The report gives Indigenous Elders an opportunity to speak out about this unrelenting loss and the pain it leaves behind and to challenge the federal government to help save a generation.

***

Here we go again ...

***

The report says that despite all the good intentions, state and federal governments have not been able to stop the loss of life, and have instead been presiding over its increase.

***

The suicides would be stopped almost overnight if booze, drugs, and sniffing petrol was made illegal in the aboriginal communities.

But such a move would have the Australian government up before the International Court at The Hague on charges of racism and white supremacist discrimination against the indigenous people.

***

Despite millions of dollars spent on a network of local suicide-prevention centres, in some parts of the Kimberley the rate is 100 times higher than the national average.

***

And so is the consumption of alcohol.

***

The 31 Elders, from places including Broome, North East Arnhem Land and the Central Desert, Maningrida and Cape York, believe that cross-cultural confusion and loss of cultural identity are the toxic ingredients in the confused reasoning that results in young people killing themselves.

***

Not a problem.

It's very easy to return them to their 'cultural identity'.

Just transport them to a wilderness area with a few elders as cultural mentors, and leave them there.

No dole; no booze; no cigarettes; etc etc.

Problem solved. Win-win situation for all concerned.

What the real problem is is that they want the benefits of white society with none of the work or responsibilities. It's a bit like Sydney's Muslim youths who have the highest unemployment rate among any of Australia's 200 immigrant ethnicities.

link

Youth suicide is on the rise across all racial groups.



Quote:

What the real problem is is that they want the benefits of white society with none of the work or responsibilities.

Why does that make them want to top themselves?
Drink, drugs, party & no work....

the bogan dream.

Oh dear. I think we need to throw a few billion dollars more at them.

Gnads wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 1:59pm:

Youth suicide is on the rise across all racial groups. Quote: What the real problem is is that they want the benefits of white society with none of the work or responsibilities. Why does that make them want to top themselves? Drink, drugs, party & no work.... the bogan dream.

Well okay then: Transport a train-load of disaffected aboriginal youths to Sydney's Boganville and have them mentored in the fine art of being HAPPY druggie no-hopers permanently on the dole.

Come to think of it ~ forget stopping the train at Boganville ... let it go straight through to Redfern.  8-)

assimilate or die out. Their choice. harsh reality but still reality.

ian wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 2:15pm:

Oh dear. I think we need to throw a few billion dollars more at them.

It's probably the reason why they are committing suicide at such a high rate.

I'm sorry,... Please explain!  :-?

ian wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 2:18pm:

assimilate or die out. Their choice. harsh reality but still reality.

harsh but true. I wish there were a third option but there isn't one.

ian wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 2:18pm:

assimilate or die out. Their choice. harsh reality but still reality.

That's the truth of the matter.

Social Darwinism takes no prisoners.

Cross-pollination with dinky-di Aussies and assimilated immigrants is the only survival strategy left to them.

WE HAVE TO DO MORE .. I can hear it now..

we dont do enough.......funny how we never read.. what ar they doing about it???..
do the elders just sit there and watch as the young.. say babies pick up pipes and smoke pot or sniff petrol???...someone teaches them and I dont think its whitey...

we have schools galore all free they just have to turn up..but they dont.. only the few...

the old saying about leading a horse to water.. sure applies here...I hate reading this stuff..but if someone I knew committed suicide.. I would ask what did I do wrong... not what did the govt do wrong..

its time for some inward thinking.. and some action  from the aboriginal community..

its sad and shocking and to be honest I do not think their ,brains are capable of dealing with the drugs they put into their systems...alcohol is a shocker.. maybe all the alcohol sold in N.T. should have a real bad taste to it..

can anyone remember when they made methylated spirits purple.. to stop the wineos drinking it..


At the Alcohol Drugs History Conference, Under Control?, held in London from June 20 to June 23, Stella Moss gave a very interesting and somewhat horrifying talk about “Methylated spirit consumption and the control of deviant drinking in interwar Britain.” Methylated spirit is denatured alcohol. Hospitals and businesses use this product for cleaning and other things.

In Britain, the Customs and Excise department regulates methylated spirits. Denatured alcohol is not meant to be drunk. In fact it contains methanol and other additives to prevent consumption. It is 19 per cent alcohol. At the present there are about 500 prosecutions a year in Britain for meths drinking.

Drinking denatured alcohol can cause blindness and other problems. During Prohibition many people drank denatured alcohol which is poisonous and I imagine tastes awful.

Methylated spirits is a surrogate drink; other products that serve this functional are antifreeze and hand gel. What all these products have in common are that they are cheap, relative to commercially produced alcohol.

Denatured alcohol is a byproduct of the tax code. Because states tax ethanol, drinkable alcohol, it would be too expensive for business to use ethanol for industrial purposes.

Restrictions on pubs and British drinking during World War 1 had led to moderate drinking during the 1920s. Because habitual drinkers had less access to alcohol in mainstream establishments they turned to methylated spirits.

