aside from all of the above, I'm also curious about Shane Mortimers claim to be an 'Elder'. I was reading another article today where it mentions that until he was 34 years old, he was not aware of his Aboriginal ancestry. I have several relatives who refuse the title of Elder, many the same age as Mr Mortimer, all adamant that they cannot be called Elder, as they missed the appropriate initiations at the relevant ages. In this age of self-appointment, I admire their respect for our culture in its original form, and it is for this very reason that I will never acknowledge Shane Mortimer (and others like him who find their Aboriginality much later in life - such as Mick Harding or Gloria Whalan) as being an Elder. Loss of your culture is never an excuse for such denigration of those Elders whose titles were given to them in accordance with traditional laws and practices, and by placing yourself in a category with people who have had to prove themselves to their peers, undergo rituals, prove their worth in and among their people and rise to such a position over many years, that is exactly what you are doing.
I tend to view self-appointed, so-called 'Elders' with an especially grim outlook when I see they are also guilty of another common lure - the 'cash for ceremonies' crowd. Thankfully, I've never been forced to sit through a Welcome to Country, but I imagine if it ever happens, it wouldn't be a pretty sight. I would probably walk out unless I could be assured of two things - 1) That the person performing the ceremony was truly appointed by the local people as their representative to perform such things with their permission (this is often NOT the case) and 2) That if a fee were to be charged, that the fee go to a fund or trust where ALL the local Aboriginal people (whose land it is performed upon) can gain benefit from it.
If it were a performance by Shane Mortimer, by my own rules, I'd leave the building. I wouldn't walk completely off the property though, I'd stick around long enough to ask the man who also gave himself the Twitter handle of, wait for it - 'AboriginalElder' - a few questions.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
More from the Double Standards Bureau
I'm not a big Mundine fan, but I feel quite a bit of sympathy for the bloke right about now.
Not because he lost to Daniel Geale in the much hyped fight after his comments about Geales Aboriginality (or perceived lack of Aboriginality), but, because he had to deal with the holier than thou media reports in the lead up to that fight (as well as post fight) that were highly critical of his comments, whilst holding Geale up equally as both a poor, poor victim of a mean and nasty racist while at the same time, parading him around as the supposedly 'better man' for holding his tongue and not sinking to those apparently racist depths of mentioning colour and Aboriginality in the same sentence.
Imagine my surprise to read this article and read Geales own comments regarding Mundines Aboriginality this week:
"according to Geale, Sheena has more Aboriginal blood in her through her father's NSW-born, Koori-descended father than Mundine"
Now, I may not have the great legal mind of Ron Merkel, but I'm thinking there's a court case going begging right here. Considering Anthony Mundine has two parents he can trace his Aboriginality through (his father Tony as well as his Bundjalung mother Lyn), whereas Sheena only has a 'Koori descended father' (which to me always implies the climb up the family tree to a blackfella who is actually, well, black - is a long one). Not only is Sheena incorrect in her statement, perhaps to a level lending her to be accused of defamation, but also, the way it is said is, well - offensive. I have to admit, it would be reasonably likely for Anthony Mundine to be offended by such an obviously untrue statement being bandied about as fact, especially when it is racially motivated.
Somehow, I don't think a court case will be forthcoming.
(Geales family, pictured above, including the 'more Aboriginal than Mundine' Sheena, to the far right)
According to the Double Standards Bureau - Mundine mentioning Aboriginality (or perceived lack thereof) = bad, Geale doing exactly the same thing = good. According to the wise Ruth Lamperd, who wrote the offending article not only without the most basic of fact checking, but also, apparently without the intestinal fortitude to note the stunning hypocrisy of what she was churning out. In Ruth world, Geale is a 'gentleman' and Mundine, little more than a 'bragger'. Add in the Phil Rothfield article, a so called boxing fans rant going viral, an Age article that brands Mundine as a bad loser and an idiot, and you have the scene painted. He's the guy we must now hate for daring to speak his mind. In addition to the rabid media coverage, his Facebook page has been filled with nasty, hateful comments that questioned the heritage of his mother and referred to him repeatedly as a c**t (along with plenty of other foul language) and one bright chap who told him to 'go eat a witchetty grub'.
It all beggars belief.
Long before all the comments about Aboriginality, Geale was hoping for just this kind of boost to his public image. Until all this drama, he was quite the Neddy Nobody. Sure, boxing fans may have heard of him, news reports may have carried his name buried deep in the sports section long past where you've tuned out, but, he was in effect, unknown in the greater scheme of things. Definitely not what you'd call a household name. His meteoric rise was to be assisted by the usual hacks only too happy to scream 'racist' for a few dollars and some space online.
