Why is the stolen generation a bad thing?

Answer 1

One view:

Because it is flawed history. While some Aboriginal children were given up by their parents to missionaries to have a better life (schooling, clothing, health), others were taken from grossly alcoholic mothers and abusive families. While it is true that some of these children were mistreated (unpaid servants, sexual abuse) this was the minority and many of the Aboriginal children who were given this chance have become highly regarded members of society (lawyers, doctors, teachers). Sadly, the myth of the 'stolen generation' has been perpetuated by films with agendas, and fables told to attentive children. if the lie is repeated often enough, it begins to sound true, doesn't it?

Another view:

This is a highly emotive issue, and no answer will satisfy, but there should be some attempt to find a balance.

The main reason why it was a bad thing was that Europeans imposed their own values on a culture that was worlds apart. Europeans simply do not understand Aboriginal values, and in the case of Alcoholism, as the answer above suggests, this was something which came as a direct result of white settlement. Aboriginal families who knew firsthand the compassion of missionaries were still moved to tears by the government's apology for the stolen generation. Regardless of motive, they were still taken from their culture and expected to adapt to a different world.

Whites have difficulty understanding how much the Aboriginal identity is anchored in where each individual is born. To be wrenched away from that, for even the "best" (white man's words) reasons, is for the Aborigine to suffer a loss of personal identity.