I want to make this post separately because I know this is one of those insidious misinformation spiels that seep into regular Australian conversations.
Aboriginal is not a bad word. It's an identity. The idea that it means "original people" is true, sure, but it's just one of the many words that mean Indigenous to the land. All countries have their own version. That does not negate it's meaning as an identity.
You need to understand that what they called us before is a slur. Aborigines is a slur, and it still comes up when you search Aboriginal People. There are people in tumblr who still tag posts with that. Australians even.
It was our Elders, that fought hard to change the name from Aborigines to Aboriginal People. They fought during the White Australia Policy, they fought during the Stolen Generations and they still fight today. I say Elders, because they're still alive. The Uluru Statement From The Heart was proposed by Elders.
I won't let you dismiss and undermine the very identity of our people, the identity that my people fought to carve out, so that the later generations could hold their head up high. So the horrors of the past would never be forgotten, but would never be repeated.
I simply, will not let you disrespect the Elders that came before us in that way.
Call me Aboriginal, capitalise the 'A' and if anyone ever tells you that Aboriginal is not a real name for our people, tell them to shut the fuck up.
