Reference no: EM133608229

Assignment:

Reflective writing on the role of the media in creating the "other"

In the following exercise, you will read about and conduct some research on two different governments' apologies to their Aboriginal populations. You will analyze the specifics of both apologies and note where there is commonality.

In 2008, the Government of Australia offered an official apology for their mistreatment of the Aboriginal people. Use your favourite Internet search engine to locate, read, or view this official apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples (in text or video format).

What were some of the big issues which the government was apologizing for? Insert these in point form in one half of the Venn diagram.

Were there suggestions of reparations or restitution? If so, what were they? Again, note them in the same half of the diagram. Now, conduct some research on the Internet about the Canadian government's apology for their historical role in the residential school system, and what it did to the First Nations peoples of Canada.

Note the big issues that the government was apologizing for. What actions did they take to try and right the wrongs inflicted on native children? List these actions in the other half of the Venn diagram.

Take a look at both sides of your diagram. What concepts seem to be repeated? What items do you see in common? Note these in the middle, overlapping section of the diagram.

What do these two apologies tell you about both Canadian and Australian cultures in the past?

Now, fast forward to the present day. Read the following "article from The Globe and Mail(Opens in new window)," which is an ironic "anti-apology" from Drew Hayden Taylor. It deals with the current issues that First Nations peoples are facing, despite an apology from the Canadian government.