Dear Rattlers, as many of you who know me know, I have absolutely zero tolerance with racism, classism, rankism, and any other ISM for that matter. My disdain for racism includes BLACK people who think they are superior to WHITE people because of their stunning physiques and soft kissable lips. Well, they are rather yummy men, but no more superior to a WHITE, BROWN, RED, or YELLOW or GREEN man with the same attributes.
In my humble opinion Barack Obama is the BEST MAN in the competition for the job of cleaning up the mess after the Republican's 8 years of ransacking the USA and it has nothing to do with the fact that he identifies as an African American or that John McCain never had a stunning physique, and have you seen that tight little mouth?
There has been much discussion in the USA about RACE in the current election. I have heard people say "I am not voting for Obama, because he is a racist" and this, dear Rattler, has been based on nothing more intelligible than truthful comments made by his BLACK Minister, Pastor Wright. Now this is rather ludicrous. Obama as we all know has a white mother, and grandmother making up 50% of his genetic inheritance, with a black father and a grandmother making up the remaining 50%. So where is his racism? It is against his mother? or father?
Now I have not heard one comment about Barack Obama being too WHITE to identify with being African American. Or that ONLY full blood African Amercians can lay claim to that heritage. Frankly, in ALL the years I lived and worked in the USA, I never met ONE African American person who could lay claim to being a FULL BLOOD. And frankly it is not a question I would ever ask because blood quantum has nothing to do with the culture in which a person is raised and identifies with. Has anyone ever seen a photograph of Eartha Kitts' daughter? Kitt Shapiro. Google it sometime.
For reasons only known to him there is a Paltalk chatter, known as TOKUN, who identifies with being Japanese because he lived in Japan and owns a Samurai sword. Tokun, an Australian, has suddenly decided to appoint himself as the new Protector of Aboriginals in Queensland, and with this appointment comes the power to judge which Aboriginal Australian people qualify. Tokun seems to have a colour scale that he refers to and some kind of audio file that tells him when a person 'sounds' Aboriginal. The poor sad booze buggered brain of Tokun is so deficient that he can't see that this is racist.
This exposure of Tokun's concealed racism came to light when discussing Aunty Agnes Shea, the senior Elder of the Ngunnawal people of Canberra who recently 'welcomed to country' the Olympic torch.
Tokun was outraged. Firstly, that the woman (and he did not even know her name until I told him) did not mention Tibet in the speech.
Aunty Agnes Shea is not Australia's spokesperson for the political unrest in Tibet. She was asked to perform a ceremony that only an Aboriginal person can do and she did it with grace and in the spirit of the Olympic flame, which is touring the world to promote peace and unity. Appropriately, she kept politics out of it.
Tokun went ballistic and was having none of it. Then he said "She's not even Aboriginal. She is as white as white". Now where have I heard that bullshit before? This is the new wave of racism that is starting to emerge in Australia in more recent years and it comes from both black and white Australians.
It seems to be pissing off many non-Aboriginal Australians that Aboriginal people, many of whom are survivors of the Stolen Generation, in spite of considerable disadvantage, have been able to go forward and get the education denied their parents and forbears. Today we have many prominent Aboriginal people holding positions at Federal and State level Government. As well as many more leading the way in Australia across a broad spectrum of professions. Rhonda Roberts, an Aboriginal woman, recently snapped up the glamorous job of being appointed the creative director for Sydney's New Years Eve celebrations, which showcases Sydney to the world with a multi million dollar budget. WTGO! Rhonda. Rhonda is the first woman to hold this position in the organization's 20 year history.
Tokun has got it into his head that ONLY "Full Bloods" can lay claim to being Aboriginal and this is the reason he allowed that cretinous creature from Australia, known on Paltalk as CHAMP, to call me a "spear chucking abo" and to go and "pick cotton" without as much as a caution in Arwen's room, where racial attacks of this kind will get a person bounced from the room. Tokun, refused to act, even after Sage, and Yukondon and others protested loudly. It took Arwen's arrival into the room to get Tokun to bounce Champ.
