John Pasmore's Occassional Blog

First People, Last People by John

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Racism down below. A recent story in the Guardian points to how little has changed for the indigenous people of Australia. By that I mean things have been bad for a long time and they continue along that unfortunate track. The sobering statistics are from the Guardian, “Alcohol causes the death of an Aborigine every 38 hours. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders…live on average 17 years less than their fellow citizens. The average life expectancy for Aboriginal men is 59, compared with 77 for non-indigenous males, according to a 2006 report by the Australian institute of health and welfare.” If you want to find out more or how to help I’ve found the website for Cultural Survival to be a solid starting point.

One Response to “First People, Last People”

  1. PurpleZoe says:

    Unfortunately, little has changed.
    The attacking self image for people of color has been severe and brutal.
    While still seeking to heal from a depression and despair that is a direct result of having land and resources stolen to say the least, it is difficult to rise up quickly.
    Healing does take place however, and the land will have to be redistributed at some point. I don’t see any way around it. There will be a re-awakening and a healing, and once restored to optimum health the original people of any area, will have their belongs and belongingness restored.
    I feel its inevitable.
    With the leveling of the playing field that current technologies, like the internet are bringing, and raised mass consciousness is inspiring it’s only a matter of time before everything changes in favor of the oppressed.

    We’ll have to be very careful however, to avoid patterning our actions in the fashion of another oppressive mentality and that will require a degree of self-reflection and a reliable form of therapy to purge the toxic emotions that have been conditioned over a considerable period of time by a systemically racist system.

    ~PurpleZoe

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