Often people mixed the meths with other substances, using some form of ethanol. A red biddy was red wine and meths while a red Lizzie was meths mixed with Lisbon wine. Most meths drinkers were very poor.

There seems to have been lot of compulsion assisted with drinking methylated spirits. Because it is a purple color the meths drinker had a distinctive look with purple lips.

Society saw the meth’s drinker as deviant, as other. This is very similar to the current portrayal in America of the crystal methamphetamine use




did the  International Court scream about human rights then i wonder???

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 5:40pm:

ian wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 2:18pm: assimilate or die out. Their choice. harsh reality but still reality. That's the truth of the matter. Social Darwinism takes no prisoners. Cross-pollination with dinky-di Aussies and assimilated immigrants is the only survival strategy left to them.

"Social Darwinism takes no prisoners." Nor does history nor progress nor reality. It is what it is.

I think it is more correctly 'adapt or died'. Every other culture and society in the world has adapted and changed with the changing circumstances of the last 200 years.

Adapt or die, which doesn't necessarily mean assimilation. It doesn't necessarily mean loss of culture or aboriginal identity. It does mean change. 

Exactly how they need to change I'm not certain but there are aboriginal success stories, both as communities and individuals. But it will take more brains and empathy than money.

OldnCrusty wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 6:12pm:

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 5:40pm: ian wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 2:18pm: assimilate or die out. Their choice. harsh reality but still reality. That's the truth of the matter. Social Darwinism takes no prisoners. Cross-pollination with dinky-di Aussies and assimilated immigrants is the only survival strategy left to them. "Social Darwinism takes no prisoners." Nor does history nor progress nor reality. It is what it is. I think it is more correctly 'adapt or died'. Every other culture and society in the world has adapted and changed with the changing circumstances of the last 200 years. Adapt or die, which doesn't necessarily mean assimilation. It doesn't necessarily mean loss of culture or aboriginal identity. It does mean change.  Exactly how they need to change I'm not certain but there are aboriginal success stories, both as communities and individuals. But it will take more brains and empathy than money.

How about we start with a RIP for the unfortunate aborigines who succumbed to this cruel world.

:'(

Yeah like everyone else who has suffered the same fate. ::)

Gnads wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 7:32pm:

Yeah like everyone else who has suffered the same fate. ::)

Of course- very sad subject!

Yet .... I think there's a quid to be made out of this somehow.

;D ;D

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 5:04pm:

I'm sorry,... Please explain!  :-?

Imagine a life where you're getting paid to do sweet bugger all. All your food, your housing, clothes, transport (in some cases), given certain legal impunity, etc., all paid for by the government. What sort of life do you have? One where you become bored. One where you turn to the bottle to erase another day. One where you might take to abusing or attacking other family members. Then it all becomes a matter of having nothing better to do other than keep doing it, or be put in prison for a brief spell. Then the abused gets to grow up with a culture of entitlement, as well as continuing the cycle. Imagine that those who are without work, and without a purpose might deem it necessary to kill themselves. Imagine it would come under the heading of "killing them with kindness".

UnSubRocky wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 7:50pm:

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 5:04pm: I'm sorry,... Please explain!  :-? Imagine a life where you're getting paid to do sweet bugger all. All your food, your housing, clothes, transport (in some cases), given certain legal impunity, etc., all paid for by the government. What sort of life do you have? One where you become bored. One where you turn to the bottle to erase another day. One where you might take to abusing or attacking other family members. Then it all becomes a matter of having nothing better to do other than keep doing it, or be put in prison for a brief spell. Then the abused gets to grow up with a culture of entitlement, as well as continuing the cycle. Imagine that those who are without work, and without a purpose might deem it necessary to kill themselves. Imagine it would come under the heading of "killing them with kindness".

yes, to have to work for your living is beneficial for most people.

I don't think people always appreciate the value of good parenting.
I know there are people who can rise above a bad home life but it gives you an edge if you have a good home background to begin with.

And what most agencies are not saying is that a lot of aboriginal youths have some of the worst possible upbringings.
They have mothers who are alcoholics-the children might have foetal alcohol syndrome.
They are often from broken homes and homes where education is seen as a threat, not an asset.

Some of the older ones-it is too late.
But there needs to be positive intervention to get the children into schools full time. There need to be incentives to live in or close to larger towns or cities and there needs to be very explicit job training and an introduction to middle class values and expectations, because that is why so many fail to make it.
It's not an impossible task but just throwing a bucket of money won't help-it needs to be targeted and I think it starts with proper education for the children.

sherri wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 8:37pm:

I don't think people always appreciate the value of good parenting. I know there are people who can rise above a bad home life but it gives you an edge if you have a good home background to begin with. And what most agencies are not saying is that a lot of aboriginal youths have some of the worst possible upbringings. They have mothers who are alcoholics-the children might have foetal alcohol syndrome. They are often from broken homes and homes where education is seen as a threat, not an asset. Some of the older ones-it is too late. But there needs to be positive intervention to get the children into schools full time. There need to be incentives to live in or close to larger towns or cities and there needs to be very explicit job training and an introduction to middle class values and expectations, because that is why so many fail to make it. It's not an impossible task but just throwing a bucket of money won't help-it needs to be targeted and I think it starts with proper education for the children.