Tokun and I had a considerable IM chat on this issue, and the more he spoke the more he exposed his deeply entrenched racism. In fact attacking me in a private IM seemed to embolden him. The insults flew thick and fast, I was beginning to think I was talking to BIGMAC_2008 and that he had stolen Token's nic. "You are too WHITE, and you don't speak the words." Whatever "speak the words" means is anyone's guess. I was curious as to how deep a hole he wanted to dig for himself so I continued the conversation. Tokun, is so ignorant of Aboriginal people and culture he did not know that Pitjantjatjarra is a language, and the most widely spoken Aboriginal language, and that Araluen is a place and the Mutitjulu is a community. However, he does KNOW how BLACK someone has to be to be considered Aboriginal in my country. I gave Tokun the link from the Australian Govt site that defines 'three points' of what constitutes being Aboriginal. I have posted this link on numerous occasions in rooms over the years when people from other parts of the globe, or totally ignorant Australians, have raised this issue of WHITE SKIN and being Aboriginal. For those Rattlers who like a few facts with your blogs and I know many do, here is that link.
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/2000-01/01rn18.htm
" An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he (she) lives."
Recently, Mr. Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister of Australia, apologized on behalf of the Government, by saying "SORRY" for the pain and suffering from past laws and government policies that discriminated against Aboriginal people. This speech was long overdue and welcomed as necessary to start the long healing process ahead. Mr. Rudd gave particular mention to the survivors of the Stolen Generation, and to the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, whose lives were also shattered when children were taken away under a policy that was designed to 'breed out' or genocide the Blackfella.
It is important to note that these policies did not effect the few FULL BLOODS surviving in remote parts of Australia, as it was thought they would die off naturally. The policies were targeted at Aboriginal children of mixed blood, and the MORE white the children looked the greater the chance of them being taken.
During WW2 some of our Mob left the bush for the city in search of work. Whenever a black car pulled up in front of my Granny's house she'd make me and the other kids run and hide. We went back to the bush when I was 10 years old and when I walked down the street holding my Aunty's hand we had to walk on the Aboriginal side of the white line in our town, and sit on the glass at the front of the picture show, while the Non-Aboriginal people sat in comfort at the back.
So dear Rattlers, I am sure you can understand my outrage to have an Australian tell me I am TOO WHITE now to be considered Aboriginal. What is it they fear?
When I dared to challenge Tokun he abused his admin power and bounced me from Arwen's room. I was told that many people protested and I thank them for their support.
Commonsense, and a 'fair go' attitude was restored when the room owner, MyLadyArwen, lifted the bounce. I know that Arwen hates to override Admin decisions but when something is so blatantly abusive, she is left with no choice.
Imagine how easy and carefree Barack Obama's election campaign would have been if American's thought as Tokun does. ONLY full bloods get to lay claim to being African American.
I have pity for the ignorant racist dinosaurs like Tokun, Alfie, Highfaultin, Champ, or any other non-Aboriginal Australian, or another Aboriginal person who happens to have a skin that is blacker than mine, who tries to tell me and other mixed blood Aboriginal people they we are not Aboriginal because we are TOO WHITE. Go and tell that to Cathy Freeman. Or better still, go and tell Mr. Rudd that he recently made a speech, that stopped a nation, to a Mob of fakes, which includes Nana Nungala Fejo, whose story he highlighted in the 'Sorry' speech.
There were 400,000 Aboriginal Australian people counted in the last Census. How many were FULL BLOODS? I have no idea. Up until 1971, full blooded Aboriginal people were not even counted in the Census, and today blood quantum is irrelevant. But not it seems to the likes of Tokun.
I am recognized by the Australian Society of Authors as a BLACK writer, because I am an Aboriginal woman. A certificate of Confirmation of Aboriginality, with three signatures from the Elders of my local Land Council, under seal from the Aboriginal Corporation had to be submitted in order for me to submit work as an indigenous writer.
As I said to Tokun he doesn't get to define me, or any other Aboriginal person, because he gets pissed with a few blackfellas at the local boozer. Tokun claims to know some FULL BLOODS, as he calls them. Well, I'd welcome him to bring my brothers to Paltalk, as I have only met ONE person in my long life and experience who could lay claim to that, and he was a VERY old man.
What a pity there is not some kind of IQ test that could be applied before people on Paltalk are given an Administrators hat. Some clearly have so little power in their everyday life they think the Admin @ is a crown. Others are even more pathetic, and they are people who sit in rooms sniping in text, trying to incite 'race riots' because participation in those kinds of discussions does not need any ability to debate a topic. Eventually one or more of these morons crosses the line as Champ did, and if the Admin is not a racist mongrel him/herself the offender will be dealt with.
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