Social media is evil.

[Robin4]

@Kath9 from Albany made a great comment today! She said...."Hang in there @Airbnb - this to shall pass!."...and it will.

My concern is that social media sites...and I guess we could put the CC in this category, search for dud content.

If I use America as an example, over here in Australia we only see the best and the worst of America, we don’t get to hear or see that vast middle ground where nothing newsworthy happens. For that reason outsiders tend to see the US as a nation of extremes.

For argument sake, a Utube video will show a street interviewer in Chicago, Memphis, Wichita, asking those that pass on the sidewalk, “Where is Australia?” and half of them don’t even want to volunteer an answer they just shrug their shoulders. Of the other half, 50% of them will say it’s in Europe or in the south Atlantic ocean, only 5% will have a stab at where on the globe Australia is.

We in Australia look at this and go….”You have to kidding, how does the bulk of that nation actually make it to adulthood!

The thing they don’t reveal is 80% of the people stopped knew exactly where Australia was, the video producer just didn’t think that 80% was worth showing in the video clip.

We don't get an accurate representation on social media, we see the extremes.

Airbnb has done sh*t loads of good, I have loved my association with Airbnb, and they have never done the wrong thing by me.....they send me guests and pay me....all 370 of them over the past 4 years, never missed once!

I am cross that the management try to fudge their way around issues, but @Kath9 has a good point, the company have been good for us, sure it hasn't been perfect, and there are many legitimate complaints in any business venture, Christ, I copped enough in mine! Running a business is hard, you can't be all things to all people.....and at times I think we need to remember that! 

Social media does not necessarily makes us better informed, it just polarises us!

Cheers.......Rob

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Kath9 , "Don't forget Men at Work", "Do you come from the land down-under"?   Now Im going to try to blow your mind.  I actually have held some pretty famous paintings created not far from where you live from the Carrolup/ Merribank Community painted by Aboriginal orphan Children in the 1940's.  They are beautiful pieces we repatriated a couple years ago from our University Collection.  Their story is incredible and the collection is worth a drive to see if you get a chance.  JR 

[Kath9]

@Melodie-And-John0, wow, that's so interesting! The Carrolup/Marribank communities were near Katanning, which is not far from here at all. Were you personally involved in repatriating the paintings back to Katanning?

However, I do have to make the point that 'orphan' is probably not correct (although likely to be the official story). I don't know how much non-Australians know about the Stolen Generations, but it was a widespread and overt government practice that took place throughout most of the 20th century in which Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families and taken to boarding houses where they were trained to work for white people. The Bringing Them Home report estimated that around 100,000 children were stolen. In 2008, our then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, issued a formal apology to our First Nations people. So, it is highly likely that these 'orphans' weren't orphans at all but had been stolen from their families.

Anyway, I'd love to go and see that exhibition one day. I'll put it on my post-corona bucket list!

[Kath9]

I just learnt this from Wikipedia:

The "lost" collection of Carrolup children's art was made by Florence Rutter, principally to exhibit and sell on behalf of the children, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, through the Aboriginal Children's Trust that she set up in London. The collection includes a personal selection that Florence made for both herself and her family. However, she lost all her own money, together with that held by the Trust, to a con man. Destitute, she advertised its availability and was able to sell it to Herbert Mayer of New York city.

Rutter died in 1958, her dreams shattered. Some say she died of a broken heart. Herbert Mayer gifted the collection to his old university, Colgate, in upstate New York in 1966. This is the collection that Howard Morphy "found" at the Picker Gallery at Colgate University in 2004. A year later, Athol Farmer, Ezzard Flowers and John Stanton travelled to the United States to inspect the collection and to select items for inclusion in the 2006 "Koorah Coolingah" exhibition at Katanning.

I see that you work at Colgate. You're not the 'John Stanton' mentioned above are you?

Katanning is about an hour and half's drive from here. My own back yard... amazing that I learnt about this from a couple of upstate New Yorkers! Thanks @Melodie-And-John0!

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Kath9 That is and awesome yet awful history all in the same sentence, I knew some of that but had forgotten some of the gory details associated with it.  I am not John Stanton, I am however John Robinson and your correct, I have worked for that 200 year old University, Colgate for about 25 years.

