-
Welcome to the discussion forums. To get posting, register an account.
First Contact- (SBS)
- Thread starter jarrah
- Start date
kxk
SAPIOSEXUAL
Oh thank you for posting this, so it must include the Insight follow up?
As far as i know there were only 2 actual shows, then the follow up.
I missed a lot and will love being able to catch up.
I really want to see the Insight thing, and to see when the 6th member, racist girl pissed off.
The chunks I have seen have been very interesting.
Strange to think the majority of suburban Australians will live and die and never meet an Aboriginal.
I am considering working in the Kimberley region when My DJ is fabulously set up
What about you? Have you seen any of it yet?
SBS make such fantastic documentaries like this, Go Back Where You Came From, etc.
I dream, of them making a small scale BB type thing, they would be so good at mixing it up and making a diverse show.
As far as i know there were only 2 actual shows, then the follow up.
I missed a lot and will love being able to catch up.
I really want to see the Insight thing, and to see when the 6th member, racist girl pissed off.
The chunks I have seen have been very interesting.
Strange to think the majority of suburban Australians will live and die and never meet an Aboriginal.
I am considering working in the Kimberley region when My DJ is fabulously set up
What about you? Have you seen any of it yet?
SBS make such fantastic documentaries like this, Go Back Where You Came From, etc.
I dream, of them making a small scale BB type thing, they would be so good at mixing it up and making a diverse show.
jarrah
Well-Known Member
Yeah I was also hoping for a repeat of the Insight episode but unfortunately tonight's guide only shows three in a row of First Contact. Pity, because I deliberately avoided it last week, wanting to see the doco itself before watching any analysis.
So far I've only seen snippets but judging by those, I'm in for a helluva shock when I watch for real; *That* many Aussies have never knowingly even chatted with indigenous people? What? The divide is indescribable. It sounds no better than when people were fenced off in Aboriginal Reserves.
On social media she's being called "Racist Sandy", and I'm pretty curious to see her reasons for being that impolite to people who were being so hospitable. It seems so nasty and strange. However, I did go to a private girls' school where there were no indigenous people, found it weird, and then weirder that no one else seemed to notice. So from that bizarre experience I suppose I can see how it might be possible to live a life of unintentional apartheid.
So far I've only seen snippets but judging by those, I'm in for a helluva shock when I watch for real; *That* many Aussies have never knowingly even chatted with indigenous people? What? The divide is indescribable. It sounds no better than when people were fenced off in Aboriginal Reserves.
On social media she's being called "Racist Sandy", and I'm pretty curious to see her reasons for being that impolite to people who were being so hospitable. It seems so nasty and strange. However, I did go to a private girls' school where there were no indigenous people, found it weird, and then weirder that no one else seemed to notice. So from that bizarre experience I suppose I can see how it might be possible to live a life of unintentional apartheid.
jarrah
Well-Known Member
Sorry to spam but I can't edit my last post. I meant to add that, after more thought, I guess my shock at the racism and divide is also because I have been sheltered- I live near Redfern, my friends and I are generally left-wing and I've been around activism a fair bit. So I'm similarly lacking in life experience I suppose, in that I'm rarely around people like the six in this show.
kxk
SAPIOSEXUAL
Shame Insight isn't included. I thought it was just 2. I have seen most of this first one, except the end bit - racist girl leaves at the end doesn't she?
Racist girl must leave next I guess.
Where do these people get the strange ideas and wrong facts from? Since they have never met an indigenous person?
I know what you mean about being from a different world from these experimental participants>
Racist girl must leave next I guess.
Where do these people get the strange ideas and wrong facts from? Since they have never met an indigenous person?
I know what you mean about being from a different world from these experimental participants>
jarrah
Well-Known Member
Yeah she hasn't left yet, and, hasn't been as extreme as I'd expected with a nickname like Racist Sandy". I noted that she goes to a hair/beauty salon 3 times a week and kinda wonder if her refusing the bed, saying it was dirty, was more perhaps some neurosis than simple racism alone. Can't work her out.
