Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Running head: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE 2
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Our perception concerning various people, issues and places is usually influenced by
our environment (Short, 2016). There are different kinds of environment that influence such
perception. These include family, school and the literature that one interacts with (Alesina,
Algan, Cahuc and Giuliano, 2015). There are several factors that have shaped the view that I
have concerning the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander People. This assignment is
going to focus on these factors. Specifically, the assignment will focus on family values and
attitudes, school education, personal experiences, mass media, and literature.
I come from a family where human life is greatly valued. From a very early age, I was
taught to regard every person with the highest form of respect and never to despise anyone.
This seems to be analogous to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United
Nations which stipulates that every human on earth should be accorded the highest form of
dignity. Therefore, I grew to treasure any person I came across and never wanted to harm or
be in the wrong with any person. This family value and attitude towards human life have
influenced my personal views of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As far as I
am concerned, I view them as equal human beings who deserve to be accorded the highest
form of dignity. Although I was raised in a modern way, my family regarded highly any
person despite their cultural or religious background. Due to this, I view the culture of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as great and one that should be respected.
School education is a powerful tool in changing an individual’s perceptions about life,
people and places (Luke, 2018). During my school life, I have learned a lot about the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I have learned that despite the great changes
that have taken place due to the process of civilization, they have largely chosen to maintain
their traditional culture. This strikes me and has made me think highly of them. It does not