Us and Them

Being the dedicated blogger I am (ha thats a joke i've never been dedicated to anything in my life) i am posting again XD

mainly, because i want to bitch about something (why else, why else.)

Aboriginal issues in Australia have been becoming more and more predominant within the media of late, i think the issue now is not so much racism focused but on inequality. oh man i sound like a society and culture textbook, whatever. But in all seriousness, the facts are plain, you cant argue with statistics and numbers:

Aboriginal people do have a drastically lower life expectancy
There are less college graduates
They do earn less money
There are greater reports of violence, abuse and alcoholism within Aboriginal communities.

I am NOT being racist. I am laying out the statistics, i am not generalising about Aboriginal people. I know and respect several aboriginal people, and i don't think that they are necessarily affected by these things. However, the statistics say there is a problem, so i think it needs solving.

I was watching Enough Rope with Andrew Denton last night with Mum, and the young Australian of the year for 2007 Tania Major, who is aboriginal and speaks out about aboriginal issues was being interviewed. She mentioned some facts about how she is the only one out of her class that got a college education and basically, did anything with her life. and mums like "now, my question is. if she can do it, why cant the rest of them?" and then Tania spoke about the problems developing from the attitudes within the Aboriginal society, the mentality of "i'm black, people owe me something, i have to act like this" mum was like "MMM" in agreence. I guess i haven't conveyed it very well here because she was speaking very much in tone and reaction, and, my mum as a representative, i see the attitude of white society in general an issue. They treat it as if they are being blamed, they are automatically defensive and illuminate how it is the fault of the aboriginal society rather then them. They look for faults in the arguments and re-iterate the old discriminations, highlighting how the statistics confirm that the prejudices are correct.

"They want to be treated equal but they want special privelages as well"
"you give them money and they just spend it on alcohol and drugs"
"if they want to be treated as part of our society they should integrate into it"
"we're not allowed to discriminate against them but theyre allowed to discriminate against us"

I hate that. I hate the 'them and us' mentality. It's not helpful. and it irritates me because its all part of the cycle that keeps inequality happen.

nobody is saying that the situation today is because white people invaded. its a result of the series of events that took place as a result of that. It's because of how history has happened up until now. No one is blaming you, and trying to take away your "rightful" status us middle class white tax-paying citizen, get over it. Mostly, we just want to and need to fix it, and its attitude that destroys the chances we have. Attitudes from white people and attitudes from black people.

That was very much a textbook essay kind of rant but it bothered me so i felt the need to literate it.

Aside from that, my day was pleasant. FIB's was good, the year nine drama kids came for the first time today and it went really well (more so then i expected) they're really good, and im respecting alot of them as performers already.

It's mine and Joey's five-month tomorow *squee* and i know it's probably lame to count months, but im a teen, months are big. It should be scary that I'm this far into a relationship, and I know I would find it scary because thats how I am, if it was anyone else but him. I'm realising more and more that we really are meant to be together, and I love it. and i know five months isnt "this far into a relationship" but its big for me.

anyway, i guess thats all, adios Livi