Australia: The Privilege Walk

[mccardey]

In the lead up to Australia’s national day, as an increasing number of us reflect on the deeper meaning of ‘Australia Day’ and what it has come to represent, we set out to interrogate how societal privilege plays out in Australian society.The privilege walk illustrates visually how privilege - or lack of it - affects the way our life unfolds.

Link here:

 

[Snitchcat]

Quite the article, and the list is incredibly interesting. As a matter of curiosity, I switched out "Australia" for where I grew up, and my score on that was five steps back. Overall, not as dire as things could have been, but certainly not equal as some would have had you believe.

I do wonder how eye-opening this will be for the Australian public in general, though? People will be people, anywhere in the world.


That said, hope you have a wonderful Australia Day!

 

[Alessandra Kelley]

Eleven back. Dang.

 

[RightHoJeeves]

I do wonder how eye-opening this will be for the Australian public in general, though? People will be people, anywhere in the world.

Australia is the land of snowflakes, so probably not. Seriously, try tell a red blooded Aussie that maybe Aboriginal people need to be acknowledged more, or that we have had a dodgy history. It's remarkable how easily you can offend an Australian with the true facts of history. Even suggesting that Australians aren't super laid-back is kind of funny. They'll immediately be on the defensive.

Btw I'm +5.

 

[cbenoi1]

Nine steps forward.

> 16. If you have ever traveled outside of [Your Country], take one step forward.

This is one thing I would like to see from our southern neighbours more often: a passport. It's useful at worst, and could be both pleasurable and educational at best.

-cb

 

[RightHoJeeves]

This video is relevant to this conversation.


(This video is what its parodying)

 

[mccardey]

Nice link, Jeeves. I hadn't seen that. I'd seen this, but -

Change the Date

 

[MaeZe]

I came up with +1. (+11, -10)

I had to make adjustments, like I've traveled out of the US a lot. And I went with things that were true at the time, such as I had college loans though they are long paid off now.

I also declined a couple figuring it happened, but was so rare, I didn't think that counted.

 

[Helix]

Change the Date

"Sure it might be a bit cold in May, but it's not as cold as ignoring genocide."

Love ya work, Jordan!


Also January 26

How you wanna raise a flag with a rifle
To make us want to celebrate anything but survival?
Nah, you watching telly for The Bachelor
But wouldn't read a book about a fuckload of massacres?
I remember all the blood and what carried us
They remember twenty recipes for lamingtons
Yeah, their ancestors got a boatride
Both mine saw them coming until they both died
Fuck celebrating days made of misery (fuck that)
White Oz still got the black history
And that shirt will get you banned from the parliament
If you ain't having a conversation, well, then we startin' it

And this version of Paul Kelly's Dumb Things with A.B. Original, Dan Sultan and Paul Kelly

-4

 

[RightHoJeeves]

Let's become a republic and make *that* the national holiday.

 

[Albedo]

0, which seems wrong. I don't think the steps back I've taken counteract all the advantages I've had (adequate nutrition being a massive one). If you looked at my current circumstances (white male, tertiary educated, high income) you'd put me in the double digits. Being public schooled doesn't put me at equivalent disadvantage to someone who's been discriminated against in hiring for their race. That's silly.

(We probably shouldn't be using this to compare, anyway. It's useful as illustration, but that's about it.)

 

[RightHoJeeves]

0, which seems wrong. I don't think the steps back I've taken counteract all the advantages I've had (adequate nutrition being a massive one). If you looked at my current circumstances (white male, tertiary educated, high income) you'd put me in the double digits. Being public schooled doesn't put me at equivalent disadvantage to someone who's been discriminated against in hiring for their race. That's silly.

(We probably shouldn't be using this to compare, anyway. It's useful as illustration, but that's about it.)

The public school example, to me, references the Old Boys nature of private schools. Which is definitely a privilege.

 

[mccardey]

Australia is the land of snowflakes, so probably not. Seriously, try tell a red blooded Aussie that maybe Aboriginal people need to be acknowledged more, or that we have had a dodgy history.

Yep. A moment go, on ABC's Breaking News

The Canberra Theatre Centre has been forced to delete social media posts about an Australia Day advertisement featuring two Muslim girls after it was threatened with extreme violence.
The ACT Government-run theatre took to social media on Monday stating it was "proud to be displaying" the advertisement on its big screen in the centre of Canberra until January 26.
But the theatre soon deleted the post and locked down its social media pages after it was inundated with threatening messages.

