h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's been an interesting day, today. I've been working hard on getting this project wrapped up at work, and in the process have come across an interesting quote, which is just as true now - especially in the wake of Australia Day yesterday - as it was when it was made. The rain has ta least partially cleared, in that it's no longer actually raining, and the sky is at least partly blue, but I'm no longer sure about what sort of country I live in.

This is the quote, for your consideration, from the Territory Health Services Chief Officer and Assistant Secretary of Public Health for the Northern Territory of Australia, Shirley Hendy, made in 1998:-

"Three quarters of my activity is associated with specific Aboriginal health issues - ie the health of the people who are 27% of our population and so much socker than the other 73% that they occupy half our hospital bed time and virtually all our dialysis machines (and we need more each year); die at three to four times the rate - with a much higher risk of dying at any time throughout life; and account for more than half of Territory Health Services expenditure."

thanks for the uplifting quote, brother

*goes to find Prozac*

Hi Daze!

Most of my 'uplifting' quotes today have been in other fora! This is one which I'd file in the category of "thought-provoking".

It just stuns me how unaware I am, sometimes, about things which are happening in parts of my own country. I knew the Aboriginal health problem was bad, but I'd never seen it presented so starkly in such simple numbers, before. I'm not all that sure about what I can do about it, but I am sure that I want to do something.

Don't overdo that Prozac, by the way - it's not good for your sleep...!

How are you guys, anyway?

us guys? have you been talking to my other personalities lately? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here right now

I meant you and Amanda - I noticed her around here somewhere a while back, too! I got the impression that you two worked in the same room on h2g2 - although this is undoubtedly an entirely false impression.

By the way, the "Daisy" song you mentioned in mail yesterday was precisely the one I was thinking of.

How many other personalities do you have? This could get interesting...!

Actually, Amanda and I share a computer. We live together if you hadn't guessed. She just forgets to log off most of the time and that's why her name appears whenever I'm on. However, my name doesn't appear whenever she's on. Did that make sense?

As far as the other question is concerned...whose counting?

Yeah, all of that makes sense, I think...! That would also explain why you're not both on at the same time - duh!

On a topic of more general interest - even than your multifaceted personality - when are you going to write something so that I can go and be critical? I've seen the pictures, now I want to read the book...!

I'm working on it...I just use the computer whenever Amanda's doing other things. That's usually at a time when I don't feel like writing anything sustantial. And now that you've let me know that you plan on being critical, I don't think I'm in any sort of a rush to do it.

The pictures, after today, are not current. I went and cut off my hair today.

Bold move, Daisy grrl! You wearing a beanie?

When I say critical, I mean analytical - I'm an editor, after all. I don't mean derogatory, which is nasty. I'm seriously interested in what you have to say, and what you'd have to say it about...

if you send me a beanie, I'll wear it!

I'm pretty new to this whole thing so the writing has been taking some time. Amanda's helping me on a Guide entry about body piercing which you probably wouldnt be interested in. I'm also working on a photo journal which goes through the chronology of the piercing process.

However, if you give me a topic that you would like to read about, I'll give it my best shot.

You misjudge me, I think!

I'd be very interested in an entry on body piercing - that's something which I don't understand, and consequently about which I don't have an awful lot to say! I'd reckon if you linked that with the photo-journal entry it would make a brilliant piece. Just don't labour over it too long - the editors will change some of it, in any case, you can be almost guaranteed!

Other things which I'd like to read about that you might be able to write on...? Dunno. I'll have to think about that one.

Anyway, gotta go. I'll write you again in a couple of hours...!

yeah, I gotta go to work now anyway...I'll be back in a few hours.

see you then

G'Day Hypoman, I'm AdoAAC, I hope you don't mind me dropping in on your conversation. Australia Day, for me at least, is always tinged with that sense of "rained on birthday cake". - Not quite right but still just ok enough to eat and besides it's the only piece left and without it I'll go hungry.
For me I think the saddest thing about the quote you posted is that N.T. Aboriginal Health has actually dramatically improved in the last ten years. A lot of this terrible endemic poor health is caused by massive diet change and the rest is caused by straight out poverty. Remember we're talking about a people who sincerely had it together diet wise for 40,000 years, that is until the extreme lifestyle changes brought about by European colonisation/displacement/invasion.
I honestly don't feel guilty about this, and I can't retrospectively right the wrongs but J***s F***k sometimes I think we could do better.

I don't know if the trick is to chuck more money into health generally, but when is that a bad idea? I don't think patronising black Australia by banning the indigenous from drinking alchohol, eating sugar, and running Christian education programs cuts it either.

I just don't think we have any excuses left. We live in what is arguably the best place on earth. We have virtually no water, and our continent is designed to kill you if you don't check your boots in the morning or slap on that sunscreen. But we have thrived, this is the 'she'll be right' nation, apart from a few piddling dificulties WE HAVE IT ALL!!!

I think we need to address the last frontier of the Australian Psyche. I think we should learn a little F*****g respect. We say we are the 'fair go' nation maybe it's time we actually put it into practice. What about some justice for women, the Indigenous, the disabled, the sick, and every other poor bastard who doesn't get to have their place in the overwhelming summer that this place is.
We could, we really could, be great, it's not hard.

hmmm. sorry, I just get angry sometimes. I just think this spoilt child Australia needs a kick in the arse and to be told to play nice with the other kids.

G'day AdoAAC, welcome to my world!

I know what you mean about the sense of "rained on birthday cake". It's a bittersweet thing, isn't it?

The 'fair go' nation is still that sort of place, it's just that we've been taught that not everyone thinks that way, and we've become old, cautious and cynical, and willing to give a 'fair go' only to those who we think are likely to reciprocate. Our idealism is now so tempered with what the rest of the world refers to as "realism" and what a true idealist calls "cynicism" that it's hard to recognise, now.

The frustrating thing about problems like the inequities of Aboriginal health is that the Aborigines themselves have no idea how to fix them. The 'piddling difficulties' are the ones we still can't eliminate, and when they were first recognised they weren't so small, but the national psyche has overcome them by denying them.

I suspect that this is more what the Australian psyche is about - not eliminating the problems, but reaching a stage where they can be denied or ignored without doing too much harm. Only when the problems do not impact us directly can they successfully be ignored, though...