When I look at the photo above, the first words that pop into my head aren't 'Aboriginal family'. They'd fit perfectly well into a K-Mart catalogue - the last place I see people of stereotypical Aboriginal appearance. I can see how Mundine missed the Aboriginal blood in Sheena and referred to her as 'white', being that her skin is, well, white, it was an easy mistake to make. Unfortunately, despite lots of stories to the contrary, blackfellas can't spot the 'undercover brothers and sisters'. If such nonsense really were true, the same 'undercover brothers and sisters' wouldn't be shouting constantly about how offended they are when 'other Aboriginal people' question their statement that they are Aboriginal. You don't exude an unseen vibe, nor does my magic spirit guide tap me on the shoulder and say 'look over there, its cuz' as you walk past me down the street. I also am unable to tell the difference between a non Indigenous activist with blonde hair and blue eyes who is wearing an Aboriginal flag pin to show solidarity with Indigenous people on social justice issues, and a blonde haired, blue eyed person of Aboriginal descent who wears that same flag pin to show everyone that they are, indeed, of Aboriginal heritage.
How many people featured in the 'Aboriginal Memes' craze looked like Daniel, or for that matter, Sheena?
None.
You remember the ones, mostly men who were obviously Aboriginal with charming little jokes plastered across their faces revealing their secret fetishes for metho, wife-beating and child abuse. I saw two blokes who were dead ringers for Uncles of mine, but nobody like Daniel, nobody like Sheena, and even more surprisingly, nobody like Bindi Cole, Geoff Clarke or even Anita Heiss.
Funny about that.
I don't care how many reporters in Australia thinks Geale is an excellent role model for Aboriginal youth - simply saying so doesn't make it a fact. As much as those same reporters bag Mundine as being a poor role model for Aboriginal youth, they only succeed in showing how little they know about what he has done. Mundine has made plenty of mistakes in his life, shot his mouth off more that is no doubt wise for a public figure, but he continues to be at the coalface to talk to those kids who otherwise would be at the greatest risk of becoming just another petty criminal on our streets. The kids whose parents don't care, the ones who if not for his boot camps, his taking an interest, would be on the streets right now, robbing your house or stealing your car. You might not like his method, you might not like his antics, but he does care and he does put back in, all the bloody time, and for all his failings, I wish I'd had a bloke like 'Choc' around when I was a young fella. You see, I've been a black kid in foster care and I can't tell you how good it is to have someone who knows what its like to wear a 'cloak of colour' you can't take off, a heritage that shows on your face and isn't always well received by the rest of the world, but still tells you not to accept less of yourself, and that you're worth something - and to be PROUD.
Not because he lost to Daniel Geale in the much hyped fight after his comments about Geales Aboriginality (or perceived lack of Aboriginality), but, because he had to deal with the holier than thou media reports in the lead up to that fight (as well as post fight) that were highly critical of his comments, whilst holding Geale up equally as both a poor, poor victim of a mean and nasty racist while at the same time, parading him around as the supposedly 'better man' for holding his tongue and not sinking to those apparently racist depths of mentioning colour and Aboriginality in the same sentence.
Imagine my surprise to read this article and read Geales own comments regarding Mundines Aboriginality this week:
"according to Geale, Sheena has more Aboriginal blood in her through her father's NSW-born, Koori-descended father than Mundine"
Now, I may not have the great legal mind of Ron Merkel, but I'm thinking there's a court case going begging right here. Considering Anthony Mundine has two parents he can trace his Aboriginality through (his father Tony as well as his Bundjalung mother Lyn), whereas Sheena only has a 'Koori descended father' (which to me always implies the climb up the family tree to a blackfella who is actually, well, black - is a long one). Not only is Sheena incorrect in her statement, perhaps to a level lending her to be accused of defamation, but also, the way it is said is, well - offensive. I have to admit, it would be reasonably likely for Anthony Mundine to be offended by such an obviously untrue statement being bandied about as fact, especially when it is racially motivated.
Somehow, I don't think a court case will be forthcoming.
(Geales family, pictured above, including the 'more Aboriginal than Mundine' Sheena, to the far right)
According to the Double Standards Bureau - Mundine mentioning Aboriginality (or perceived lack thereof) = bad, Geale doing exactly the same thing = good. According to the wise Ruth Lamperd, who wrote the offending article not only without the most basic of fact checking, but also, apparently without the intestinal fortitude to note the stunning hypocrisy of what she was churning out. In Ruth world, Geale is a 'gentleman' and Mundine, little more than a 'bragger'. Add in the Phil Rothfield article, a so called boxing fans rant going viral, an Age article that brands Mundine as a bad loser and an idiot, and you have the scene painted. He's the guy we must now hate for daring to speak his mind. In addition to the rabid media coverage, his Facebook page has been filled with nasty, hateful comments that questioned the heritage of his mother and referred to him repeatedly as a c**t (along with plenty of other foul language) and one bright chap who told him to 'go eat a witchetty grub'.
