lucasjtglover: Today is Australia Day. It is meant to be a day to celebrate our nation and come toge
lucasjtglover: Today is Australia Day. It is meant to be a day to celebrate our nation and come together in unity. Nice concept in theory. The problem is that it is on a day that coincides with colonisation and the start of a long era of the mistreatment of our First Nations people. It has only been celebrated as a national holiday on this date since the 80s. Several states did use this date prior to that; but it hadn’t been a national holiday until then. Now, each year, there is growing support to change the date of Australia Day. Our government is tone deaf on this issue. It divides the country. Many people get drunk and party. Others protest or treat it as a memorial day in honour of the many aboriginal people who we killed because of colonialism. Our current Prime Minister responded to the past atrocities by saying that the first settlers didn’t have a great time either (because conditions were tough and many were convicts). He is honestly comparing that with mass genocide and an entire generation of aboriginal children stolen from their families and raised in white homes. I don’t think it’s enough to just complain about today. I think we should collectively choose a different date and start celebrating on that day instead. Many people who don’t really care about the issue aren’t going to stop celebrating one holiday before they have an alternative. I won’t comment on that or those motives. I think we would have more people on board if there were another option already in place. People want it to be in summer, but not too close to any other events. I’d suggest something arbitrary like February 5th. I miss celebrating Australia Day. I love this country. I don’t love much of its history. I’d love to be able to celebrate what it is now and what it will become in the future, without associating that with the negativity of events in the past. I’ll never be someone who denies or ignores history. There is a difference between acknowledging bad things and lauding them. I still want to celebrate the good parts of Australia. I simply want it to be an inclusive celebration. I hope this isn’t all undermined by me looking like a thot in swimwear with the Aboriginal flag design. (at Hardys Bay)https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfDDq6nDbX/?igshid=1gn34eylj70nw -- source link