Dear oh dear,

This is like arguing with four-year-olds:

"I'll say it again, and again and and again if you like, that no, I don't think anybody was lying. Memory is fallible. We remember what makes sense at the time that we're remembering, we drop things out that don't seem important, we add things that we think should be there, if they help to make our memory more sensible at that time when we're remembering.

So in remembering again and again, the story changes slightly again and again. Nobody's lying. Contexts change, our understanding of the world changes, so our memory of something from the distant past slightly, ever so slightly, changes, each time we remember."

Nobody lied, but they may have mis-remembered. We all do it. Look at the stories on 'Who Do You Think You Are ?' Almost invariably, every person finds out that what they have been told is not quite, or not at all, the truth.

How can one verify anything then ? As much as possible, to gather data, evidence, especially data that SHOULD be there but doesn't seem to be.

Does anybody really think that, if this story were true (and I don't give a toss about fine points of difference between the story in the book and the story in the film), that there wouldn't be correspondence flying between Neville and the Moore River Superintendent, Neal ? Between Neville and his Minister ? Even between that Minister and the Premier ? Between Neville and the Police ? Between Neville and reporters from the West Australian, requesting details of what the hell was happening ?

This I supposed to be about vastly more than a few girls strolling over a hill. A thousand miles for Christ's sake ! Doesn't that strike anyone as incredibly enormous ? How could that be possible ? A paper trail would surely exist if it actually happened ?

Right, where is it ? School Roll ? Neal's records ? Neville's records ?

[TBC]

[continued]

And please let's not go on about 'fabrication' because that doesn't help the story: the story NEEDS documentation because a lack of documentation would suggest that none of it happened, that there was nothing to report.

Christ, this is like trying to play poker with someone who never shows you his cards but swears he's got a full house or whatever, therefore wins the pot every time.

Please don't treat people like mugs. It's perfectly reasonable to ask for some sort of back-up evidence to confirm something so amazing. In this case, the lack of evidence really may well be the evidence of absence.

Joe

Dear Joe,

There is plenty of documented evidence, names are listed
all you have to do is Google them. I'm sorry but on the
law of averages they can't all be lying. You just refuse to
accept any of it. I wonder why that is?
Anyway, I'm done here. You go right on claiming it didn't
happen - the rest of us will simply move on.

"Though babtized and blessed and bibled,
We are still tabood and libelled.
You devout salvation sellers,
Make us equal not fringe dwellers."

Kath Walker.

Dear Loudmouth,

No this is about a serial denier who is worming around having to give an inch.

Your insipid little homilies like “Nobody lied, but they may have mis-remembered. We all do it.” are blatant deflections. Show me an fourteen year old who would misremember a journey which you yourself claim was 'enormous'.

You have taken the position that this did not happen. Rather than just expressing skepticism you have repeatedly asserted it was a myth. You claim to have read the book but seem to have not noticed newspaper report confirming the girls escape contained within.

You have also conflated commentators like Bolt and Windschuttle's concerns about the film into a position on the book. I have seen your contributions on other threads running the same line. You have been doing so for years and have so much invested in calling this a myth that you are unlikely to change.

The author had her original draft rejected because it was considered too academic. Perhaps she could make it available to satisfy people like you by why should she have to? This is an event accepted even by some of the most rightwing in this country. If you want to make the claim it is a myth then it is now up to you to prove it. It should be easy as you claimed.

I am not as generous on this as Foxy and Paul. I consider your stance on this story and that despite all the evidence and testimony not a single half-caste child could be considered stolen in this country's history, to be markedly offensive and ultra rightwing.

The ball is in your court. Disprove it if you can otherwise it might be advisable to put a sock in it.

Shifting the burden of proof to the skeptic is a shonk. Always was and always will be.

There are many stolen generation members still alive
today. They are the living proof. Besides, the absence
of proof is not proof of absence. It's simply proof
of those that just do not want to see and understand.

Here is a link that further explains the film:

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/0ct/25/artsfeatures