Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] NMOC:Rabbit Proof Fence

Matthew Cowdery Matthew Cowdery" <mcowd@mars.ocs.mq.edu.au
Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:35:50 +1100


The "stolen generation" policy was particularly directed at half-caste
children, most of whom were illigitimate.

At the beginning it was intended to help the children not harm them - to
give them "proper" living conditions & not "live like animals".

Most of the children were given training so that they could become maids, or
cooks, or something similar for the girls and most of the boys became
stockmen working with the sheep & cattle (& they do make brilliant
stockmen!)

Aboriginals were seen as animals with very limited or no intelligence that
you could do what you wanted with - hunting them for sport included - and
that is how they justified taking the children away from their parents.

So even though it started out with good intentions it quickly became a bit
of a monster.

Just to throw a bit of thunder around - do you think John Howard owes the
Aboriginal people an apology for the Stolen Generation?

Personally, I don't think he should apologize. He didn't have anything to do
with the policy so apologizing is admitting guilt for something he had
nothing to do with.

I think Australia as a whole (and especially the politicians involved with
dreaming up & implementing the policy) should apologize - say we are sorry
that it happened - but I don't think we can or should accept the
responsibility for it (not to mention the millions of dollars of law suits
that would follow).

Matt