The Global

 I thought that 'ban Australia Day' thing was pathetic.

What ever happened to reconciliation?

I see the young non-initiated Aboriginals (who are highly Westernised, let’s face it) saying “I can’t understand why someone would celebrate.”

Really? Can’t understand or won’t. Empathy extends to all.

Maybe some people are celebrating summer, a holiday, time with family and friends, celebrating democracy, good living conditions, successful multiculturalism, relative freedom?

There’s so much to celebrate.

I don’t mind people having different attitudes -- that’s how democracy works. I understand the pain and suffering that First Nations Australians live with.

It’s in the stats: reduced life expectancy, exponential incarceration rates, young children incarcerated, deaths in custody.

There’s a lot to be aggrieved about.

But denying the rights of others to celebrate is misguided.

Perhaps it’s good that the day is marked, meaning different things to different people?

Our history is stained with blood. Like all nations.

But I think one would better off celebrating the present -- survival, & the fact that the nation has made improved strides on Indigenous recognition finally. To celebrate survival would I believe inspire us all to keep making strides. 

To feel is good. As J.J. Rousseau put it "our feelings come incontestably before our thoughts." So let people feel something on that day! Don't tell them they can't feel something. The neo-Victorian wowserism/naysaying of our current generation is stifling. & we know from history, if you suppress people's joy, it goes underground for a time & then erupts.

Reconciliation only works if we listen to one another and are tolerant of one another’s practices.

And recognise that everyone is entitled to feel joy. Stop stealing people's joy.

Are we gonna say, you can’t celebrate Eid or Christmas because they’re celebrations of cultural imperialism?

People need to celebrate. I remember only a few years ago going to an Australia Day celebration event and it was overwhelmingly a celebration that Australians have come from all over the globe and generally get on really well. It was a celebration of our successful multicultural society. It was wonderful.

I guess if I’m honest I think the thing that’s turned me off this unthinking idealization of Indigenous people as ‘perfect’, was Bruce Pascoe saying he believed in a small population Australia.

Sounded dangerously close to “stop the boats” to me.

When the biggest humanitarian crisis facing the world is the millions of displaced people fleeing war, famine & persecution, to be talking about keeping the population low here seems small minded at best.

We are going to have to let go our sectarianism and learn to share land with people from other groups.

Remembering that we’re one humanity and this should trump all political posturing on single issues.

We need a new global outlook, not an insular one.

Published & Copyright Malachi Doyle 2024.