Hello,
Today I will talk about something that I have observed in my travels in the World but have rarely heard discussed. Today I will talk about 2 groups of people:
a) Indigenous people/ Native people : Within this category I will talk about 2 groups, Aboriginals and Native Americans.
b) Africans born in ‘Western nations’: Here I will talk about African Americans and black South Africans
Native Americans and Indigenous People
If I have ever seen a beat up group of people in my entire life, it is the Aboriginal community. For a lot of Aboriginal families, if not most, their day begins and ends in a drunken stupor. The rate of illiteracy, teenage pregnancy, crime, child abuse, disease, depression and suicide is through the roof.
If I were to make an educated guess, it looks as though the Aboriginal community is slowly drinking and driving themselves to extinction. That may sound dramatic, perhaps it is, but it is my gut feeling. For a bit more perpective on the matter please listen to this interview with the Young Australian of the Year, who is half Aboriginal and half Scottish, Tania Major.
Andrew Denton interviews Tania Major [24:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Show on the effects of Hurricane Rita and Katrina on the Native American communities [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Interview with Michael Eric Dyson [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadI have never spent significant time in the US, however from what I have observed the Native American is a pretty marginalized group. So marginalized in fact that it is only by a stroke of luck that I even knew they were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Andrew Denton interviews Tania Major [24:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Show on the effects of Hurricane Rita and Katrina on the Native American communities [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Interview with Michael Eric Dyson [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadIn addition to that, I don’t know where I learned this, but changing over to the Western diets is having drastic effects on Native Americans with their obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle disease statistics shooting through the roof. If anyone has any more to add on the Native American communities, please do.
Africans Born in Western Nations
As opposed to beat down, this group is just straight up STRESSED AND ANGRY. In my entire life I don’t think I have seen a group of people with the levels of anger that South Africans and African Americans have.
When we visited South Africa in 1997, we never had so many in-your-face arguments about the most ridiculous things in our lives.
So we go to a hotel and ask for milk for a recently born baby. The milk comes and it is too hot for the child. We go back to the counter and ask for colder milk, they tell us in the most get-the-hell-out-of-here-tone , ” If you think you are too good for our milk. Leave!”
Fair enough she is having a bad day. I am sitting in an arcade just minding my own business. A cleaner comes to clean my seat and asks me to move in Zulu. I tell him I don’t understand Zulu. He explodes and cusses me out for the longest time IN ZULU. Believe it or not there is actually more and it’s actually worse. Not to mention the rates of crime, murder and rape in S.A. Weird thing is now that we are all here together in Oz, just like it is with the Indian community, we are best buds. We can chill, hang out and be cool with each other. But a South African in their native habitat….Wow!
African Americans, I think I don’t need to go into too much detail about. Watch hip hop videos, Jerry Springer, Maury Povich (actually don’t, these two shows have been known to cause tumours to the brain with their levels of empty, demeaning content) and I am sure every Kenyan in the States has stories. I have certainly heard my handful. From lovers who said threaten to kill their partner if they leave them. To the man who was held at gunpoint for accusing some girls of stealing his bath soap.
Anyway, this post is far from comprehensive or all-encompassing. It is pretty much a way for me to get some thoughts out there and get a dialogue going on some things I have observed about our fellow brothers and sisters on this Earth.
The love sickness has struck me to a point I have difficulty writing, this is my fourth attempt at writing an article today, but rest assured I am putting an end to it soon enough, I have to otherwise the Displaced African will become the insane-african-formely-known-as-the-displaced-african.
I appreciate you putting up with my rambling. I hope especially the audios I have attached are illuminating to you and I hope you will join in the discussion by leaving a comment below.
Be blessed and bless others,
Mwangi
PS: As is the case from time to time, this article has not been edited and has gone straight from the tip of my fingertips to your eyes.
Bonus: Michael Eric Dyson interview (Just because I am a raving fan of his)
Andrew Denton interviews Tania Major [24:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Show on the effects of Hurricane Rita and Katrina on the Native American communities [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Interview with Michael Eric Dyson [59:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadTags: Aboriginals, Africa, African Americans, indigenous people
I can only comment on your take of African Americans, the two shows (Jerry Springer & Maury Povich) you mention not only demean African Americans, but anyone who appears on the shows. They are poor examples of any group of people and mostly done for mind numbing entertainment. As with any group of people, you have your good, bad and in between. You cannot place any one group of people in a neat little box, so why not judge the individual and not stereotype the whole race? The worst source you could ever use to learn about a group of people is to watch the television (Hollywood).
Hey Nvlope,
I agree with you entirely that TV is the worst source of stereotypes. The stereotypes about Aboriginals are my own observation. The comments about African Americans for the most part come from stories I have heard about African Americans from my fellow Africans in addition to of course television. Thx 4 da input
Mwangi,
From a desperate black woman in the States: PLEASE don’t guage African Americans through the lens of the American media and hip-hop. You will find that they are wrought with lies meant to denigrate and demean us. No, most of us are hard working, regular people just trying to survive in a very uncomfortable reality.
The “thugs” are few in this community, believe it or not, but these are the people who are brought to the forefrunt in order to have the world believe (and apparently it has been working) that we are dangerous, unruly, unsocialized, immoral, etc. The same thing is done with Africa, can’t you see? Please, I beg you, don’t buy into the hype! We here are your brothers and sisters too!
Regarding the Aboriginal population: I am well aware of Australia’s treatment of this poor group of people and I will never buy into Australia’s stereotype of them. The majority culture in Australia can fool themselves, I suppose, but they cannot fool the rest of the world.
@KP: I think I have heard enough protests that I will now clear my mind of any preconceptions about the African American community. The next time I will travel to the States I will do so with an open mind and see what happens.
The media would definitely have us think that the thugs are, if not majority, a large component of the typical African American community, especially amongst the youth. Any media you would recommend as an accurate description of the diversity of the community?
Aboriginals…..oh….it makes me sad thinking about them….should you ever travel down, make sure you visit their communities, very warm hearted people, but the level of self-destruction in their communities is so tragically high.
could u please make your articles more interesting because i just about fell asleep reading your first chapter and your first paragraph.
PLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEE MAKE YOUR PASSAGES MORE INTERESTING.