Why are aborigines in Australia treated like second class citizens?

Question

auntynoall: I assume your Australian seeing as you spelt colour with a 'u'. I'm sick of attitudes like yours. People like you should really get a life. scum of the earth.

I'm sorry that may of been a little harsh but I'm sick of people like you who constantly try to ignore the racism that's prevalent in ozzy society. I'm Australian I'm not aboriginal but why should aborigines be the only one protecting their rights?

Answer 1

Because people are ignorant. People see the drunk aboriginals in parks and assume that all Aboriginals are the same. Some people do not realise that there are aboriginals who are doctors, lawyers, teacher, nurses etc.

I think that it is made worse since some people do not speak up when they disagree with racist comments. Plenty of people will sit back and laugh or remain silent when others are degrading Aboriginals.

There are plenty of opportunities for Aboriginals in Australia, but there are also still plenty of racist attitudes.

Answer 2

Thats like saying "Why do all American Indians own casinos?"

The Aboriginal people in Australia are for the most part treated with respect and dignity. What is a sorry affair is their financial situation. Without me being racist, it is a well known fact amongst Australians that the Aboriginal people do have problems when it comes to alcohol, and honestly of the 20 or so Aboriginal people I have seen in my lifetime, I have to agree that most of them were either drunk or high at the time. That primarily is why many people do look down upon aboriginals. Most people are slightly bitter of the fact that the government provides increasingly more welfare for this minority group who in many many well documented cases refuse to better themselves. This includes many of the outlying communities, where their ancient traditions and teaching may prepare them for life 200 years ago, but the children grow up and can't cope for life in the real world.

These are mainly what I think you are getting at by saying they are second class citerzens, but the simple fact is that they choose to live out in the desert or the bush with no amenities, they choose not to educate their young to be capable of handeling life in todays modern culture, and the few who do bring the majority down are doing it with substance abuse.

Every society has its good points, and I do understand how they believe the commonwealth stole their land (I agree that blankets, medicine and guns swapped over a large amount of alcohol is theft), but history is history. Let it go and embrace the modern day Australian culture.

Answer 3

Aborigines were not classed as citizens of Australia in our Constitution of 1901 on inception of Federation, were not given the right to vote until 1972 and up until 1992 had no land rights to their ancestral home.

"Dark" coloured Aboriginal children as young as 6 months of age were stolen from their parents, raised in white homes because the authorities from 1912 - 1976 thought Aborigines were 'uncouth' and needed to be 'tamed' so as to 'integrate' into white Australia.

Why? Cultural perception of what our British colonial heritage considered 'civilized". Aborigines traditionally were nomadic, did not farm the land and had no concept of 'ownership' of material possessions - so they were classified as 'savages'.

It is slowly changing, though. Thank God!

Great question!

Answer 4

What a ridiculous question to ask. Talk about making a sweeping generalisation!

That's like me asking 'Why are native americans like second class citizens?'

PS If you don't like some of the answers you get, don't bother to post the question and invite our opinions.

Answer 5

That is what the white man wants. If the Abo's are treated like first class citizens the white man will get kicked out of Oz.

Answer 6

Everywhere where White people are, there is always some minority which is treated as a second class citizen. Makes you think doesn't it.

Answer 7

I dont know, but I dont like the fact many were killed when the British came. In fact, I dont think the white people in Australia should be there, they should go back to Europe.

Answer 8

Bulls**t!!!!!! The only people that get treated like 2nd class citizens are the drunken idiots sleeping in and blocking the pub & shops entry's in the malls. Regardless of colour or race you act like trash you get treated like trash.

Answer 9

because that is what the ignorant idiot british people thought when they "discovered" australia and so they treated em like **** and it is stil custom to treat them like **** because australians know nothing else because they wer raised like that. same reason anyone is racist.