Are Aboriginals and Aboriginal culture of any benefit to the Australian society?

We have some bogans here in our town, all white and pure, most often pissed and stoned, but never too pissed to say no to a fight. And hardly working......
However I do acknowledge we have problems in WA with quite a number of indigenous people. As you are obviously an expert, how do you think we can change that situation for the better?
Regards

 

Don't take that wrong,
but carrying your midset, it could have been your great great grandfather doing the wrong things....
Regards

 

There's a view based on pretty good research that there was a lot of trading and intermarriage in the more fertile east of the landmass. Research was based on language borrowings across regions. The fertile area meant less moving around for food and smaller areas of habitat meant that there was more positive interaction.

 

Here comes a whole lot of generalisations.

In the metro areas police and indigenous people's relations tend to be a bit split. Police categorise indigenous people as being likely to cause trouble if they are hanging about in public in groups. And this goes double if there looks to be booze involved. However in my experience outside of that situation it's unlikely that police will view an individual indigenous person as warranting a second look. I remember many years ago right in the CBD in Adelaide near the railway station on North Terrace there used to be a young indigenous man we'd see on a regular basis coming from or too the railway station to and from work. He was always well dressed. More than one copper I knew remarked on him. Funny thing is it took me a few years to work out the young bloke wasn't unique. Our problem was we only met indigenous people when there was trouble. So we stereotyped. Stupid but true. And still true today.

In the bush different. You get to know individuals, European, indigenous, other. They get to know you. It's a first name basis, even when you're having to arrest someone - European, indigenous, other. You know who the problem folks are and you manage them on that basis, not on the basis of European, indigenous, other.

I remember the general dismay many years ago in my state when the Aboriginal Legal Service was established. It meant that indigent indigenous people would be able to be represented. It caused a stir. Why? Because prior to that it was very unusual for an indigenous person to get legal rep except for the most serious offences. The street offences, plead guilty, fine or short time in the slammer and all over. Now, with legal rep, they'd fight it. The sky was falling in. Except it didn't. I think things are a bit more respectful now, although as DV pointed out, there's still that tendency to do the traffic stop thing just to have a squiz at who's in the car. He's rightly pissed off about it.

Coppers are ordinary people, they reflect the average in society. They are as biased and prejudiced on various matters as is anyone else. True they tend to be more socially and politically conservative (why they vote Lib or Nat is beyond me, cops are workers voting for the boss' party) but the general outlook on most issues is right of centre and reflective of Norm the Aussie.

Still, even with the traffic stop thing relations are better than they used to be. But having said that I do remember my first posting in the country - Port Augusta in 1971. Back in those days the law still regulated indigenous people and police were given huge powers of entry into private dwellings on aboriginal reserves. We could lawfully enter at any time without warrant and without permission. I was briefed on that by my team when I began work at Port Augusta and the word from the team was, "we knock, we ask entry, we go in if invited. If we don't have a good reason for not doing so then we can go in just like we would with any other dwelling anywhere else. Use that power of entry wrongly and we'll kick your arse back to Adelaide". Made sense to me. It wasn't all sweetness and light, but it wasn't as harsh as I expected, coppers tend to be pretty realistic when it comes to doing the job. Give respect and you get it back. Works the other way too.

 

Yes well I noticed AM said stop looking at the past, yet that is exactly what he did which was why I brought up the past. It was AM who raves on about "White Aboriginals" yet he is not willing to face the fact that they are classified as white only by the whites and only when it is convenient for them.

 

Poverty is only solved by moving unfortunately, so the attachment to the land is a bit of a stick in the mud for those who want to stay put. A few good role models wouldn't hurt but peeps gotta drop the victim mentality, which seems to be perverse mix of (reverse) racism (corrupt white fella) and entitlement (its my land).....

 

I could not give a rats hairy arse what my great great grandfather did do or did not do! I cannot change the past, he is long dead and I am not guilty of, or responsible for any of his actions.

