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Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'
My Tidda, My Sister: Stories of Strength and Resilience from Australia's First Women by Marlee Silva
2 reviews
littlewishling's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
A really quick and insightful read that I would recommend to everyone. I’d love to look at a physical copy because I think the formatting is a bit off in the Ebook but otherwise really good.
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Genocide
hyacinthed's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I have complicated feelings about this collection of essays. My review would be bereft without first acknowledging the massive effect that positionality has on my interpretation of this book and its legacy - as a white woman living on stolen Whadjuk Noongar land, I have no cultural authority to pass judgement on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that choose to share their stories in essays like those published in My Tidda, My Sister. Instead, I look towards blog posts* that serve to immortalise complex aspects of the Silvas' legacy, incidents of which have been neatly and precisely scrubbed from social media with the deletion of @Tiddas4tiddas on Instagram, a move which permanently erases countless hours of emotional labour contributed by a wide section of the online community.
Chiefly, @Tiddas4tiddas, while seeking to uplift Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, fell into a pattern of showcasing stories that reinforced hegemonic and assimilationist beliefs about Aboriginal success. The stories shared on the account feature tales of university life, professional careers and advocacy work that is in diametric opposition to conservative views of Aboriginal people. The sisters, while given countless opportunities to share actual advocacy work with their followers - information about how mandatory sentencing disproportionately affects Aboriginal people, as one example - in favour of presenting stories that would be deemed as acceptable and praiseworthy by white-dominated media.
That is without acknowledging the complexities of commodifying the lived experiences of those who have experienced immense hardship, trauma, and racism at the hands of intergenerational trauma and the continued legacies of colonialism. When sharing stories becomes an act designed to achieve financial profit with the intellectual property rights being handed back to the Silvas, it becomes a challenge to uphold My Tidda, My Sister as a work that challenges, instead of upholds, traditional forms of exploitation.
The decision to delete @tiddas4tiddas under the guise of 'tall poppy syndrome' run rampant, with the Silvas claiming personal attacks as a major factor, is dismissive to the real concerns raised by the community. As white-passing Indigenous folk, it raised eyebrows when images of the sisters as young adults surfaced, images of the women celebrating Australia Day, social media posts in which the n-word was used liberally.
Asking for accountability and reflection is not cultural violence. As self-appointed spokespeople for Aboriginal women, the Silvas have a lot to answer for, particularly as they continue to accept interviews and podcast invitations and the like without critically addressing the complexities behind their success.
*While there was once more posts available about the sisters and their book, only two remain widely available, and are linked below.
Kathleen Taylor Media (Aug 14, 2020). Tiddas4Tiddas or Tiddas4Money. https://kathleentaylormedia.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/tiddas4tiddas-or-tiddas4money/
Ngoodjida (Dec 1, 2020). Cultural Accountability: What is it and How Does it Work in 2020? https://www.ngoodjida.com/articles/cultural-accountability-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work-in-2020-1
Chiefly, @Tiddas4tiddas, while seeking to uplift Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, fell into a pattern of showcasing stories that reinforced hegemonic and assimilationist beliefs about Aboriginal success. The stories shared on the account feature tales of university life, professional careers and advocacy work that is in diametric opposition to conservative views of Aboriginal people. The sisters, while given countless opportunities to share actual advocacy work with their followers - information about how mandatory sentencing disproportionately affects Aboriginal people, as one example - in favour of presenting stories that would be deemed as acceptable and praiseworthy by white-dominated media.
That is without acknowledging the complexities of commodifying the lived experiences of those who have experienced immense hardship, trauma, and racism at the hands of intergenerational trauma and the continued legacies of colonialism. When sharing stories becomes an act designed to achieve financial profit with the intellectual property rights being handed back to the Silvas, it becomes a challenge to uphold My Tidda, My Sister as a work that challenges, instead of upholds, traditional forms of exploitation.
The decision to delete @tiddas4tiddas under the guise of 'tall poppy syndrome' run rampant, with the Silvas claiming personal attacks as a major factor, is dismissive to the real concerns raised by the community. As white-passing Indigenous folk, it raised eyebrows when images of the sisters as young adults surfaced, images of the women celebrating Australia Day, social media posts in which the n-word was used liberally.
Asking for accountability and reflection is not cultural violence. As self-appointed spokespeople for Aboriginal women, the Silvas have a lot to answer for, particularly as they continue to accept interviews and podcast invitations and the like without critically addressing the complexities behind their success.
*While there was once more posts available about the sisters and their book, only two remain widely available, and are linked below.
Kathleen Taylor Media (Aug 14, 2020). Tiddas4Tiddas or Tiddas4Money. https://kathleentaylormedia.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/tiddas4tiddas-or-tiddas4money/
Ngoodjida (Dec 1, 2020). Cultural Accountability: What is it and How Does it Work in 2020? https://www.ngoodjida.com/articles/cultural-accountability-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work-in-2020-1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, Bullying, and Genocide
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, and Violence
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