Aboriginal flag too valuable to use on Australia Day
News broke last week of a dispute between Aboriginal flag creator Harold Thomas and Google.
After holding a competition across Australian schools to design the Australia day ‘doodle’ (a design to replace the Google logo on the Google website), a design was chosen which featured the Aboriginal flag.
What should have been a proud day for Aboriginals and recognition through the largest online search portal in the world quickly degenerated over what anything Aboriginal boils down to;
Money.
So the story goes after student Jessie Du’s design was chosen as the winner Google contacted Thomas to use the flag as the flag itself is copyrighted for use in commercial situations.
Some to’ing and fro’ing ensued and eventually negotiations broke down. In Thomas’ own words, the reason?
“They didn’t make me an appropriate offer.”
In any case one of two things happened here;
a. One of the most profitable companies in the world offered a local Australian artist a couple of hundred dollars to use the Aboriginal flag.
b. One of the most profitable companies in the world offered a local Australian artist a sizeable amount. Due to the fact that the company is one of the most profitable in the world, the artist thought he could get more and it backfired.
What it all comes down to is exactly how much was offered, or the broader question, should anything have been offered at all?
Google make money from advertising on their search results, there’s no argument about that but surely the use of the Aboriginal flag is more beneficial to Aboriginals then Google itself.
It’s not like ‘Aboriginal’ is a money making keyword as far as advertising goes or that Google is going to make a bucketload of money showcasing the flag on their search page.
In return for using the image Aboriginals get recognition in that I’m sure out fo the millions (billions?) of searches conducted each day more then a few people are going to be curious about the image and click on it.
The irony of the whole situation treads further into ridiculous territory when on Australia Day itself we had around 100 Aboriginal protesters campaigning outside Parliament house for ‘greater recognition’.
In the digital age it’s pretty hard to beat your flag being showcased on the world’s largest search portal. That is of course if your just after recognition though.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have issued his formal apology to the stolen generations shortly after he took office but many in the indigenous community believe his words have not been backed by action.
Les Coe called on all indigenous people across the country to come together to fight for indigenous rights and welfare.
When I see the Australian flag, in any context (political protest and flag burning aside), I always get a ping of pride inside me. Not Southern cross bogan swastika pride but just that feeling of my country and belonging.
Perhaps even more so now that I’m overseas, although I’m far from ever becoming an ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!’ embarrassment.
It’s a shame that what could have been the greatest global recognition of Aborigines in Australia for years was caught up in the bitter monetary stigmata that seems to be at the heart of any Aboriginal issue raised today.
Underpinning any sign of good will or constructive progress on Aboriginal issues are stories like this. I guess in part because they showcase the true colors of those involved.
Not red white and blue, green or gold or even black, red and yellow, but rather the colors of the Australian currency.
January 31st, 2010 at 9:09 pm Yi(Quote)
i wonder how much harold wanted from google.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:25 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
My completely gut feeling of a guess puts Google’s offer in the low five figures with Harold asking for the upper range five figures.
Of course I’ve got no idea how much flag licensing costs but I reckon that’d be about right. The fact that neither party will reveal what was asked for and what was offered kinda makes me think shenadigans was happening on one or both sides of the table.
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:15 am Smithee(Quote)
I don’t think it should be called the “Aboriginal Flag” anymore. I’m now always going to call it the “Aboriginal logo”.
The whole incident speaks very loudly about what many Aboriginal campaigners have degenerated to: scumbags looking for an easy dollar.
The so-called Tasmanian aboriginies are the worst of all: they’re so white-skinned that not a single one would pass as an Aboriginal in the Northern Territory, yet they try to squeeze dollars and influence out of every project in the state.
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:31 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I don’t know about scumbags, I’d like to think that Thomas has achieved some positive recognition as an artist.
I do agree though that elements of the welfare entitlement do shine through clearly when incidents like this occur.
When the Australian goernment offers you money you just complain and get more. When an overseas company offers you money and you demand more they just walk away.
Apparently this leaves you hard done by, the company in question racist and then the headlines roll out.
Edit: Stupid shit like this makes me think twice though;
I assume that instead of stupid shit like climate change they were upset that nobody was discussing increasinging Aboriginal welfare.
I’d love to see an Aboriginal parliament too. Hello massive inflation to cope with the printing of money to buy ‘stupid shit’ with.
March 30th, 2010 at 4:42 pm Cam(Quote)
The so-called Tasmanian aboriginies are the worst of all: they’re so white-skinned that not a single one would pass as an Aboriginal in the Northern Territory, yet they try to squeeze dollars and influence out of every project in the state.
I didnt even know there were still aboriginals in Tassie!! i just thought because the last true blood died about 100 years ago, there would be no traditional owners. What Scum!!
July 6th, 2010 at 4:01 pm Luke Haralampou(Quote)
ummm… are you guys serious.
indigenous people lived sustainably on this land for longer than you can fathom. don’t you think climate change and ‘green’ politics override the fact that we have experts on the topic being ignored in the galleys.
and um… excuse me for being more than half alive but thinking that having the flag on a site like google would be a good thing for Aboriginal people is a little ‘western’ in its arguement..ie. any exposure is good exposure is not the case for people from the community you are talking.
Google does not have the right to think they can promote an idea of what being Indigenous is especially when it is so far from being understood by australian and international society.
and further more, no matter if people with aboriginal descent are ‘whiter skinned’ then yourself and others… they’ll always have a stronger claim for land. the colour of thier skin IS a result of thier ancestors being stolen, raped, institutionalised and denigrated for 220 years…and you are shocked at why they might not want to call themselves ‘white’.
This whole country is founded on stolen resources, and your upset at some scrappy compensationary handouts.
next time..
google that shit. or even better, get your ass to a university.
July 6th, 2010 at 7:48 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
You’re right. When your abusing children and drugs and drinking yourself silly 24/7 the last thing you want is exposure. Shame on Google.
Google weren’t promoting being indigenous, they ran a competition for Australia Day and a design with the Aboriginal flag won. Since when was Australia Day about being indigenous?
Sounds like Aryan talk to me. If the rest of the world can deal with outsiders ‘polluting’ their superior racial genepool then the Aborigines can get over it too.
I don’t particularly care what they call themselves. As long as they live in Australia they’re Australians and should be treated like the rest of us. This means being privvy to ridicule when trying to exploit any cultural opportunity to make a quick buck, the same as any other Australian would.