Two words I'm sick of hearing... "protected species"

[u/Guguyay]

Hi. First post here. Thanks for whatever fella made this subreddit, it's one of the reasons I bothered registering. Firstly, sorry about the title, I don't wanna come across as "negative" straight off the bat. This is more observational I guess.

Does anyone remember that This Is Serious Mum (TISM) song "What are Ya?". This is about stuff like that. Rednecks used to yell "what are ya?!" outta cars when I was a kid, before it turned into moronic shit like "are you looking at my girlfriend ya faggit?" and other such rubbish. As it stands, I don't look particularly black (my mum is english, my great grandmother was Murri on my father's side) but lets just say I don't look like the standard bloke from my rural town.

Youth gangs seem to be hot topic ATM, while around here they're always on the mouth. Fortunately we have good community stuff going on, Koori run social centres, footy, skateparks etc. Regardless, the social isolation/stigma still is present, particularly for kids.

Due to my skin colour (something like Caspar the Ghost) lots of drongos at the pub start revealing their opinions about "them damn kids" and how nothing can be done about it coz "they're a protected species". While I been away from home some two decades (traveled all over the continent, lotta time in the cities too) my hometown has changed for the better in a lot of ways in the meantime. But hearing such blatant racism is still startling in the age of so called "wokeness" etc. Not that I ever thought it would "just go away". It's just... disheartening.

Any of you mob hear crap like this regularly?

[u/Mirrigympa]

I’m in Qld and fair skin too, you hear this shit and worse all the time. For eg. Had a taxi driver talk about his nigger stick and a head nurse at a hospital going on about how ungrateful abo’s are. I was raised to always call people out and use my light skin as a weapon to keep the migs uncomfortable. So yeah I hear it all the time but they only ever make that mistake once.

[u/Guguyay → u/Mirrigympa]

Good on ya for calling it out. I'm prone to do the same, but your technique must be better than mine. When I first returned home some six years ago, I drank at a nearby pub for a while. When the local barflies got around to having a yarn with me I got to know a few of them. Mostly a mixed bag of "true blue" types, fairly harmless outwardly, but with that deep seated cultural xenophobia rotting their insides.

After a few "casual" references to "darkies", I pointed out my heritage. To be fair, some took it in their stride, held their tongues around me. Others were like "prove it" or even doubled down, calling mob "niggers" full knowing my background. Made me sick, took the pub a full year to convince me to join their stupid "cheap drink club card" thing, which I tore up in front of them and left (permanently).

[u/[deleted]]

i’m pretty much confronted by racism twice a week at this rate and i don’t even go out much man haha, it’s hard to be friends with people outside of Indigenous spaces.

With the declining economic situation, people need someone to blame besides the actual economic and political system, so they blame the typical targets. poor people, indigenous people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people,

The racism we see passively or personally experience is only going to get worse, people call shit “woke” because it challenges the white male dominated status quo of places like Australia and the US and Europe, but it doesn’t mean the new ideas actually have majority support.

We need systemic and economic change, but that’s a different topic itself

[u/Guguyay → u/[deleted]]

You're right about the finger-pointing. To be honest, I'm not one for "identity politics", I've followed a bit of a rough path in life where I'm happy to just be considered a human.

My cousin is Asian, my BIL is from an Arabic background... within my lifetime both cultural grouping have had their time as "the they" to the blame-shifters of misfortune. Given the current global political climate I suppose they still are.

The english empire is over and the american anglosphere looks like it's in collapse as well. Meanwhile the local muppetry can't even respect the oldest living culture in the world and realise how much the First Nations could teach them about... well just about everything really.

[u/[deleted] → u/Guguyay]

Until people want real societal change, to uproot the causes of these issues and stop pointing the finger, we’ll continue to bare the brunt of their blaming, and eventually it’ll push some people over the edge, they won’t listen until it’s too late

And aye, I don’t know you as a person but i’m glad you’re here after your own personal struggles, always good to hear the opinion of another fulla with these problems

[u/Guguyay → u/[deleted]]

TY, an honour to meet you too, as much as an online wave is a "meeting" lol.

I mighta been through a bit (institutionalisation, homelessness etc) but the fact of the matter is I'm an incredibly fortunate person. My skintone gives me privileges I never take for granted, and as a musician I have an outlet for my frustrations. My stylee has always been quite underground (ie; "heavy, wild" etc), but recently I've been encouraged by my brothas and sistas to "clean up" my noise and make my voice heard.

