First Tim Flannery now Mick Dodson – ah…life’s little disappointments. Another 12 months of guilt tripping. I don’t care that Mick is black but I do care that he puts the colour of his skin before his nationality.
We’re all Australians mate, and the vast majority of us are very happy with the date of Australia Day. Amongst other things it marks the day your race started coming out of the stone age and if you don’t see that as a positive then go back to the Simpson Desert and revert to eating goannas – in another million years or so you might even invent the bow and arrow and become more proficient at hunting.
If you blanche at that thought, then get back to the job at hand of lifting the quality of life of your people. It must include getting rid of the poor bugger me mentality and joining mainstream Australia. Agitate to get your people out of the outstations and into the towns and cities where the schools, medical centres and jobs can be found.
Just stop whinging and join the rest of us Mick. You are Australian with all the benefits that entails.
At Tim Blair’s blog readers are commenting on a post celebrating a great Australian. He never whinged, never asked for handouts, was an immigrant to Australia (from South Africa) and was recently killed in action in Afghanistan. Another digger, Trooper Donaldson, recently awarded the Victoria Cross is an Australian of the Year sans nomination of an Australian of the Year Committee that seems to me to be basing selections on ideological and political social engineering reasons.
A lot of my heroes lie buried in War Cemeteries or have served or still serve their country in numerous theaters in horrific conditions and in constant mortal danger while arm-chair warriors denigrate their service and political hacks question their tactics.
Being a Patriot (read scoundrel if your a Lefty) I am encouraged by the sheer energy of Australians celebrating this great day. Even though times are tough, millions of Australians are gathering today to celebrate our nationality and nation.
It is as it should be.
Enjoy the day whatever you do and wherever you are. To all the ADF personnel overseas, I thank you for the part you are playing in making this a great nation.
It’s Mick Dodson who got the gong not Pat. Mind you they both share a lot of the same whiny sentiments.
Um, it’s Mick Dodson, Kev, not his brother Pat.
“…To all the ADF personnel overseas, I thank you for the part you are playing in making this a great nation.
…”
I second that.
Thanks guys….Typing without checking….same message though.
What a typical dim witted comment from a ex Vietnam veteran with a bone to pick. If only you could look outside the bubble that you have created due to your damaged past. War is nothing to be proud of and either is Australia Day. Indigenous Australians were not even considered part of this country until 1967 and many Australians black and white want the date change. For you to make a comment like ” go back to the Simpson Desert and revert to eating goannas” shows your lack of capacity for understanding of anyone but white Australia.
Why dont you look at the reality of this country today and the multicultural society that we live in.
Wake up to yourself
shows your lack of capacity for understanding of anyone but white Australia.
There is a fair chance that I have more understanding than you. I’ve traveled most of Australia and have sat down with many a tribal elder including Galarrwuy Yunupingu and I do understand this; side issues like carping about Invasion Day do nothing and never will do anything to improve their lot.
The ‘many’ people who want this sort of symbolic change come from a very small group of the society that also wants them kept in outstations without education or jobs leading them to substance abuse and all its associated problems. They want them to be taught only about their culture and language at the detriment of their lives as they live in our culture and need English to climb up above their problems
Mick Dodson is not helping at all with his ‘Grab the Media’s attention’ statement but while shallow thinkers like you support him then the problem festers.
You need to wake up to yourself and get out in the country an maybe visit an outstation or two and witness first hand what damage left wing policies have wrought on a troubled people.
I am aboriginal. Your comments do nothing for anyone except for small minded people who will think their more important because of the color of their skin. That is the kind of audience your comments play to.
I have traveled to communities on numerous occasions and have engaged in training programs with the youth in Aboriginal communities such as Wujal Wujal, Aurukun, Hopevale and Naprinum. What I have seen with the young people in these communities is a will to succeed just like any other young people in Australia.
Mick Dodson is Australian of the Year because he is an advocate for reconciliation. You are just an advocate for hatred.
Wake up the world has changed
Wow Kev that was truly moving!
I totally agree. And for me I think, if -for example- Glen McGrath was another heritage, be it aboriginal Australian or Indian, but was still an Australian, would he still receive his NSW award? Yes he would!
If Mick Dodson was not aboriginal Australian then he would not have even been nominated, in effect it was a racist choice.
Not to mention the ideas of Mick Dodson hurt his own people, and Glen McGrath for example is fighting a battle in the name of someone else.
I would like to take back comments in my earlier posting that could be construed as insulting to Vietnam veterans that was not my aim in this discussion and takes away from what I am trying to say. I was shocked by the comments and your seeming lack of respect for aboriginal people
I am aboriginal, Australia Day is a day that your comments about aboriginal people “marks the day your race started coming out of the Stone Age” confirm has underlying racism. The day to celebrate Australian culture could easily be moved to the 27th of May when all Australians were recognised as citizens of this country.
