In America they call it Survivor, in Australia we call it camping.

[iLOVENZB]

http://www.digital-photo.com.au/gallery/d/4109-1/Aboriginal-Elder-Cedric-Hands-Stretched-Forward-IMG_4395.jpg

word
:sick:

[megabyteme]

You've got a point there. With only about 30% of your country capable of supporting life, you've got A LOT of room to go "camping", too.

Any chance you've got a list of "Australia's Great Contributions to the World"? Exclude fish research (I'm sure National Geographic cares), and things involving venom (great for things that bite you in Australia).

Also, keep the list to things actually developed in Australia. You don't get to count expats who traveled to the US or Europe to get things accomplished. :no:

But you do have us beat on "camp-able" land. :blushing:

[tesco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztDdYWa_Gp8

[iLOVENZB]

megabyteme: http://www.whitehat.com.au/australia/History/Contributions.asp

[callum]

megabyteme: http://www.whitehat.com.au/australia/History/Contributions.asp

Interesting. I've always thought Mel Gibson was American, because he was born there and that, but that website has put me right.

[megabyteme]

I found the site before posting my comment. Go through the accomplishments page, and subtract things that were not developed elsewhere.

No matter, really, just a rib back for your OP. :)

[iLOVENZB]

megabyteme, they invented the alternative to either a mobile phone or a more simplistic, anonymous way to beat your wife.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOtzVv84iY

I hate to admit it but the coons have convinced us that they were the founding fathers of this land. They get heavily compensated for it but still bitch about the "stolen generation". Send them back to the desert in their little huts and take all their riches back. Ungrateful cunts.

[megabyteme]

megabyteme, they invented the alternative to either a mobile phone or a more simplistic, anonymous way to beat your wife.

[video]

I hate to admit it but the coons have convinced us that they were the founding fathers of this land. They get heavily compensated for it but still bitch about the "stolen generation". Send them back to the desert in their little huts and take all their riches back. Ungrateful cunts.

Classic video.

As for the Aboriginals (you have made a few comments regarding them over the past weeks), I find it fascinating how identical the disputes between the "Native Americans" (Indians) here and your Aboriginals, and settlers (European-Americans) seem to be.

Growing up, I spent 5 summers (roughly age 9 to 14) on an Indian Reservation. It sucked. I saw first-hand how self-destructive the group was. Alcoholism, unemployment, and fishing rights were all major issues at hand. Our family owned/operated a motel there, and the "Natives" seemingly made the area as inhospitable to visitors as they could.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-anyone. Even then, I was more saddened, and confused, about the ability of people to accept such dead-end life-styles. Reservations and government give-aways have not been successful. Still now, 25 years later, nothing has improved.

The land sits at the very tip of Washington State. The Cape is amazingly beautiful. That is, once you climb over the massive berm created to block the view of tourists who might come to enjoy the area.

If this particular group wanted, they could bring in MASSIVE amounts of tourists. The natural resources there would draw people in and the tribe could prosper. They obviously don't want that. How this equates to other tribes elsewhere, I am not certain, however; it seems to fit a generalization all too well.

It's impossible to help people who don't want to help themselves. If that applies to the Aboriginals, it is just as sad on this side of the globe.

[iLOVENZB]

I'm not really anti-Aboriginal just fed up that they get more benefits than the average Australian and then claim that Australians are racist.

Like many Australians I like to take the piss out of nationalities, one of my best friends is an Aboriginal and we usually got up to heaps of entertaining mischief in our younger days.

I've come to visit my mum/dad for new years and my mum was absolutely disgusted at my stance on Aboriginals until she worked in Byron. The "elder" was so pissed that he couldn't stand up and was getting pissed off at traffic while he was walking through the streets. This seems to be an occurring trend, Aboriginals seem to not give a fuck and accept government handouts. When the Governments try to help them they bring the stolen generation card into it..

You should of heard the uproar when the then Government tried to encourage kids to go to school, the dumb fuck built a pool on the basis that the children went to school.

The worst thing is the "racism" term as a whole. I remember at school learning about Aboriginal history, and I questioned the text because it seemed that no Australian spoke up about the supposed treatment and then miraculously they were given rights. Needless to say I was given countless amounts of detentions and class rep. Nobody gave a fuck about the lessen and it fueled the anti-views on Aboriginals.

