Dear Foxy,

Like me, you probably suspect that there is a way of attacking something or someone WITHOUT mentioning them, or without straight-out dog-whistling - for example, indirectly having a go at, say, Indigenous participation at universities, NOT by sinking the boot in directly, but by criticising some side-issue or peripheral aspect of, say, higher education generally, e.g. its quality and pointlessness.

Whether the quality of higher education is good or bad, is not really relevant to the issue of Indigenous participation. I don't want to accuse anyone of indirectly opposing Indigenous participation, I'm obviously not that sort of person, but one implication from attacking HE quality in this case is that, somehow, Indigenous participation has maybe contributed to some hypothetical decline in HE quality and maybe should be discouraged. After all, Blackfellas belong in the bush.

Indigenous people have been living in the cities since Day One, particularly since the War. Indigenous population movement is TO the cities, much as racists on both Left and Right would wish it otherwise, that if only all those Blackfellas would bugger off to the sticks and leave the cities to their rightful, civilised, occupants: us powerful and superior people. Not going to happen, folks.

To live properly in cities, people need employment, and for that, they need skills; and for those, they need either trade skills or professional skills. Indigenous people are getting professional skills through higher education. Yes, many get sucked into the welfare-oriented Indigenous Industry and its plethora of no-result organisations, but many try to escape its deadly embrace.

The concept of Indigenous 'community' is , on the whole, dead: it never really got off the ground. That leaves the individual - in the cities - and the family and clan - in the rural and remote areas - to choose their respective futures. Indigenous participation in higher education can only grow, and rapidly, as urban people stay and work in the cities in rapidly growing numbers.

Thank you, dear Foxy,

Love,

Joe

Joe,

You concentration - bordering on obsession - with a very small section of Australian society seems to have loosened your screws. Your latest post, concerning your ideas of indirect criticism of aboriginal affairs, is paranoid. Perhaps it is time for you to yield to someone like Big Nana, who comes across as someone actually living the experience.

They wouldn't come here unless our
universities were of a high calibre.
Foxy,
The parallel to this is our welfare system.
Of course for the really deserving the entry requirements are on the verge of impossible.

Hi Joe, could not agree more. Its outrageous but not new, that the extreme oppose universal education to the highest level for all, tell me why. It was not just directed at indigenous people, but at the working class as well, and women. Any group these bigoted mob seen as being unworthy had to be excluded from what was considered only a right for the elite of society.

I only have 2 direct granddaughters on my wife's side, all the rest are boys. One of the girls, 12 years old, was 'Dux' of her Year 6 class (school) last year. Asked her what she wanted to be, a nurse or a vet, because she loves animals. The other granddaughter also 12, does well above average at school. The boys are are about average, but the oldest moko just turning 21, has finished his boilermaker apprenticeship, tells me he wants to buy a home unit on the Sunshine Coast as an investment, he has savings, but we might have to help him out with the deposit. The only car he has had, is the Holden (2006) his Mum and Dad bought for him when he was 18, does all his own work on his car, its been a good car, does not pay for servicing and repairs, he looks after it and he's not bad when it comes to the work on it, so its a good saving for him.

Ttbn,

Your concentration - bordering on obsession - with a very small section of Australian society seems to have loosened your screws. Why are you obsessed with attacking Indigenous people seizing opportunities ? What's it matter to you, after all it's such a small population, why worry about it ?

So is that all you've got ?

Regardless of the quality of Australian higher education , or global warming, or ocean pollution, or any other side-issue, Indigenous people will, like anybody else, seize opportunities. Perhaps half of the population from now on will choose higher education. Sorry, Ttbn.

Any other complaints ? You could go on about how spurious Indigenous identity is, I you like. Or that people must be doing only Mickey Mouse courses. Or that the numbers are highly inflated. Or what's it matter, anyway ?

Just trying to help :)

Joe

"Why are you obsessed with attacking Indigenous people seizing opportunities ?"

That's really pathetic, Joe. Is 'that all you've got".

I am not attacking indigenous people; if you want to use the word 'attack', I'm attacking you for your silly nonsense and identity politics. Indigenous people don't actually need you, Joe. Sorry. They are perfectly capable of doing it for themselves, if they wish to; and they obviously have. Stop trying to live other peoples' lives for them. You are the one making them look fragile and useless when they are not.