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From John Ray's shorter notes
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December 06, 2022
Controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson savages Qantas over Acknowledgement of Country
From the first time I became aware of him, I have agreed with most things Peterson says. So I am delighted that he has denounced this self-congratulatory nonsense. If Aborigines have some claim on white Australians, the Palestinians also have some claim on Israel. It's very much a matter of opinion and should not be forced on us all
And nobody is mentioning that the Aborigines are themselves conquerors. They over-ran Australia's original pygmy race to the point now where the pygmies are found only in up-land areas of far North Queensland. Last time I was in Kuranda, a pygmy walked right past me as I was sitting in an open-air cafe
Jordan Peterson has slammed Australia's national carrier for playing a message onboard his flight to Western Australia recognising the land's traditional owners.
The controversial clinical psychologist, podcaster and best-selling author, in a tweet after stepping off the plane, called the Indigenous Acknowledgement of Country 'corporate propaganda'.
The Canadian, 60, is currently embarking on a speaking tour of Australia and touched down in Perth on Monday.
'I could really do without the land acknowledgment propaganda delivered to me by a corporate behemoth @Qantas,' he posted.
'I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. Stick to (1) flying and (2) making money.
'I don't want or need moral lessons from you or any other corporation.'
What is an Acknowledgment of Country?
Acknowledgment of Country is a ceremonial statement that recognises the traditional ownership of Australian land.
An Acknowledgement of Country may take the following form:
'I wish to acknowledge the [collective traditional owner's name] people as the traditional owners of this land.
'I would also like to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and Aboriginal Elders of other communities who may be here today.'
The post sparked a flurry of angry tweets with many Australians firing back at Dr Peterson for not respecting the custom.
'Such a negative bloke you are constantly complaining about everything do you ever laugh?' one person wrote.
Another said: 'With the greatest respect, this issue is way beyond your domain of competence. Recognition of Traditional Owners is a practice widely accepted across the Australian political spectrum. It is not propaganda. There are some issues you as a visitor should leave alone.'
A third commented: 'Can you explain this? I'm not for or against it, but it's a acknowledgement of this country's history and traditional owners. It respects history. Is there something inherently bad about that?'
Acknowledgement of Country announcements, along with Welcome to Country announcements at events, are now a common custom throughout all levels of Australian society, including government.
Qantas, along with many other major Australian companies, have a firm policy in place to acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous culture.
'As the national carrier, we are uniquely positioned to connect people to the world's oldest living cultures through our domestic and international networks,' the airline's website says.
'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are integral to the Spirit of Australia and we seek to amplify this throughout our customers' journeys.
'We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.'
This note originated as a blog post. For more blog postings from me, see
DISSECTING LEFTISM,
TONGUE-TIED,
EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL,
GREENIE WATCH,
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH,
AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and
IMMIGRATION WATCH.
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Much less often, I update Paralipomena , A Coral reef compendium and an IQ compendium. I also put up occasional updates on my Personal blog and most days I gather together my most substantial current writings on THE PSYCHOLOGIST.
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