Hats off to Rolf Harris for having the guts to speak his mind on the Australian Aboriginal issue. Even if his advice to some Aboriginal people to ‘get off their arses’ might be simplistic and ignores the complex issues behind situations like community apathy it does indicate that Rolf sees Aboriginal people as equal fellow human beings and expects them to take their place beside their fellow Australians by accepting responsibility for their own actions. His attitude contrasts with those Australian do-gooders who seem to regard Aboriginal people as less than equal human beings. Instead of extending Aboriginal Australians equal respect they swamp them with condescending waves of oppressive sympathy and encourage them to abdicate responsibility by thinking of themselves as separate and ‘special’

Heduanna
Everyone is entitled to an opinion even a geriatric self serving ‘entertainer/artist’ who has spent most of his adult life both physically and mentally as far from the realities of the Aboriginal problems as one can get.
His views are like all illinformed generalization regardless of the intentions “one description fits no-one”.

The same criticism can be levelled at your equally ill informed, inaccurate and quasi insulting generalization about “do gooders” especially painting them all with the same limited perspective as your comment indicates.

Again you are entitled to an opinion but you would be wise to think it through beyond Social Darwinist clichés as these are neither accurate nor helpful.

Heduana, Rolf wrote this about fifty years ago…

‘Let me Abos go loose, Lew; they’ve got no further use, Lew.’

It became enshrined in one of Australia’s most popular and iconic songs; Tie me kangaroo down.

While these lyrics were acceptable at the time, they became rather dodgy in the 80s if not earlier.

Maybe Rolf feels the need to occasionally comment on Aboriginal issues because he still feels an enormous cringe over this.

One thing I could never understand is how Rolf Harris, along with other figures like Paul Hogan, Zig & Zag and the Leyland Brothers were Australia's cultural mascots in the 1970s. It was a case of the weirder and the wackier, the better.

Now there's something to cringe about.

Examinator

I'm afraid your comments are ill informed and consequently inaccurate. You would be wise to read my post properly and think it through. I have not made any generalisations about do-gooders. I have referred to a specific group of do-gooders and I quote 'those Australian do-gooders who seem to regard Aboriginal people as less than equal human beings.' Misreading a post is not helpful and leads to false perceptions.

Heduanna,
You did indeed say "those" and “some”.
And if I did misunderstand you then I’m sorry.

In my defence I reasoned:
Logically if not literally a “do-gooder” is someone who does good. Clearly “THOSE” individuals by definition aren’t doing good is therefore a null (meaningless).
Unless, it was used as its general usage which has pejorative connotations with meanings “like left wing ineffectual” and “dilettante fools”.

With all but an extremely small minority of people that work with or for Aborigines needs (do-gooders) are dedicated and are faced with the reality that Aboriginals ARE "a special case", a 3rd world situation in a 1st world country.

The qualification “THOSE do-gooders” and “SOME Aboriginals “ reduces your/his point to that of a meaningless motherhood statement It may as well said “ some Aussies need to get up off their arses and not be pandered to by dilettante ineffectual fools” to that I ask what does that mean in practical terms?

Harris' comments are at best for all practical purposes meaningless at best self serving and gratuitous at worst. They refect albeit obliquely the dubious view that (Some wink wink) Aboriginals are lazy and welfare bludgers. That their problems are self inflicted and should be more like us (what ever that means). Again that statement would apply to almost if not all communities every where.

I would suspect his comments have more to do with his public persona that he’s still a good dinky di Aussie average bloke than any serious input.

He’s entitled to his view but I dispute it is either meaningful or helpful.