[Oh hang on, she's going now.. Hmm.. And it does look like something's up, some fear or anxiety, and I think she feels upset about something]
Btw, you mentioned DJing in the Kimberley, sounds pretty cool, clubs or radio or ..?
[Oh hang on, she's going now.. Hmm.. And it does look like something's up, some fear or anxiety, and I think she feels upset about something]
Btw, you mentioned DJing in the Kimberley, sounds pretty cool, clubs or radio or ..?
nutmeg
Well-Known Member
Has everyone finished watching yet? What did you think?
I loved this show, I need to watch the Awaken special next. While it was yet another program where Aboriginal people are seen through the prism of the dominant culture’s eyes, as that is the whole basis of the program, at least there is a very good reason for it.
Some of the prejudices really surprised me. I was shocked at Trent the cop for not having a better understanding of the problems when he dealt with the law-related end results, but I sort of get that if you only see bad things, then you only think bad things. Still, while I’m glad he now wants to educate people, I would have thought that he would have had significant cultural awareness training and life experience, so I was shocked by his bitterness. Unfortunately, it says something about mainstream police attitudes, and he isn’t even from the far north or west (I think).
Bo-dene and Jasmine also shocked me, although less so as they have clearly not had Trent’s professional training or exposure. They were so harsh, really hard-natured girls … but I don’t want to judge them because I don’t know what they have been through to make them so unrelentingly mean-spirited, although they obviously gave up some of their life stories and that goes some way in explaining their prejudices, but also in explaining their eventual empathy. They really upset me at times with their barbed observations and questions, I didn’t blame the Alice Springs night patrol lady for losing her temper with Bo-dene. And I have no words for Sandy, some people are just a lost cause, cut your losses, although that is probably a bad attitude on my part.
I shed a tear for Sharyn when she said in the Insight special that the only time she feels Australian is when she is overseas. That was so sad, a tragic comment on the sense of belonging that Aboriginal people feel in the wider community. And I loved Marcus. He is a great person, and a huge asset to his community, as is June and frankly, many of the Aboriginal people we met along the way.
I read a survey a few years ago that Aboriginal issues are one of the few things that Australians won’t change their mind on even when confronted with the facts. This show pretty much proved that; in fact, people need 28 DAYS of being confronted with the facts before they will change their minds. What hope for wide spread reconciliation is there.
If you’ve finished watching, read Bo-dene’s comment piece, it's well worth a look and gives you more of her perspective than Insight did ... full credit to her for such an amazing turnaround:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/20/first-contacts-bo-dene-i-cant-believe-i-was-so-naive-and-ignorant
I loved this show, I need to watch the Awaken special next. While it was yet another program where Aboriginal people are seen through the prism of the dominant culture’s eyes, as that is the whole basis of the program, at least there is a very good reason for it.
Some of the prejudices really surprised me. I was shocked at Trent the cop for not having a better understanding of the problems when he dealt with the law-related end results, but I sort of get that if you only see bad things, then you only think bad things. Still, while I’m glad he now wants to educate people, I would have thought that he would have had significant cultural awareness training and life experience, so I was shocked by his bitterness. Unfortunately, it says something about mainstream police attitudes, and he isn’t even from the far north or west (I think).
Bo-dene and Jasmine also shocked me, although less so as they have clearly not had Trent’s professional training or exposure. They were so harsh, really hard-natured girls … but I don’t want to judge them because I don’t know what they have been through to make them so unrelentingly mean-spirited, although they obviously gave up some of their life stories and that goes some way in explaining their prejudices, but also in explaining their eventual empathy. They really upset me at times with their barbed observations and questions, I didn’t blame the Alice Springs night patrol lady for losing her temper with Bo-dene. And I have no words for Sandy, some people are just a lost cause, cut your losses, although that is probably a bad attitude on my part.
I shed a tear for Sharyn when she said in the Insight special that the only time she feels Australian is when she is overseas. That was so sad, a tragic comment on the sense of belonging that Aboriginal people feel in the wider community. And I loved Marcus. He is a great person, and a huge asset to his community, as is June and frankly, many of the Aboriginal people we met along the way.
