Aborigonie discrimination in Australia-long al Jazeera doc on "The Intervention"

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/witness/2011/07/2011729121416628187.html

Pretty fucked up to have this kind of situation in this day and age.

[Jose Gracchus]

I watched the beginning of the clip. Pretty degrading stuff.

I once saw on a faux-map of "world according to Americans" that Australia was labeled "Arkansas with beaches". Apparently that's not too far off the mark.

Modern liberalism takes things that were formerly associated with the left -- concern for abuse and sexual violence, oppression of women and sexual minorities, etc. -- and uses them as a new way to legitimize state authority and state intervention. Judging by the Western liberals' track record on humanitarian 'intervention' I would not be surprised if security forces sent in to stop child abuse started managing the trade in it, like Bosnia or Afghanistan.

[Queercommie Girl]

It's as much the fault of some of the contemporary left who neglect such issues in favour of a dogmatic class reductionist approach as it is the fault of Western (pseudo-)"liberals" who uses it as excuse to justify Western intervention.

[Jose Gracchus]

I'm just getting at the idea that its not just the mainstream "right" which uses ideologies like patriotism, nationalism, chauvinism in order to tie workers to the bourgeoisie and the bourgeois state, but also the mainstream "left" trying to tie workers and the oppressed the welfare agencies, 'humanitarian interventions', and the like.

[jake williams]

It's as much the fault of some of the contemporary left who neglect such issues in favour of a dogmatic class reductionist approach as it is the fault of Western (pseudo-)"liberals" who uses it as excuse to justify Western intervention.
How? Where is this left that takes a "dogmatic class reductionist approach" and how is it more responsible for this particular problem than a liberal state?

[Queercommie Girl]

How? Where is this left that takes a "dogmatic class reductionist approach" and how is it more responsible for this particular problem than a liberal state?

Maybe you should read some posts by someone called NewSocialist here on RevLeft.

There is an idea among the revolutionary left that sexism/queerphobia etc can only be eliminated in a post-revolutionary society and therefore it is pointless to focus on fighting against them right now. I'm not saying this is a widespread idea but it definitely exists among the radical left.

[Game Girl]

Disgusting how the aboriginal people are discriminated against in their own country.

[thefinalmarch]

Welcome to Australia. In my opinion, the people here can be some of most racist and xenophobic in the world. There is widespread prejudice and discrimination against Indigenous Australians, Arabs and Asians (and probably every other minority you can think of). I also think it's rather telling that the Intervention was actually exempted from the Racial Discrimination Act.

[Queercommie Girl]

I'm just getting at the idea that its not just the mainstream "right" which uses ideologies like patriotism, nationalism, chauvinism in order to tie workers to the bourgeoisie and the bourgeois state, but also the mainstream "left" trying to tie workers and the oppressed the welfare agencies, 'humanitarian interventions', and the like.

I don't agree with the ultra-leftist line that sees the "mainstream left" to be just as bad as the "mainstream right". I prefer a more "entryist" approach. One cannot ignore quantity and solely focus on quality. Though both are murderers, killing one person is not the same as killing ten.

But it's interesting you used the phrase "Modern liberalism takes things that were formerly associated with the left". Do you think the contemporary radical left doesn't focus on issues related to minority rights as much as the radical left of the 60s/70s generation did?