Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, February 20. 2008

Department of Fads: Apologies for History

Roger wonders what the Aussies are apologizing for. I think all of this phony apologizing for history is just a passing sanctimonious fad, but it does feed into an unwholesome and unconstructive victim mentality and does nothing to inspire people to get on board. 

Nonetheless, it raises once again the interesting anthropological subject of what happens when native cultures, whether rural farmers in Asia, Indians in Saskatchewan, Bedouins in the Middle East, or Aborigines in Australia, are confronted with a powerful modernity they didn't ask for and do not really comprehend. Same thing happens among subcultures right here in the US.

The new culture is rarely embraced, even if new technologies are. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn't. I wonder what I would do if confronted with a new powerful culture from outer space. My guess is that I would resist it, because my culture is pretty good, and I am an old-fashioned, sentimental sort of guy.

Photo: My favorite Maori: Kiri Te Kanawa

Posted by The Barrister in Our Essays, Politics at 08:44 | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0)

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I have been a huge fan of Kiri Te Kanawa for twenty years. Her voice is beautiful.

She is however not an Aborigine but rather a Maori, born in Gisborne, on New Zealand's North Island.
#1 Habu on 2008-02-20 11:04 (Reply)
You are absolutely correct. I need to correct that.
#1.1 The B. on 2008-02-20 11:09 (Reply)
I remember reading an essay with the point that when 2 cultures collide, the 'weaker' is always crushed/absorbed by the strong, often with disasterous results for the weak. The author's premise was that when Cortez landed, Montezuma should have killed him and eaten him. As a rule, he said, if you take advantage of your (temporary) numerical superiority you should follow up with a crushing barbaric display of fierceness. He suggested cannibalism, as it never fails to frighten the horses. He went on to say that if beings from outer space ever land here, we have to be ready to knock 'em down and start eating them or face dire consequences. He suggested that we make 'em into chili, as anything can be ground up and enhanced with enough spices.
This may have been in the old National Lampoon and if not, it was about that level of seriousness. But that doesn't mean it's 'wrong' just because it's 'silly'. I think Machiavelli would approve. So would Wick Fowler for that matter.
#2 Carl H. (Link) on 2008-02-20 11:52 (Reply)
http://timblair.net/ee/index.php/weblog/every_day_is_sorry_day/

Tim Blair adds this to the great Aussie Sorry Day.

I miss gun-grabbing John Howard already.
#3 Carl H. (Link) on 2008-02-20 11:57 (Reply)
I think this is an important link (probably, the most important topic of the period.)

I didn't know where to put it; so, I chose next to the pretty gal. Somehow, I'm always trying to end up "there;" but that's a whole nother topic. :)

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3649#more
#4 rufus on 2008-02-20 12:01 (Reply)
If aliens knocked on my door with intent to conquer me, I would trick them and pour on the southern charm and invite them in for some fruit. While they were eating their bananas, I would suck them up in my Hoover Wind Tunnel......... except for one. I would let her eat her banana in fear and trepidation, and then I'd hand her the vacuum and a Swiffer Duster and say, "Get to work, wench, I'm off for a nap. And don't forget to dump the bag."
#5 Meta on 2008-02-20 13:49 (Reply)
Meta,

Sounds like a great plan. Do you think I should upgrade to the Super Turbo Phaser Hoover Wind Tunnel?
#5.1 Habu on 2008-02-20 16:04 (Reply)
In my youth I traveled to Australia and New Zealand with metronomic regularity. For a seven year period I went once every six weeks, spent three Christmas' in both countries and even went back to both countries to vacation, both times for six week periods.

Both are gracious people with the nod going to the Kiwi's for the best of the two.

But during that time the Abos, as they are called, were already fully subsidized by the government, and great efforts were made to bring them into modernity. Some did, most did not. I distinctly remember leaving a pub one afternoon and having to step over a fully wasted Abo who was directly in the doorway. All the locals did the same. My Aussie mate told me they would get their monthly checks, come into town , get fully f'd up and just collapse wherever they were. The Aussie felt their kindness was in just leaving them alone, which was ok.

It's been many years since my last visit so things have obviously changed.

I must say it was slick being in on changing the Aussie government in 1975 when we engineered the removal of then Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam by Governor-General Sir John Kerr and appointing the Leader of the Opposition Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister. It has been described as the greatest political and constitutional crisis in Australia's history. It was a thing of beauty but we weren't about to let Gough Whitlam continue moving Australia out of US hegemony. There were other issues also that remain unknown.
#6 Habu on 2008-02-20 16:29 (Reply)
Another ~Maori~ besides Kiri is nine-time world champion The Rock - Ok so he was born in Hayward, CA but his mom was Ata Maivia and his grandfather was professional wrestler "High Chief" Peter Maivia (there's a lot of Islanders around here in the East-Bay) and he spent part of his growing-up in Aukland -- and he's got the whole tattoo gig going-on.

As an Anthropologist, I have to say that not always does the meeting of two cultures mean the destruction or annihilation of one - often there's a synergism and a combining-in. Hinduism is one example of such an aggregator, that subsumes and continues the life of the other culture in a secondary or "Little Tradition" role, usually a localized variety that sometimes emerges to the surface to play a dominant role.
#7 DirtCrashr (Link) on 2008-02-21 20:13 (Reply)
E'cuse me. I just need, as in ABSOLUTLEY MUST HAVE ON A REGULAR BASIS--the sound of this wonderful gift to all of us. I personally don't give a damn what her gene pool is: all I can hear are the sounds--the beautiful sounds. She is older now and does not tour--but, thank God we have recordings of all types to re-inforce the menory of what it sounds like to hear Angels sing!
#8 apple pie on 2008-02-21 22:24 (Reply)

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