It all beggars belief.
Long before all the comments about Aboriginality, Geale was hoping for just this kind of boost to his public image. Until all this drama, he was quite the Neddy Nobody. Sure, boxing fans may have heard of him, news reports may have carried his name buried deep in the sports section long past where you've tuned out, but, he was in effect, unknown in the greater scheme of things. Definitely not what you'd call a household name. His meteoric rise was to be assisted by the usual hacks only too happy to scream 'racist' for a few dollars and some space online.
When I look at the photo above, the first words that pop into my head aren't 'Aboriginal family'. They'd fit perfectly well into a K-Mart catalogue - the last place I see people of stereotypical Aboriginal appearance. I can see how Mundine missed the Aboriginal blood in Sheena and referred to her as 'white', being that her skin is, well, white, it was an easy mistake to make. Unfortunately, despite lots of stories to the contrary, blackfellas can't spot the 'undercover brothers and sisters'. If such nonsense really were true, the same 'undercover brothers and sisters' wouldn't be shouting constantly about how offended they are when 'other Aboriginal people' question their statement that they are Aboriginal. You don't exude an unseen vibe, nor does my magic spirit guide tap me on the shoulder and say 'look over there, its cuz' as you walk past me down the street. I also am unable to tell the difference between a non Indigenous activist with blonde hair and blue eyes who is wearing an Aboriginal flag pin to show solidarity with Indigenous people on social justice issues, and a blonde haired, blue eyed person of Aboriginal descent who wears that same flag pin to show everyone that they are, indeed, of Aboriginal heritage.
How many people featured in the 'Aboriginal Memes' craze looked like Daniel, or for that matter, Sheena?
None.
You remember the ones, mostly men who were obviously Aboriginal with charming little jokes plastered across their faces revealing their secret fetishes for metho, wife-beating and child abuse. I saw two blokes who were dead ringers for Uncles of mine, but nobody like Daniel, nobody like Sheena, and even more surprisingly, nobody like Bindi Cole, Geoff Clarke or even Anita Heiss.
Funny about that.
I don't care how many reporters in Australia thinks Geale is an excellent role model for Aboriginal youth - simply saying so doesn't make it a fact. As much as those same reporters bag Mundine as being a poor role model for Aboriginal youth, they only succeed in showing how little they know about what he has done. Mundine has made plenty of mistakes in his life, shot his mouth off more that is no doubt wise for a public figure, but he continues to be at the coalface to talk to those kids who otherwise would be at the greatest risk of becoming just another petty criminal on our streets. The kids whose parents don't care, the ones who if not for his boot camps, his taking an interest, would be on the streets right now, robbing your house or stealing your car. You might not like his method, you might not like his antics, but he does care and he does put back in, all the bloody time, and for all his failings, I wish I'd had a bloke like 'Choc' around when I was a young fella. You see, I've been a black kid in foster care and I can't tell you how good it is to have someone who knows what its like to wear a 'cloak of colour' you can't take off, a heritage that shows on your face and isn't always well received by the rest of the world, but still tells you not to accept less of yourself, and that you're worth something - and to be PROUD.
Internet...for now
It has been a few months between my less-than-regular blog posting efforts, and unfortunately I can't promise that I'm permanently back on deck either - internet is a luxury in our house so I always try to make the most of it when I have it.
And for the next month at least, I'll put it to good use. Or whatever...
And for the next month at least, I'll put it to good use. Or whatever...
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Aborigines - according to Monash University
Monash University has embarked on a huge undertaking. As of 2013, the School for Indigenous Health will be open for business, the first dedicated school for Indigenous Health at an Australian University.
Pretty impressive stuff? Well, no. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Nola. Nola is not real, but rather a fictional character created for medical students to use in role-playing by the magical minds in charge of cultural awareness at Monash University. Nola even has a back story full of every stereotype of Aboriginal disadvantage you can imagine, in fact, it seems the only tragedy that didn't befall poor Nola was an addiction to sniffing petrol.
