once a label is applied, it can be surprisingly difficult to peel off

are we all just labels?

As a poet, Samuel Wagon Watson's writing is shaped by the vulnerability of his own experiences and perceptions of the world around him. He provides readers with a BRUTALLY honest insight into how concepts of disconnection from land, culture, and language have impacted not only himself, but the greater Indigenous community. 

‘labelled’ by Samuel Wagan Watson delves into the experience of being “labelled” (as the title would suggest) and stereotypes, specifically as an Indigenous Australian. It explores the frustration and alienation that comes with being reduced to simplistic and derogatory titles imposed by the dominant Anglo-Australian culture. This mistreatment of Aboriginal people can be categorised under these different categories/labels: the ancestry of Indigenous Australians via their bloodline, and the dehumanisation of Aboriginal people – which leads to some SHOCKING shade thrown onto the Melbourne Cup.

labelled

                    the doctors probed 

                    while I persisted stamping my hooves

                    on the cold floor of the locked ward

                    "Mr Watson ... you don't eat grass!"

                    "Crap!" I flared.

        

                    hooves tap, clop, tok, tap...

                   "Molasses, salt tablets. Now!" I snarled.

                    "Mr Watson ... why these antics?!"

                    "Let be out of here ... I'm a winner ... I have a Cup to win!"

    

                    "Mr Watson ... you're not a race horse ... you're a human being!"

                    Oh yeah?

                    all my life I've been under some kind of label—

                    full blood?

                    half blood...

                    half breed!

                    half caste—

                    and even questioned about being 

                    a quadroon

                    well

                    with magnificent bloodlines like that

                    I decided

                    I must be a goddamned pedigree of some sort!

this kind of discrimination is a stain on their bloodline

                    Oh yeah?                    

                    all my life I've been under some kind of label—

                    full blood?

                    half blood...

                    half breed!

                    half caste—

                    and even questioned about being 

                    a quadroon

                    well

                    with magnificent bloodlines like that

                    I decided

                    I must be a goddamned pedigree of some sort!

The phrase “Oh yeah?” is a conversational and confrontational rhetorical question, conveying DEFIANCE (slay 💅) as Watson challenges the attempt of being labelled and defined, like the girlboss he is. This expression embodies resistance, emphasising his refusal to conform to societal expectations or be confined by external categorizations (as he should). The phrase being used on a separate line creates pause between the lines, positioning the readers to ponder upon his challenge. Watson’s typical style of writing poetry involves the lack of capitalization which acts as a form of resistance against traditional literature writing. The capitalization of “Oh” portrays Watson's frustration and anger towards being placed under labels relating to bloodline and heritage.

Applying a post-colonial lens, readers can associate the use of these DEROGATORY terms of Aboriginal bloodlines, directly to Australia’s dark ages of convict farmers, where racial hierarchies were based on heritage and one's bloodlines (and in full honesty: skin colour as well) and were used to justify the oppression, discrimination, harassment, bullying, murdering, and last but not least... COLONIAL GENOCIDE of Indigenous people. 

Quick history lesson: from 1910 to the 1940s, Anglo-Australians classified Indigenous people by their bloodline as:

1. 
   Full blood: a person of unmixed ancestry (no "white" blood - because blood is red 🤓)
   
2. Half caste: a derogatory term referring to someone with parents of different races (ONE white parent) 
3. Quadroon: ANOTHER derogatory term referring to someone who is one quarter black by descent (a person with an Aboriginal grandfather
   or grandmother)
4. Others: you're getting discriminated against anyways because society back then sucked (still does tbh)

The phrase “well/with magnificent bloodlines like that” utilises irony and sarcasm of "✨mAgniFicEnt✨bloodlines”, the poet mocks the arbitrary significance placed on lineage and heritage as a measure of worth or identity, mocking these 1D models of Aboriginality™ (1D shapes are only lines... a bloodline... HAHAH, which is why it's stupid to categorise people that way). This ironic statement critiques the obsession with bloodlines, suggesting that the very concept of a ✨magnificent✨ heritage is a social construct that holds no inherent value. The use of the word "magnificent" is significant because it juxtaposes the societal glorification of having a pure bloodline with the poet's contempt for such meaningless measures of identity. This satirical phrasing positions the audience to question the validity and relevance of these imposed labels.

Similarly, the following phrase “I decided/I must be a goddamned pedigree of some sort” also applies irony to portray the poet’s DISGUST at being nerfed by societal values. The poet's resistance to being defined by bloodlines and being mistreated challenges the audience to ponder upon the broader implications such as discrimination of these hereditary biases. The simping for a "pure" and "untainted" bloodline is a result of ideologies like social Darwinism, which falsely applies the principles of natural selection to human groups and races. This perspective historically results in discriminatory practices that measure human worth by superficial qualities such as race, lineage, and heritage. 

