Just a quick one for today that I might actually deliver upon. Today was 'Sorry Day' and the Rudd government finally did what so many governments before them failed to bring themselves to do. Many might argue that the move is largely useless as it happened such a long time ago and we are not directly responsible for the actions of those before us. But really the move is symbolic of the present day to acknowledge the mistakes and sins of the past in order to allow everyone to move on and attempt to rectify the awful situation the Aboriginal population are in compared to the rest of the population. Saying sorry does not make it all better right away, but at least it's the first step in the right direction.
The only reason I felt compelled to write something is because of the reaction the apology got in certain quarters. Listening to Nova at work, I was led to their site (don't know how long this page will be up for... look for post 154. It summarises what's wrong with everyone there) where they had a forum going on. Reading the reaction of people there made me think there are too many bogans with access to a computer. Bigoted comments from people with a stereotypical impression of the Aboriginal community as lazy drunk dole bludgers really make me wonder if we've suddenly gone back to a less inclusive society over the course of the Howard years.
Are people that selfish that they shudder at the thought of using "our taxpayer dollars" to fund projects that improve their way of life? Someone there even cited the "upward turn on inflation" any compensation or addition funding for projects might have. Obviously nothing else matters when you're overextending your budget to pay off your mortgages, plasma TVs and private school fees. If I was a hyper aggressive person I'd tell one of these forum posters to take their next tax cut and shove it up their arse. The black man won't get your precious money as long as it's up there. Oh look, I've resorted to generalising too. Hush, while no one else is looking...
Strangely looking at the comments made on The Age, the comments are largely in favour of the apology, regardless of its merits. I'd look up the Herald Sun page but I'm afraid I have a good idea of what I'd be getting there.
If nothing else, today we should be sorry for people who think like the typical Nova listener.
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