 

You can't wish a fact away. They are only classified as aboriginal by themselves and other wannabes. Ever spent any time with real, full blood aborigines? I have and they, or at least the blokes I have spent time with, do not see these city living 90% white wannabes as proper aboriginals. They always refered to them as 'half white' regardless of what percentage of European ancestors they have and definitely considered them less 'aboriginal' than themselves. Aboriginals are just parochial as everyone else.

 

When you have spent a 100th of the time I have and with the blacks mobs I mingle with, you will soon realise what you say is a load of crap!

 

Exactly, until then he needs to rely on racist rhetoric because he has nothing else.

 

Some people argue there is a collective guilt, especially for war crimes or such.
You know the kind of things a nation is/was doing right or wrong......
Still believe it is non of your business?
Regards

 

Yep. I am not responsible or guilty for things that were done by other people and especialy before I was born. Also you cannot judge the past by today's standards.

 

I am relaying actual first hand experience from my time in western NSW. I found my full blood Torres Strait Islander friend had a similar attitude and we spent a lot of time together hunting in central/north Queensland.

 

Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands. They are culturally and genetically Melanesian people, as are the people of Papua New Guinea. They are distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, and are generally referred to separately.

 

Interesting.
Some examples,
that means that Germany in 2015 has no guilt of any kind in relation to WW1+2?
And we in Australia have no guilt in regards to Vietnam and Iraq?

See, I didn't even vote for Howard, but feel responsible especailly for Iraq, as it happened in my active (grown up) lifespan. I also feel that it is our duty to admit that ISIS was made possible due to the removal of Saddam, thanks again to Bush, Blair and Howard.

See, we commit a lot of mistakes and need to live up to them, and that starts with admitting them. It also means that if your ancestors arrived in Australia early they do carry a certain responsibility of what happened to our Abos, and consequently also you....

Regards

 

You forgot Japan and the grudge the Role had with them and it wasn't that long ago that we demanded an apology from them...

 

Nope, the perpertraters are all dead. The Germans today took no part in ww2 and bear no responsibility for any of it. Like I said before, should Britain and Europe be demanding reparations from Italy for what the Romans did? Should Britain be demanding apologies and reparations from Norway, Sweden and Denmark for what the Vikings did?

Nope, nothing to be guilty about.

Rubbish!

Rubbish! No one bears any responsibility for the actions of their ancestors.

 

You'd be wrong, its too long a bow to pull to be accurate, but thats another topic.

 

That's funny I have heard a lot of people not happy having our military buying subs of the Japanese because of WWII.
The Role was dead set against the military even buying Toyota Landcruisers because of what happened decades before even though all the Japanese soldiers would have been old and those working for Toyota had never fought.

The consequences of our actions does not end when the perpetrators die. We, all of us have inherited the spoils of the crimes committed and the Aboriginal people have inherited the hatred for the way their people were just dismissed not only as the owners of the land but as even being human with the people of the day judging your human rights on colour, culture and superior power rather than any humane considerations.

The other day my grandson broke a lamp. When confronted with it his defence was to change the subject and pretend it never happened. But then he is only 6.

 

Rubbish. I do not believe you have heard 'a lot of people' being unhappy. But admittedly there are always a few whingers living in the past.....

True, consequences do not end with the death of the perpetrators, but responsiblity for their actions does.

Rubbish. The accident of your birth does not make you responsible for the actions of your forebears nor does it give you a right to be indignante toward anybody today because of things done to your forebears. At least you are admitting that those in the past lived by and believed different standards than we have today.

But he was the perpetrator so the anecdote is not relevent to our discussion.

Be carefull, trying to pin guilt and blame on the whole for the past actions of a few you are building a good case against all muslims for the actions of a few....

 

So you believe the Japanese today still 'owe' us?

 

Wow, isn't that what you normally do? Next to some others, aren't you hating their guts?
Regards

 

If we want to make this planet a better place we have to admit mistakes.
Having brought up 2 kids, it took some time (for me) to admit mistakes, eg. when I went over the edge....
I think it is a human stronghold to live up to the truth, and what greater goal can we have, being and staying honest?
Regards

 

Nope, never said I hate anyone. But I do think the muslim religion is not compatible with western society.

 

So I asked, are these people useful for the Australian society.