Nola has a hard life. Her partner is of course a violent drunk who beats on her (twice in the short story no less!) and steals her money. Initially, she is living in a home with 10 people, in an extended family situation, however she recently escaped the domestic violence with her three children. The four of them are currently living in a two bedroom house, in fact, sharing it with two other people (more overcrowding, just in case you didn't pick up on it the first time). Nola also unfortunately has Diabetes (type 2), but is eating a very poor diet and taking no medication. She is unable to eat much fruit (attributed to the high cost and difficulty with transport) and instead her diet consists of bread, jam, tea and fast food. Of course, adding to her health and domestic abuse woes, her fifteen year old daughter is also quite a handful. To again pay homage to a myth, she has stopped going to school and is also smoking cigarettes. Not to be outdone, the youngest daughter suffers from a chronic ear infection as well.
What you might be surprised to learn about Nola, is that she did not escape from one remote community to another. No, Nola went from Echuca to Preston. I kid you not.
For those not familiar with Victorian geography, Preston is less than 10 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, and Echuca is on the Victorian side of the NSW Border. Neither suffer from the perils of extreme remoteness, in fact both towns are lucky enough to be positioned on major carriageways for transportation of goods. Echuca, being the far less populated town, even has an Aldi - the home of low low prices on everything. However, it appears that in the halls of Monash, myth becomes fact - ALL Aboriginal people aren't able to buy affordable fruit and vegetables due to the exorbitant costs of transportation, location be damned. Our budding medical students are asked to forgo common sense, logic and fact (the stuff we hope they ARE learning while they are in there) and accept any nonsensical statement as truth - as long as it comes under the Aboriginal banner. Should a student dare to question any of the logic, or the offensiveness of such stereotyping, they will quickly be dismissed as being 'ignorant of Aboriginal culture' by their classmates, or worse, branded a racist.
This has to stop.
The new School for Indigenous Health is going to take current teaching practices (like the racist drivel in the fictional Nola patient story above) and make some alterations to form their new curriculum. I was not surprised to see that the Director of Research on this new 'make it up as you go along' venture is none other than Kerry Arabena.
Seeing as Ms Arabena wouldn't know what it is like to be a black skinned Aboriginal man, I'll give her a bit of a heads up - we don't appreciate being painted as perpetrators of violence. It shocks me to think that those people who have found it their duty to inform the rest of the country about our culture, and from the halls of academia no less, are churning out garbage like this. It feels a little racist to be honest, and that is something that a University would normally frown upon - well, at least that is what I used to think, but it seems as long as you prefix your racial stereotyping and racism with the word 'Aboriginal' and do it under the guise of 'cultural awareness', anything goes. And just for the record, in case you're dreaming up new fictional case studies over there at Monash, we're not all child predators either. I'm glad you didn't add that one in on poor old Nola, I think it would have set me right off.
Just in case anyone from Monash is listening, I'd like you to do me a favour. Several months ago, a family member contacted your Yulendj Indigenous Engagement people to ask you to remove a picture that includes my niece that you, to this day, continue to display on your Facebook page. I'd like you to finally respect the wishes of a mother and her daughter and take the picture down. It is dishonest to imply that the students pictured in your photo attend your institution. My niece attended an Open Day that your University held, but is not and has not ever been an enrolled student at any of your campuses (in fact, she is still finishing high school), yet I notice that you've ensured she is wearing some of your easily identifiable apparel and you've placed her front and centre. You were told politely that you did not have permission to display her image publicly, and no release was signed to allow you to do so.
In the time you spent removing comments questioning your actions from public view, you could have just taken down the photo and done the right thing. Instead, you now come across as exploitative, and unashamedly so.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
That article on The Drum
Several people have sent me links and asked me to read a recent article posted on The Drum by Kerryn Pholi and I'm happy to say that last night I finally got there - and there I stayed until the early hours.
It was an interesting article, and I also tried to read some of the comments to it, but I got something much bigger from it than I expected - I am now a fan of Thomas Sowell. I had never heard of him until I started reading the article and clicked on that link, but, as soon as I did I became hooked. He challenges the thinking on race based privilege without any emotion or personal issues clouding the facts, and I only wish I'd been given the chance to read some of his works in high school.
But, back to the article.
I'm glad Ms Pholi made the decision to write her piece, but happier still that she allowed it to become part of the public debate. One of the most important things we need to do as a country is to have an open and uncensored dialogue going around the issues that we have with regard to race-based legislation, preferences and funding. We need to be real about the outcomes we've achieved, be honest with ourselves, and not be afraid to talk about the problems we have created.
Of the negative Drum comments on the article, I found a couple of recurring 'themes' that I want to talk about a little more. First, the notion that the article and its contents somehow labels all Aboriginal people who identify as such as 'only in it for the money and the benefits'.
