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Originally Posted by ZephyrusX  * Just a side note, some of the money that Aboriginal groups in Canada receive are not 'hand outs'. That money legally belongs to them due to legally-binding treaties that were set up in the past. Basically, it was a 'we'll give you this much money every so often for the right to use your land'. Most people in the general public do not know this and some of them will begrudge Aboriginals for receiving 'free money' that was never 'free' to begin with. |
I'm not really sure how it goes in Australia? I
think that members of "The Stolen Generation" who are still alive have been financially helped out now, though they are all mostly quite old (or dead). For your regular urban aborigines though, I think they get the dole, oh and I do recall having a friend at school who had some aborigine in her and she said she was given the opportunity to go to university regardless of how well or badly she did in the final exams...which is clearly unfair to the other student population who had to study hard to pass.
The government has taken it on as the politically correct thing to do and to avoid further conflict, although they have never gone beyond peaceful protesting, or camping outside parliament for the last 30 years (yep, you read that right. There have been members of tribes who have literally been camping outside parliament house since 1972 or around then, and they still haven't left...and never will until their land is returned to them in full) I've actually met the head woman who started that all up and had the honor of participating in a healing ritual with her and many others.
They want to look good in the public eye (politicians) and after the official "Sorry" was said, which took friggin' years to just say, they seem to be happy with that. It's only because this country has started to become so litigious, like it's "Big Brother" America, that these people even considered legal actions. They just wanted their land back and an apology...not much to ask when you consider what they have been through. It all went to hell when their own people started infiltrating parliament and demanding financial remuneration...and the people themselves started to take on the thought that they can get money from "whities" if they start throwing guilt trips at us.
I've been punched in the face and decked by a 12 year old aboriginal girl, when I was at school. She had no doubt been taught to hate us whities since she could crawl. Do I blame her or her parents? No. Did I press charges? No!