Why I don’t use “Character of Colo(ur)” tags (Liz does not wholly agree with SelenaK’s reasoning here, but the discussion around UScentricity in social justice discourse is dear to our hearts.)

Takarazuka, Japan’s all-woman theatre troupe, is producing a musical about Abe Lincoln. Is this one for Hamilton fandom?  American politics fandom?  Where’s the all-woman Keating! revival the world is crying out for?

Australia’s first female Muslim MP racially profiled at LAX.

Smartphone game lets players bludgeon Indigenous Australians to death!  And here’s the petition where you can call for its removal from the app store.

27 Utterly Terrible Ways Food Was Actually Served In 2015 – I thought this was just going to be more ranting about food served on wooden boards — ranting which is legitimate, but boring — but no!  IT IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN THAT!

Where’s Rey? I laugh at this quote EVERY TIME. How unexpected that we should sympathise with the woman, not in a mask, dealing with the world, rather than the evil dude in a mask who kills his dad! (Note: Steph is super into Kylo Ren, but she has a fictional whiny white manchild problem. She’s suitably ashamed of it.)

“I’ve spoken with Disney people, and they were completely blindsided by the reaction to the new Star Wars characters,” Marcotte went on to say. “They put a huge investment into marketing and merchandizing the Kylo Ren character. They presumed he would be the big breakout role from the film. They were completely surprised when it was Rey everyone identified with and wanted to see more of. Now they’re stuck with vast amounts of Kylo Ren product that is not moving, and a tidal wave of complaints about a lack of Rey items.”

Apology from Parliament House to man who was asked to turn Aboriginal flag singlet inside out

“We were actually aiming to see how many government institutions we could get into in thongs,” he posted.

“The answer is all.”

The men say Parliament House was the only building to take exception to the singlet.

Pre-Invasion Day Special

This year, let’s ditch the Queen’s Birthday holiday and replace it with Mabo Day

This week marks the anniversary of Eddie Mabo’s death. IndigenousX host Chris Bourke says it’s high time for a national day to celebrate his meaningful contribution to Australian history

And from Luke Pearson: Why we need to change the date of Australia Day

AussieBum chief reacts to claims Australia Day undies are offensive to Indigenous culture

“AussieBum’s chief executive says he was naive to the fact its Australia Day underwear featuring dot paintings, boomerangs and a cartoon depiction of a traditional Aboriginal person could cause upset.” BULL SHIT. No Award calls silly buggers. “I saw [the design] as inclusive” HAHAHA

HAHAHA

Australia Day: it’s a health threat (including tips on creating a 26 January that’s healthier for our Indigenous Peoples)

The day I don’t feel Australian? That would be Australia Day

You know we got feels on this: How the Australia Day lamb ad contributes to everyday cultural erasure

To that end, it seems Australia and Israel have much in common. Both nations pride themselves on free and democratic principles. Both were founded on land already occupied by another people and have engaged in the systematic erasure of these people. And both deny this erasure by mythologising their own origins, invoking metaphors of a land previously barren and lifeless; where Australians talk of “nothing but bush“, Israelis boast that they “made the desert bloom“.

But Aboriginal people call Australia Day “Invasion Day,” and Palestinians refer to the creation of Israel as Al-Nakba, “The Catastrophe.” The days that the mainstream culture of these countries celebrate as their birth are the very days on which the culture of another people were marked for erasure. This is not something to be celebrated but a tragedy to be mourned.

No national holiday can be a cause for unbridled celebration when it hinges on erasing the reality of a violent past, no matter what is on the menu.