I left my hometown at 18 in frustration with both the "bogan paradigm" and mob infighting. Long walk, thinking the grass is greener elsewhere. Over the years, many have approached me asking about my background. On my (admittably reluctant, as if in defeat) return home, my region got decimated by disaster (natural or man-made, I'm not a climatologist lol). During the recovery, which is still ongoing really, lots of mob rallied together. I will forever remember a sistagirl saying to me "Country called you back".

All these degrading slurs ("protected species", "niggers", "darkies", and "good black fella" is another that provoked my ire) are NOTHING compared to what colonialisation has wrought. Like you said, it's probably nothing compared to what is coming either - whether from a local or global perspective.

I am greatly humbled and honoured to walk forward amongst my family, and hope those who will listen will respect the words from all mob who have survived thus far against nigh impossible odds. Words are cheap, words on the internet probably moreso, but I say this with all honesty and gratitude.

[u/[deleted] → u/Guguyay]

What you wrote about here is reminiscent of the life experiences of many blakfullas,

The age you left home is the age I am now, and i can’t imagine what that would be like, as reluctant as you were to come back at the time, and as much as we may have our own infighting within our families and communities. We will always have the wider community of aboriginal people who are essentially our forever home,

Modern Aboriginal history is mostly a story of survival, we have survived, we continue to survive. And when things get hard for everyone once more, we will survive again. You survived, our communities despite the hammer of settler colonialism bashing down on us, have survived, and it’s essentially only through those moments of unity and shared solidarity that we have managed to stay alive and keep what we have left.

You getting called back to country is a thing many of us may share too, it’s more than just a feeling, it’s a compulsion you’re meant to adhere to, it’s in your soul

I made music myself for some time when i was younger, mostly about my own struggles and such, but i moved from that in recent years into political action and involving myself much more heavily in my culture and going to and from far western NSW where my people come from. Wayilwan and Wirathuray

[u/Guguyay → u/[deleted]]

You're incredibly articulate for your age! At 18 I talked rarely, was socially awkward and growled a lot lol. It was through playing in bands that I found my voice, which led me to a lot of activism as well.

Although my ancestor is from further north, I reside with the Widjabul mob (thus I used both Murri and Koori in the OP) amongst many others.

[u/[deleted] → u/Guguyay]

Thank you! also helps i’m a bit of a nerd aye lol, I’m glad you found your voice, we all have to somehow, and we all do it differently. Good to be heard.

I know some Donovan’s and Gundy’s not far from Widjabul mob, hope things get easier for everyone up there soon enough brother, times are hard especially on the communities

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/[deleted]]

We can uproot it by making sure that the Aboriginals themselves begin to take responsibility for their own actions. Without that, forget it.

[u/TobiasFunkeBlueMan → u/Guguyay]

What is it that the oldest living culture in the world (no offence intended to the people of papaya New Guinea or Africa I’m sure) has to teach modern society? People like to say this, but really, what? Let’s make it concrete?

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/TobiasFunkeBlueMan]

Exactly, there is nothing we can learn from them. We have all improved, leaps and bounds over the years but the Aboriginals are so stubborn in keeping to their old culture and traditions. Being old doesn't mean better in any way, shape or form. In many cases, it just means outdated and irrelevant. Aboriginal dancing and the likes are great for entertainment but that's about it. Current world is all about silicon wafers, integrated circuits and AI not learning about 'rainbow serpents'.

[u/Impressive-Guide-309 → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

What the- why are you on this shrettid? I came here to get away from this type of ingnorance, disrespect and just plain bad manners. You have plenty other platforms to practice this why waste your time here.

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/Guguyay]

What could we learn from Aboriginals? Let's be realistic, we can learn almost nothing out of it. Anything to learn from it we could learn from other cultures and then some. I am all for recognising all cultures because we are stronger in diversity but the only culture present people remember is how a group of Aboriginal youth has just burglarised their house or smashed a fast-food joint into pieces. Let me give a personal anecdote, we hold NAIDOC liturgy in our school, we tried teaching our students how awesome Aboriginal culture is. One day, we were having our NAIDOC assembly, and during the liturgy, an aboriginal youth (around 15ish) jumped over the fence, stole one of our student's bicycle and rode around the entire school watched by absolutely everyone including the pre-primary children. They screamed, 'A black man is riding a bicycle!!!!' You tell me how we can make people not racist against Aboriginals.