The comments that you posted help no one and play to small minded individuals who will use your comments to fuel their hatred and ignorance towards aboriginal people. You say you have sat down with aboriginal elders so why do speak about Indigenous Australians with such disgust.
I have travelled to aboriginal communities in Cape York such as Wujal Wujal, Aurukun, Naprinum, Hopevale and Kowanyama and have worked mainly with young people in the communities. What I see is a will and determination to succeed as much as any other young Australian.
Mick Dodson is the Australian of the Year because he is an advocate for reconciliation but your comments aim to do the opposite and continue to spread hatred and fear.
You talk about us all being Australian yet you judge Mick Dodson by the colour of his skin not on his achievements in trying to bridge a gap that your comments only serve to widen.
You are just an advocate for hatred. Saying Mick Dodson is wrong has nothing to do with hatred, it’s an opinion. I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet but our short debate is a clash of ideologies, not race.
I don’t doubt there is any amount of the will to succeed that you saw in Aboriginal communities such as Wujal Wujal, Aurukun, Hopevale and Naprinum but the point is to succeed one needs education. You are obviously educated so you know what I mean. When I say education I mean English, maths, science etc with a touch of culture, both black and white, on Friday afternoon. I do not mean dot painting and recently choreographed tribal dances.
I saw school kids at Nullunby, Yirrkala and surrounds whose education (or lack of western style education) was setting them up for permanent victim-hood (some good dot painters among them though)and I knew a young man, son of Galarrwuy, whose third language was English. Every time an elder died he was dragged out of school for two weeks. Three times in one year didn’t help his final grades. and his third language English wasn’t enough to get him a good pass through a good college with every body helping.
Hate me all you like but until people like you, the educated ones of your race, fight for the young kids education across the board then it is a wasted emotion. Every kid at school every school day learning that which will set them up for jobs.
If that standard isn’t available at Yeundemu or elsewhere then move to where it is.
If the parents are in trouble then help them to the point where they are able and conscience of getting their kids to school every school day.
I don’t count a mans skin colour, Mick, just his ability to accept responsibility for his wife, kids and where he lives. What I do dislike is the Lefts misguided take on life that supports victim-hood, poor bugger me mentality, outstations and sit-down money. For the last 30 plus years the Left have done your race a huge disservice and are a part of the cause of the tragic problems we are encountering in far off towns – substance abuse and all it’s causes and effects.
I have neither racism nor hatred in my bones and I am compassionate about the problems of some Australians; causes beyond their ken have dragged them down. They need uplifting, maybe even guiding for awhile, but they do not need poor bugger me stories or antics and/or statements by their leaders that don’t address the real problems.
Get used to the idea Mick. Whatever you have been told or learn’t in the circles you travel in, they are not the opinions of the majority. Most of the population wish you guys well but are getting sick and tired of ideologically based ‘hand-out, keep ‘em in the outstations and out of site’ type programs.
Question for Mick – are you 100% Aboriginal and if not, why do you describe yourself as one?
Like Kev, I too have some experience with Aboriginal communities. At the last one I visited, a local told me he could see no future for the kids, as any that attempted to excel at school were pulled back by the others.
Is this why so few full blooded Aboriginals make a mark?
Mick, since when does Kev stating a fact like ‘aboriginals living in the stone age’ become racism?
At the end of the day what choice do aboriginals have? Assimilate or die? If assimilation is a good option what would be a good way forward?
Perhaps Murris and Vietnam Vets have something in common – most have experienced marginalization at some point. There are two ways you can react to this – one is through denial and despair – the other is to deal with it pragmatically and move on. This doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your heritage. You don’t have to be “full blood” of any race to do that. It has stuff-all to do with genealogy.
My dad (of Irish Catholic origin) told stories of being horsewhipped and called a “dirty little Tyke” as a kid in Warwick in the twenties. This was a significant experience to him, and whilst I never had such an experience, I respected this in him whilst he was alive.
These issues should be beyond politics. The energy consumed in adopting positions based on ideology is wasted. There’s too much work to be done, and most of it needs to involve the education system.
I served with a few Murris – good men all. Skin colour is irrelevant in the Australian military. It’s a pity the same doesn’t apply in the wider world.
By my accounts, my boots (numerous pairs) have served longer within the Australian military than 8675309. And I’m still not sure how or why he would drag a marginalisation issue into a discussion about the merits of the Aboriginal of the Year 2009.
Then again, alot of what of 2×5/326=89 says is meandering rubbish, so in effect, it’s like having a discussion with most Murri’s and Koori’s after all.
My length of service has SFA to do with whether Dodson is a worthy recipient of this award.
Let me share some of CB’s other recent contributions to the blogosphere.
“Can somebody call a f**king waahmbulance?!?”
“F**kwit Extraordinaire.
“two fifths of f**k all”
“you are a f**king asshat”
This dialogue really lifts the tone of the discussion……..