Texas school shooting

[cleger]

In Australia we have this strongly oppositional; notions of;
1) white people tell australian indigenous to "get over" being invaded, and every injustice since
2) white people don't especially seem able to "get over" anzac day

We have our analogues here.

[disco stu]

In regards to conquest, colonialism etc, the Germans and Japanese tried to that in ww2 and were hated for it. If I want a bit more land I'm not allowed to go kick my neighbors out of their house, not only is it wrong it's illegal, for good reason. It just wasn't when the British were making the rules to suit themselves.

I'm saying that, being proud of a country that is based on the poms having a place to dump convicts, and also some pretty unsavoury attempts to wipe out indigenous, that in itself is nothing much to be proud of. 200 subsequent years of some richy mc riches cronyism keeping at it, not heaps to be proud of either.

But it sounds like your saying there is nothing to be proud of here. I'm not denying what happened in the past, or that there isn't unfairness now. But going by your reasoning I don't think there is any country that can have any pride, as most have in their history taken over the land from someone else, or at the very least have some unfairness these days.

I agree with all your points about the past here, and I'm not particularly patriotic waving aus flags or anything, I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I hear people from other countries talk favorably about Australia

[bigrich]

What, you reckon celebrating Captain Cook* discovering** Australia but overlooking a few massacres by his crew is the right thing to do? Least the Hawaiians got it right

Countries have nothing to do with community either.

* he wasn't actually a captain
** not actually a discovery

mate, i can go back through history and point out issues with every nation on this planet with how they've treated a minority or invaded another country/culture .
so should we keep perpetuating a guilt about the past , or mend fences and move forward

i'm of scottish/irish decent , should i hate all english for attrocities commited 1000 years ago ? in the US , should the south and the north still hate each other ?
and on and on it goes . i'm for team australia , and that includes mates of mine of aboriginal decent

you've left out part of your avatars name . HUMBUG !

[bah!]

I think there is plenty to feel warm and fuzzy about when people are discussing Australia. It could include;
1) serious and appropriate responses to climate change
2) recognition of asylum seeker issues and an appropriate response
3) appropriate responses to environment issues*
But it usually doesn't. At least the WA state government banned logging in state forests.

[disco stu]

But you're still only focusing on the negatives, and by default saying that if there are any negatives then there no positives, at all. Surely in all of the things you could choose from there would be something that Australia does well? I mean its not like we don't have any migrants moving here from other countries, so there must be something worthwhile compared to wherever they came from.

I can also pick plenty of issues. I think by only allowing hunting of introduced animals and not allowing people to own natives as pets we have encouraged feral animals to boom here, and more get released every day. Just one bug bear of mine, but doesn't mean I think there is nothing to be proud of

[bah!]

My tongue is firmly in my cheek when I made that last comment. Australia is definitely a better place in the world than some other parts but for some people more than others. I don't think I'd feel anything especially about hearing warm and fuzzy stories about australians generally. I might feel something more if they were someone I knew, or in an allied field, or something like that but getting a nationality is just a birth lottery. There is nothing fundamentally different to a kid born in any other country or circumstance, so hard to get off on it too much?

[Oldbloke]

Americans love freedom and Australians don't that's what it all boils down too. In America a small percentage do the wrong thing but everybody realises loosing your freedom over other peoples actions is abhorrent. In Australia a small percentage do the wrong thing and everybody looses their freedom because people are cowards and love the nanny state.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
~Dead American bloke from the 1700s

CiC, the flights overseas start in a week or two. Just for you young fella.

Passenger jet.jpeg (210.19 KiB) Viewed 3112 times

Leaving On A Jet Plane (25th Anniversary Concert)" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/zVQAhhlq798

[bah!]

Leaving On A Jet Plane (25th Anniversary Concert)" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/zVQAhhlq798

Not http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFTvbcNhEgc

[bigrich]

Have a few of these fellas, solves a lot of angst

[bah!]

Have a few of these fellas, solves a lot of angst

Just topped the fridge up with the same.

[Oldbloke]

Best to stand it up. That way you don't spill it.

forum-2.jpg (306.85 KiB) Viewed 3099 times

[bigrich]

Best to stand it up. That way you don't spill it.

forum-2.jpg

Thanks mate, I had a couple and fell over.....

[perentie]

Texas School Shooting??????