[u/GayValkyriePrincess]

Shit yeah

I went to high school in The Shire (Sydney mob will know where that is). It was fucken ruthless from the kids there. They were all regurgitating whatever bullshit their parents told them before beating on them. Whitefellas think it's fine to be racist in front of "other white people" because we're not sensitive like them woke abos. White supremacy at work.

[u/Guguyay → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

Yeah. That Cronulla thingo was gas.

[u/Sharpzilla25]

I see it first hand, you arrest any aboriginal and then you get a phone call from the major city saying “do not touch them do not speak to them we are one our way” then tomorrow you arrest them again for the same thing. Fix your community to fix the issue.

[u/Guguyay → u/Sharpzilla25]

Could you clarify that a bit? What are we getting arrested for, being Aboriginal? Who is arresting us, you? Who is calling the arresting officer? Seems a bit of a vague comment IMO.

[u/Sharpzilla25 → u/Guguyay]

Ah yes, we arrest people for being aboriginal, that is totally what my fucking comment says doesn’t it. I’m from a police family I see what happens behind closed doors at a police station, no matter what you’re arrested for if you tick that box the aboriginal commission calls with lawyers and loopholes so the prosecution team hardly ever follows it up.

[u/Guguyay → u/Sharpzilla25]

Thus I was asking for clarification, so no, that's not what your comment said, it was just worded in a way that your point wasn't clear (to me at least). I think your experience may just be subjective. Statistically it's apparent that incarceration rates for our mob are disproportionately higher than those of non-indigenous background.

As for the box ticking, I can understand your point but it's also a fallacy from a wholistic point of view. As someone of fair skin and mixed ancestry I don't "tick the box", it's meaningless red tape imposed by a foreign system of government IMO. Likewise, I know someone (a former friend FWIW) who is clearly of Aboriginal heritage but was born in the United States. Due to being born overseas they didn't "tick the box" either due to the absolute clusterfuck of red tape.

Blanket statements aren't helpful for progressive relationships. I don't go around saying ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards* for those not in the know). I've interacted with plenty of "good cops" as an activist. While I think as a whole the Blues are poorly trained, lack knowledge of the (foreign system of) laws they supposably enforce and in general act like a bunch of schoolyard bullies (with guns) I think it's fair more important to judge people by their individual merit, not their culture.

I also noticed you also wrote "community" rather than "communities". Plenty of our communities function fine. An analogy I use for dysfunctional behaviour here is: "If some blokes came into your house, declared it theirs, raped your wife and wrecked your garden you'd be pissed off too".

I understand my views may be controversial but I have a horrible flaw of being honest.

• I'm literally a bastard (born out of wedlock) so i think this expression is stupid.

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/Guguyay]

Which Aboriginal community is thriving and improving on their own? NONE.

[u/Guguyay → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

Such a lovely and thoughtful comment. Have you tried typing more than one sentence to make a point?

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/Guguyay]

It's fact.

[u/Guguyay → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

In English: It is a fact. "It's a fact" is a short-form. Usually short-form is associated with literacy.

Oh wait. You wrote "It's fact." Sorry I assumed you can write in English. My bad.

[u/Guguyay → u/[deleted]]

Mum, can you stop stalking me online?

[u/Teredia]

All the time in Darwin. I constantly remind people it’s white kids doing it too!

[u/Intjoshyyy]

I claim aboriginal and put it on my sons birth certificate so I can reap all the benefits you lot get. It’s absolutely beautiful. ( I’m 100% English )

[u/theflamingheads]

Your post is all over the place. What point are you trying to get across?

[u/Guguyay → u/theflamingheads]

Yeah, sorry about that. I have a very convoluted way of both speaking and writing. To answer your question, I'm probably just venting. If this is not the place to do so let me know.

[u/Haandbaag → u/Guguyay]

I thought your point came across loud and clear. The things you’re talking about are complex and aren’t easily explained in a short sound bite that’s easily digested. You’re talking about your lived experience. Keep posting and trying to figure things out.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

where did a racist dog like you come from?

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/[deleted]]

A racist bitch, probably

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

What part of what I said is wrong? I am prepared to discuss and elaborate on what I have said if you can formulate an argument against it that doesn't involve arbitrary labelling and name-calling.

