Australian racial epithet

[sam42ification]

You seem to have missed the point, both of you. The High Court of Australia found that Aboriginal people have a legal Right to 'Australian' land. Australia is not other countries, and original inhabitants were invaded 'yesterday' in the history book and are still around to say something about it. None of us get to walk away from that fact.

That semantics based 'I can't change the past' is fucking bullshit and doesn't hold water in this case. You can help by involving yourself with Aboriginal communities and educating yourself. The past is the present in Australia.

Also, if you fail to see the foundations of racism in Australia through its institutional foundations/frameworks and class structures, then your education has failed you. You just have to look at various provisions in the constitution, the policies of government in relation to Native Title, mining and community development, coupled with the attitudes of 'I can't see it so it mustn't exist' that people have.

It was rather telling when a senior UN representative came to Australia earlier this year and visited Aboriginal communities. She compared the status of Aboriginal communities to that of Apartheid Africa. This is a woman who lived through that era. Both of you need to start learning and start helping.

Ok from what i have picked up land rights and the state of aboriginal communities are the two points your focusing on. i know aboriginal people have land rights and i know they're not getting those land rights. I live near an aboriginal community and it's just a normal suburban area. I understand that there are communities in a horrible condition but i don't see how i could help.

 

[Craorach]

-Snip-

I'm not going to lecture you on you on how you should feel and I don't dispute what you have experienced. What I'll try and do is give you a little bit of perspective so that you can maintain a more positive outlook.

I certainly do not excuse, condone and dismiss violence/assault against you and your family in any case. I think it's a shame that small elements of the Aboriginal community detract from all the blood, sweat, tears and hard work the rest of us put into righting the harms done to Aboriginal people and enriching other Australians with our culture/ideas. We're struggling to continue our culture and facing those who have 'lost their way' is huge task and ugly task because we all see ourselves reflected in their faces. Their plight symbolizes all the destruction caused by what is sociologically referred to as whiteness.

But, I will say that all the behaviors you have listed, I have seen non-Aborginal people engage with. I also work with my state's Department of Justice when I am not studying, and I'll tell you those violent and anti-social behaviors are more indicative of a poverty paradigm, but it does overlap with racism.

From an Aboriginal perspective, however:

There are a few Aboriginal people and some families which have been ripped apart by the government (historically all this happened yesterday), targeted by police, shunned by the public and taught by bitter parents/uncles/extended family who have had their livelihoods taken away to the point where they feel they have no stake in society on any level. As I mentioned, this is compounded by a generational cycle and a poverty cycle. When you don't know anything but shame, struggle, poverty and persecution, you simply do not value things like you or I might.

Also, because of the way some families have been treated by institutions and elements of a racist public, some Aboriginal people respond with their own hate, frustration to any they deem 'outsider'. This is compounded by a public who are largely ignorant of what has happened historically and what continues to happen. People are simply not being educated on the issues, so there is little understanding.

Harm done to you is not right. Not in any circumstance. However, I would ask that you not judge these people with hate of your own. Pity them, because they have no sense of self-worth and dignity; they have no passion and they are disconnected from their culture, law and family.

This is the price we all pay for stolen land, racism, greed, politics before people and ignorance. Our communities continue to suffer because of a system and its laws have crated this ugly cultural hole and perpetuate it by denying us our own identity, empowerment and culture. We need people like you to help the many of us fighting this struggle so that we can help our own get back onto a healthier lifestyle, find respect in themselves and for others.

I do recognise the terrible things that have been done to your people over the years, and I will be the first to admit that people of all ethnicities and cultures behave in the same way as these people do from time to time.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the majority of aboriginal poeople that I see behave in this way.. where as the majority of "immigrant" Australians do not.

I will loudly and angrily attack ANYONE, of whatever people, who commits crime, encourages others to commit crime, and harrasses law abiding citizens.

