Marylin,

" What a yawn all this navel gazing is. Our history is as brutal as any other history but we refuse to face it. Read the aboriginal books where whites used the blacks as slaves, raped the women, murdered the men and so on. Judeo christian, what a sick joke that is. "

I am fascinated with your post. My simple question to you: "If you hate Australia, then why do you trouble yourself by living here? I read that you love Afghan men. Better go there and enjoy. Islamic history is lovely. They treat women like goddesses. They will crown you as Queen. "

More of the same contradictory ideology from Kevin D.

He writes aborigines out of our history (the "wrong" tradition, dontcha know?) then says we believe in egalitarianism and fairness. Not for aborigines, apparently.

And what of immigrants to our country from another tradition? What of the Vietnamese and Chinese? Second generation Vietnamese now, what happens to their family histories and backgrounds? Do "we" refuse to learn from them, let them add nothing to our society?

He says we have a "proud history of democratic freedom, based on the Westminster parliamentary system and English common law", then in the same sentence says "we have led the world in introducing reforms such as universal franchise, the old age pension and a conciliation and arbitration system ". Which is it? Do we lead or follow? Are we creating a progressive new society or following an old English one?

He acknowledge globalization, with "international travel, music, film, the Internet and other forms of entertainment make national borders redundant and impose a homogenous view of culture". Impose? Or is it the global cultural marketplace which gives us the choice? To resist global culture we must know "who and what we are as a nation". Is Kevin D a Cultural Communist who would make a command economy of our cultural lives? And what national culture is it? The English, Judeo-Christian nation, he says, which we share with Western Europe and the US. So it's not unique, then, because we don't include Aboriginal culture or the unique mix of immigrant cultures which make up contemporary Australia. No, it's a general globalized Western tradition he wants, exactly the one which he complained was being "imposed" upon us!

This piece is a mess of contradictions, and poorly thought-through and argued ideology.

Must try harder. 5/10

Kevin asks what should young people be taught about the past and what is the narrative that best tells our story? Young people should be certainly taught about our inherited past as a colony of the United Kingdom. They should also be taught about the White Australia policy, the voting rights of women and aboriginals and our immigration history.

As for Kevin's "grand narrative associated with a celebratory, Anglo-Celtic, Christian view of Australian society" and Western Civilisation supremacy - keep going mate, and beware of those non-assimilating Others.

What creates separatist enclaves? Not non-assimilating migrants, but people who hide behind patriotism and "leftist"-bashing to exclude non-Anglo Saxon Australians. You're welcome here if you know our history, speak our language, and "assimilate" by inter-marriage - dear Kevin, sounds like the White Australia policy to me.

What I really love about this type of piece is the way it flushes out the innate contradictions behind "our culture".

>>in relation to Western Civilisation as transplanted to these shores, I would argue that while it is far from perfect, it is certainly superior to the rest.<<

Hmmm, that's a bit smug, but ok, it's the author's opinion. I suspect he also uses it as the rationale behind the colonization of Australia two hundred plus years ago. 'Hey, we are the superior beings, those who live here already can go jump in the lake. Or we can push them in, same difference.'

At least he is being honest in his reasons for forcing the locals into submission.

Boaz unfortunately doesn't see the irony in his position statement:

>>I can (and do) totally appreciate the history of other countries like Italy and Greece, and am fairly well read about the Empire of Alexander and of Rome. But I expect Italians and Greeks who come here (at our invitation) to bone up on our history as well. i.e. British, warts and all. It should be taught along with Australian history, including poetry and art.<<

The British didn't come here by invitation, Boaz. And they certainly didn't "bone up" on aboriginal history.

Two hundred years in the grand scheme of things is not a particularly long time. Some people consider it is long enough for the proto-British culture to have taken root, and for it to be the de facto basis of our traditions and heritage. Others believe that we are still a young country, without a clear definition of who we are or why we exist.

It is particularly instructive that we consider a zookeeper and a racing driver to be iconic. That, plus the fuss we make over their lives and deaths should tell us a lot more about ourselves than any amount of intellectualizing.

But we aren't listening. That's not the Australian way.

Yawn, here we go again - defending Australia no matter what the truth really is.

My German family came here in 1844, stole the land north of the Adelaide Plains and drove out the aboriginal owners, then they moved to the mallee and did the same thing. It is in the history books for heavens' sake. Should I simply ignore it?

Then the Cornish and Welsh, Irish and English came from 1890 - 1920, moved to the mallee and helped to drive off the aborigines and steal the land. It is now ruined out there you know. Mile after mile of scrub was torn down by my family in the name of planting more crops. The land is a giant dustbowl, it is a salt pan with tonnes of fertiliser required to grow anything. I know because I watched it all happen in the 1950's and 60's. Then I left.

My English grandfather went to war for the Poms, not for Australia, and spent 6 years in the piss, s..t and blood so that Australia would not lock up children in the deserts, not follow blindly to other stupid wars and in the 1960's got an exemption for his youngest son not to go to Vietnam.

Do not lecture me about my history in the country and do not ever, ever tell me I have to leave because I don't like what is happening to it.

Do you pathetic children get my drift?

Marilyn,

My German family came here in 1844, stole the land north of the Adelaide Plains and drove out the aboriginal owners...piss, s..t and blood.

My dear Marilyn, and the aboriginal owners did piss, s..t and killed the previous owners of those lands.

So, your crying with 'crocodile-tears' now benefits none, neither aborigines nor your children. Better live in Afghanistan with your lovely dream-men than loathing about your grandpa/parents here