My son gave me “Roku” for Christmas. It allows me to get Netflix, Amazon and other movie/TV services on my television. I love it because I can watch movies I might not otherwise get to see. Last night I watched “Rabbit Proof” Fence which is an Australian movie. I must confess I don’t know a lot about Australian history, so this was a very interesting movie for me to see.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/
It was both horrific and inspirational and it was based on a true story. Young ‘caste” children were taken from their families and put in orphanages. Caste meant they were of mixed race between Whites and the Aborigines. The policy was extremely racist. If a child was “white enough”, they would send the child on to be educated. If they were not white enough their life would be one of domestic service. The story centers around three little girls and their struggle to get back home. It’s an amazing journey and well worth watching. This piece on cultural survival is a really interesting read.
http://www.culturalsurvival.org/australia?gclid=CO3GgLONkqYCFQPsKgodJTA5nA
The movie just reinforced for me the struggle that people of color have always had with white people that have taken over their lands and forced them into a submissive state. It should not shock me that Australia, which was also settled by white Europeans much like our country, created this racist agenda. However, it is shocking to think that this treatment lasted right up until the nineteen seventies.
I find this quote from Wikipedia very interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia
At the same time, some settlers were quite aware they were usurping the Aborigines place in Australia. In 1845, settler Charles Griffiths sought to justify this, writing; “The question comes to this; which has the better right – the savage, born in a country, which he runs over but can scarcely be said to occupy…or the civilized man, who comes to introduce into this…unproductive country, the industry which supports life.”[23] In expressing this view, Griffiths was probably merely echoing opinions widely held by other colonists in Australia, South Africa, parts of South America and the United States.
This quote could be used by any corporate country today that is trying to impose its “rights” upon an endangered people. Ultimately money talks and those that have it will win. Isn’t this what we as Americans do? We go to other countries pretty much to colonize them to do our will. I’m just putting this in words that are easy to understand, so don’t be shocked by what I say. I heard a Coca Cola executive talking the other day. He said they have business in over 200 countries. I was shocked because I didn’t know there were that many countries. Looking it up, there might not be that many recognized countries and maybe he misspoke. http://www.worldatlas.com/nations.htm
However, the Coca-Cola Company has a history of violence against unions. It is interesting to see where they have been accused of their misdeeds. Many of these countries are where people of color are the dominant race. I just find all of this interesting especially after watching this Australian movie. http://killercoke.org/index.php
It makes me wonder about many of our corporations that have moved their business interests out of the country in search of higher profits. This global effort seems to be creating a world of the super rich and the super poor. When I saw this clip of Prince Charles and his wife caught in the middle of a riot, it got me thinking. If you listen carefully you will hear someone scream, “Off with their heads.” It’s at the very end of the video and other videos I watched have been bleeped out. The ruling classes of wealth better wise up or they may end up much like the Marie Antoinette!
People of color and the poor and middle classes are getting fed up with a system that allows such a juxtaposition of extreme wealth and extreme poverty to exist. When is enough, enough? It never seems like the wealthy can ever have enough. They always seem to want more.