I honestly feel that even those aboriginal people who do not behave like this, are far to forgiving of those who do. Rather than trying to force the government and public to understand, you should be attacking and punishing those who act outside the law or socially acceptable behavior.

Equality is Equality...if you want your people treated properly, you should demand that they are punished properly for bad behavior.

 

[Still Life]

To put it bluntly it's not offensive, it's just shorthand.

If you trace the history of Australian vernacular, the term 'Abo' has been popularized as a racial slur. Sorry, but that is simply the way it is and very few of us Aboriginal people will accept it when it is used, even outside of the pejorative.

Also, traditional demarcations of Left and Right wing politics in Australia are incongruent with American politics. That withstanding, they are essentially outmoded and obtuse ideas if you have any grasp of recent Australian politics.

 

[Still Life]

I will loudly and angrily attack ANYONE, of whatever people, who commits crime, encourages others to commit crime, and harrasses law abiding citizens.

I honestly feel that even those aboriginal people who do not behave like this, are far to forgiving of those who do. Rather than trying to force the government and public to understand, you should be attacking and punishing those who act outside the law or socially acceptable behavior.

No. We are not forgiving. Attempting understand and address the causative factors of crime is not 'forgiving'. I understand your contention, but you aren't seeing the bigger picture. Prevention is better than the band-aid solution that is Aboriginal sentencing.

Aboriginal communities need tools of accountability. Tools we simply don't have with the current institutional framework and positive outcomes will arise when community development becomes properly facilitated. A big step in addressing that would be to reinstate traditional law in certain communities.

 

[Creator002]

Around where I am, the term "Abo" isn't offensive, depending on the aboriginal you're talking to of course. My cousin and I say "Abo" without been thinking now. It's just a term to us. Same with "Pom" (an English person) and "Kiwi" (New Zealand person).

 

[DrHahn]

Okay, so i'm not Australian and have never been. But could someone explain to me the connotation of the word 'abo' i understand it's a derogatory racial epithet for an aborigine.
Here's what i don't get:
In the game dead island they fling the word around in a few places. One quest sticks out where a man wants you to "go kill that abo bastard" and the introduction for the character 'purna' shows that people called he a 'half-abo' in a derogatory manner.
I don't get why people aren't up in arms about this. The world got mad in resident evil for killing 'non whites' or in deus ex because a black person speaks poorly. So on and So on.
Yet this bothers no one.

I'm kind of confused. On a scale of 'offensiveness' where does that term fall in to? It is like the dreaded 'n-word' or more like... i dunno calling someone a 'brit' it's just descriptive and context is everything?

Firstly, I'm Australian. Secondly, I'm heading towards 40. Therefore I feel qualified to give you some historical context on this one.

"Abo" is literally just short for "Aborigine" which is not in itself considered an offensive term, but it is certainly considered a bit of an Australian working-class person's way of referring to an Aboriginal. The fashionable term these days would probably be "Indigenous Australians" or soemthing like that. The word "Abo" can certainly be said in a derogatory way, as in "those fuckin' Abos", and of course the reason why this would be derogatory is that there's the implication in that phrase that just being Aboriginal is a negative thing, regardless of other factors - however that use isn't normal. If it's said in a more neutral kind of way, like "my mate's an abo and he went up north for a while" then there's no derogatory meaning. So it depends how it's said. Aborigines often use the term to describe themselves and each other, in fact they certainly use it a hell of a lot more than non-Aborigines use it in my experience. It's not a word with specific slavery connotations like "******", however it's stronger than "Brit" which doesn't have the class association. The equivalent lower-class slang word in Australia for the British is actually "Pommy" or "Pom" which is about the same strength and once again can be used either in a derogatory way i.e "those Pommy bastards beating us at cricket" or a more neutral or even affectionate way i.e "I love that Pommy bastard". You wouldn't typically call a British guy "Pom" to his face or an Aboriginal guy "Abo" to his face unless you were very close friends and they had a sense of humour, but when describing those people to third parties, neither word is considered offensive by default.

