First Contact

[bluecat*dancing]

Did anyone watch "First Contact" on SBS last night and/or the reaction on NITV? It's a three part series in which a group of people who have had no contact with Indigenous people spend time in various Aboriginal communities over a period of 28 days. I was shaking my head at the rudeness and ignorance of some of the participants.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-19/sbs-program-first-contact-sparks-social-media-frenzy/5901890

[rabbitearbandicoot]

further to my earlier post ....

Think of all the people who are very disabled that go on to make a career and a life for themselves - no doubt there are some who do not, but MANY do. Now think about the perfectly healthy ones (white and black) who sit at home feeling sorry for themselves. Yes, many take up drink and drugs, although how they can afford it and stay on the right side of the law, I don't know.

Then think of all the people world-wide who would give their eye-teeth to be in a position where they could CHOOSE - and compare that with the wasters (white and black) who sit at home, go to the pub, go surfing, go out and mug someone, steal or whatever else they do to fill in the days.

and then tell me I have no empathy.

PS I also saw a show the other night - I couldn't watch all of it, but it showed how MANY Aboriginals are working in mines - THEY ARE HAVING A GO - they are not sitting somewhere feeling sorry for themselves, and drinking themselves into a stupor. 

[gleee58]

Bo-Dene: "Fitzroy Crossing made me question everything that I thought. I can’t believe I was so naive to think that everybody had the opportunity to escape those cycles, when in the Aboriginal community there is so much trans-generational trauma, displacement and employment shortages still happening, everything that I had thought. I have always been a strong advocate for personal choice, and had constantly challenged every community we stayed in during the trip as to why they had never made the choice to change their situations and get out of the vicious cycles of alcoholism, violence, unemployment and housing proble

I have experienced firsthand the effects that alcoholism can have on your family and the sheer terror of being homeless. I thought that if my family could get out of it, then surely everyone else could. My time in Fitzroy Crossing showed me that many Aboriginal children are born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and that they can lack the ability to make sound choices a result. I always thought myself to be smart, but to have never considered such a vital link in the cycle that is impacting Indigenous societies, I was ashamed of myself."

[gleee58]

Bo-Dene:

"To have access to knowledge and education, I should have tried to find the truth. I always thought negatively about Indigenous Australians, blatantly disregarding their heritage and honestly having no real facts to fuel my claims. It is not okay to regard the First Australians as being ‘wasters’ and I am ashamed of myself for proclaiming that. If I could go back to the beginning of my trip, having learnt what I had by the end, I know that I would have approached the people and communities very differently. I now realise that I had approached the journey with a set mindset, despite having thought I was being open-minded."

[rabbitearbandicoot]

"many Aboriginal children are born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder," - I think they said 1 in 5 which is horrendous. That is one place to start - teaching the women about pregnancy and drinking. 

fasd - Of course they don't have an opportunity to make choices, any more than my son and hundreds  THOUSANDS of others do.

But there a MANY who do not have FASD who make the choice to stay as they are - and drink, and dare I bring this up - MANY who indulge in sexual abuse as well as other types of abuse. Yes, I know it happens in so called white society too. I have even heard of children being abused in Catholic and Protestant homes would you believe.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

"the First Australians" - you know of course that Mungo Man and Mungo woman - the oldest human skeletons found - ARE NOT RELATED TO MODERN ABORIGINALS -  science and dna has proven it. So, what conclusion can we draw from that? The modern Aboriginals are NOT THE FIRST AUSTRALIANS AT ALL.

[gleee58]

---

@gleee58 wrote:

Bo-Dene:

"To have access to knowledge and education, I should have tried to find the truth. I always thought negatively about Indigenous Australians, blatantly disregarding their heritage and honestly having no real facts to fuel my claims. It is not okay to regard the First Australians as being ‘wasters’ and I am ashamed of myself for proclaiming that. If I could go back to the beginning of my trip, having learnt what I had by the end, I know that I would have approached the people and communities very differently. I now realise that I had approached the journey with a set mindset, despite having thought I was being open-minded."

---

[gleee58]

---

@rabbitearbandicoot wrote:

"the First Australians" - you know of course that Mungo Man and Mungo woman - the oldest human skeletons found - ARE NOT RELATED TO MODERN ABORIGINALS -  science and dna has proven it. So, what conclusion can we draw from that? The modern Aboriginals are NOT THE FIRST AUSTRALIANS AT ALL.

---

 any excuse will do.

[alexander*beetle]

Oh for goodness sake she ele. Stop making so much sense will you. 🙂

Just on the alcohol abuse claim in indigenous communities, from someone with a degree on alcohol and other drugs, you are absolutely spot on. And that is confirmed by vast research wold wide.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

Glee - can you stop quoting that woman and respond to some of my later posts. I am finding it hard to keep up. Thanks.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

---

@gleee58 wrote:

---

@rabbitearbandicoot wrote:

"the First Australians" - you know of course that Mungo Man and Mungo woman - the oldest human skeletons found - ARE NOT RELATED TO MODERN ABORIGINALS -  science and dna has proven it. So, what conclusion can we draw from that? The modern Aboriginals are NOT THE FIRST AUSTRALIANS AT ALL.

---

 any excuse will do.

---

No, not an excuse - FACT! But don't let FACT get in your way - you just keep believing that modern Aboriginals are the First Australian.