Misunderstanding

G’day,

Our geomorphology lecturer told us to go and see ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, not for the history, not for the story, not for the acting. The film featured just about every desert land form on the curriculum.

Five years later I was rostered as a well-site geologist for Panarctic Oils, who were exploring for oil and gas in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Two weeks on, one week off, for over a year.

Part of the company’s successful effort at boosting morale, was to show a movie twice every 24 hours. Thus I calculate that I saw more than two hundred movies during my Arctic stint. The more than a thousand jokes told or heard I’ll only mention in passing.

Memory is strange. I can only recall two of the 200 or so movies.

One was a “curry western”. The only reason it hasn’t disappeared into amnesiac oblivion, is that a Pakistani fellow geologist had done his thesis in the very mountainous backdrop of the film. I got a bonus running commentary on the geology of the scenery.

The other film I recall fairly vividly was because of its delightful weirdness. The film completely bombed at the box office and I suspect was only seen in fly-in fly-out exploration camps.

The film was called ‘Skidoo’. Only two of us in the predominantly redneck crew thought the movie was funny, the cook and I.

I think the reason it bombed is that flower power’s flowers had wilted partly as a result of such as the abominable Manson Family’s murderous activities.

You get a bit of an idea of why the cook and I laughed our heads off, when I tell you the unlikely cast included such as Jackie Gleason, Groucho Marx, Frankie Avalon, Peter Lawford, Mickey Rooney, Cesar Romero and a multitude of San Francisco hippies being themselves. An example of the happenings making up the movie is an escape from Alcatraz in a hot air balloon made out of sewn together cabbage bags, to music by The Marmalade ….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9G-xE7bWek The Marmalade… Suite Judy Blue Eyes and Cripple Creek- live 1970.wmd

Before heading to Canada we were in the Pilbara. Back in those days, in tropical and sub-tropical Australia there were open air Cinemas. Audiences sat in deck chairs in the cool of the evening under star lit skies enjoying the ‘pictures’ as well as meeting acquaintances who drove in from distant ‘stations’ (Australian for ‘ranch’) or settlements.

I recall one such occasion in Roebourne (where our younger son was born) when we were regaled by a 1963 movie called “The Hook’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryyEI_a-jUo

The best known actor in the film was Kirk Douglas and the music score was written and played by Larry Adler an at the time well known harmonica virtuoso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfuCoeR5EQ Larry Adler(1937 St Louis Blues)

The film, set in 1953 in the Korean War, explores the themes of ethnocentricity, xenophobia and misunderstanding across language and cultural barriers.

At the start of the film is written “This is a story of men in war not men at war, and the two are not the same” it furthermore states that “…it could have happened in any time or any war”

This movie is one of the few which have left an indelible impression on me. The story culminates in a misunderstanding of tragic consequence.

Over the years I’ve come increasingly to a belief that misunderstandings across language and cultural barriers are a major cause of conflict and injustice in the World.

The injustice is exacerbated when there is a power imbalance.

I’ve often mentioned that I’ve witnessed meetings and interchanges which a friend who was involved in cross-cultural negotiations described as “two autistics talking to each other”.

It is probably nicer to talk of groups from different planets, or on different wavelengths. The end result are misunderstandings with often dire consequences.

At many of these meetings Warlpiri people have poured their hearts out and spoken about what is important to them- land, family, language, culture, identity, respect… The response in a patronising tone of voice “Thank you Nungarrayi for speaking up” only to have the meeting proceed by pursuing its white-fellow agenda as if Nungarrayi didn’t exist nor had spoken at all.

Many of those who frame or implement policy in relation to remote Aboriginal Australia have got the power and are in front of a barrier they’re incapable or unwilling to straddle and often can’t see. They are prone to misunderstand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v7OcFhGOhc Joe Cocker- Don’t let me be misunderstood…

See ya’s

Frank

PS- With music, it ain’t necessarily so. It can be enjoyed without understanding a word. Mind you, understanding the words much enhances the experience.

Benda Fassie- Vulindlela….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RvfDkzUOos