It's worth knowing that "Abo" is used a lot less frequently now compared to what it was in the past - someone wanting to racially slander an Aboriginal would probably pick a stronger word to use, and someone wanting to just refer to aboriginals generally would likely pick another term as well unless they were in a very casual setting, but even then it's hardly used because it's stating the obvious and Australians don't get so obsessed with racial detail, we usually wouldn't use it at all unless we had to describe an Aboriginal to someone else, that'd be one of the few contexts where a word like that is even useful. I perceive the use of it in Dead Island as kind of quaint, like a bit of a cute mis-step in trying to get our dialgoue and speaking manner correct, just like the really bad accents in that game which are more South African than Australian.

Probably the most sane and comprehensive post here. Cheers to you mate, setting the record straight. Yes I'm Australian too and totally 100% agree with this. Please disregard all other statements on the subject.

 

[Xixikal]

You seem to have missed the point, both of you. The High Court of Australia found that Aboriginal people have a legal Right to 'Australian' land. Australia is not other countries, and original inhabitants were invaded 'yesterday' in the history book and are still around to say something about it. None of us get to walk away from that fact.

That semantics based 'I can't change the past' is fucking bullshit and doesn't hold water in this case. You can help by involving yourself with Aboriginal communities and educating yourself. The past is the present in Australia.

Also, if you fail to see the foundations of racism in Australia through its institutional foundations/frameworks and class structures, then your education has failed you. You just have to look at various provisions in the constitution, the policies of government in relation to Native Title, mining and community development, coupled with the attitudes of 'I can't see it so it mustn't exist' that people have.

It was rather telling when a senior UN representative came to Australia earlier this year and visited Aboriginal communities. She compared the status of Aboriginal communities to that of Apartheid Africa. This is a woman who lived through that era. Both of you need to start learning and start helping.

I didn't mean for it to seem as though there is nothing we can do. Of course we can help aboriginal communities, because they are the Australians most in need. I wasn't excusing the behaviour of Australians past, terrible wrongs were committed against the Aboriginal people. While the killing wasn't totally one-sided, it was the Aboriginals who suffered the most. I accept that while acknowledging that I can't change it.
However, I can, and I do look for ways to help those who need it.

Almost every racial group has prejudices against others, but not every individual holds those beliefs. Just because I am a white Australian whose ancestors were convicts means I'm racist? I don't think so. I respect the rights the Aboriginals have to the land, and while it is not my place to apologise for something I didn't commit, I am sympathetic to the plight of the Aborginal people. Unfortunately, I believe that their are people in both Aboriginal communities and 'white' communities who are hampering the effort to try and help these underprivileged communities.

Also, I might ask what you have done specifically for the Aboriginal communities as you seem so keen to point the finger.

 

[Bob_Dobb]

Eh, Using Abo as a term isn't that bad, only a shortening.

I would however use it in a racist term in Port Augusta because nobody cares much for the Aborigines there because the ones around there are bloody awful. Also Aboriginals are pretty racist the name Coober Pedy an opal mining town is translated into English as "White man's hole". An example of the Aboriginals in Port Augusta being particularly bad is a few weeks ago:

Aboriginal "You got lighter?"
Me "No mate I haven't"
Aboriginal "You got 2 dollar?"
Me "No, leave me alone."
Aboriginal "You got house?"
Me "Go away"
Aboriginal "That's racist, imma go get my cousins and bash you"

 

[Still Life]

Just because I am a white Australian whose ancestors were convicts means I'm racist?

How the hell did you make that connection?

Also, I might ask what you have done specifically for the Aboriginal communities as you seem so keen to point the finger.

You mean besides being an Aboriginal person myself? I don't want your sympathy. I want you to actually listen, because if you had been paying attention there is no way you would ave pulled such a stupid question.

Please disregard all other statements on the subject.

And herein lies the problem with 'closing the gap'.

 

[Still Life]

-Double Post-

 

[Still Life]

-Triple Post-

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

-Triple Post-

POSTTACULAR!

