Australia Day

[Christel]

The world as we know it is changing rapidly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41262842

[TomH]

The world as we know it is changing rapidly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41262842

Or the BBC would have us think so. More leftist liberal multiculturalist crap by a small minority blown out of proportion yet again. Hypocrites all, or they would be wandering around the bush naked eating insects. But no they despise white culture but feed upon it's fruits. b******.

[Dark Skies]

The world as we know it is changing rapidly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41262842

Or the BBC would have us think so. More leftist liberal multiculturalist crap by a small minority blown out of proportion yet again. Hypocrites all, or they would be wandering around the bush naked eating insects. But no they despise white culture but feed upon it's fruits. b******.

Whilst I agree the bulk of this initiative is probably strongly pushed by the usual hand-wringing lefty crowd I wouldn't so lightly dismiss a lot of ill-feeling from some of the Aboriginal community. Their country was wrested from them in the same way Britain was taken over by the Normans. Brits may no longer be butthurt about that because the passage of time takes the sting out of it. However, remembering more recent history still causes ill-feeling on occasion; WWI and WWII for example.

Whether they would prefer to walk around naked in the bush is a moot point. Take a look at a satelite picture of Australia sometime. All the nice lush green bits have been colonized by European settlers over the centuries. The Aborigines got to keep the rocky desert bits. Unless gold, oil, uranium, precious gemstones, and useful minerals were subsequently found. Or unless the government wanted to test nukes. So wandering around naked in their old stomping ground is kind of out (though some still do in the Northern Territory).

As for eating insects ... Australia (the green bits, at least) is an extremely well-stocked fertile country with an abundance of animal life and edible plants . Aborigines are tradidionally a nomadic hunter gather people. They lived off the land on a diet of meat, fish, roots, starchy tubers, seeds, fruits and nuts. They ate a healthier diet than we do.
Granted the witchetty grub is considered a great delicacy (it's bloody awful - I tried one for a dare) but then the French eat snails so ...so ... yeah.

I'll still celebrate Australia day but I can see why some aren't as keen. A few more hundred years and she'll be right. Time does that.

[DaveB]

I refuse to let the tail wag the dog. I wasn't there 200 years ago, and I have no 'white man's guilt' about it. If injustices were done, there is a process for seeking compensation - but I will not stop celebrating my cultural festivals and commemorations.

[Dark Skies]

I refuse to let the tail wag the dog. I wasn't there 200 years ago, and I have no 'white man's guilt' about it. If injustices were done, there is a process for seeking compensation - but I will not stop celebrating my cultural festivals and commemorations.

To be fair sheep aren't known for getting bent out of shape. :)