      Moreover, the list of the various bloodlines: "fuLL blOoD", "hAlF bLoOd" and "qUadRooN", represents the DEHUMANISATION of Aboriginal people which leads onto my next point...

did white people think Aboriginal people were human? neigh

                    the doctors probed 

                    while I persisted stamping my hooves

                    on the cold floor of the locked ward

                    "Mr Watson ... you don't eat grass!"

                    "Crap!" I flared.

        

                    hooves tap, clop, tok, tap...

                   "Molasses, salt tablets. Now!" I snarled.

Molasses are added to horse feed to increase palatability and to provide a quick source of energy. Salt tablets are used to replenish electrolytes lost in sweat. This is particularly useful for race horses, doing strenuous exercise (racing). Molasses and salt tablets are specific and necessary to horses (so that they can EAT and leave no crumbs), but they make absolutely NO SENSE in relation to humans. This represents the often misguided "care" imposed on Aboriginal communities by colonials, such as the Stolen Generation - which aimed to "improve" the lives of First Nations people by assimilating them into white society. When Mr Watson snarls this demand for nourishment, this suggests a rude command which can be associated with the stereotypes associated with Aboriginal people as they were portrayed as criminals in the past.

Moreover, Watson applies onomatopoeia in the line "tap, clop, tok, tap". These words imitate the sounds of horses' hooves, suggesting the parallel between Aboriginal people and horses. The short diction of these horse-like sounds creates a rhythmic quality, suggesting the agitation and restlessness of the persona which represents Watson's frustration of the dehumanisation of Aboriginal people (and the insane aura loss at being associated with an animal). Additionally, the auditory imagery in the sounds of the stamping of the hooves "on the cold floor of the locked ward" evokes a sense of isolation, which symbolises the distress that Indigenous Australians experienced having been mistreated and dehumanised. They've been confined, chained and whipped. Sounds familiar? Bet. This leads back to the parallel between the mistreatment of horses and mistreatment of Indigenous Australians.

The comparison of Aboriginal people and horses is significant, as horses are associated with labour - due to their history of being used on farms. The labour that horses have been subject to is parallel to the labour that Aboriginal people experienced – they were LITERALLY and METAPHORICALLY chained like horses. 

 

Is this Animal Farm? (spoiler: the horse died of exploitation and overwork) 

Speaking of animal abuse. Specifically horse abuse. Does that ring any bells?

can the nation stop the race?

                "Let me out of here ... I'm a winner ... I have a Cup to win!"

The symbol of the word ‘Cup’ is a reference to the Melbourne Cup, the ONLY Australian event people care about (because AFL sucks, don't argue with me). The capitalisation of the word ‘Cup’ emphasizes how significant this event is to Australian culture. However, some shade has been thrown on this glorified event due to the behind the scenes.

ABC News "Melbourne Cup day raises complicated feelings about horse racing for many Australians", RNZ "Melbourne Cup: Activists want to stop the race that stops two nations", Tasmanian Times "151 Horses Died on Australian Racecourses in 2023-24 Season". All of these articles were written last year during the Melbourne Cup season. These articles reveal the abuse that horses experience in these celebrated events. Tasmanian Times states that over a hundred horses died on the tracks during the 2023/24 season, which equated to 3 horses being KILLED every WEEK. 

If the lives of horses are worth so little, what about our lives? Are we just simply an entity in the matrix? This positions readers to acknowledge the extent to which Indigenous Australians were mistreated, in the way that they were considered to be just like animals.

Colonisers, just go back to your stable.

peeling off the label

"labelled" ultimately becomes a call for recognition, emphasizing the importance of seeing individuals for who they truly are, rather than for their ancestry, as well as address the struggles that Indigenous Australians experienced as they were dehumanised and discriminated against. Watson achieves this by comparing the treatment of Aboriginal people to the mistreatment of horses, revealing the behind the scenes of the Melbourne Cup. I can say that Watson successfully removed the labels applied to Aboriginal people. 

                    "Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people"

                           — Martina Navratilova

related articles

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-05/melbourne-cup-australians-wrestle-own-feelings-towards-racing/104558456 
• https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/532941/melbourne-cup-activists-want-to-stop-the-race-that-stops-two-nations 
• https://tasmaniantimes.com/2024/10/151-horses-died-on-australian-racecourses-in-2023-24-season/

 

word count: 1318 words (excluding poem/extracts from poem)