So, Banjo Paterson AKA Rodney Crisp: you are defending your own beliefs! Not much use talking to you then.

You don't know why I raise the question of loyalty? Of course you don't. As Rodney Crisp, you don't know the meaning of the word.

One minute you are a third generation Australian, the next you say you left your “family, friends and country when I was 24 years-old”. You are very confused, Roddy boy.

Nobody in Australia would ever be required to “sacrifice” themselves for the British crown; nor anybody in Britain, either. You can't differentiate between tradition/harmless ceremony and ideology, you poor, simple Marxist dupe.

Hi Ttbn,

Anyhow, back to topic :)

A Truth and Justice Commission would throw up many, many surprises IF it paid attention to documentation, i.e. evidence - and for those who assert that much of what actually happened has been suppressed, prove it. Find the eviden. Hence my suggestion of multiple investigations of supposed massacre sites, and so on: evidence which confirms or contradicts contemporary assertions is surely what a Truth and Justice Commission (preferably of a panel of judges) is all about ?

Ttbn, you may find that the 'truth', reality, no matter how it is interpreted, is closer to your position than that of the dominant Narrative. 'Stolen Generation' ? Get the files, pretty much all Indigenous people would have one. Etc.

Cheers,

Joe

.

Dear Loudmouth,

.

As often, your vision of the myriad examples of the inacceptable behaviour of many of our Aboriginal compatriots is inexhaustible and beyond compare.

I have no doubt that it’s all perfectly authentic and exists alongside a myriad of equally authentic examples of unsolicited abuse on the part of various, shall we say, well-intentioned public authorities.

I am sure you must be aware of some of those too.

As for truth, truth is not reality.

I see truth as information which has not been voluntarily deformed at the time of emission. Or, should I say, it is whatever version of reality, thought, ideas, qualia, dreams, or imagination, a particular individual is capable of experiencing and subsequently transmitting without voluntarily deforming it.

This, of course, does not exclude the involuntary deformation of information. The information that is emitted by somebody may be totally erroneous but perfectly truthful.

There are as many truths as there are observers and each one may be completely different from all the others, though each observer may be telling the truth from his or her particular perspective. I see truth as a perfectly subjective notion.

Our initial perspective may be false. We may incorrectly interpret what we perceive. Shock or prejudice may prevent us from correctly registering what we perceive. We may suffer a lapse of memory at the time of transmitting the information. We may not employ the correct expressions or be sufficiently precise in relaying the information. Our body language may be inconsistent with our oral expression, etc. All these and many other factors may possibly result in the involuntary deformation concerning the object of truth.

The star we claim to see may have disappeared from the heavens millions of years ago. That does not alter the fact that we are telling the truth in claiming to see it. The reality is different.

And unless there are other living species, which I ignore, capable of deliberately deforming the information they transmit regarding their perceptions and experiences I consider that truth is a concept that has no existence beyond humanity.

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Hi BP,

My god, you write some rubbish. Of course 'truth' is not identical with reality, or with knowledge, and most certainly isn't consonant with assertions, paranoid rumours or 'stories'. But it does have something to do with evidence :)

I don't recall writing about " .... the unacceptable behaviour of many of our Aboriginal compatriots .... " Do you mean the citing of the proportion of prisoners who are Indigenous ? That they may have been pinged for "unacceptable behaviour", domestic violence, sexual abuse, burglaries, fraud, assault, car theft, etc. ? Even so, that citing says nothing about any 'unacceptable behaviour." Why the proportion of prisoners who are Indigenous is so high - 28 % compared to a national population share of 3 % - may well lead any analysis (i.e. de-construction) and conclusion in that direction, but I couldn't possibly comment.

Anyway, that would all come out in a thorough Truth and Justice/Reconciliation Commission, similar to the one that was held in South Africa. Bring it on ASAP, I'm getting old.

Cheers,

Joe

Ttbn

….I consider that truth is a concept that has no existence beyond humanity…

Quote last line BP post above.

There are two stream of libertarian-humanism…this clown is from the discredited stream you confuse as Marxist …

There is a rising libertarianism and more pernicious little brother to the above, called neoliberal-humanism. This is the torment of the Liberal Party currently.

Steven Pinker is the scribe responsible for the new Liberalisms humanist Bible, and sets out its many convictions in two main works, with smaller epistles which at first glance appear non-ideological, but do in fact relate.
Science is the new God from which all truth flows.

G'day Joe,

There is only one truth, and I think I have it; however, some other people disagree with me - and the truth.