Laughing at Aborigines? - Tough Questions for QUT...

An Aboriginal woman - filmed in compromising circumstances in Boulia by PhD candidate Michael Noonan - claims she never signed a consent form and has suffered anxiety for the past 18 months not knowing where the filmed material might appear (as of August 2007 this material was posted on the internet by the Courier Mail newspaper on its website).

Following the woman's request, Aboriginal Elder, Ted Watson speaks out on her behalf.

The Aboriginal woman's portrayal as a negative racial stereotype has outraged many people in the Australian Indigenous Community including some prominent figures who will soon be voicing their concerns on Youtube.

Meanwhile Peter Coaldrake, the Vice Chancellor of QUT, has vigorously defended all ethical aspects of the PhD project which was originally entitled "Laughing at the Disabled: Creating Comedy which Confronts, Offends and Entertains."

Earlier in 2007, Coaldrake suspended two senior lecturers: Dr. Gary Maclennan and Dr. John Hookham for publicly voicing their concern about possible violation of ethical protocols in the thesis film which forms part of Noonan's PhD research.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• QUT
• Aborigines
• Aboriginal
• Woman
• Indigenous
• Ethical
• Protocols
• Boulia
• Watson
• Hookham
• Maclennan
• Coaldrake
• Noonan
• Laughing

[FreemanOftheMind]

hmm how civilised mase?

You should dig a bit deeper that what they feed you at school and on the news mate.

You might find an inherintly peaceful people, willing to share, laugh and enjoy life.

You might also find how our caucasian ancestors stripped the "original" peoples of their land, their language, their families and their spirit knowledge.

If you call that civilised you have a lot to learn my friend.

Use your heart not your head

[Boudiicca]

Blackfellas died for us too...but unfortunately got no recognition for their efforts. I don't blame you for being angry. My kids are Aboriginal (Bundjalung) and I hate hearing people refer to my children as animals. It's not "whitefellas" though...its "White supremacy".In regards to the fires - if governments had listened to Aboriginal peoples concerns and had used the controlled burning techniques that were used for thousands of years, it may have been avoided.We all need to Listen and learn.

[jackvincent90]

@LittleMissAngel29 exactly :) peace and love

[LittleMissAngel29]

@jackvincent90, definitely. Respect is definitely key. And resources are here for all of us to share.

[jackvincent90]

@LittleMissAngel29 land belongs to know one, its belongs to all living things, it is up to people to respect those already there, and those already there must respect migrants looking for a new home

[LittleMissAngel29]

Aboriginals need to get up and fight for their rights in the media, give white people something to think about. I am white, and my mother is racist to Aborigines. I grew up with terrible slander about Indigenous people spoken in the house every day and I still manage to have huge and incredible respect for Aboriginals. Racist people need to get a life and a clue. The land of Australia is big enough for us all to share, and WE are here on YOUR land. If anyone should piss off, it's us.

[TheosChannel1]

@0Zolrender0

"I dont no were your all from..."

Funny, you criticize gubbakiller about his spelling but KumarZimmerman08 get's away with it? Ah, don't you just love that white supremacist favouritism?

[0Zolrender0]

@KumarZimmerman08 agreed

[KumarZimmerman08]

I dont no were your all from but the aboriginals were i live are drunk in public, they ask everyone for money, they are swearing in public.. so what do you want white people to do? you have to fix the problem yourselves.

[InTheAssault]

@gubbakiller 'fuck all wite anzacs who died 4 me'? That's a pretty fucked up thing to say, how would you like it if white people said 'fuck all the abo's tht died 4 their land'?

Oh and by the way my cousin died in the vic fire,. Cunt. Even if that was a joke, that's sick. That comment makes you even worse than a racist,.

[0Zolrender0]

@gubbakiller I give you a reasonalbe argument thats true and all you can do back is swear and call me a white so and so. very smart. you cannot even spell properly.

[0Zolrender0]

@gubbakiller im sorry mate. but if we are on the dole we havew to look for work or get booted from it. if we are on it oo long we work for it. i live in a place (alice springs NT) where coons get the dole as a birth right and never ever have to lok for work. they are just encouraged to. if we are in the pub we are drinking our money we worked for. so thats our right. you lot couldnt even get 1000 of you to fight for our country in the armed forces. wont fight for but will bludge from it.