Welcome to the blowback of affirmative action.
You see, simply by virtue of creating a stream of opportunities available to only a small minority of the population - you breed resentment in those who are excluded from taking up those opportunities. You don't have to participate in the largesse to feel the blowback, rather, simply because of physical identity or how you identify yourself to others, you are forever guilty by association. That is the price we will continue to pay for as long as there is preferential treatment for Aboriginal people and benefits for a select few based solely on racial identity alone.
Most Aboriginal people have probably experienced that annoying situation where your pride in an achievement, or possession of something you have worked hard to own has been dismissed as 'trappings of the freebies for Aboriginals' or similar. Been there, done that a million times over. Why any Aboriginal person would want their child to go through high school being taunted about the extra money they don't get from Abstudy is beyond me, but as long as we demand that Abstudy exist, our kids will spend another generation having their hard work and achievements dismissed at a time when we need them to find self-esteem and build pride in their abilities the most.
The other troubling notion I came across was the barely concealed outrage that someone would dare to burn their 'Certificate of Aboriginality'. I don't know if people are looking to feel or be offended but please, don't give such a divisive document any credibility. As someone who went through quite a struggle to get that same piece of paper, I support Ms Pholi in her action. We are not talking about a sacred document here, in fact, quite the opposite. Mine you hold on a slight angle for the best reading - a document that, like a piece of art, tells a story all in itself. Not a story of my family, or ties to my culture, but another kind of story. One where the issuing authority runs out of blank forms and seemingly cannot locate the master copy. They decide to take one they prepared earlier, and with the help of a 12 year old work experience boy and a bottle of liquid paper, they create the new master copy. Once the liquid paper is dried, it is simply a matter of holding the document in a photocopier on a 45 degree angle and bingo. The mystical magical production line of blank Aboriginality application forms is revealed.
Most people are aware that an Aboriginal child is not given a special certificate at birth that confirms their identity, rather, Confirmations of Aboriginality are applied for and granted in a way that is not regulated, and often arbitrary. I feel more pride in my Medicare card than I do my Certificate of Aboriginality - and I say that to be factual, not inflammatory. A Certificate of Aboriginality does not mean you are Aboriginal. All it means is that some people signed off to say it is so. Similarly, being denied that same certificate does mean you are not Aboriginal. There is no oversight that ensures that the applications granted or denied hold up to any scrutiny, so it is a process that is ultimately without respect. Over the years we've had our scandals with the system. Rather than address the shortcomings - that to all but the most heavily invested are apparent - we've decided to pretend none exist. We've allowed the certification process to become the great joke that it is. And that is the continuing price we pay for keeping our heads in the sand and demanding we know better.
It was an interesting article, and I also tried to read some of the comments to it, but I got something much bigger from it than I expected - I am now a fan of Thomas Sowell. I had never heard of him until I started reading the article and clicked on that link, but, as soon as I did I became hooked. He challenges the thinking on race based privilege without any emotion or personal issues clouding the facts, and I only wish I'd been given the chance to read some of his works in high school.
But, back to the article.
I'm glad Ms Pholi made the decision to write her piece, but happier still that she allowed it to become part of the public debate. One of the most important things we need to do as a country is to have an open and uncensored dialogue going around the issues that we have with regard to race-based legislation, preferences and funding. We need to be real about the outcomes we've achieved, be honest with ourselves, and not be afraid to talk about the problems we have created.
Of the negative Drum comments on the article, I found a couple of recurring 'themes' that I want to talk about a little more. First, the notion that the article and its contents somehow labels all Aboriginal people who identify as such as 'only in it for the money and the benefits'.
Welcome to the blowback of affirmative action.
You see, simply by virtue of creating a stream of opportunities available to only a small minority of the population - you breed resentment in those who are excluded from taking up those opportunities. You don't have to participate in the largesse to feel the blowback, rather, simply because of physical identity or how you identify yourself to others, you are forever guilty by association. That is the price we will continue to pay for as long as there is preferential treatment for Aboriginal people and benefits for a select few based solely on racial identity alone.
Most Aboriginal people have probably experienced that annoying situation where your pride in an achievement, or possession of something you have worked hard to own has been dismissed as 'trappings of the freebies for Aboriginals' or similar. Been there, done that a million times over. Why any Aboriginal person would want their child to go through high school being taunted about the extra money they don't get from Abstudy is beyond me, but as long as we demand that Abstudy exist, our kids will spend another generation having their hard work and achievements dismissed at a time when we need them to find self-esteem and build pride in their abilities the most.
