"Welcome To Country" Speeches .......... Gone Too Far Now ??

[RUNVS]

Not so much about this topic as such but I remember hearing a theory a while ago about why Aboriginal society did not really advance much in the 60,000 years (that is not to say their society was not valid, but it didn't really change much in a very long time) and that was because Australia didn't have horses, cows, camels or donkeys.

I read that in order for a society to advance in the early stages having animals to not only aid in agriculture but also transport is vital. Europeans learned to use cows and horses to help create agriculture, which meant they didn't need to live off the land, which meant they could stay in one spot, and grow towns, and because of horses people could visit other towns, share ideas, begin to advance.

However without that creating what we would see as farming is much much harder, so no farming, your society still has to live off the land, which means constantly on the move to find new sources of food, which means your entire society just can't advance.

I am not sure how true this is, but it was a really interesting theory.

 

[JackFlash]

It's out of control and totally offensive, the AFL must stop this, the whole country must stop this!

 

[Chief]

It's out of control and totally offensive, the AFL must stop this, the whole country must stop this!

Which country?

 

[Bianconeri]

By modern standards it is.
By 1700s standards it isn't though.

We are so busy rewriting history to modern standards we are losing how far society has come

In 1700s you’d still need a some of treaty for it not to be theft.

 

[kickazz]

The irritation comes when people refuse to listen to the explanation, no matter how it is presented.

EDIT: I mean, it's not like it hasn't been explained over and over and over and over again.

I recon amongst the over 60s and retired people there'd still be heaps that haven't got the memo.

I learnt all about it via workplace training. Where are these folks going to learn it? The Herald Sun? Facebook?

 

[Chief]

I recon amongst the over 60s and retired people there'd still be heaps that haven't got the memo.

I learnt all about it via workplace training. Where are these folks going to learn it? The Herald Sun? Facebook?

Specially when the dross journos take a statement that it's not something that was recently invented just for white people's benefit, and put up a headline "Not For White People!"

 

[RUNVS]

Specially when the dross journos take a statement that it's not something that was recently invented just for white people's benefit, and put up a headline "Not For White People!"

Yes, it is a headline clearly designed to mislead.

 

[ibd77]

I guess most reasonable people do not want to be preached at prior to sports or an entertainment events. Leave the politics to parliament house inside or outside if you wish to protest.

 

[Chief]

Yes, it is a headline clearly designed to mislead.

And achieved its purpose very successfully.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

As much as I am sympathetic to what the Aboriginal people have been through it is pretty unfair to blame Cook. Given the era of exploration from the European powers and then colonising the places they found a European colony was going to be coming to Australia one way or another. It isn't like if Cook never existed the Aboriginal people would still be living as they were the previous 60,000 years in 2024.

He treated Indigenous people like dogs mate.

'Many Indigenous people and supporters of their causes and sensibilities rightly view the lieutenant as the doorman for so many ills that followed, including the smallpox epidemic of 1789 that killed as many as seven in 10 Aboriginal people of the new colony for which Cook’s arrival paved the way.

'We’ll hear much today about how Cook brought “enlightenment” to a continent that has staged the world’s longest continuous civilisation for 100,000 years. The boosters will insist that commemorating divisive Cook – whose first act on landing on 29 April 1770 was to shoot one of the Indigenous men who challenged him – is also, somehow, the means to Australian reconciliation.'

Commemorating Captain James Cook’s arrival, Australia should not omit his role in the suffering that followed | Paul Daley

He arguably paved the way for the terrible experiences of generations of Indigenous people

www.theguardian.com

 

[parsons nose]

I’m outraged. Now I know many wiser heads than myself tell me that my outrage is the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. One of the great joys that equality in the eyes of the laws has delivered, is the sense of entitlement. That my needs are supreme to all others. And through various advocacies and commissions that have mushroomed as a result of these grand new times, I intent to prosecute my case using the full extent of the law. Maybe we can all be united in our outrage.

 

[Chief]

“I’m here this evening to perform a ceremony of Welcome to Country,” Kerin began before the semi-final at Sydney Olympic Park.

“A Welcome to Country is not a welcome to Australia. Within Australia we have many Aboriginal lands and we refer to our lands as ‘country’.

“So it’s always a welcome to the lands you’ve gathered on.”

Kerin then pointed out it is not a relatively new ceremony aimed at white Australians.

“A Welcome to Country is not a ceremony we’ve invented to cater for white people,” he continued.

“It’s a ceremony we’ve been doing for 60,000 years-plus BC. And the BC stands for Before Cook.”

The last comment received a smattering of applause and a few laughs and was a reference to Captain James Cook, who made the first recorded European contact with Australian land in 1770.

“Prior to colonisation, you could get yourself in a lot of trouble for walking on someone else’s lands without being welcomed onto those lands,” Kerin added. “So for me it’s always an honour to perform this ceremony.”

Kerin, who received more warm applause after his speech, then played a short piece on a didgeridoo before the National Anthem was sung by Mimi Velevska.

