Rabbit Proof Fence

[Broken_Hero]

I watched this movie this past sunday on the IFC Channel, and was blown completly away. I have almost zero knowledge of how the Australian Government treated the differing tribes of Aborigine's, but what the movie portrayed, reminded me greatly, of how the USA treated the indigenous American Indians...

If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

[Random_Australian]

1. I have seen it - we study it in high school these days.

In my state anyway.

It is a good film, but though it is similar to the way things happen over there, to my knowledge there were also some differences... though I am not more than acquainted with what happened over there, so I must ask if the attitude was the same - 'protectionist paternalism'.

[Broken_Hero]

2. I do agree with the

"protectionist paternalism" aspect. I need to research the Aus/Aborigine aspect a bit more, its very interesting, to say the least.

[Kire]

3. I don't know this guy personally...

...but I know of an aborigine mental health counselor who specializes in child abuse. I know the American counselor who sponsored his lecture trip around the world. I won't tell you the aboriginal guy's name because I hear he's been given a hard time by the government.

He says things are still just awful. Kiddie porn is imported into the "mobs" and there are babies (Babies!) with all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases.

Rabbit Proof Fence does a good job at of least talking about the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_generation">Stolen Generation, IMO.

I think the only people who argue that it doesn't exist are right wing extremists. But it's like any kind of debate over genocide (Armenia for example): it depends on who believes it and who doesn't. Whether it actually existed a priori is always disputed by somebody, and it often takes a leap of faith to believe the oral history.

In any case, I believe it.

[Sapphocrat]

4. Exactly.

U.S. is to Native Americans as Australia is to Aboriginals.

The only difference is that (as I see it) the vast majority of Aussies recognize and admit to the atrocities, and Oz is actually trying to make amends.

RPF, btw, had me sobbing by the end.

[Violet_Crumble]

5. No, I don't think the vast majority of us do recognise what was done...

A lot of people have a general idea that indigenous Australians were treated really badly, but for many people it's pushed to the back of their minds just like all things are that are too uncomfortable to examine too closely. I don't really see where we're all that different from Americans and the way they look at how Native Americans were treated. Australia is not trying to make amends at all. How can we when we have a PM who outright denies that genocide took place? And the vast majority of Australians don't recognise what happened as being genocide, because genocide is something that happens in distant countries and to them it's a big and huge and massive thing like the Holocaust was. And until Australian political leaders and the population recognise it for what it was there's no way of making amends....

[Sonnabend]

6. Shattering film

I spent weeks after that thinking and reading..and after all of that came up with a fat zero on answers. How do we solve this one? Throwing money at it doesnt work...we need constructive ideas.