Oh god...I was almost relieved to find that at least part of this thread was taken up by useless banter 8) , but seriously - this thread is just another nail in the coffin of my opinion of the blinkered outlook of humanity.
Anti-racist
What I think many people who are racist towards Aboriginals fail to realise/acknowledge, as has probably been stated earlier, is that the stereotypical socially unacceptable behaviours so often attributed to them are a symptomatic (read:current) response to the mistreatment that generations upon generations of their people received
and still do as evidenced in this thread(read: past and present).
It is for this reason that I consider any privilege, if you can even class it as that when compared with an era of complete abuse, extended to these people, is completely deserved, warranted, necessary and is 'the least we can do'.
I then further do not understand how people expect these privileges to immediately combat the aforementioned socially unacceptable behaviour, that yes, some aboriginal people do exhibit.
1. To me, regardless of the perpetrator, behaviour I don't accept is just that - unacceptable behaviour, not an indictment on a race. If
anyone mistreats me, I reserve the right to judge them as an individual, but it's just completely redundant to paint everyone with the same brush.
Furthermore,
understanding the social conditions that have led to these actions being/being perceived as prevalent is a step in the right direction to alleviate the problems they occur, rather than contributing to the vicious cycle of hate and exclusivity. By the same token, tarring white straight males (for example) with the term of racists is just as redundant IMO. People should be judged on their individual merits; when patterns occur in particular races, underlying problems should be evaluated and investigated.
2. The extra services extended to these races were not ever intended to directly remedy those behaviours - they are compensation that we as a nation (incorporating individuals, organisations and government) should and to some extent do, use to demonstrate our regret/apologies/wish for reconciliation to a group of people who our forefathers wronged (in the absence of a super-cool-machine that would undo all our mistakes)
Does anyone really believe that giving someone an extra queue in a Telstra call centre is going to alleviate so many years of social injustice in the minds of indigenous Australia, or more microcosmically, make someone of Aboriginal descent think twice before assaulting someone? Fuck no. But it's at least proactive.
Pro-racist (for lack of a more suitable term)
I can completely understand people's frustration at the apparent willingness to discard the theory 'an individual must take responsibility for themselves/their own actions' when it comes to the case of groups who receive 'special treatment'.
I'm someone who champions this concept freely, and I guess its that suggestion of inconsistency that means I can sympathise (though not agree) with many of the racist arguments in this thread.
As fervently as I believe aboriginal people deserve special treatment, I just as firmly believe that special treatment should not include absolution from abiding by general humanitarian principles. However some people posting in this thread seem to think that being harassed for money constitutes gravely impinging on their well-being...which I think is a bit too far. But I by no means think that their conduct should go unchecked or they should be exempt from laws which are actually designed to protect society.
As unfortunate as I believe it to be (in that there is simply nothing we can do to truly right those past wrongs) the onus is now on individuals in that group of people to overcome the admittedly enormous obstacles that their race has been presented with, and pursue and ideally achieve their ambitions and goals. Hopefully the privileges I wrote about earlier can aid in facilitating this, and
even the balance.
It's fucked that a group of people should have to lay claim to a past like they can, but unfortunately, as unproductive as it is to hate them (though somewhat understandable) it is just as unproductive for them to pre-emptively condemn themselves to a life of ill refute because of their race (though somewhat, and I believe more so, understandable).
A large number of successful indigenous australians are underrepresented in our community because of negatives stereotypes. People have a tendency to dwell on the negatives, whether for sensationalism or due to human nature's predisposition for negative reinforcement, but why-ever it happens, I think its a travesty that many people's first thought when they hear aborigine is a bad one.
To conclude my debate with myself, ambassadors to indigenous Australia should receive more recognition, the symptoms that are currently present within the Aboriginal community are representative of underlying issues of which Australia as a nation was the sole perpetrator, understanding and working towards a positive solution where both white and indigenous Australians can live together is proactive, hating on them for the sheer fact that some are guilty of unacceptable behaviour is ridiculous. Use that as a yardstick and I'd fucking hate everyone (and some do I suppose).
However, hating races for this reason is just futile - it achieves nothing.