All in Favor of an Apology...

There is only so much an apology can do. It cannot erase the past or undo the harm that's been done. In the case of the Aboriginals of Australia, a simple "I'm sorry" went a long way. Prime Minister Rudd's apology proves that people admit wrongdoings occurred and genuinely feel remorse for the hate crimes. An apology, especially from someone as iconic as the prime minister, is the first step in mending relationships between the Aboriginals and the rest of Australia. Mixed responses following Rudd's apology show that the indigenous Australians had more positive feelings or their feelings did not change at all. According to a local Australian poll, gratification and relief were the most popular emotions that Rudd's plea evoked. This solidifies that an apology, if done correctly, never hurts.

Dear Aboriginals: We're sorry.

Australia was populated by a dispersal of humans who left Northeast Africa, sometime around 50,000-100,000 years ago. This dispersal was probably not a case of planned expeditions like the European colonization, but rather small movements of hunter-gatherer-fisher communities played out over prolonged time periods. This "dispersal of humans" became known as the Australian Aborigines/Aboriginals or "black" Australians. Similar to the segregation seen in the Unites States during and after the era of the slave trade, a large history of mistreatment dating back to the 1800s is found in the history of the Aboriginals in Australia. Perhaps the saddest bit of history in the unfair treatment of Aboriginals is that of the Stolen Generation.

This term is used to describe those children of Australian Aboriginal descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. According to federal policy, the Stolen Generations were taken from their homes and communities ‘for their own good’. Some white Australians believed that it would be beneficial for Aboriginal children with some ‘white blood’ to grow up in a white society. The goal was to eventually assimilate all Aboriginal children into white society. While it is unclear exactly how many children were taken from their homes, some estimate that the numbers could be between 1/3 and 1/10 of all indigenous Australian children born during that time.

On February 13th, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd used time in Parliament to apologize to the Aboriginals for the way they had been treated in the past, with a special segment of his apology directed those part of the Stolen Generation. However, this was not the first time an apology had been proposed. During the term of former Prime Minister John Howard, many urged him to issue an apology for the previous treatment of indigenous Australians. Howard refused for over a decade to apologize to the Stolen Generations - a stance supported, polls suggest, by about 30% of Australians. Those in opposition feel that the Aboriginals should be thanking the government for removing their children from their homes and giving them, essentially a "white" upbringing. Most Australians, however, did not and do not condone the mistreatment of the Aboriginals and applauded Rudd following his formal apology.

Here are some useful links:
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology
Reactions to the apology
BBC News article following Rudd's 2008 apology
More information on the "Stolen Generations"

Simran Sethi & The Go Green Movement

Why should I care? What difference does this make for me? What difference does this have on my future?
While Simran Sethi had a bit of difficulty making a clear argument for her GO GREEN movement, no one can deny her strengths as a public speaker. She was simply captivating, and extremely well-versed. In between non-sequential bits about her life and times on Oprah, I did catch some interesting and thought-provoking concepts:
1. The only way to save the planet is to figure out what each of us (as individuals) can do – there is no one way.
2. The environment is everything: everything that we care about exists within this ecosystem; if it is compromised, our loved ones/things are as well
3. Environmental rights are civil rights – we all deserve access to clean air and healthy food
4. The lofty goal of saving the planet is not going to happen in “10 easy steps” – it takes all of our work
5. And lastly, why should I care? What difference does this make for me? What difference does this have on my future?

Ms. Sethi claimed that the worst possible route to getting people to care about the environment is through guilt. However, she managed to make everyone in Bovard think a bit about their friendliness towards the environment, or lack thereof. Despite the guilt trip, Simran's "lecture" was more about what she's done in her life as opposed to what we need to do to help save the planet. I am highly doubtful that her presentation persuaded anyone to start an organization dedicated to Going Green, let alone buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. Even so, it was entertaining and I give Simran Sethi an A for effort.

Here is a link for a youtube channel featuring more information about Simran and her movement: The Green Editorial

The Magori Language of Papua New Guinea

According to a census taken in 2000, there are about 100 speakers of Magori in a total population of 1,012 people. Magori is an Austronesian language of Central province, Papua New Guinea.Traditionally spoken in the some small villages in east Papua New Guinea, the language was first recorded by Europeans. Much borrowing of vocabulary from a neighboring language, Mailu, can be seen in the dialect although it does not seem to have had much effect on the phonology or grammar.

Many linguists agree that Magori was on a preliminary Papua New Guinea list as endangered with two hundred speakers, who represent 40% to 60% of the ethnic group, and a few to half the children. Even though the language was reported to be used for all important functions, the people were negative to neutral about Magori. Its demise has been reported for the last decade, but linguists are finding it difficult to record the language due to the death of almost all its speakers.

Magori has been dying out as people switch to the lingua franca of Papau New Guinea (PGN): Tok Pisin. It is estimated that more than 1000 different cultural groups exist in PNG, and most groups have their own language. Because of this, many indigenous languages are becoming obsolete to make room for this new bridge to communication.

There are 15 highly endangered languages in PGN, so why is saving one of them so important? Because of its diversity, the people in Papau New Guinea take pride in their many different styles of cultural expression that have emerged. Each group has an important role in creating its own expressive forms in art, dance, weaponry, costumes, singing, music, and architecture. Aspects of these are found within PGN's small, indigenous languages and they contribute to society's overall cultural diversity.