Perhaps Australia's greatest Jurist was Owen Dixon.
From 1942 to 1944 he took leave from his judicial duties to serves as Australia's Ambassador to the United States. There he made a famous speech in Memphis referring to Australian Aborigines:
"The analogy in this country is the Red Indian but the Aust Aboriginal is of amuch lower state of development. He belongs to the Stone Age and no success has attended efforts to incorporate him in civilized society" P 200 Paul Kelly 'March of the Patriots
If Owen was alive today he would delight in what these girls are achieving in Downlands. He would love to be proved so very very wrong.
Of course he was chanting the common view of his day, Charles Darwin stuff: some civilizations are at a lower level.... (of course us mob are better!!)
Of course Philosopher Max Charlesworth had it around the other way:
Aborigines are the most civilized people on earth, they cared so little for possessions - because their ceremony life was so rich... The only people on earth who did not enslave others, who did not take over another's territory...
All that aside, we have an aboriginal kid getting into the University 100 years after colonization. It is a Black Swan event - you know, the dictionaries said all swans are white until Europeans got to Perth. Then they had to change the definitions.
All aborigines are Stone Aged People, can't be incorporated into civilization.... Meadow Mayonnaise !!!! (you know, you put your foot in it when you stroll through the Bulls' paddock)

0 Comments:
Post a Comment
» Home