I read a survey a few years ago that Aboriginal issues are one of the few things that Australians won’t change their mind on even when confronted with the facts. This show pretty much proved that; in fact, people need 28 DAYS of being confronted with the facts before they will change their minds. What hope for wide spread reconciliation is there.
If you’ve finished watching, read Bo-dene’s comment piece, it's well worth a look and gives you more of her perspective than Insight did ... full credit to her for such an amazing turnaround:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/20/first-contacts-bo-dene-i-cant-believe-i-was-so-naive-and-ignorant
kxk
SAPIOSEXUAL
I haven't seen the Insight follow up, going to watch that online.
How unbelievably stupid to have a prison full of people on driving charges?
And that they have better opportunities there, fuck.
Clearly they need different road rules for such isolated places with no public transport.
A lot of offences that make sense and keep us safer in cities - are kind of meaningless when you don't see another car for 5 days.
Drink driving you are only going to kill yourself.
And clearly the penalties could be different.
Jasmine is a fucked up mess, but she kept saying look what I came from and I am fine - she needs a ton of therapy.
And the girl who looks 12, what arrogance.
I find it weird to have such strong prejudices based on nothing - ie they knew nothing, had never bothered to find out anything,
but just fine and dandy judging.
And that is like a judge in court sentencing you without looking at you, just reading some racist opinion by Andrew Bolte.
@nutmeg I felt the cleansing doing me good, and I laughed and laughed when they were stunned by the female artist's amazing talent.
And I wonder - do people know that there are reconciliation groups you can join in your local community?
Well they aren't in every suburb, but they are close enough.
In Victoria, here is the website
http://www.reconciliationvic.org.au/local-reconciliation-groups.php
I have been to some events at Melb Uni. You can learn heaps.
The Vic Museum also does fantastic tours for kids, through the Indigenous section.
My Nick got to try on a possum cloak.
The ladies who run it are gorgeous - he was small, they consulted whether to give him the full horror tour, or to avoid the poisoned sugar and flour sacks bit used to kill.
How unbelievably stupid to have a prison full of people on driving charges?
And that they have better opportunities there, fuck.
Clearly they need different road rules for such isolated places with no public transport.
A lot of offences that make sense and keep us safer in cities - are kind of meaningless when you don't see another car for 5 days.
Drink driving you are only going to kill yourself.
And clearly the penalties could be different.
Jasmine is a fucked up mess, but she kept saying look what I came from and I am fine - she needs a ton of therapy.
And the girl who looks 12, what arrogance.
I find it weird to have such strong prejudices based on nothing - ie they knew nothing, had never bothered to find out anything,
but just fine and dandy judging.
And that is like a judge in court sentencing you without looking at you, just reading some racist opinion by Andrew Bolte.
@nutmeg I felt the cleansing doing me good, and I laughed and laughed when they were stunned by the female artist's amazing talent.
And I wonder - do people know that there are reconciliation groups you can join in your local community?
Well they aren't in every suburb, but they are close enough.
In Victoria, here is the website
http://www.reconciliationvic.org.au/local-reconciliation-groups.php
I have been to some events at Melb Uni. You can learn heaps.
The Vic Museum also does fantastic tours for kids, through the Indigenous section.
My Nick got to try on a possum cloak.
The ladies who run it are gorgeous - he was small, they consulted whether to give him the full horror tour, or to avoid the poisoned sugar and flour sacks bit used to kill.
nutmeg
Well-Known Member
A prison mostly full of driving offenders was mind blowing. Surely they could work something out that didn't mean jail. And opting to go to jail because there are no other support services ... that should be an easy thing to solve if there was genuine political will. Tragedy, piled upon tragedy, piled upon tragedy, recurring.
So did your Nick get told the poisoned sugar and flour sacks story? And I know I'll regret asking, but what was the story with that anyway?
(It's like the First Australians series on SBS On Demand. I've always said to myself that I will watch it, but I know enough about what happened back in the day to know it will make me sick. Should watch, but can't.)
kxk
SAPIOSEXUAL
As white settlers moved further away from the centre of government, random shootings of Aboriginals and massacres of groups of men, women and children were common.
