Money Turns Black into White

Agamedes wonders about social responsibility and sudden changes of skin colour.

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A week or two ago there was a letter in The West about the social responsibilities of Aboriginal people. When the government builds aboriginal housing, it should also build a few spare places, for the itinerant aboriginals. That is because -- according to the letter -- aboriginal people have a social responsibility to all other aboriginals. If one aboriginal needs something, others will provide.

By an interesting twist of logic, this means that the government must provide.

A couple of weeks earlier, an Aboriginal leader put this social responsibility into context. Give me money, he said, and it is all mine. Social responsibility? Me?! Bugger off!

Aboriginal people do deals with mining companies. These deals involve large sums of money being paid to a select few Aboriginal people. (Large sums of money? Millions, apparently. But we are not allowed to know.) The money is held in "Aboriginal corporations" -- tax free havens which do not need to tell anyone what they are doing. So a small number of Aboriginal people get a large amount of money. The money is tax free -- just like a charity -- and there is no need to account for it.

How dare you expect us to use our money to help other people? they scream. You don't expect rich white people to help the poor! they shout. Why should we be picked on? they plead.

Well...

1. Real corporations pay tax. That tax goes -- in part -- to help the poor.
   
2. Individuals who have or who earn money are expected to pay tax -- unless they are hidden behind an "Aboriginal corporation".
   
3. Aboriginal people claim to practice social responsibility: what's mine is yours. (Often translated in practice to, what's yours is mine.)
   

But when Aboriginal people get money, they change. Forget about corporations' tax -- we're black. Forget about individual tax -- we're black. And forget about social responsibility -- we're now white.

Funny, isn't it, how money turns Black into White.

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