The last one says it all....
The Sydney Morning Herald
Letters
13/10/2000
Hayden targets myths on Aborigines
I have a deep sense of gratitude to Bill Hayden for his University of
Tasmania speech and its clarity about the dilemma that so many
non-indigenous Aussies have about the "Aboriginal" question.
Indigenous people deserve the best life they can achieve, but I resent
the attempts by sundry Aboriginal "spokesmen" (not to mention
non-Aboriginal "sympathisers") to play upon supposed guilts about "the
stolen generations", 19th-century massacres, prior ownership of
the country, implying that non-indigenes are aliens, the First Fleet as
an "invasion", or the specious myth of up to 70,000 years of
Aboriginal cultural continuity and residence. The arguments all add up
to the pathetic plea: "You were bad to 'us'. Now you have to
repay!"
The intent of this is emotional intimidation and manipulation. Much of
it is also sad. Some of the spokespeople of the tent embassies,
who get undeserved space in the print media, have nothing worthwhile to
say.
This is terribly heart-rending when there is so much that could be said,
so much to be done constructively, as Bill Hayden has shown.
Bob March, Chatswood, October 12.
How come we managed to replace the straight-talking and unpretentious
Bill Hayden with the current sanctimonious correctoid?
Sholto Douglas, North Sydney, October 12.
Bill Hayden ... just another whitefella telling blackfellas what's best
for us.
Kevin Williams, Balmain, October 12.
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