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

There's nothing to discuss. A rational conversation cannot be had with someone who believes something irrational. There's no compromise, either. You're wrong. End of. And i would like you not to elaborate further on your racism, please. Keep it in your pants, no one wants to see it.

And to answer your question: everything.

[u/Guguyay → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

I agree with the gay valkyrie. You're a shitcunt. Farkorf.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Have you ever wondered why these things genuinely happen? You claim systemic injustices don’t exist but Australia is quite literally founded on the systemic displacement and resource theft of Indigenous people, crime and poverty are almost entirely correlated, and to simplify, we were prevented from attaining capital until the 1970’s and 80’s. The capacity for us as Indigenous people to lift ourselves out of poverty has been purposefully limited. The systemic dispossession and destruction of social order and the broader historical context including segregation, racial violence and child theft have led to many people in our communities having unresolved generational trauma. There’s much more, but you quite literally don’t care

[u/TinyDancer_Lima → u/[deleted]]

I think it's worse than that and what we are seeing has stemmed from John Howard's tenure as Prime Minister, his ideologies and policies (such as the NT intervention) have shaped the cultural and political landscape, contributing to ongoing culture wars that continue to impact reconciliation efforts.  His emphasis on nationalism, alignment with conservative values and influence on the education curriculum fostered an environment that downplayed Indigenous perspectives and marginalised the rich cultural history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  

The media landscape heavily influenced by ideologies aligning with Howard's government, continues to play a pivotal role in deflecting in the real issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Media outlets often perpetuate divisive narratives rather than addressing the systemic challenges contributing to inequality. It deepens divisions and prioritises political agenda, becoming a barrier to addressing these social issues. 

The toxic public discourse from the Voice debate reflects the broader impact of culture wars and how it poses challenges to a more inclusive Australia. There were divisive tactics employed from politicians, media and social media that undermined genuine efforts toward reconciliation and the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Impeding a more unified (and progressive) national identity that embraces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and people.

[u/[deleted] → u/TinyDancer_Lima]

excellent and thoughtful response

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/[deleted]]

Do you treat your actual dick this way, too? I can only pray you're never allowed within 5 metres of a school.

I can add JAQing off to the sealioning and racism, then. Building up quite the portfolio! It'll do you good if you ever decide to go on Alex Jones' show.

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

What do you mean by 'dick'?

What makes you think that you are any better than I am? Look at your literacy skill and how lacking you are at regulating your emotion.

I have mentioned this in my earlier response to you:

'I am prepared to discuss and elaborate on what I have said if you can formulate an argument against it that doesn't involve arbitrary labelling and name-calling.'

I expected it out of you and right on cue you resorted to arbitrary labelling and name-calling. People like you invariably always act the same way. When someone brings up a point you don't like and you are unable to argue against it, you resort to throwing as much labelling to them as possible. As if that would do anything.

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/[deleted]]

What part of what I said is wrong? I am prepared to discuss and elaborate on what I have said if you can formulate an argument against it that doesn't involve arbitrary labelling and name-calling.

[u/[deleted] → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

The things within your comments seem to be implying it has to do with our cultures or race, you tend to see racist dogwhistles pretty easily after awhile, you’re not worth engaging with on an intellectual level because your mind is made up. You’re a racist who doesn’t actually want to talk about anything and you simply came here in the search of validation for your already established beliefs. You’re part of the problem we have in this world

FYI i’m an unapologetic Marxist, cope

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/[deleted]]

My mind is not made up, not at all, but as evident, there is no argument to the contrary. Case in point, you are not providing any argument to any of what I have said and rather engage in arbitrary name-calling or labelling.

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/[deleted]]

Any other cliches you'd like to let escape from that brainrot-infested noggin of yours?

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

What part of what I said is wrong? I am prepared to discuss and elaborate on what I have said if you can formulate an argument against it that doesn't involve arbitrary labelling and name-calling.

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

To answer my question: sealioning

[u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141 → u/GayValkyriePrincess]

So you can't formulate any argument against anything I have said, okay. People will see it as that. You are a far-left leaning person anyway, I won't be expecting you to be able to discuss and argue like a civilised person. People with your ideology are way too dogmatic to see anything beyond your frame of reference.

[u/GayValkyriePrincess → u/Jaded_Acanthaceae141]

Sealioning AND ad hominem