What happens when it loses its shine?

When I worked in the Corporate world there were many people driven towards the shiny thing.

The, "shiny thing", is anything that is new.

A new person in the office. A new piece of equipment. A new procedure. A new problem.
A, new, "Insert new thing".

It is always during the early days, when there are heaps of rewards, acknowledgements, and easy travelling, that people, fall over themselves, in an attempt to clamour for whatever satisfaction they desire.

It is when, this period of easy-rewards, wanes is where the real effort must be made to achieve the desirred outcome.

It reverberates further when living beings are involved.

When a system is created, for any human endeavour, or outcome, that is when we see the decades long problems arise. When level-headedness leaves the room, in its place, a bureaucratic nightmare.

This interview Michael speaks to some native people in Western Australia.
Much of the Australian Governments response to the Indigenous populations was to interfere, with the righteous motive, of bringing them out of abject poverty, and to help them intergrate into the modern world.

The Stolen Generation is an example of a system that treated humans like livestock. Of course, it was in the interests of the greater good.

Everybody wins, until, they don't.

Stolen Generation: the Aboriginal people forcibly removed from their families as children between the 1900s and the 1960s, to be brought up by white foster families or in institutions.

Abuse for their own good

As much as we say, "things were different back then", there are certain times where our systems are only a couple of steps away from repeating these same behaviours.

Always, "for their own good", people are mistreated by society for the "greater good".

On an individual level it can appear that the emotionally damaged person just lived a bad lifestyle. They sort of deserve the misery that their life has become. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse ... many kinds of abuse - self destruction, for some illogical reason.

However, when you pull the lens away from the individual, and upon a group of individuals, a pattern emerges - a pattern of Systematic Abuse, perpertrated over a long period of time.

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/

If, you take the time to read about the stories uncovered by the Royal Commission, you will find that a pattern of abuse occurred over decades, amongst a variety of Institutions, that were originally set up to protect, and advance, the children in their care.

Jigsaw of missing pieces, and injustices

So, as the shiny thing faded. It attracted individuals that were let loose in the system. To apply their brand of discipline and sick, perverted, behaviours upon their wards.

You can see that there were many positions becoming vacant. Some were due to staff turnover and leaders dying. Policies changed, such as, employing lay-people into church positions, or government funding focused on new areas, or children's homes were reclassified into other bureaucratic organisations.
Children farms, that may have focused on educating local students, suddenly, found themselves being used as Youth Detention centres for troubled youth.

Finally, some of the facilities closed down, or changed hands.
The records, were kept in various conditions, or not recorded adequately.

Then, when children tried to cry for help, or run away, they received humiliation and further cruelty.

It is only with the weight of many stories, of the uncovering of abuses in the Church Globally, Orphanage issues and Public Interest, that there is attention given.

But, decades have passed, the children are damaged. The perpetrators are old, sick, or dead. The Institutions call in their lawyers, or are defunct.

This is the outcome of Arbitrary Stick waving

This is where Mandates and Policies of any sort, need constant checks and balances, need review of purpose and relevance, need to always consider ndividual Human Rights.

Otherwise, we destroy that which we seek to protect.

Only now, do we want to know about Aborigine History.
Only now, do we cherish the culture of others.
Only now, do we wish we knew about those languages and stories.

But still, we wave the Arbitrary Stick!
We draw a circle on a map.
We make a list of "essential" and "non-essential"
We say "them" and "us".
We say "use mask" but now chock up the rivers and oceans with them.

We are doomed to repeat History, until, we learn to listen to it.

These issues are avoidable. We just need to include them in our assessment. We also need to make sure the people who make the messes, are accountable, and not just to have them walk away.

Sources for further info & reading;
https://www.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2021-08/carc-final-report-volume-2-nature-and-cause_0.pdf
https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/WA.0057.002.0029.pdf
https://history.cockburn.wa.gov.au/Archive/Audio/Aboriginal-Oral-History/Interview-with-Jean-Lewis
https://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/walgar-monty-17830
https://www.pallottine.org.au/history/wandalgu-tardun-wa.html
https://www.pallottine.org.au/item/17-pallottine-mission-school.html
https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/STAT.0235.001.0001_R.pdf
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/witness-tells-royal-commission-of-abuse-at-st-marys-agricultural-school-in-tardun-ng-782a298a54f2c97770a6639e70a447e6
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/child-abuse-west-australian-victims-of-christian-brothers-to-tell-their-stories
https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/senate/community_affairs/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/report/c04
https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/TSAE.0009.001.0001.pdf
https://slideplayer.com/slide/12715949/

https://twitter.com/australian/status/893055473854763008

- australian

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article/don-dale-abuse-is-a-symptom-of-a-sick-justice-culture