Retailers recall controversial 'Australia Est. 1788' shirt


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Retail giant Big W has followed Aldi's lead and stopped selling a controversial Australia Day T-shirt.
 
The T-shirt is emblazoned with the slogan "Australia Est 1788" - a reference to the year the First Fleet landed in Sydney.
 
A spokesperson for Big W, which is owned by Woolworths Ltd, told the ABC the shirts have been withdrawn from sale.
 
The spokesperson declined to comment on the reason behind the move, which garnered a mixed reaction on Big W's Facebook page.
 
"Good on you Big W for listening to commen (sic) sense and withdrawing those T-shirts which were so offensive to the original, traditional owners of this land," wrote one user.
 
"You might have upset a few bogans who couldn't afford to shop at your store anyway but the silent majority salute you."
 
However, other users expressed disappointment that they could no longer purchase the shirt.
 
"Are you serious? You pulled your shirts? Since when was PATRIOTISM deemed as RACISM?! You've lost me, that's for sure," one user said.
 
Yesterday German discount supermarket chain Aldi withdrew shirts with the same slogan from sale after an outcry on social media.
 
Users of social media had labelled the shirts as racist against Indigenous Australians.
 
It said complaints from "a limited number of concerned customers" prompted the move.
 
Here is how some social media users responded to the release of the Aldi T-shirts:

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-09/big-w-recalls-controversial-australia-day-shirt/5192784

 

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I'm not sure if it actually falls under Racism, incorrect maybe, as Australia has always been there, pre or post settlement...

 

Their is a distinct difference between colonialism and racism.

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It's not offensive at all.

The indigenous population should bring out their own version, as their history dates back over 50,000 years. I think that would be cooler.

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I'm not sure if it actually falls under Racism, incorrect maybe, as Australia has always been there, pre or post settlement...

 

It wasn't Australia before then, the land was there and it had people on the land but the first British colony's landed there in 1788 and named it Australia.

 

Big W is like the Walmart of Australia and Aldi is worse so it doesn't surprise me one bit that the people who saw this t-shirt and had a whinge were Big W / Aldi shoppers.

 

This T-Shirt is correct Australia was initially established in 1788 with the first British colony. It was know as Terra Australis before then.

 

This isnt racism but a mere fact, but then again our political correctness here in regards to Aboriginals is absurd.

You get tons of government benefits for being of Aboriginal descent, Aboriginal protesters are free to do whatever they like (Burning the Australian flag, violence on the streets, drinking in public, etc without any repercussions).

 

About a year ago a 15 yr old Aboriginal boy and 2-3 of his friends (Some were 18+) stole a car, got drunk and ran over a few people in a busy city street in Sydney, Police rammed the car to stop it and the driver came out of the car with a knife towards the police and was shot. Aboriginal groups had a protest over it cause it was police brutality. Another thing they like to protest about is the colonization of Australia and demand an apology from the PM every election year for it which happened in 1788 (The re-elected or new PM usually gives one too..). They will pretty much protest against anything that involves an Aboriginal, no matter if that person was a rapist, serial murderer, ...if Hitler was Aboriginal they would be protesting that its racist that you didn't like Hitler.

 

They used convicts as slaves during the colonization years, they would jail someone (typically farmers or those in a trade) over trivial terms and give them a 7 year sentence to start up and build the new Australian colony, I don't see Australians having a cry about their British ancestors being forced into slavery under the guise of the law for several years back in the 1700-1800's, Aboriginals weren't even used as slaves.

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What is offensive is the fact that it is a crap t-shirt.

I can just imagine the kind of idiot who would wear it.

 

Big W / Aldi shoppers apparently.

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LOL

 

"Users of social media had labelled the shirts as racist against Indigenous Australians."

 

 

 

What what i learned when i was AUS, there have been worst things happen to Indigenous Australians then this t-shirt! The shirt is simply a product of the holiday they all celebrate. The Indigenous Australians were treated like sh!t. They have there issues like ever other Indigenous groups. 

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Racist ?   NO !

Correct ?   NO !

 

Stupid    YES !

 

In 1788 the Australian continent wasn't a country, there wasn't even 1 indigenous nation, the native peoples were tribal and there was 100's of different languages, yes the land was colonised and yes the aboriginal population was treated like crap, the t-shirt is just wrong, only an idiot would buy one.

 

Australia became a nation in 1901 through an act of the British Parliament, before that it was called a lot of things, Terra Australis, was the origin of the name but there a number of independent colonies before 1901 starting with New South Wales, the aboriginals of today for obvious reasons don't celebrate Jan 26 as Australia Day as it means something very different to them, they often refer to it as colonisation day.

 

The T-Shirt was not approved by the govt as many people have claimed, the govt has a department to make sure the Aussie flag is used correctly and that's why they were consulted, they were not asked about the message the t-shirt conveys.

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Ok, I learned something

The only thing right about that post was that the British did invade in 1788.

We had literal race riots just a few years ago, the idea that Aboriginals have "it easy" is fictional.

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Racist ?   NO !

Correct ?   NO !

 

Stupid    YES !