 
Good grief they've already tried that from many angles..... intervention has only bought howls of discrimination from the Aboriginals ...... incentive payments to make sure kids go to school has been rorted by many using standover & cadging tactics.

The only thing they aren't getting some sort of payment for is getting out of bed in the morning, scratching their crotch & taking a dump....... ::)

50%

Does Angelina Jolie know about this???

Sprintcyclist wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 8:09pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 7:50pm: BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 5:04pm: I'm sorry,... Please explain!  :-? Imagine a life where you're getting paid to do sweet bugger all. All your food, your housing, clothes, transport (in some cases), given certain legal impunity, etc., all paid for by the government. What sort of life do you have? One where you become bored. One where you turn to the bottle to erase another day. One where you might take to abusing or attacking other family members. Then it all becomes a matter of having nothing better to do other than keep doing it, or be put in prison for a brief spell. Then the abused gets to grow up with a culture of entitlement, as well as continuing the cycle. Imagine that those who are without work, and without a purpose might deem it necessary to kill themselves. Imagine it would come under the heading of "killing them with kindness". yes, to have to work for your living is beneficial for most people.

That sounded sarcastic. But yes, working is very beneficial to a person's psychological well being. Especially when you earn much more than your welfare dependent buddies.

sherri wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 8:37pm:

They are often from broken homes and homes where education is seen as a threat, not an asset.

Well spotted. I agree with this from the point of view of 'education' representing to the parents a departure from aboriginality, and the threat that an education would make strangers of their sons and daughters.

I've personally witnessed this very same fear among the British working classes back in the 50's. 

Where is world vision?

sherri wrote on Apr 18^th, 2014 at 8:37pm:

I don't think people always appreciate the value of good parenting. I know there are people who can rise above a bad home life but it gives you an edge if you have a good home background to begin with. And what most agencies are not saying is that a lot of aboriginal youths have some of the worst possible upbringings. They have mothers who are alcoholics-the children might have foetal alcohol syndrome. They are often from broken homes and homes where education is seen as a threat, not an asset. Some of the older ones-it is too late. But there needs to be positive intervention to get the children into schools full time. There need to be incentives to live in or close to larger towns or cities and there needs to be very explicit job training and an introduction to middle class values and expectations, because that is why so many fail to make it. It's not an impossible task but just throwing a bucket of money won't help-it needs to be targeted and I think it starts with proper education for the children.

the only way for this to happen is for welfare agencies to remove the children from homes where they are being abused. Do you think this is ever going to happen? We have bred into these people a culture of screaming racism when anything doesnt go their way, imagine the outcry if we treated aboriginal child abusers the same as white child abusers. Never going to happen, unfortunatley they are f!cked as a race now, the only hope is for the ones who arent too severly brain damaged to attempt to assimilate.

Lord Herbert wrote on Apr 19^th, 2014 at 4:50pm:

I've personally witnessed this very same fear among the British working classes back in the 50's.

How did Lennon put it in "Working Class Hero"

"They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool"

I killed myself once ... its not the answer.  :(

ian wrote on Apr 19^th, 2014 at 5:36pm:

sherri wrote on Apr 18th, 2014 at 8:37pm: I don't think people always appreciate the value of good parenting. I know there are people who can rise above a bad home life but it gives you an edge if you have a good home background to begin with. And what most agencies are not saying is that a lot of aboriginal youths have some of the worst possible upbringings. They have mothers who are alcoholics-the children might have foetal alcohol syndrome. They are often from broken homes and homes where education is seen as a threat, not an asset. Some of the older ones-it is too late. But there needs to be positive intervention to get the children into schools full time. There need to be incentives to live in or close to larger towns or cities and there needs to be very explicit job training and an introduction to middle class values and expectations, because that is why so many fail to make it. It's not an impossible task but just throwing a bucket of money won't help-it needs to be targeted and I think it starts with proper education for the children. the only way for this to happen is for welfare agencies to remove the children from homes where they are being abused. Do you think this is ever going to happen? We have bred into these people a culture of screaming racism when anything doesnt go their way, imagine the outcry if we treated aboriginal child abusers the same as white child abusers. Never going to happen, unfortunatley they are f!cked as a race now, the only hope is for the ones who arent too severly brain damaged to attempt to assimilate.

Assimilate? ....... if those white Aboriginals that Andrew Bolt mentioned & was prosecuted for being racist against won't assimilate & only identify as Aboriginal, yet live completely white lifestyles then what hope the rest?

The tribal people aren't aware enough to realise who is making the money from all the funds thrown at Aboriginal issues.

When a white male (supposed) aboriginal artist wins a bursary prize meant for Aboriginal women artists in remote communities you know what pretenders & rorters this lot are.....

The great thing is that even with all the deaths in custody, suicides, and appalling health outcomes and mortality rates in general for aboriginals they have still managed to lift their average life expectancy under white invasion rule.