If you think about it, the then Government probably had the Aboriginals safety at heart. Just look at the homeless people of today, does the Government not attempt to provide them a higher standard of living?

You know when you economy has gone down the shitter when welfare for Aboriginal is higher than your standard wage. What's worse is they don't save it, just spend it on booze and then fill up the hospitals.

I don't even know who to blame, it's not really the Aboriginals' fault, the Government should of put their foot down along time ago and given us all the same rights. Now the Aboriginals have got no skillsets, financial planning or a good work ethic and are passing these values to their children.

I should point out that there are some Aboriginals that do attempt to stand out from the rest of their "kind" and make an effort. My friend being a prime example, from what his mother taught him and what our social circle has tought him he grown to be a productive member of society, except on New years when he probably give the police a good exercise :P

[megabyteme]

I don't even know who to blame, it's not really the Aboriginals' fault, the Government should of put their foot down along time ago and given us all the same rights. Now the Aboriginals have got no skillsets, financial planning or a good work ethic and are passing these values to their children.

I should point out that there are some Aboriginals that do attempt to stand out from the rest of their "kind" and make an effort. My friend being a prime example, from what his mother taught him and what our social circle has tought him he grown to be a productive member of society, except on New years when he probably give the police a good exercise :P


These are the same problems I saw. The schools were substandard. The attitudes were poor. There was nothing for them on the reservation, yet they were essentially bound to be there to receive benefits.

Once they leave (the rare ones who do), it is the same problem I faced. If you start out with no resources, and limited education, you have a LONG road ahead of you. Poor people tend to stay poor- white, black, blue, etc. The struggle will wear a guy out. I know this all to well, personally. And I at least had a decent high school education and NO genetic disposition to alcohol/drugs.

Don't get me wrong, if someone truly works for a better life, it CAN be done. My wife and I are now writing our theses for our Master's degrees. Still, I don't buy into the American Dream of going from poor to rich anymore. From poor to comfortable, I'll agree to that. Good gawd it takes a MASSIVE amount of work though- and, again, that is without social/physical/mental limitations. We are talking about people who are often not "gifted" by life...

[Stinson]

Quite interesting point on the tourism potential Indian tribes might have. I was in Indonesia last year, and on Sulawesi we saw an old tribe doing some weird sacrifice ritual. They slaughtered an actual pig in front of our eyes, but hey the tourists liked it. It all seemed so "authentic". But obviously it was just a huge show for the dumb tourist, and noone can ever know if it really was like that hundreds of years ago.
Or, to give another example, Britain's tourism is mostly based on all this old monarchy cr** that people love so much. But in fact everyone knows, but prefers to ignore, that today it's all nothing but fake. Yes, Indian tribes could probably help themselves out of there misery in that way, but at some point I can understand that they probably do not want to expose themselves in a fashion that might be inappropriate for them.

[megabyteme]

I get you, Stinson. Tourism is usually inauthentic. The tribe I was talking about had to go out of their way to be inhospitable, and destroy several miles of natural beach to keep people from enjoying the scenery.

And, not every tribe would have anything that would draw tourists. In fact, many reservations are naturally shitty places- that's why the natives were "given" the land in treaties. They got screwed.

However, those who have natural resources should join the 20th century (yes, I know we are in the 21st), and accept that work, and earning a living are seldom "authentic". Manufacturing is inauthentic. So is ringing up purchases at a mall wearing a stupid, denigrating uniform, serving fries, wearing a suit in an office building, or delivering mail/packages. Most people do shit they absolutely hate on a daily basis. It's called life.

Let's not buy into the "proud people" bullshit too much. Look at the conditions on reservations- that's NOT pride...

[Snee]

megabyteme: http://www.whitehat.com.au/australia/History/Contributions.asp

Interesting. I've always thought Mel Gibson was American, because he was born there and that, but that website has put me right.

Last I heard, the merkins didn't want him any more. So it's cool.

[iLOVENZB]

Meh I like him, just because he throws phones at hotel staff doesn't make him a bad person ... wait that was the kiwi that's now living in Australia, Russel Crowe.