The other troubling notion I came across was the barely concealed outrage that someone would dare to burn their 'Certificate of Aboriginality'. I don't know if people are looking to feel or be offended but please, don't give such a divisive document any credibility. As someone who went through quite a struggle to get that same piece of paper, I support Ms Pholi in her action. We are not talking about a sacred document here, in fact, quite the opposite. Mine you hold on a slight angle for the best reading - a document that, like a piece of art, tells a story all in itself. Not a story of my family, or ties to my culture, but another kind of story. One where the issuing authority runs out of blank forms and seemingly cannot locate the master copy. They decide to take one they prepared earlier, and with the help of a 12 year old work experience boy and a bottle of liquid paper, they create the new master copy. Once the liquid paper is dried, it is simply a matter of holding the document in a photocopier on a 45 degree angle and bingo. The mystical magical production line of blank Aboriginality application forms is revealed.
Most people are aware that an Aboriginal child is not given a special certificate at birth that confirms their identity, rather, Confirmations of Aboriginality are applied for and granted in a way that is not regulated, and often arbitrary. I feel more pride in my Medicare card than I do my Certificate of Aboriginality - and I say that to be factual, not inflammatory. A Certificate of Aboriginality does not mean you are Aboriginal. All it means is that some people signed off to say it is so. Similarly, being denied that same certificate does mean you are not Aboriginal. There is no oversight that ensures that the applications granted or denied hold up to any scrutiny, so it is a process that is ultimately without respect. Over the years we've had our scandals with the system. Rather than address the shortcomings - that to all but the most heavily invested are apparent - we've decided to pretend none exist. We've allowed the certification process to become the great joke that it is. And that is the continuing price we pay for keeping our heads in the sand and demanding we know better.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Catching up - it may take awhile
My apologies first to anyone who is waiting on an email back. I have quite a few sitting backed up and lots to go over so it may take a little while.
As the gods of technology would have it, my laptop is finally back in action at the same time as school holidays are going on here, so please bear with me. Family always comes first and despite how exciting it is to have the internet at my fingertips again, I did make promises that I have every intention of keeping - even if one of them requires me wearing boardshorts in public and braving the questionable waters of the local pool.
As the gods of technology would have it, my laptop is finally back in action at the same time as school holidays are going on here, so please bear with me. Family always comes first and despite how exciting it is to have the internet at my fingertips again, I did make promises that I have every intention of keeping - even if one of them requires me wearing boardshorts in public and braving the questionable waters of the local pool.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Insight - that Aboriginality show
Now that the dust has settled a little after the airing of the show, I'm ready to once again throw my 2c into the mix.
When I was approached to do the piece with Insight, what initially made the offer attractive was the chance to have an open debate on the issue. The part that sealed the deal was knowing I would get to hear arguments on both sides. For so long now I've been waiting for that opinion or some wise words that will let me finally understand where 'the other side' is coming from. I've heard it all from the 'coffee in a cup' argument to the 'it's a spiritual thing' spin. Unfortunately, nothing I heard that night changed my mind.
What I did witness was an amazing display. I watched young, white identifiers roundly proclaim their connection to, and knowledge of, their 'culture', then turn around not five minutes later and abuse Aboriginal culture by speaking over an Elder. I don't know what this mystical 'culture' is that these identifiers are on about, but if they were hoping to display an innate understanding of Aboriginal culture that night, then they missed the mark by a mile.
Once upon a time, the paler activists were an asset to the Aboriginal cause. Now, they have become a liability. Sprouting bullshit such as 'our white skin is a result of the rape of the colonisers', they are no longer laughable and tolerable in small doses - they are promoting a view of life that just continues to perpetuate the victim mentality and does their cause no favours. When you point out to them that their identifying side of the family have continued to choose to marry white people willingly for longer than their living lifetime, and not as part of some forced assimilation program, you will be met with astonishment or indignation. They don't like the facts getting in the way of a good catchphrase, and it is this sort of lazy indignation that has to go.
The other reason the pale activists are well past their use-by-date is their lack of caring for the big issues. Where once upon a time they used their skills to assist at the grassroots and their voices to advocate and agitate through media for equality and basic human rights for suffering blacks, their voices have now become self serving and narrow to their own interests - be it Native Title, Arts Funding or whatever their pet passion is in the Industry. It was hard not to become enraged when bringing up the living conditions of some of the children on missions or in remote communities, only to have the subject changed time and time again to a pet passion topic. I thought people would say 'oh my god, I had no idea this was going on'. I mean, the reason they've ignored it so long in favour of things like Treaties and Land Rights was surely because they were just unaware, right? Turns out instead, they don't want to hear about it. Their racial identity and support of that is far more important than some kids, far away from their circle in a place like the N.T having a sexually transmitted disease at 5.
