Foxy “Above all we need to achieve a greater understanding of Aboriginal life and of the problems that face Aborigines today.”

When aboriginals represent 1.15% of the population

I think it would be far more “expedient”

If Aboriginals achieved a greater understanding of mainstream Australian life,

Preferably, using some of the additional financial subsidies which they are already the beneficiaries of

of course, that is a pragmatist view,

something which it would seem, is rarely considered by those who seem to think we all have the time and inclination (among any number of other competing issues in our lives) to pander to the particular needs of a tiny minority.

arrh yes colonscopy, but there are intellectuals and there are academics and its clear that you are neither.

Col,

The size of the Aboriginal population is given as
2.4% as of June 2006, according to the ABS (Australian
Bureau of Statistics).

You said that you don't see the point, "...to pander
to the particular needs of a tiny minority."
You see your view as a 'pragmatist view.'

Don't we pander to other minority groups?
Our Indigenous population has never had equality in
this country - so giving them a 'fair go,' would not
come under the heading of 'pandering,' in my opinion.

The previous High Court judge Michael Kirby suggested in
an address he gave that Australians should remember the
concept of a 'fair go,' regarding minorities.

He said that Australia does not need constitutional reform to
introduce a statute of rights similar to laws introduced in
the UK. (You being a Brit. would appreciate that).

Justice Kirby stated:

"In a country of the 'Fair Go All Round,' injustice and
inequality among its citizens needs to be cured, promptly."
As a pragmatist you may not agree but as an Australian
citizen you should support the ethos of a 'Fair Go All Round,'
upon which this country was built.

@ OJNAB

My dear mirrored namesake,

I heartily sympathise with you. I often wonder what I did to my daughter for her to have chosen the type of man she married. If it is of any consolation to you, it has nothing to do with his nationality.

In my experience, there are many Australians, both male and female, who are happy to spend most of the day in bed whenever there is a public holiday. When you ask them what the holiday is for, they are often incapable of coming up with the right answer. None of those I have in mind are Japanese. Nor are they Sikhs. They are all dinky-die Australians.

I must say I have never seen too many Australians with caps on (apart from Lleyton Hewitt) but I guess you are right, it is probably better to go through customs with a turban on your head rather than a cap. Thanks for the tip.

Please allow me, in turn, to suggest that “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. As a matter of good manners I believe one should be courteous to one’s hosts in a foreign country and respect their customs and traditions. If your Japanese daughter in law does not respect this simple rule when she is in Australia, I can only suggest she is probably ill-mannered. However, there is absolutely no reason to believe all Japanese are ill-mannered. On the contrary, if anything, they are more often overly polite (at least in appearance).

As a good friend of mine once observed, they tend to prefix and suffix everything they say and do with many humble slurps.

Ojnab,
I do care about how many migrants are coming here and I think it should be cut to zero net. Big business pays much into the coffers of the major political parties so that high immigration continues.

In relation to your daughter-in-law, I would respect her wishes in their home but in mine she would be expected to respect our social ways. I certainly would not bow to Japanese, or other traditions, in my own home. I wonder if she will be sub-serviant to your son in the way most japanese wives are and would she tolerate your son having sex outside marriage the way many Japanese men do, its traditional. My guess is that she is simply cherry picking the traditions she wants.

We have a friend who is vegan and when visiting she only wants the veges we are having and nothing special. We, of course, do a wider variety than normal when she visits. When we visit her we eat exactly what she prepares.

We expect all migrants to obey and respect our laws and social standards. The problem is our weak politicians turn a blind eye to much and not enforce our laws, etc.

Our laws and social standards should apply to all. If caps have to be removed for security checks then so should turbans. There was some debate here a while ago about some being allowed to carry a traditional knife for cultural/religous reasons. I say our laws apply to all.

It does seem as though your Daughter-in-law is ill mannered. Much different to the Japanese I have encountered.

We're still on the thread about Australia Day, right?
Col Rouge, in my experience, blackfellas are at least as pragmatic as you are; probably more.
They do seem to be having very large families, these days...