Australia and Oceania

The presentation made in class was about Australia and Oceania. They gave a brief detail of both countries. Our classmates based their presentation in the concept of egalitarianism, openness and individualism. Egalitarianism refers to a society that avoids differentiation between individuals, openness is the way people think, they value directness and encourage lively discussions, and individualism is the importance of personal privacy.

The corporate culture was influenced by Europe. Australia has a decentralized and flexible management. All the employees has the right to express their creativity and are involve in the decision making process. Business in Australia has a high tolerance for risk, a high readiness for change, a post planning culture, and they value the hard work and the difficulties.

They also explained the concept of tall poppy syndrome which is a tendency used in Australia that tends people to be jealous about the success of others. This syndrome is seen as an obstacle for entrepreneurship. New government rules and globalization has led to some change with it.

Rabbit Proof Fence Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB-jkydqADg

We watched a movie about the problem that Australian has with aborigines. It shows how half-caste children –Australian father and aborigine mother- have been taken away in order to gives what the government belief is a better future for them.

The movie shows how three girls were taken away from them mothers and sending a thousand of miles away to a boarding school which they supposed to have a better life.  After some days the girls escaped and began the walking to meet with their moms. The girls walked from several months and finally two of the three girls manage to get together with their mothers. These three girls are part of what is referred to today as the Stolen Generations.

The movie was based on a true story of a young black Australian girl who leads her younger sister and cousin in an escape from an official government camp, set up as component of an official government policy to train them as domestic workers and integrate them into white society.

Question:

When removed from their families, the children were prepared for “a better life”, how is that true or false when considering different perspectives?

In my opinion removed the children from their families is not a way to prepared them for a better life because the cultural values are not taking into account and they are violating the “free developing” of a person.  That kind of procedures will just only creates resentment and it does not assure a better quality life.

As we watched in the movie, there was a girl who was re-educated and she was the maid of an Australian family and she was being rape by an old man. Then, how this condition would be “a better life” for a girl? I think the concept of quality of live depends of the point of view of each person. The girls could be happier living with their moms, learning and practicing their costumes than living in an industrialized city with strangers. 

References

• Photo taken from http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/001-1013202344-Australia-logo.gif  may 12th 2010