Mrrzy, I didn't get your reference earlier to Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben but there was an article in Oz ABC News about the brand names. Now I get it.

What worries me is whether the marketing people will decide to not use African-American people at all in their ads, so the Black people will become even less present in advertising and risk becoming more invisible in perceptions of what is a "normal" social mix.

It's a social minefield, I think.

Australia has a long, long way to go in reaching equality and recognition of our First Nations people, so I know we are not beyond blame as a society, but there are some deeply embedded social expectations and protections in our society which appear to be sadly lacking in the U.S.

For a start, in Oz there are a whole host of laws against discrimination, and racial, ethnic or homophobic vilification, and there are stringent police procedures and protocols, etc etc. Yes, those protections are violated at times, much more than they should be, but the government takes proactive steps to safeguard these protections, and also although there are some media outlets which like stirring up trouble, our national broadcasting network is fair, balanced, and factual, and sometimes can determinedly and persistently push the politicians and people in power into very sticky corners if they are not doing the right thing.

So, there are rules and accepted processes but they are not just empty words on paper, stored on a dusty shelf - most of the time.

I know we can do better, and it's time we pulled out all the stops to sort out the constitution around First Nations peoples rights, but compared to how far the U.S. has to go, we're a bit further up the road to a balanced and fair society, in my opinion.