Last year, I was contacted about being a nominee for Australian of the Year 2015. I refused outright, as for years I have refused to take part in, or represent, a day that is increasingly divisive, jingoistic & disrespectful to Indigenous Australians. Below is an article by Paul Daley that articulately delineates historical & moral reasons the date ought to be changed. The more I study about our history, the more sure I am about my stance. In the past when Ive spoken out about January 26th, alongside the predictable calls for me to go back to where I came from & vitriol about political correctness gone mad, alongside cyber-bellowing about biting the hand that feeds me, was an attitude that seemed to say that the rituals, symbols & traditions of nationhood are above criticism. I think this attitude is depressing & patently cynical. I dont mean to come off as morally self-righteous, but I reckon we can always seek to be more just, more thoughtful, more questioning. Be safe out there. Much love, Omar theguardian/commentisfree/2015/jan/25/why-we-need-a-national-day-to-unite-original-and-new-australians?CMP=share_btn_tw
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 06:36:23 +0000