I was talking with a friend who has lived in Darwin in the Northern Territories of Australia. They have quite a high population of native/aboriginal Australians there. For those who are unfamiliar with their culture, they are known for pulling apart houses that government provides them with. They'll knock walls down and pull toilets out. So in the late 1980s or early 1990s government finally decided to take a different approach and ask them what they wanted from housing.
What they asked for was the floor slab with two walls which faced towards certain compass points for the best protection from the elements. Then a roof for shelter and a fire pit. So that was what was built for them. Then tourists saw their shelters and complained that the government treated them like third class citizens.
If we look into some of the history of these people there are some facts that people making assumptions from the outside have completely failed to take into account. The tribes that have lived in Darwin for tens of thousands of years adapted to a warm climate which never gets particularly cold, unlike in many other places where most “civilised” people come from. They know what works best for them in that climate and most of their living is outdoors. When Europeans came to Australia they tried various ways to integrate them in their society and they failed, because they made the assumption that the way they lived must be the way everyone should want to live.
Finally they did start, in places, to just leave them be and give back some areas as aboriginal run land. For many the damage was already done, though, and much of the knowledge handed down was lost. This housing was an attempt by local government to work with them in a way that suited them and it was shot down by “white knights” who seemed to think that it would be better to make them go back into houses which suited us, but not them.
White Knight syndrome seems to permeate everywhere. People instinctively know what is best for everyone and they will campaign to force that on everybody. We are starting to be more accepting that other cultures will do things differently, but what when somebody of our own culture doesn't do what we expect of them? Okay, we can probably tolerate the idea that some “strange” people might want to live in the woods away from the towns and cities, but surely if they try to raise children in those conditions then that could be child neglect and endangerment. A camping trip is fine and probably even an educational activity for children, but choosing to live like that with them long term is unlikely to be seen as acceptable.
When we first started campaigning for equal opportunities we wanted the chance to be able to choose our paths, whatever they may be, but now many women are frowned upon if they choose to be a housewife or stay at home mother over having a career. Do some believe that they choose this because they are being oppressed?
As we head towards a society where manual jobs are being taken over more and more by robots and artificial intelligence, many see it as a wonderful thing because they feel we shouldn't have to do menial tasks. Yet some people enjoy physical work. Someone might choose to cut their firewood with a hand saw rather than a chainsaw because they find it an enjoyable way to exercise while also being productive.
Maybe before we rush in to rescue others we should first ask if they want saving.