 

In 1788 the Australian continent wasn't a country, there wasn't even 1 indigenous nation, the native peoples were tribal and there was 100's of different languages, yes the land was colonised and yes the aboriginal population was treated like crap, the t-shirt is just wrong, only an idiot would buy one.

 

Australia became a nation in 1901 through an act of the British Parliament, before that it was called a lot of things, Terra Australis, was the origin of the name but there a number of independent colonies before 1901 starting with New South Wales, the aboriginals of today for obvious reasons don't celebrate Jan 26 as Australia Day as it means something very different to them, they often refer to it as colonisation day.

 

The T-Shirt was not approved by the govt as many people have claimed, the govt has a department to make sure the Aussie flag is used correctly and that's why they were consulted, they were not asked about the message the t-shirt conveys.

 

The first British colony establishment was in 1788, it was the initial step that made Australia what it is today. In 1901 that was the federation of Australia which allowed Australia to have one government for all states, but the continent was known as Australia well before that.

 

In 1802 Matthew Flinders circumnavigated Australia and labeled the continent as Australia on his maps, its the first official use of the name.

 

Australia Day is to celebrate the anniversary of the 26th January 1788 when the first fleet arrived.

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The only thing right about that post was that the British did invade in 1788.

We had literal race riots just a few years ago, the idea that Aboriginals have "it easy" is fictional.

 

Ok so I was right about the first British colony establishment of Australia in 1788.

 

But these are wrong?

 

Government Benefits for being Aboriginal:

http://australia.gov.au/topics/benefits-payments-and-services/indigenous-payments-and-services

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/themes/indigenous-australians

 

Aboriginal Protests:

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3417301.htm

 

Aboriginals spiting on and burning Australian Flag:

 

Aboriginals protesting for PM to say sorry. (Last Prime Minister): (Can hear them chant 'Sorry, Sorry, Sorry' in video)

 

Even the Queen had protests on one of her visits to Australia:

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s112700.htm

 

Kevin Rudd (Australian PM saying sorry to Aboriginals for things which happened over 100 years ago)

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudd-says-sorry/2008/02/13/1202760342960.html

 

14yr Old Aboriginal boy steals car runs over two women in busy Sydney city street and Aboriginal groups later protest over Police brutality over the capture.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/anger-grows-over-police-shooting-of-joyriding-juveniles-20120423-1xhjx.html

 

Convicts being mostly farmers or having a trade and doing 7 year sentences:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia_(1788?1850)

 

"Many convicts were either skilled tradesmen or farmers who had been convicted for trivial crimes and were sentenced to seven years, the time required to set up the infrastructure for the new colony."

 

 "Rather than resorting to the use of slavery to build the infrastructure for the new colony, convict labour was used as a cheap and economically viable alternative."

 

Oh you must have meant the Big W / Aldi shoppers thing, well that's just my opinion. :)

 

Last race riot I know of was in 2005 (Cronulla) but that had nothing to do with Aboriginals, its was groups of middle-eastern/Lebanese people and groups of Australian people.

 

"On Sunday, 11 December 2005, approximately 5000 people gathered to protest against alleged incidents of assaults and intimidatory behaviour by groups of Middle Eastern looking youths from the suburbs of South Western Sydney. The crowd initially assembled without incident, but after excessive alcohol consumption, violence broke out."

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Having been there for Australia day - for most people it is a time to get together with family and have a BBQ but there is a undercurrent in the bogan quarters of people who turn it into a justification and go out attacking non-European Australians for apparently not being 'Australian enough'.

 

Btw, there is nothing redeeming about patriotism - pride in being born to a country you had no choice in being born into, it is like being proud of being born with blue eyes, hairy legs or brown hair. God knows having seen the brain washing 'pledge of allegiance' ala North Koreanish 1984'ish in the United States, the last thing Australia needs is to ramp up patriotism to American levels.

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I consider myself a reasonably sensible person, I don't celebrate Australia day by covering myself in temporary tats of the Australian flag or of the southern cross, I don't tape the Australian flag to my car or don the warpaints for my face in the colours of the flag, I guess you could say my patriotism or nationalism is pretty well subdued.  That being said I quite like the idea and look of the shirt and am pretty disappointed - but not surprised - that something so ridiculous has caused such a stir.

 

Its amazing that people will comment and get so wound over a shirt or something that can be connected via six degrees of separation to racism yet those same people don't say a damn word or lift a finger when more important debates about the future of our nation and society occur. 

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I dont see what the big deal is... 

who cares who was here first, its just a bloody shirt.

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Btw, there is nothing redeeming about patriotism - pride in being born to a country you had no choice in being born into, it is like being proud of being born with blue eyes, hairy legs or brown hair. God knows having seen the brain washing 'pledge of allegiance' ala North Koreanish 1984'ish in the United States, the last thing Australia needs is to ramp up patriotism to American levels.

you dont have choice in which parents you are born to either... just saying

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you dont have choice in which parents you are born to either... just saying

 

What has that got to do with anything? you do have a choice whether to study hard at school, whether to keep out of trouble etc. regardless of your background.

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