If aboriginals are an evolving people then Greer makes some fair points. Of course the racist policies that flowed from the belief in the evolution myth are crap. Violence is prevalent because of alcohol and no real family structure. Many men in prison worry all day long about who their 'latest' woman is with. Tribal fighting often flows from this jealousy and bitterness. We all know children are far more likely to be abused by stepfathers and this is one reason why rates are so high among aboriginals. May be the Christian teaching of faithfulness to one's spouse and children is not pc because many whites like to indulge in all sorts of hanky panky but no doubt it would reduce violence. Handing the teenagers condoms has proven only to increase abuse, sexually transmitted disease and violence. Again our leftist policies of the last 60 years or so has failed miserably. In fact it is our lack of morality in the name of civil rights as white people that has contributed so much to the degradation of the aboriginals. At least they don't murder their unborn for convenience sake like we do.

I think there are many who don't care or read about anything Germaine Greer has to say.

I wonder whether one of the underlying problems in discussions about indigenous issues is the way 'culture' is used by both sides. I think there are two problems with the way the term is used. The first is that culture and society are too often used interchangeably, when culture actually refers to the habits of behaviour of people within a society. The second problem is that too much discussion appears based on the notion that a culture is immutable.

Cultures change constantly. The changes during and after the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions and in Australia after WW2 are good examples. Aboriginal culture has changed and continues to change. As a society we need to acknowledge this and resist the temptation to see Aboriginal culture as eternally rooted in a kind of 'noble savage' past. I vividly remember Noel Pearson asking, during a typically passionate address, "Why can't an Aboriginal person become an expert in Russian literature?". Pearson, Marcia Langton and many others are examples of people who have both remained engaged with evolving Aboiginal cultures and integrated into the broader Australian society.

Once we recognise this possibility and stop patronising Aboriginal people by romanticising white versions of their supposed culture, we can begin to address the deeper issues of indigenous disadvantage in this country.

It isn't just the lefty whites who romanticise the Aboriginal culture, they do it themselves too. The problem is that in too many areas they have evolved into a culture where sitting under a tree with a tinny in one hand with the other being held out for the dole cheque has become the norm. Fortunately there are also many communities where they have grasped the nettle and got out of this rut.

One wonders how successful will be the initiative being taken by Fortescue Metals and other miners to provide training and good jobs to the shade sitters. As well as that, the fruit picking jobs being offered to Pacific islanders seem to have been ignored by our own indigenous youth. I suspect that you need to be white before you are prepared to leave home and get a job.

David

Without having read Greer's essay, it's impossible to assess whether Langton's accusation of racism is warranted. However, that's not the case with this odious sentiment:

<< I suspect that you need to be white before you are prepared to leave home and get a job. >>

David VK3AUU thinks that because he's a racist, everybody else must be too. I think there must be "something lacking in his psyche", because I find his statement above not only racist, but offensively so.

It's difficult to weigh up the arguments accurately without having read the essay in question, but from what I've gleaned of its comments, I agree with Ho Hum that Germaine Greer does have something of value to contribute to the ongoing debate on aboriginal issues.

I'm sure Greer would be the first to admit that the causes behind male Aboriginal anger and violence are many and complex. Equally though her argument of repressed and unrequited anger would I'm sure resonate with many in the aboriginal community.

"Greer ... should stop baiting Aborigines for a response to her essay. Most of us are too busy with tasks of much greater significance for the wellbeing of the Indigenous people of this country."

This comment smacks of John Howard's 'practical reconciliation' rhetoric and his arrogant dismissal of the importance of symbolism and academic critique. On the ground measures will have much more chance of succeeding if they're based on dispassionate historical analysis and rigorous academic and scientific scrutiny. Greer's essay should be welcomed as a significant addition to the existing body of literature.

Dismissing her arguments as 'failed leftist excuses', as 'attention-seeking' and as 'racist' is unhelpful in establishing meaningful dialogue aimed at solutions. I too have respect for Marcia's intellect and passion for her people's welfare, but she can be very strident and too dismissive of others' viewpoints.

I heard her on RN recently in a discussion on Aboriginal employment with a male aboriginal whose name I didn't hear. She was totally dismissive of his argument that the CDEP scheme could be useful in establishing much-needed employment projects based on environmental sustainability, and would brook little criticism of her preference which was to rely on the mining companies to provide employment opportunities.

As is the case here, there was obviously merit to both sides of the debate. To insist, as Marcia does, that another view is 'just plain wrong' does nothing to further her credibility or the cause she works so hard for.