 Although my primary job is "Chemistry Instrument Technician", I also have additional duties as an Artwork Preparator for our 4 galleries (there is a long story about how that began about 20 years ago).  The artwork I work with is generally Techno/ Progressive Art that has motion, sound, video, light and other physical action associated with it, no painting, pictures or busts.  That has allowed me private viewings, access and background with many shows and private collection items that I didn't actually have any part of installing including the Carrolup children's art collection.  I also have a personal story about one of the more major pieces in that collection that unfortunately I cannot share with anyone that caused me to become a Carrolup caretaker in a way or two.  The Pastels paintings are literally one of a kind, alive, brilliant and spectacular works, while many of us were sad to see the collection go, were so happy its now back where it belongs in the land down-under!  I hope you get a chance to see it when walkabouts become OK again, well worth the 1.5 hour trip.  Stay well, JR

[Sandra126]

I'm from Sweden, but many people say oh, Switzerland! Same same. Both start with an s.

[Fred13]

Don't forget that decisive following 'w' in both names, that is surely the clincher. 

[Sandra126]

Yes @Fred13 . You are from Belgium I see. 

[Stephanie]

Hej da @Sandra126 ! Didn't know you from Sweden! 

[Melodie-And-John0]

My first four in the Regular Army I met folks from all over the country and world and inevitably one of the first things we would learn was what state or country someone was from.  When I would say New York, the next thing I would here was "The City?".   I had a canned response which went something like this, "New York is not just a big city, its actually a giant state that is 90% country, I could lose that city in my back yard".  It varied a bit but that was the essence.

When I was young, not so long ago, most of my neighbors never traveled past the county line and got most if their education from The Fonze, Archie Bunker, Vietnam and Walter Cronkite, those things they didn't relate to they just accepted in their understanding (and maybe a little help from the neighbors Encyclopedia).  The fact that most slightly educated people today have any idea about most of these places and people is a true testament about just how far we have come in such a relatively short time.  It was not all that long ago (100 years or so, peanuts as history goes) that only the most highly educated, the wealthiest and Military knew anything about anywhere or anyone more than a few days ride on a horse or coach.   

I learn something and sometimes many things everyday, sometimes from this board, at the University I work when I'm not Coviding and even my phone sends me breaking news.  Sometimes its hard to sort the maggots from the rice but when it comes to learnin' but we are doing better everyday around the world and that's a great thing.  Stay well everyone!  JR

[Robin4]

@Melodie-And-John0 

Cheers......Rob

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Robin4 , Rob, I so love The Far Side!  That one is perfect!, JR

[Robin4]

@Melodie-And-John0 

I promise you John.....I have a cartoon for every occasion, much like movies!

I have over 1,000 movies downloaded and for guests use. I have every movie of any note since Georges Males 'Trip to the moon' released in September 1902.

The interesting thing about that film, it was the first film released in colour.....every frame was hand painted!! Nobody could see it in colour until the 1950s when colour was introduced and it was re-released.....anyone who tells you that "Becky Sharp" was the first movie released in colour,  is wrong! 

I have the best 10 films from every year since 1910.

Just a small selection of what I have on file on one of three hard drives.......

Click image to enlarge......

Cheers......Rob

[Melodie-And-John0]

Wow Rob @Robin4 , thats impressive, nobody should say they didn't have anything to do on a rainy day while they stayed with you.   BTW, my top 5 comedy's  of all times are Blazing Saddles, Airplane, Spaceballs and Anything Marx Bros or Monty Python.  JR

[Ute42]

.

Hi @Robin4  

in Your opening post You wrote:

• 50% of all americans will say Australia is in Europe

Well, that is not true and I have 3 strong points to prove it.

• I live in Europe and have visited all european countries by car. Never did I cross a boarder with a sign „Australia“.
  
  

• On mainland Europe we drive on the right side of the street as opposed to the left side as You do in Australia. To be correct there are 2 little offshore countries with left-hand traffic. One of them is the UK, but they have pretty much bailed out of Europe recently. The second one is Ireland. But look at the size of Ireland, this can't be Australia. I don't want to get too much into comparing the size of ireland to australia though, bc my friend @Susan17  lives there and I don't want to hurt her feelings.
  
  

• Third, I've never seen a kangaroo over here and so haven't all of my friends and family.

I believe my third bulletpoint with the kangaroos is the strongest one. You stated in another thread that the average australian bumps into 2,5 kangaroos in his or her lifetime. Over here this figure is zero. European insurance companies report absolutely no kangaroos involved in wildlife car-accidents at all.

Robin, let's face it: Australia being in Europe is fake news. It makes no sense to spend much time with this statement.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Ute42 ,    grüß Gott, true words your saying, I can attest to that at least in the former W Germany (never saw any jumbo hoppers but I certainly enjoyed my share of Hops.  You do however have some Tiny little deer, very nasty Wild Boers and extremely expensive chickens to avoid hitting with any US Army vehicles.  JR