G’day

I’ve always suspected those Getup folks must be doing something right when (akin to the ABC) they’re often under attack by the authorities.

It’s called “hitting a nerve” a phrase which in my experience clearly derives from non anaesthetic dental procedures.

I’m lukewarm  about on line petitions and appeals. Those TV advertisements that urge you to donate to save some unfortunate third world child, whose only original sin is to have been born where he/she has been, such as in a war torn country sitting on oil or mineral deposits. Charity always makes me thing of George Orwell’s diatribe against the Salvation Army (In ‘Down and out in London and Paris’) who expected him to pray and sing hymns in exchange for a sandwich. Ironically, I was told that my paternal grandfather, a lifelong self proclaimed atheist, had a Salvation Army band play at his funeral. I was also told that Jean Paul Sartre another lifelong atheist, on his death bed, asked for a priest to read him the last rites. Were they having a bob each way?

Away With Rum, The Song of the Salvation Army Music…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88bU_iSGa7E

As for petitions and donations, I wonder to what extent these are an easy way to salve one’s conscience. Every now and then a petition is launched about something I feel strongly enough about, that I cave in, and for all it’s worth, sign up, whilst not having any illusions that by the click of a mouse I have made a significant contribution to the betterment of humanity.

One such is the Get up – Scullion and Abbott resign (from their Indigenous affairs roles) petition:

“Both the Indigenous Affairs Minister and the Special Envoy on Indigenous Affairs have completely disregarded the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and need to resign.”

http://getup.to/Qe9oOiBlKcnGZUBYP

Many revolutions and coups fail because there is no Plan B. You get rid of the tyrant, the ignoramus, the mean spirited, the incompetent, the evil, and what do you do next?

This one is easy, I could think of countless people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, better qualified and motivated to take over the roles from this pair of hypocrites.

A friend sent me this link  https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/528711/   It is an article in The Atlantic titled ‘Power Causes Brain Damage’

As someone who derives much solace and pleasure from irony and satire, I immediately assumed that we were dealing with such. Turns out it is a serious and instructive article which explains much about our leaders, not least about Abbott and Scullion.

From two separate researchers:

“….acted as if they had suffered a traumatic brain injury—becoming more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less adept at seeing things from other people’s point of view….”

..If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego… Elvis, ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-NgDbK9N6g

“….under a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine, he found that power, in fact, impairs a specific neural process, “mirroring,” that may be a cornerstone of empathy…… “

I have always thought that one of the reasons remote Aboriginal Australia finds itself under sustained ethnocentric assimilationist attack is because the powerful can’t bear to look into the mirror that First Australians hold up to them.

Now I know why, the powerful have suffered brain damage. One could almost empathise with the poor bastards, it isn’t their fault they are so mean spirited….wiyarrpa! (A Warlpiri expression of empathy- a bit like the French ‘pauvre petit’ or Spanish ‘Pobrecito’)

Wiyappa (sic) Wanti Jalu – LAJAMANU TEENAGE BAND
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kpc1tlZlGg

The Warlpiri kinship system is non hierarchical. Everyone has rights and obligations. Those belonging to a particular sub-section have obligations to another sub-section, and have rights over yet another sub-section. There is no need for a Warlpiri person to have the system explained, for example on a circular diagram, they’ve simply grown up with it. Within family groups there are people with authority and respect (usually older men and women) but the overall system exerts checks and balances over individual authority and privilege.

When the local council was introduced with its secret universal ballot, we had middle aged men elected as Council President. Almost without exception these men never stood for re-election (“it’s someone else’s turn”) albeit some re-emerged as Council President after a period of self imposed ‘abstinence’. The system seems so designed as to minimize brain damage.

It is no coincidence that the Intervention introduced a push to encourage “young leaders” (by, for instance, holding workshops in leadership for young people). The Aboriginal Industry also increasingly insists on making Aborigines attend courses in ‘governance’ and obtain certificates in ‘Community Development.’ The authorities encourage ‘role models’. One only need look into the Federally supported “Generation One” initiative, to perceive what is happening. “Generation One” delegated all previous generations of Aborigines with their age old system to “Generation Zero”. Assimilation by stealth.

None of these initiatives come with a health warning- “Power can cause Brain Damage”

0:41 / 3:25

Bob Marley – Get Up, Stand Up – Live At The Rainbow London Theatre (6-2-1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKuUKHmTHPk

Stand up for your rights and obligations.

And now a bonus non-sequitur song (have no idea what the words say, but music ‘speaks’ for itself):

Brenda Fassie… Hara Lebitla…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fECbY5Acnxo

Toodleloo

Frank

PS- Whenever I have my heartstrings tugged at by those charity fund raising advertisements, sadly I’m all too conscious of the industry that money raising has become and wonder what portion of donations reaches the intended recipients. A notable exception was Medicins Sans Frontiers who after the so called Christmas Tsunami raised more money than they could effectively use in their work and offered donors a rebate (or if they so chose, to allow MSF to use the money elsewhere)

I once again caved in and signed MSF’s Nauru Petition.

MSF were told to leave Nauru by brain damaged powerful people.
https://www.change.org/p/i-support-msf-s-call-to-immediately-evacuate-asylum-seekers-refugees-from-nauru