Australia Day.
Or "Invasion Day" for indigenous Australians, and they have a point.
I don't really see how the date of the arrival of the First Fleet - and Britain annexing the eastern coastline of what was then New Holland - has anything to do with the spirit of modern Australia. Aren't we meant to be the antithesis of empire?
It's a bit of a problem. The obvious alternative - Federation - happened on New Years Day, and ANZAC Day is by far the more emotive national day anyway. If ANZAC Day is the mourning of wars just or dubious... then Australia Day is some sort of vague "fuck aren't we lucky we live here" day.
It is a day of puzzle about how exactly we give prideful national symbolism to a nation that often eschews prideful national symbols. Of watching sport and heading for the beach.
Some feel differently of course (some strenuously so...) but is there not something slightly unAustralian about running the Australian flag up a pole? It's like a loudspeaker proclaiming how peaceful your local park is.
But Australia Day has one redeeming feature... It is in summer. And summer is a beautiful time.
Special thoughts to the people struggling with the floods, and our people serving in Afghanistan.
I love Australians. They don't have that imperialist attitude toward the World like America.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holiday!
Winter here. 20 below zero F.
Thanks Tom.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, though, we have our own varieties of political ugliness. I've probably not done enough to write about that, partly because I'm not sure many would be interested in reading it.
I have a colleague from America who sends me pictures of his house, which looks like a pancake igloo at the moment. brrrr