So today saw the Prime Minister make a formal apology to the indigenous peoples of
Two observations on my part about this: A Wednesday morning in the middle of the working week was chosen to make the speech. Granted large TV screens were erected around the place to televise Kevin Rudd’s apology speech, but why wasn’t it done on a weekend when more people would be able to actually take notice and be a part of it, underlining the supposed support for the action? My second observation is that of an average nine to fiver slaving at my desk, an observation which was quite enlightening I thought. There was precisely no reaction at all. In the office there was no mention of the speech that occurred during the morning, no discussion amongst my fellow employees, not even a fleeting comment did I hear. No acknowledgment that anything as politically and historically significant as this apology was occurring whatsoever. This surprised me a little. Consideration reveals two possible reasons, and in reality it was probably due to a combination of these two reasons, one being I am temporarily working amongst a office full of call centre staff (of which I am not one I wish to add here – not that there is anything wrong with call centre staff) with a median (mental) age of about twelve, and my second reason is that there seems to be a overwhelming sense of outward apathy on the ground (as it were) regarding this issue amongst many. I make no conclusion here, perhaps my observations are not particularly worthwhile as a lot of people, I know, prefer to keep their political convictions private, I just wanted to mention my (hopefully unbiased) observations here today.
No comments:
Post a Comment