Sunday, August 31, 2014

You've come a long way, baby

So, I was looking  at that Flickr account that got publicity last week for the huge number of historic book image scans you can look up (and then, if interested, go to the scan of the full book) and stumbled across this one:



which came from this 1889 American travelogue book:    "The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia".  (They really didn't believe in succinct book titles in those days, did they?)

I was curious to read about their impression of Brisbane, and while there is not much of interest to report about on that topic, in the same chapter, they did get onto the matter of race relations.  This section, for example, makes white men sound rather too delicate for Queensland:



But when we get to the quality of aborigines, who, it is acknowledged, often work on sheep and cattle stations, we get this assessment:



Well, I'm glad we have in modern Australia a more sympathetic assessment of the effect of  sudden exposure to the West had on aboriginal Australia.  Here, for example, is someone at Catallaxy yesterday talking about the PM's somewhat insensitively expressed statement that arrival of the First Fleet was the defining moment for Australia: 


Yes, we've come a long way, baby.    [For those too young to pick up on it:  ironic reference to the Virginia Slims faux feminist advertisements of the 60's and 70's.]


Update:  Oh look:  this time Henry Ergas, someone who actually posts at Catallaxy, talks about aborigines and salaries too:
Rather, the rise in imprisonment rates reflects the changes the 60s brought: the equal wage decision in 1965, which accelerated the collapse in indigenous employment in regional areas; the dismantling of laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to indigenous Australians; and the explosive increase in welfare payments.
 Now, he doesn't actually say that he thinks the equal pay decision was wrong, but given that everyone who posts there hates minimum wages, I wonder if he gives it the tick of approval....  

35 comments:

nottrampis said...

He is right.
It was a dreadful decision.

Steve said...

Homer, regardless of unintended consequences, I just can't see how a race based differentiation on salary could be justified by the mid 20th century. What's more, doesn't the fact that graziers from 1888 were complaining that aborigines started getting too uppity and demanding higher wages indicate an element of labour exploitation had been established from the start?

nottrampis said...

The decision caused a lot of unemployment amongst Aborigines.
The Social consequences were immense.
Whatever the reason employers made the they were not worth employing at the higher rates of pay!

Anonymous said...

The existing system was discriminating on race and in principle this system cannot be supported.

The consequences of equality may have been detrimental but had the principle of equality been applied from the very first the circumstances may have been different. It's not as if equality is a newish concept; said Nicolas Baudin in response to a letter from Governor King

‘I have never been able to conceive that Europeans have either justice or equity on their side when in the name of their governments they annex lands newly found by them, but already inhabited by men who do not always deserve the name of “savage”. I have no knowledge of any pretensions the French government may have to Van Diemen's Land but I think its title no better grounded than yours.'

rog

nottrampis said...

if they were worth the extra money then no unemployment would have resulted!!

Did you like Aborigines being unemployed?

Steve said...

Homer, you're sounding like an advocate of no (or extremely low) minimum wages for everyone.

Anonymous said...
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nottrampis said...

Yes Steve,

I believe in no minimum wages but i would use family tax credits to do it alah the five economists

Anonymous said...
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anon said...
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Steve said...

JC, I've been out.

I'll take out both his and your comments.

And I'd also ask for Homer to come up with something new to say about Judith - the peroxide bit is wearing thin.

anon said...

Why do you have these two loons posting here, Stepford?

Stalker Wodge is especially disturbing, as he seems to go around slandering peoples family members. He shouldn't be someone you want to be posting here. Additionally his comments are laughable - almost child like.

Also Homer E Paxton seems to have a permanent grudge against Catallaxy /Judith which is also disturbing.

They're both E trash.

nottrampis said...

But steve how else can you explain her stupidity?
How could anyone ever say , and our lazy friend agreed with her, that the NBN was never on the country's balance sheet when it has been there ever since it started.
How could anyone with any brains say there is rising industrial disputation and a wages break out ?
Can you give me another reaon?

Steve said...

JC, what you comment alongside at Catallaxy is often 1000% worse. I can tell, even you're finding it embarrassing a lot of the time now...

anon said...

What, that I don't like the level of muzzomania there? Sure, but that's hardly a state secret. What's your point?

nottrampis said...

Catallaxy is the site which is largest referring site for my blog!!

They just love reading sensible pieces.

anon said...

OMG he's starting the balance sheet crap now.

Paxton, we have the highest minimum wages in the world. If it weren't a wages brake out how did they get there, you incredibly stupid mammal.

Stop to talking about economics, Homer as you're terrible at it.

anon said...

break... not brake

nottrampis said...

We had the highest minimum wages under Howard. He boasted about it in 2007.
clueless as ever!

anon said...

And the spread has worsened, you unadulterated imbecile.

Additionally the exchange rate was a lot lower.

Shut up Homer and get in the garage.

anon said...

You're such a moron, Homer. No wonder you've been banned from blogs. They can't abide your stupidity.

nottrampis said...

Oh 'educated' one minimum wages to AWE is little different to Howard's day so what spread are you talking about.
Is this an imitation of Mark Hill.
you are caught out and then you start making assertions to sound like you know something. you have to know about the subject and clearly you do not.

The Exchange rate has little to do with how wages is granted. more so when most on the minimum wage earner are in the non-tradable sector.

you are still on top of your game!

anon said...

Homer, you and Wodge should be sent to ISIS for beheading.

Steve said...

You're a real value-adder to a blog, JC...

anon said...

Me. not Stalker Wodge, or Homer Paxton, but me. Are you serious stepford?

nottrampis said...

JC,
you come here and abuse people and speak on topics you have no knowledge about.

you have absolutely no self awareness

anon said...

Paxton, you accuse me of being rude when you started the ball rolling by abusing Judith. That numbut stalker Wodge admits he stalks other commenters families.

And you have the hide suggesting I abuse people? You really are a disgusting grub.

You're banned from several blogs because you're stupid, you clown.

nottrampis said...

Abusing her by claiming she is the peroxide princess.
English is another subject you clearly have no knowledge about.

I was giving her an out for making JC statements!

Afterall she said on National TV the NBN was not on the National Balance sheet when it always was. Always helps to read Budget papers.
What was your excuse.

Read up on projection and then read about insecurity

anon said...

You deserve a seriously good beating, homer. Beaten to an inch of your life.

nottrampis said...

wow JC your withering repartee is as good as your knowledge on almost anything.

By the way tell your mate Mark Hill that following Bushfires GDP is always boosted.
That is because it is GROSS domestic Product not NET Domestic Product.

Anyone who understands economics realises that.

anon said...

Homer, you don't understand the broken windows fallacy. mark is right. You're too far gone to understand anything. Go away.

anon said...

Paxton

If you promise to proselytize Christianity in IS I would he more than happy to pay for a one way fare.

nottrampis said...

It is merely understanding the difference between gross and net Domestic product. You obviously have no idea. At least the Statisticians do!

now what else can we add to the list. Don't know about the NBN being on the balance sheet, didn't know that Treasury over-estimated the impact of the ETS on the CPI, didn't know Swan's last budget was the most contractionary in budget history, didn't even understand what the word predecessor meant!

Add that to the embarrassment of being entirely misleading about minimum wages in Australia and you are going spectacularly well.

Any more examples you want of putting your foot in your mouth?

nottrampis said...

Just to help you the NBN is the seventh mentioned asset in Statement 7 from Budget paper no.1.
I am sure everyone over at Catallaxy will apologise to SDFC for being correct when he stated quite accurately it was on the National Balance sheet. I am sure Judith will woman up and say she was wrong as well.

if only you clowns could read and then understand