Watched this program tonight (yesterday night?) on the local "Aunty" ABC .. "Compass" series. About a group of young Aussies tackling the "Kokoda Track". The challenge, the struggle, the history - the changes in attitudes.
Of particular interest was the change in attitude of a young Australian of Lebanese Muslim extraction.
[UPDATE LINK: Cronulla to Kokoda
Also .. what is written there is christian biased bullshit .. the Track is a tough ask .. for anybody.]
6 comments:
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Billy B, one does not have to be "illiterate" to fail to understand the deeper drivers of a community. In fact "literacy" - the several times removed experience - may well prove to be the biggest divisive force.
In other words, you cannot understand my community by reading about it. Stand on my doorstep.
A friend did the Track trek initially to discover why his
WW2-veteran father became an alcoholic on his return from being POW there.
Friend did it again the following year and took his wife, after making her train in advance by jogging with 20 kgs backpack every morning.
One member of their group collapsed on the trek and was coptered out - $5000 account followed him home.
In the same group, a woman lagged behind as they left every little village they passed through - the group realised she was handing out christian-missionary leaflets to turn the PNG natives fer chrissakes. fer chri-effin-sakes.
OK, now I'm back from reading the link.
Never watch Compass as I LOATHE The Doogue. LOATHE her.
but as for little bin Ali spitting on the RSL - he should have been beheaded in Martin Place, after getting the 200 lashes the teddy bear teacher was sentenced to back in his vile country.
vile.
BWCA, loathing the Doogue will not achieve much (actually, being a male, am quite attracted to her).
As for "little bin Ali" .. the point was made. There ARE people who come to live in Australia, and carry ancient cultural hatreds with them.
Some of us would like to see those hatreds taken out of the cardboard suitcases and scattered in-effectively in the vastness of the "out-backs".
There is a movie somewhere, can't remember the name - where a group of "refugees" from diverse origins find themselves thrown together and have to combine to survive the vastness of the Australian outback.
A good metaphor - methinks.
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