martyshire said:
Don't really get this line of argument - but it seems to be integral.
Most people I know are a combination of the second and third groups (except I don't think I know anyone with any first fleet ancestry) and I can only think of maybe one person that is so self flagellating that he trots out the 'white Australians are the bad guys' line. I don't think he really believes that anyway - just after attention. For the rest of us, we're just people. None of this 'us and them' BS. No one is attacking our rights or freedoms. If someone wanted to take footy or lying on the beach or lasagna away from me, THEN there would be an 'us and them' situation; THEN I'd feel like I wasn't being respected, but this is just a random public holiday that can be on a different day...? Who cares?
I don't think most white people that want to change the date are saying that feel less entitled to live in Australia than anyone else. Just like most Indigenous people don't want to 'burn Australia to the ground' and most people that want to leave the date as it is are not horrible people that lack empathy.
The media like to be divisive, which generally makes us a poorer society. On this matter they have been extremely successful.
The issue should not have been this big a deal. It should have been like keeping the noise down in a share house because one of your flat mates has to work in the morning. Minimal inconvenience to the majority but a sign of consideration to the guy that has to work in the morning. Will it solve all of the problems in the life of the guy that has to get up early in the morning? No. But it's just a nice thing to do and it might help him have a good day at work.
Meanwhile another annoying flatmate with a megaphone is telling us that this guy doesn't really want to go to work tomorrow, and that he hates us anyway. Then the vegan dread lock flat mate is calling everyone idiot and insensitive. The noise is keeping the guy up, but it's not from the music, it's from the insults being thrown between the guys with man buns and the guys with jet skis. It's enough to make you want to find another share house...except it's on a big block in a nice spot.
I quite like this post Marty. Particularly your analogy in the final paragraph - sums up perfectly how many of us feel when this whole noisy tabloid and social media lead debate comes up each year.
Thing with Australia Day, when I was a kid in the 80s-90s, there really seemed no concept of 'celebrating' Australia Day as such. I don't know, maybe we were just more apathetic then. But the whole flag waving, jingoistic fluff never really seemed to be much of a feature. Sure we appreciated the day off and it was a nice summer weekend to have family time (still the way I think of it now I have small children of my own - adore the extra time with them), but it wasn't really a day of 'celebration' (akin to 'celebrating' Christmas) with 'Australia' themed BBQs, spending a fortune on booze etc etc. It's nearly like it's become a day of noisy 'celebration' in response to noisy opposition.......or is that the noisy opposition is in response to Australia Day becoming more of a noisy 'celebration'? Anyway, this sums up the divisive self fulfilling loop it seems to have been whirled up into.
Personally, before all the 'invasion day' noise, I always found 26th Jan an odd choice for a national day, but from totally different motivations. It was selected (correctly or incorrectly) to mark the arrival of the first fleet. Which to me, only really represents the beginning of Sydney. This perpetuates a *smile* Sydney-centric view of Australia that nothing of consequential value exists outside the borders of Hornsby in the north, Sutherland in the south and Penrith to the west.
In actual fact, 'Australia' didn't come into being until 1st Jan 1901 when 6 self governing colonies joined together - or if you like, the 5th or 9th Jul 1900 when the act to federate was passed and received Royal Assent respectively. Hence why I've always felt, 1st Jan (by adding an extra day to the new year's break) or 5th or 9th of Jul would be appropriate dates. People may not like the idea of a Jul public holiday. But think of that long period in the middle of the year with no public holidays in sight. Might be a welcome break. And the non brains trust at AFL House would no doubt love the marketing bonanza for yet another themed match and round
. Or the idea of extending the NY break by a day. Who wouldn't like an extra day to nurse a sore head from the excesses of NY festivities? Or if one were inclined, they may make it a two day bender instead of one. ;D
But then, to me personally, it shouldn't really make that big a deal. Every family line I trace back goes back 6 generations in Tasmania, (yes throw the jokes at me ;D ). So as a sense of identity, I really have no historical links to any other part of Australia. Having spent time living in several states and overseas, I feel no more at 'home' in other parts of Australia, than I do in Europe, where my ancestors came from 6 generations ago. But yet, Tasmania feels quintessentially and unquestionably my 'home'. I am certainly 'Tasmanian' first and foremost, but am pretty apathetic to any 'Australian' identity - don't really feel much of an 'Australian' identity as such.
Although I must say, having been notionally in favour of a more appropriate date well before the 'change the date' campaign became the latest trendy cause (for alternative reasons I stated above). The divisive language used by the more megaphone enhanced 'Change the Date' activists has put me at pains to side with them.