 

[RUNVS]

He treated Indigenous people like dogs mate.

'Many Indigenous people and supporters of their causes and sensibilities rightly view the lieutenant as the doorman for so many ills that followed, including the smallpox epidemic of 1789 that killed as many as seven in 10 Aboriginal people of the new colony for which Cook’s arrival paved the way.

'We’ll hear much today about how Cook brought “enlightenment” to a continent that has staged the world’s longest continuous civilisation for 100,000 years. The boosters will insist that commemorating divisive Cook – whose first act on landing on 29 April 1770 was to shoot one of the Indigenous men who challenged him – is also, somehow, the means to Australian reconciliation.'

Commemorating Captain James Cook’s arrival, Australia should not omit his role in the suffering that followed | Paul Daley

He arguably paved the way for the terrible experiences of generations of Indigenous people

www.theguardian.com

What came after wasn't necessarily Cook's fault though. I am not saying what he did was good, but what came after was not really his doing.

It is unfortunate, but at that point it was only a matter of time until the Aboriginal people were taken over, it was always going to happen unfortunately. Perhaps the French would have been better to the Aboriginal people, or the Spanish/Dutch I am not sure, but it is good the Belgiums did not colonise Australia as they were campaigners back then.

 

[Bostonian]

“I’m here this evening to perform a ceremony of Welcome to Country,” Kerin began before the semi-final at Sydney Olympic Park.

“A Welcome to Country is not a welcome to Australia. Within Australia we have many Aboriginal lands and we refer to our lands as ‘country’.

“So it’s always a welcome to the lands you’ve gathered on.”

Kerin then pointed out it is not a relatively new ceremony aimed at white Australians.

“A Welcome to Country is not a ceremony we’ve invented to cater for white people,” he continued.

“It’s a ceremony we’ve been doing for 60,000 years-plus BC. And the BC stands for Before Cook.”

The last comment received a smattering of applause and a few laughs and was a reference to Captain James Cook, who made the first recorded European contact with Australian land in 1770.

“Prior to colonisation, you could get yourself in a lot of trouble for walking on someone else’s lands without being welcomed onto those lands,” Kerin added. “So for me it’s always an honour to perform this ceremony.”

Kerin, who received more warm applause after his speech, then played a short piece on a didgeridoo before the National Anthem was sung by Mimi Velevska.

He said 250,000, not 60,000.

 

[Chief]

He said 250,000, not 60,000.

Good work!

 

[Bostonian]

Good work!

By your good self. At least you're not using made up figures.

 

[Bostonian]

He treated Indigenous people like dogs mate.

'Many Indigenous people and supporters of their causes and sensibilities rightly view the lieutenant as the doorman for so many ills that followed, including the smallpox epidemic of 1789 that killed as many as seven in 10 Aboriginal people of the new colony for which Cook’s arrival paved the way.

'We’ll hear much today about how Cook brought “enlightenment” to a continent that has staged the world’s longest continuous civilisation for 100,000 years. The boosters will insist that commemorating divisive Cook – whose first act on landing on 29 April 1770 was to shoot one of the Indigenous men who challenged him – is also, somehow, the means to Australian reconciliation.'

Commemorating Captain James Cook’s arrival, Australia should not omit his role in the suffering that followed | Paul Daley

He arguably paved the way for the terrible experiences of generations of Indigenous people

www.theguardian.com

No civilization has been around for 100,000 years.

Who writes this nonsense?

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

What came after wasn't necessarily Cook's fault though. I am not saying what he did was good, but what came after was not really his doing.

It is unfortunate, but at that point it was only a matter of time until the Aboriginal people were taken over, it was always going to happen unfortunately. Perhaps the French would have been better to the Aboriginal people, or the Spanish/Dutch I am not sure, but it is good the Belgiums did not colonise Australia as they were campaigners back then.

He shot dead someone when he first arrived snd killed 70% of the pop with small pox.
Then over the years his government slaughtered over 100,000 people in massacres.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

No civilization has been around for 100,000 years.

Who writes this nonsense?

It's at least 65,000 years and probably more than 100,000 years if you look at the research.
65,000 years is the accepted minimum.

 

[QuietB]

I think you should stop guessing, you know nothing about me, my background, my upbringing or my beliefs. I think you should attempt to get to know my views before you attempt to disparage them again.

Given you have not refuted one single point I made I am going to stick with my guess.

 

[Bostonian]

It's at least 65,000 years and probably more than 100,000 years if you look at the research.
65,000 years is the accepted minimum.

That's not a civilization.

The oldest civilizations developed around 3000-4000 BCE

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

That's not a civilization.

The oldest civilizations developed around 3000-4000 BCE

Leave out the semantics mate.

 

[QuietB]

He said 250,000, not 60,000.

And that is the important bit

 

[Xtreme]

When you use it any chance you get it loses any kind of meaning.

Correct
It loses its impact when its done at the opening of an envelope.

 

[Bianconeri]

Given you have not refuted one single point I made I am going to stick with my guess.

Fine then, be an ignorant bigot.