 

[Therumancer]

To put it bluntly it's not offensive, it's just shorthand.

If you trace the history of Australian vernacular, the term 'Abo' has been popularized as a racial slur. Sorry, but that is simply the way it is and very few of us Aboriginal people will accept it when it is used, even outside of the pejorative.

Also, traditional demarcations of Left and Right wing politics in Australia are incongruent with American politics. That withstanding, they are essentially outmoded and obtuse ideas if you have any grasp of recent Australian politics.

Sorry, but something like that which is just an abbreviated way of saying something isn't inherantly racist. As I said before it, like nearly anything, can be made offensive depending on HOW it's said, but that doesn't make the term inherantly racist, and as others have pointed out here it's used perfectly casually without any offense being intended.

Now if people choose to read things that aren't intended into it, that's not a problem with the speaker but the listener.

Also "left wing" and "right wing" apply pretty much everywhere. The political parties and their specific stances don't match US ones, but general political leanings DO. For example the big issue of State rights vs. Federal rights doesn't really apply to Australia the seme way due to the simple fact that it it's not structured the same way. On the other hand the conflict between traditional values and nationalism, and other people wanting to tear those things down based on a newer take on morality irregardless of practicality DOES exist as we can see by the very fact that this conversation is taking place.

I only follow Australian politics in a few areas, related mostly to things like video games and free speech. The rest I know mostly from talking to Australians.

Now granted, there are other issues going on here involving conquest and the rights of conquered indiginous peoples, and of course people who know they were conquered looking back and being unhappy with that and expressing frustration over what they can't change as opposed to adaption. I could say more about this, but it would go well beyond the topic. I worked for two of the three largest casinos in the world, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, and in the past they have hosted events and meetings for representitives of conquered indiginous populations from all over the world, I've met a lot of them, including a few aboriginals, and while not always received well my basic attitude is that most of the problems being faced come from them not adapting into society, despite benefits being given to ease that transition, not so much from not being given enough. The problems start when someone decides they really want to keep a culture that was defeated by the numbers (one way or another, whether it was right or wrong) alive. Relegate it to a historical footnote and drop the harassment and everyone will be happier, including the descendants of those people. Of course in reality it seems you mostly see people organizing stunts to harass people "and remind them we're here", pushing the envelope of what's allowed (and good taste) for no really positive reason other than to know people were annoyed. While I wasn't there for the planning of the tent embassy (obviously) that's pretty much an example of being obnoxious for the sake of being obnoxious, especially when offers of actual offices or a building are apparently rejected in favor of an eyesore to "make a point".

 

[Therumancer]

Just because I am a white Australian whose ancestors were convicts means I'm racist?

How the hell did you make that connection?

Also, I might ask what you have done specifically for the Aboriginal communities as you seem so keen to point the finger.

You mean besides being an Aboriginal person myself? I don't want your sympathy. I want you to actually listen, because if you had been paying attention there is no way you would ave pulled such a stupid question.

Please disregard all other statements on the subject.

And herein lies the problem with 'closing the gap'.

Well see, I think the problem isn't that white Australians (or just Australians in general), need to be the ones to close the gap. The problem is that Aboriginals need to put their culture, or more accuratly the practice thereof, behind them. They are the ones that need to be closing the gap by becoming Australians, and acting gradually to fit more and more into mainstream society rather than trying to resist the process, and using the letter of the law to be obnoxious in the name of "cultural preservation".

This goes beyond the point of this discussion though. In the end I think the answer is (as I pointed out) that Australians just tend to be far less obssessed with political correctness than countries like the US. "OMG, someone might be offended by this" doesn't quite fit into their manner of thinking.

Of course I admit that I find it darkly amusing that this has become a mild issue (at least on these forums), where Australia has done things like forced games like "Fallout 3" to change their graphics due to depictions of drug use.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

very few of us Aboriginal people will accept it when it is used

Sort of makes it a give away on whether it's an acceptable term, doesn't it?