This is the terrifying image.

 

[RightHoJeeves]

Yep. A moment go, on ABC's Breaking News

Scum. Absolute scum.

 

[RightHoJeeves]

This is the terrifying image.

Just thought I'd point out that while all these Aussie "patriots" and their representatives in Government are losing their minds about two Muslim girls on an Australia Day ad, approximately 4 women in Australia this year will have been killed by their partner or a former partner*. That is one per week.

Yet our Government finds it more pressing to sh*t on little Muslim girls, or rally for a "Pro Christmas uprising".



*OurWatch

 

[be frank]

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

"Assimilate! If you don't want to be Australian, then bloody go back where you came from!"

*billboard shows two happy Muslim girls proudly celebrating Australia Day.*

"How dare you assimilate! You're not really one of us!"

Sigh.

 

[MacAllister]

-16

Good grief. Can that possibly be right?

No wonder I'm a hair-on-fire commie.

 

[MaeZe]

Yep. A moment go, on ABC's Breaking News

This is the terrifying image.

Wow! Cute kids. Hopefully there is the same pushback as we are seeing here.

 

[Helix]

Wow! Cute kids. Hopefully there is the same pushback as we are seeing here.

The advert was taken down once in response to bigots and threatening violence over a picture of two lovely little girls.

In response, there was this.

I don't think these 'ken bigots are going to get their way. And there's also a strong antifa movement in SE Australia, so it could all get quite lively.

 

[Roxxsmom]

I'm +2, which is pretty privileged overall (which I know). Most of my negatives are gender related.

Just thought I'd point out that while all these Aussie "patriots" and their representatives in Government are losing their minds about two Muslim girls on an Australia Day ad, approximately 4 women in Australia this year will have been killed by their partner or a former partner*. That is one per week.

Yet our Government finds it more pressing to sh*t on little Muslim girls, or rally for a "Pro Christmas uprising".



*OurWatch

I thought that was only a thing in the US. Seriously, though, how could all the trappings of Christmas be a big deal when it takes place during the hottest time of year in an already hot place? It's hard enough for me to get into the "holiday spirit" in California.

Also, a question: when we're being secular and inclusive (or as some sneeringly call, "PC") in the US, we refer to the days off school or work many get around Christmas as the "winter break" or "winter holiday." Is it called the "summer break" or "summer holiday" for the same purposes down under? Or is the hot season in the southern hemisphere still referred to as "winter"?

Sorry. I know it's OT, but I've wondered about that.

 

[-Riv-]

-6 here.

 

[Helix]

National Dickhead Day still going strong in Bermagui.

 

[Helix]

Also, a question: when we're being secular and inclusive (or as some sneeringly call, "PC") in the US, we refer to the days off school or work many get around Christmas as the "winter break" or "winter holiday." Is it called the "summer break" or "summer holiday" for the same purposes down under? Or is the hot season in the southern hemisphere still referred to as "winter"?

Sorry. I know it's OT, but I've wondered about that.

Christmas--New Year break, Christmas holidays or just the holidays. The hot season is still called summer and/or bushfire season or wet season, depending which end of the continent you're on.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Christmas--New Year break, Christmas holidays or just the holidays. The hot season is still called summer and/or bushfire season or wet season, depending which end of the continent you're on.

I figured so, but I remember someone once telling me that Dec 21-March 21 was always called winter, regardless of hemisphere, and down under, winter was the hot season. I thought he was talking out his you know where at the time, since he wasn't Australian. Why would you call your hot season winter? But then I started thinking that Australia was a part of the UK until pretty recently, so maybe they used to be forced to adopt the British terminology for their seasons, even though they are flipped.

We don't usually call them just the holidays here, since students also get even more time off school during (what is for us northerners) summer.

We refer to the warm, dry season as fire season here in CA too (our climate is similar to parts of Australia), though we call them brush fires.

 

[mccardey]

I figured so, but I remember someone once telling me that Dec 21-March 21 was always called winter, regardless of hemisphere, but down under, winter was the hot season. I thought he was talking out his you know where at the time, since he wasn't Australian. But then I started thinking that Australia was a part of the UK until pretty recently, so maybe they used to be forced to adopt the British terminology for their seasons, even though they are flipped.

We don't call them just the holidays here, since students also get even more time off school during (what is for us northerners) summer.

I'm going to cry, now.