Over and over again in the last few weeks I've heard so many people asking the same question. Where are these so-called benefits? As if their ignorance of the facts or reluctance to take up said benefits is proof absolute that there is no so called 'benefits in identifying'. While it is true that simply being granted your Proof of Aboriginality does not give you immediate financial benefits or access to a magical payment stream, that does not take away from the fact that every year, $3.5 billion in Government funding is disappearing under the guise of race based benefits available only to Aboriginal people. That doesn't include the privately funded Scholarships or initiatives that target race specific disadvantage, which I won't even attempt to put a dollar figure on. Where are the benefits? Everywhere. If you want to paint a picture or write a book or travel to somewhere arty, try the various race specific awards, or the Arts Council for big chunks of money like Anita got for her book. Don't stress about some poor black from out bush coming in to steal away a share of it either. The Industry has done a brilliant job of keeping the poor ones poor and out of sight, mostly illiterate and uninterested in what they are missing out on, so it is exceptionally rare for someone like that to even attempt to get in on the goodies. What they all learnt a long time ago is that for the funding tap to stay on, a certain number of Aboriginal people have to be suffering. Nothing turns the tap on harder than starving or dying kids, so each year, we have to make sure that there is another sad story to achieve our goals. We don't ask that your family suffer, only those already doing it tough.
Scholarship discussion on the show was where things became quite interesting. I had one very educated fellow pointing out the extreme disadvantage of some of the people he had worked with on Aboriginal scholarships. They had suffered such horrendous race based disadvantage like - coming from a single parent family, or living in a small outback town - such discrimination based on their race meant that these opportunities given to them were well deserved, and without question, they are the most needy of Aboriginal children. The other great thing about so many of these scholarship recipients, we were told, was the fact that such a high percentage of them go back and work in the community. How great does that sound? Pretty good, until you realise that what you're thinking a 'community' is - well, that's not really what they had in mind. I mean, Liverpool is a community, right? Canberra is also a community isn't it? Maybe not ones full of black Aboriginal kids with bloated stomachs and weeks old sores on their arms and legs, but it is a community. Not the progress we were all thinking of, but nevermind. The only ones we're ripping off are the kids who live in conditions not fit for a dog, and since they aren't getting on social media sites to tell their stories, they apparently don't exist and therefore are not worthy of attention, discussion or adequate funding.
I remember Bess Price once saying 'I want what she has for my children' with regard to Larissa Behrendt and her life of comparable privilege. Instead of people reaching out and offering help, or asking why it is that her children have a life that is polar opposite to someone like Larissa, people instead chose to vilify Bess for her words. They took that very privilege they have been given, their superior educations given to them in the name of progress for the very people Bess represents, and used it to try to rip her to shreds in the media. Labelled in this last week or so as a 'grub' by one, a 'simple minded blackfella' by another, time and time again I watched as people who demanded respect for their identity resorted to shameful personal attacks on a woman whose only crime was to speak her mind and disagree with their point of view. It came as no surprise that Chris Graham, of the 'grub' comment fame, was not only spared negative widespread coverage of his behaviour, but in addition, at no point was his job working for a publication of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council ever under threat because he expressed such an opinion. It's no wonder so many people are confused about what they can and can't say these days.
For anyone who was wondering, I did get a cab that night in the end. SBS had some really great staff who made sure that I'd have to eat my words on that one - they even managed to get a driver who didn't take the long way when he knew I hadn't been to Sydney in 15 years, turned out to be a really top bloke too.
When I was approached to do the piece with Insight, what initially made the offer attractive was the chance to have an open debate on the issue. The part that sealed the deal was knowing I would get to hear arguments on both sides. For so long now I've been waiting for that opinion or some wise words that will let me finally understand where 'the other side' is coming from. I've heard it all from the 'coffee in a cup' argument to the 'it's a spiritual thing' spin. Unfortunately, nothing I heard that night changed my mind.
What I did witness was an amazing display. I watched young, white identifiers roundly proclaim their connection to, and knowledge of, their 'culture', then turn around not five minutes later and abuse Aboriginal culture by speaking over an Elder. I don't know what this mystical 'culture' is that these identifiers are on about, but if they were hoping to display an innate understanding of Aboriginal culture that night, then they missed the mark by a mile.