Sometimes Aboriginal water- holes were poisoned, or Aboriginal people given flour, sugar or damper mixed with arsenic.
http://www.workingwithatsi.info/content/history2.htm
And yes, we said to give us the facts, they did so gently and with great knowledge. There is an exhibit with the sacks of flour/sugar.
Just one of the many means used to kill.
Nick loved hearing indigenous stories, and from kindy had been hearing stories and us talk about reconciliation etc.
He already knew a lot of the awful stuff.
I have elderly cousins who have lived for generations in the mountain country of vic, they told me when they were kids, 1900's I guess -
people were still killing Aboriginals.
(my family came here during the gold rush, Chinese, and survived their own racist massacres, so kind of an affinity with the persecution)
Sometimes Aboriginal water- holes were poisoned, or Aboriginal people given flour, sugar or damper mixed with arsenic.
http://www.workingwithatsi.info/content/history2.htm
And yes, we said to give us the facts, they did so gently and with great knowledge. There is an exhibit with the sacks of flour/sugar.
Just one of the many means used to kill.
Nick loved hearing indigenous stories, and from kindy had been hearing stories and us talk about reconciliation etc.
He already knew a lot of the awful stuff.
I have elderly cousins who have lived for generations in the mountain country of vic, they told me when they were kids, 1900's I guess -
people were still killing Aboriginals.
(my family came here during the gold rush, Chinese, and survived their own racist massacres, so kind of an affinity with the persecution)
nutmeg
Well-Known Member
Ugh, that is a terrible story, so is what you say about how recently the murders were still happening.
And people say 'just get over it'. Yeah, right.
You're family were in the gold rush? How exciting, I love that era, for Australia's emerging nationalism, democracy and multiculturalism, Eureka Stockade and all. But yeah, pretty tough for the Chinese, so I totally get your empathy for the persecuted. I don't know, but I would think that the Chinese and Aboriginal people would have had close alliances. Where my family come from, there were and still are what are colloquially called the Black Irish. Because Aboriginals and the Irish were both ostracised so the two groups hooked up and many had families. Not my family, although I do have Aboriginal relatives, but it was pretty common.
But how cool to have descended from gold rush communities!!!!
And people say 'just get over it'. Yeah, right.
You're family were in the gold rush? How exciting, I love that era, for Australia's emerging nationalism, democracy and multiculturalism, Eureka Stockade and all. But yeah, pretty tough for the Chinese, so I totally get your empathy for the persecuted. I don't know, but I would think that the Chinese and Aboriginal people would have had close alliances. Where my family come from, there were and still are what are colloquially called the Black Irish. Because Aboriginals and the Irish were both ostracised so the two groups hooked up and many had families. Not my family, although I do have Aboriginal relatives, but it was pretty common.
But how cool to have descended from gold rush communities!!!!
jarrah
Well-Known Member
I don't know but I'm guessing that a lot would be in for economic based driving offences like driving an unregistered vehicle, or failure to pay fines, rather than any actions of malicious intent. You'd think there are more effective and less destructive options than imorisonment. Subsidised bus services to link remote communities, driving lessons as part of the school curriculum or free/ subsidised, cheaper car rego for remote areas in recognition that driving is more necessity than luxury out there. And community service and/or education/training rather than a lagging would be a tad more helpful.
Just watching Twelve Canoes on NITV, and was stunned that some farmer bloke (white) got away with mass murder of Yolgnu people. (It was retaliation- He'd basically begun squatting in their land, his cattle feeding on their grass etc and they ate a few cows. So he had them shot and mass poisoned. There was no a law against it.
The Law is not always in the right. (As evidenced worldwide, by the many other crimes against humanity that were legal where they happened.)
But looking back into British culture and how they treated their own women, working class and children, it's almost predictable that the society would be run by sociopaths and that they'd be even more brutal towards people they subjugated. No one just 'gets over' the kind of damage and trauma that's been inflicted on our indigenous communities. Not over night, not in a generation, and not in two hundred years.