 

[DrHahn]

Please disregard all other statements on the subject.

And herein lies the problem with 'closing the gap'.

Don't take what I say out of context. I do think that saying ANYTHING derogatory to ANYONE is wrong. I hold myself to that value to myself in real life. What I'm saying is don't be precious. There will always be idiots who are racist or bigoted. In any society. You can either ignore them or egg them on by acknowledging them.

Also you say closing the gap like it means anything. I had to work in a large outback community of Aboriginals, and some of them were very nice people. What I didn't appreciate was being offered drugs, having to go into insanely dirty houses with piles of clothes on moldy bread and places with lots of broken glass. That being said the two worst offenders were white Australians (my statements before were not the worst). What I'm saying here is both sides need to put in effort. BOTH.

Basically, if something is said with malicious intent, take it as that, if not, and I'm not including in jest (which imo is an area dangerously trodden) don't take it as such.

But please, don't take my opinion as me being bigoted.

 

[Still Life]

Sorry, but something like that which is just an abbreviated way of saying something isn't inherantly racist. As I said before it, like nearly anything, can be made offensive depending on HOW it's said, but that doesn't make the term inherantly racist, and as others have pointed out here it's used perfectly casually without any offense being intended.

No. The point is that its usage has been popularised as a racial slur.

Now if people choose to read things that aren't intended into it, that's not a problem with the speaker but the listener.

If someone calls me an 'Abo' without any appropriate context and on no substantive grounds, that is an error of communication on the 'speakers' part.

Also "left wing" and "right wing" apply pretty much everywhere. The political parties and their specific stances don't match US ones, but general political leanings DO.

I only follow Australian politics in a few areas, related mostly to things like video games and free speech. The rest I know mostly from talking to Australians.

You haven't been following Australian politics. Your point is invalid, in the same way that mine would be in making broad assumptions on the American system of which I have some understanding of.

despite benefits being given to ease that transition, not so much from not being given enough.

The rest of your opinion is unqualified from here on. Not only are you not a member of Australian society, you show a clear lack of understanding of its history, its institutional frameworks and hold outmoded philosophy of 'assimilation' which has been disregarded in Australian academia for reasons both ideological and empirical.

This exchange is over.

 

[Furioso]

I went to Australia a few years back, there was a bar that was actually racially segregated, there was a "white" side and an "abo" side, one of the "abos" got too close to the other side, and nearly got beaten, I left soon after, obviously it doesn't represent all of Australia, but the fact that that is legal, or was at the time, is pretty disgusting

 

[Still Life]

very few of us Aboriginal people will accept it when it is used

Sort of makes it a give away on whether it's an acceptable term, doesn't it?

It's generally regarded as offensive, but I don't deny that some communities/families have adopted it as a passive form of resistance to racism. Between more intimate relationships and within Aboriginal circles it is used, but in a broad, general sense, the term is found to be rather offensive/disrespectful. Though, there are other, more 'colorful' terms being employed.

What I'm saying here is both sides need to put in effort. BOTH.

My apologies, and thank you for clarifying. And I fully agree with the above statement; I have plenty of bones to pick with certain Aboriginal 'leaders'. Believe me when I say that there is a lot of frustration towards the greed and politicking of a few Aboriginal people who have made things harder on the rest of us.

 

[Joccaren]

Really depends on who your with and how you say it. Some people are so die hard ITS RACISM that it just becomes funny, some are reasonable and see it as shorthand for Aboriginal (Seriously, if we can be called Aussies, why can't we call Aboriginals Abos?), and some just don't care, though their more rare than the other types.

I really think people are starting to get over it, and seeing as nobody had anything to say about this Abo in Dead Island thing, I'm pretty sure we can all see how silly it is to label a shorthand term for someone racist.

Things like the N word, sure, racist, but IMO Abo is not, unless someone means for it to be.

Just BTW I live in Aus.