Once upon a time, the paler activists were an asset to the Aboriginal cause. Now, they have become a liability. Sprouting bullshit such as 'our white skin is a result of the rape of the colonisers', they are no longer laughable and tolerable in small doses - they are promoting a view of life that just continues to perpetuate the victim mentality and does their cause no favours. When you point out to them that their identifying side of the family have continued to choose to marry white people willingly for longer than their living lifetime, and not as part of some forced assimilation program, you will be met with astonishment or indignation. They don't like the facts getting in the way of a good catchphrase, and it is this sort of lazy indignation that has to go.
The other reason the pale activists are well past their use-by-date is their lack of caring for the big issues. Where once upon a time they used their skills to assist at the grassroots and their voices to advocate and agitate through media for equality and basic human rights for suffering blacks, their voices have now become self serving and narrow to their own interests - be it Native Title, Arts Funding or whatever their pet passion is in the Industry. It was hard not to become enraged when bringing up the living conditions of some of the children on missions or in remote communities, only to have the subject changed time and time again to a pet passion topic. I thought people would say 'oh my god, I had no idea this was going on'. I mean, the reason they've ignored it so long in favour of things like Treaties and Land Rights was surely because they were just unaware, right? Turns out instead, they don't want to hear about it. Their racial identity and support of that is far more important than some kids, far away from their circle in a place like the N.T having a sexually transmitted disease at 5.
Over and over again in the last few weeks I've heard so many people asking the same question. Where are these so-called benefits? As if their ignorance of the facts or reluctance to take up said benefits is proof absolute that there is no so called 'benefits in identifying'. While it is true that simply being granted your Proof of Aboriginality does not give you immediate financial benefits or access to a magical payment stream, that does not take away from the fact that every year, $3.5 billion in Government funding is disappearing under the guise of race based benefits available only to Aboriginal people. That doesn't include the privately funded Scholarships or initiatives that target race specific disadvantage, which I won't even attempt to put a dollar figure on. Where are the benefits? Everywhere. If you want to paint a picture or write a book or travel to somewhere arty, try the various race specific awards, or the Arts Council for big chunks of money like Anita got for her book. Don't stress about some poor black from out bush coming in to steal away a share of it either. The Industry has done a brilliant job of keeping the poor ones poor and out of sight, mostly illiterate and uninterested in what they are missing out on, so it is exceptionally rare for someone like that to even attempt to get in on the goodies. What they all learnt a long time ago is that for the funding tap to stay on, a certain number of Aboriginal people have to be suffering. Nothing turns the tap on harder than starving or dying kids, so each year, we have to make sure that there is another sad story to achieve our goals. We don't ask that your family suffer, only those already doing it tough.
Scholarship discussion on the show was where things became quite interesting. I had one very educated fellow pointing out the extreme disadvantage of some of the people he had worked with on Aboriginal scholarships. They had suffered such horrendous race based disadvantage like - coming from a single parent family, or living in a small outback town - such discrimination based on their race meant that these opportunities given to them were well deserved, and without question, they are the most needy of Aboriginal children. The other great thing about so many of these scholarship recipients, we were told, was the fact that such a high percentage of them go back and work in the community. How great does that sound? Pretty good, until you realise that what you're thinking a 'community' is - well, that's not really what they had in mind. I mean, Liverpool is a community, right? Canberra is also a community isn't it? Maybe not ones full of black Aboriginal kids with bloated stomachs and weeks old sores on their arms and legs, but it is a community. Not the progress we were all thinking of, but nevermind. The only ones we're ripping off are the kids who live in conditions not fit for a dog, and since they aren't getting on social media sites to tell their stories, they apparently don't exist and therefore are not worthy of attention, discussion or adequate funding.
I remember Bess Price once saying 'I want what she has for my children' with regard to Larissa Behrendt and her life of comparable privilege. Instead of people reaching out and offering help, or asking why it is that her children have a life that is polar opposite to someone like Larissa, people instead chose to vilify Bess for her words. They took that very privilege they have been given, their superior educations given to them in the name of progress for the very people Bess represents, and used it to try to rip her to shreds in the media. Labelled in this last week or so as a 'grub' by one, a 'simple minded blackfella' by another, time and time again I watched as people who demanded respect for their identity resorted to shameful personal attacks on a woman whose only crime was to speak her mind and disagree with their point of view. It came as no surprise that Chris Graham, of the 'grub' comment fame, was not only spared negative widespread coverage of his behaviour, but in addition, at no point was his job working for a publication of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council ever under threat because he expressed such an opinion. It's no wonder so many people are confused about what they can and can't say these days.
For anyone who was wondering, I did get a cab that night in the end. SBS had some really great staff who made sure that I'd have to eat my words on that one - they even managed to get a driver who didn't take the long way when he knew I hadn't been to Sydney in 15 years, turned out to be a really top bloke too.
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