Today, like most years, I will be drinking, eating and celebrating “Australia Day” with my friends. It is only recently that I have been questioning this day and after scrolling through the Internet the only question I am left with is “Why the hell have we not changed the date?”
Growing up I have never questioned it. The idea of changing the date never crossed my mind. It has always been a day I have celebrated with family and friends. But when you actually take a moment to think about what this date represents what right do we have to celebrate?
Why do “Australians” think they have the right to refuse refugees from entering the country when it was “Australians” who turned up on the first fleet and destroyed those who were already here?
“Australians” want things back to how they used be, like how Trump puts it “make America great again”. But how exactly did things used be? We disrespected and destroyed the Indigenous culture; we discriminated against European migrants; we discriminated against Vietnamese refugees; we discriminated against African refugees; and now we are discriminating against Syrian refugees? We call ourselves a multicultural society but quiet frankly that is bullshit, not once has this country willingly accepted a new culture seeking freedom and safety.
Celebrating Australia Day on the 26th means forgetting about the Indigenous people of this land. It means ignoring and disrespecting those who were here before and accepting that what happened to them was OK. We are never going to move on from our past if we don’t acknowledge the wrong in the first place.
We are a multicultural society this is a fact. The minority who believe they have rights and privileges in calling this their country over others are clearly delusional about the Australia that has evolved today. Lets celebrate Australia day with ALL Australians, let’s change the date!
Xxx.
Well said Soph.
Sent from my iPhone
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