I heard an ad this morning by Adam Goddes talking about reconciliation. Encouraging people to attend events rights around Australia hosted by our indigenous and Torres Strait Islander community. (Remember also that Goddes father is of English, Irish and Scottish heritage.)
Like so many, I grow ever more weary of calls for reconciliation. Which, with out deliberately trying to sound harsh, is a call by a minority in this country who believe they have and are entitled to rights the majority will never enjoy. Are we expected to concede to demands for ever? Will this ever be settled?
The definition of "reconciliation" is:
The restoration of friendly relations. The action of making one view or belief compatible with another.
It's nye on impossible to achieve that whilst white Australians are continually told that we are for all intents and purposes camping on indigenous lands. We can't even attend a major sporting event, at venues, which by and large our taxes paid for, without being welcomed to 'their land'. Guests in the country thousands of us were born in.
We are vilified because of actions committed by the British over 200 hundred years ago. Whilst many shameful events took place how many times are we expected to say sorry for the past. What about the good things that stemmed from British occupation.
Let's face it, our indigenous race didn't just miraculously pop up from the ground here. People migrated here thousands and thousands of years ago. We are all seeds of migration. So far back do we go in the claims for rights.
It's about time we said enough. We are all equal under the law. No one group should be treated differently to another. Stop the reconciliation calls. Stop the indigenous industry and stop making the majority feel like they don't belong because the minority feel like victims.
