Greens’ Lidia Thorpe fights oppression from Qantas lounge; Disney goes Snow Woke

Lidia Thorpe posts a tweet from the Qantas Chairman's Lounge.

As someone who considers himself an ally of the marginalised, I am painfully conscious my white privilege sometimes blinds me to their oppression. Henceforth I resolve to do better.

With that in mind, as well as the saying ‘Walk a mile in my shoes,’ I intend surrendering my standard Qantas Lounge membership in return for admittance to the airline’s exclusive Chairman’s Lounge. Once inside I will stand, or rather sit, in solidarity with Greens senator and Indigenous woman Lidia Thorpe, whose privations are such they would make you weep.

This will not be without sacrifice on my part, for I have never been in the Chairman’s Lounge. Being a creature of habit, I will find it unsettling trying to familiarise myself with new surroundings. It will mean foregoing ham and cheese toasties and standard-fare grog for canapes and seafood washed down with Australia’s finest wines. But if that is what it takes to experience what Thorpe calls her “inter-generational trauma,” so be it.

Last week Thorpe posted on Facebook a selfie of herself at that luxurious retreat, adding she was there by invitation. The importance of her stressing this is crucial. One does not apply to join the Chairman’s Lounge; rather, one is asked, and one is asked only if one is a very, very important person, for example, someone from a minor party appointed recently to fill a casual Senate vacancy. Hopefully, Qantas will make an exception for me.

Good to see @lidia__thorpe decrying racism and her lack of privilege from the Chairman's Lounge. pic.twitter.com/6318W4My1k

— Ben Hopkins (@BenHopkinsAus) May 5, 2021

Thorpe at a 2017 protest in Melbourne. Picture: AAP

Whilst in the lounge, Thorpe and I could discuss ways of decolonising Australia. As you can tell by the image she posted, the consequences of the invasion have been devastating for her, hence the ‘Stolenwealth’ T-shirt featuring the Commonwealth coat of arms. In trying to find common ground I will tell Thorpe I fervently share her belief in calling out freeloaders.

To maximise my empathy, I am prepared to accept a taxpayer-funded salary equivalent to Thorpe’s, that being a paltry $211,250 plus numerous allowances.

In return I will tweet the occasional snarky sentiment about settlers paying the rent, or refer disparagingly to the “colonial constitution,” or snigger on social media about the “beginning of the end for the colonisers” immediately following the death of the patriarch of the British royal household. In other words, real bang for your buck stuff.

Beginning of the End for the Colonisers.

— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@lidia__thorpe) April 10, 2021

Unkind and ignorant observers have criticised Thorpe for her supposed hypocrisy and boastfulness in telling the world she had been invited to this exclusive den of luxury. This is a mischaracterisation. This Gunnai-Gunditjmara woman was in fact demonstrating her bravery in the whitest of white spaces, and her grin belied the repugnance she must have felt for the invaders’ decadence.

When formally admitted to the Senate last year, Thorpe – having told constituents she “would be a senator for all Victorians” – gave the Black Power salute by raising her right fist. Doing so, she told Al Jazeera, was “a sign of resistance and as a sign of our struggle and in solidarity with black people across the world”.

I do not doubt Thorpe’s determination or tenacity, but I fear her struggle will be a long one. It could mean many Senate terms, many years drawing a parliamentary salary, much tedious reconciling of accommodation and travel allowance claims with the Department of Finance, and many hours resting her derriere on the plush cushions of the Chairman’s Lounge as she thinks of additional ways to convey her incessant grievances.

I look forward to providing you with updates about my empathy expedition. Oh and Qantas, any chance of making those arrangements by midday tomorrow?

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Legend has it that when entrepreneur and animator Walt Disney died in 1966, his body was cryogenically frozen. If ever he is revived, the former Republican and conservative may regret having cheated death. As the Washington Post reported last week, the chairman of Disney parks, Josh D’Amaro, has announced the corporation is reviewing its sites to “examine … history with a more critical eye” with a view to “a bigger emphasis on inclusion”.

I did not know that inclusion was an issue in Disneyland. For as long as I can remember, its parks were open to everyone, regardless of colour, creed, belief, gender or sexuality, provided they coughed up an exorbitant sum for a day ticket. Still, D’Amaro’s strategy is sound. You can never have too much inclusion.

“We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney,” wrote D’Amaro in his blog last month, announcing that inclusion is now a permanent consideration in every decision relating to the corporation’s parks. “And we want our cast members — and future cast members — to feel a sense of belonging at work.”

This will involve “flexibility around costume choices, nail styles, jewellery, visible tattoos and gender-inclusive hairstyles,” according to the Washington Post. Fair enough. If your company is famous for a story about a baby elephant that can fly, then there is no inconsistency in its chairman affirming his belief that one can possess a pair of testicles yet identify as a woman.

Presumably, this will lead to fun parks where no progressive truths are questioned and no-one can be offended, which arguably will live up to Disney’s motto of “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Sadly, this has not yet been realised. According to USA Today, when one Amanda Cruz went to Disneyland last week, she was forced to have an “uncomfortable” conversation with her eight-year-old son after they went on the Snow White ride. “Why did they only kiss when she was asleep,” asked the boy regarding the scene where the handsome prince rouses the maiden from her slumber with a peck on the lips.

Prince Charming is under fire for kissing a sleeping Snow White.

If anything, I was puzzled why it took Cruz’s son so long to realise the inappropriateness of this display. “Father, this is indicative of a heteronormative bias,” my then four-year son protested when we saw a similar exhibition many years ago. “In addition to the overtones of misogyny and patriarchy, I see an anti-vegan agenda in the exhibitors’ purporting that an apple was responsible for Snow White’s comatose state,” he added.

The San Francisco Chronicle has also raised concerns. “A kiss he gives to her without her consent, while she’s asleep, which cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it’s happening,” wrote Disney contributing editor Julie Tremaine and managing editor Katie Dowd. “Haven’t we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue? That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn’t been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?”

It calls for a revamp way beyond an unsolicited kiss I say. I do not wish to kill the romance, but perhaps scriptwriters could subtly introduce a defibrillator or cattle prod to bring the young woman back to life. While they are it, they could ensure she reflects modern values. Snow White could retain her skin tone but identify as a person of colour. As to who should voice her character, I am thinking either former NAACP activist Rachel Dolezal or Democrats senator Elizabeth Warren.

The dwarf names could do with an overhaul as well to be more representative. Instead of Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy and Grumpy they will be known as Needy, Non-binary, Teary, Transitionary, Imbecility, Intersectionality and Sustainability. On that note, the term ‘dwarf’ is problematic, given it is highly offensive to midgets. We should just call this Snow Woke and be done with it.

The last word about the infamous kiss should be left to Tremaine and Dowd. “Still, with the twinkling lights all around and the gorgeous special effects, that final scene is beautifully executed — as long as you’re watching it as a fairy tale, not a life lesson.” You don’t say? The kids get it. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of adults.