"Words are cheap—although they can lead to expensive demands—and politicians like to appear caring and sensitive. Moreover, apologies about the past can be used as an excuse for not doing very much in the present. Australia had National Sorry Day to deal with its miserable treatment of its Aboriginal population. The condition of the Aborigines remains appalling and not much is being done about it. If we look back too much and tinker with history through apologies, the danger is that we do not pay enough attention to the difficult problems of the present. There is also a danger, as a number of minority leaders have pointed out, that focusing on past grievances can be a trap, as governments and groups avoid dealing with issues facing them now. American blacks can demand apologies for slavery and American governments can offer them, but how does that help the black children who are going to poor schools or the black men who cannot find jobs and dignity?"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Margaret MacMillan, The Uses and Abuses of History (2008)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Indigenous peoples
12 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Indigenous peoples →
Related Quotes
"...Make no mistake. We are here on Indigenous land, not because we were invited in, but because we forced them to the…"
"When the Europeans arrived, carrying germs which thrived in dense, semi-urban populations, the indigenous people of t…"
"Aboriginal Canadians have been preoccupied for decades by the residential schools issue, arguing that Aboriginal chil…"
"In past centuries, the rulers of Spain, Portugal and other countries used the papal bulls, or official decrees, to ju…"
"Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, the secretary for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a stat…"
"The rationale for choosing cultural rather than physical genocide was often economic. Carl Schurz concluded that it w…"
"4. In our own day, a renewed dialogue with indigenous peoples, especially with those who profess the Catholic Faith, …"
"5. It is in this context of listening to indigenous peoples that the Church has heard the importance of addressing th…"
"6. The “doctrine of discovery” is not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church. Historical research clearly demons…"
"The term “indigenous peoples” refers to the first humans who established a permanent life in a particular region or a…"