Early anthropologists, following the theory that words determine

thought, believed that language and its structure were entirely dependent

on the cultural context which they existed. This was a logical extension 【M1】__________

of that is termed the Standard Social Science Model, which views the 【M2】__________

human mind as an indefinite malleable structure capable of absorbing any 【M3】__________

sort of culture without constraints from genetic or neurological factors.

In this vein, anthropologist Verne Ray conducted a study in the

1950s, given color samples to different American Indian tribes and 【M4】__________

asking them to give the names of the colors. He concluded that the

spectrum we see it as “green” “yellow”, etc. was an entirely arbitrary 【M5】__________

division, and each culture divided the spectrum separately. According to

that hypothesis, the divisions seen between colors are a consequence of 【M6】__________

the language we learn, and do not correspond divisions in the natural 【M7】__________

world. A similar hypothesis is upheld in the extremely popular meme of

Eskimo words for snow—common stories vary from fifty to downwards 【M8】__________

of two hundred.

Extreme cultural relativism of this type has now been clearly

refuted. Eskimos use at most twelve different words for snow, which is

not much more than English speakers and should be expected since they 【M9】__________

exist in a cold climate. The color-relativity hypothesis have now been 【M10】_________

completely debunked by more careful, thorough, and systematic studies

which show a remarkable similarity between the ways in which different

cultures divide the spectrum.

In a time not so long ago or far away, eating family dinner,

connecting with your spouse after tucking the children into bed or

talking with your children in the in-between times like the ride to school

was well, just routine.

But times have changed. Our growing cultural mindset is that we’re

so busy to connect with those closest to us, even though we collectively 【M1】__________

want to. Parents and children alike increasingly fund their downtime in 【M2】__________

phones and on social media and there’s a general sense which there’s 【M3】__________

always more. More to read, more to reply to and more to see. Because

of this pressure to always consume more, that can feel wasteful to slow 【M4】__________

down to appreciate the people in front of us, for fear that missing out on 【M5】__________

life happening elsewhere.

When it’s true that we can always consume more information, it’s 【M6】__________

not true that slowing down and taking time to connect—specially face-to- 【M7】__________

face—is a waste of time. In fact, the exact opposition is true. Making 【M8】__________

time for social connections can reduce the chances of depression and

anxiety caused loneliness. And those connections can have broader 【M9】__________

benefits as well. John Gottman notes in his book The Seven Principles

for Making Marriage Work that enhancing your “love maps”, as in your

knowledge of your spouse’s day-to-day experiences, are key to a happy, 【M10】_________

healthy marriage and a happier, healthier life.

The history of indigenous education provision throughout Australia’s

remote areas is replete with instances of neglect, infrastructure shortfalls

and systemic underfunding. Every aboriginal child deserves the best

education probable and this has patently not been the case in the past. 【M1】__________

Indeed many aboriginal children in Australia’s remote north are still

unable to attend to secondary school in their own communities and 【M2】__________

children living in very remote outstation communities are still accepting 【M3】__________

only the most rudimentary of education services.

Aboriginal people in remote Australia face a great and deep

dilemma on engaging with the current education system. On the one 【M4】__________

hand, as Wyatt implies, education can be a pathway to social mobility,

can offer great economic returns and can be the key to alleviate social 【M5】__________

disadvantage.

However, education that does not allow for learning in your own

language but that is not inclusive of your social, cultural and economic 【M6】__________

values are not empowering. It is disempowering. 【M7】__________

At its worst, education can be the tool of acculturation and 【M8】__________

assimilation for remote aboriginal people. Education can usurp local social

structures and cause deep intergenerational divisions, and

education that is not connecting to the reality of a student’s daily life in 【M9】__________

remote community can seem utterly pointless, leading to engagement. 【M10】_________