australia
OK I'm going to get controversial and mention a topic no one really wants to talk about.
Australia. Multiculturalism. Racism.
I am very interested to know everyone’s opinion of what my country is like compared to other countries, what the real big issues are and if you think Australia needs to work on anything.
Since I’ve been away from home I’ve found that my views of Australia have changed a little. It’s interesting to see your country from a different context, and compared to everyone else. While travelling and meeting other Australians I have repeatedly had conversations that you would hardly ever come across at home, almost always because someone from a different country asks us our opinion. I’ve found the travelling Australian’s opinion on our social and racial issues tends to vary dramatically between two very different attitudes. There seems to be more of a divide than I was aware of while in Australia, and people from the same country often have completely different opinions on the existence and/or prevalence of multiculturalism and racism in Australia.
So in the aim of getting more of an idea of the Australian identity and attitudes I am proposing that people tell me what they think. I hope you can feel free to be honest - you can write anonymously, this may help in your honesty. Also if you're not from Australia I would still very much like to hear your thoughts.
Some things you can write about:
what our strengths are
what our weaknesses are
what we can do about them
There is a serious dilemma for me in what I’m asking because I would really like everyone to have free speech, however if I deem anything to be too offensive I can and will sensor it. This may be the most stupid thing I’ve ever done, but here goes!
P.S. On a much lighter note, what I’m listening to at the moment – Mogwai, Mr Beast / Sigur Ros, Takk / Beta Band, The 3 EPs (AGAIN AND REALLY LOUD)
Australia. Multiculturalism. Racism.
I am very interested to know everyone’s opinion of what my country is like compared to other countries, what the real big issues are and if you think Australia needs to work on anything.
Since I’ve been away from home I’ve found that my views of Australia have changed a little. It’s interesting to see your country from a different context, and compared to everyone else. While travelling and meeting other Australians I have repeatedly had conversations that you would hardly ever come across at home, almost always because someone from a different country asks us our opinion. I’ve found the travelling Australian’s opinion on our social and racial issues tends to vary dramatically between two very different attitudes. There seems to be more of a divide than I was aware of while in Australia, and people from the same country often have completely different opinions on the existence and/or prevalence of multiculturalism and racism in Australia.
So in the aim of getting more of an idea of the Australian identity and attitudes I am proposing that people tell me what they think. I hope you can feel free to be honest - you can write anonymously, this may help in your honesty. Also if you're not from Australia I would still very much like to hear your thoughts.
Some things you can write about:
what our strengths are
what our weaknesses are
what we can do about them
There is a serious dilemma for me in what I’m asking because I would really like everyone to have free speech, however if I deem anything to be too offensive I can and will sensor it. This may be the most stupid thing I’ve ever done, but here goes!
P.S. On a much lighter note, what I’m listening to at the moment – Mogwai, Mr Beast / Sigur Ros, Takk / Beta Band, The 3 EPs (AGAIN AND REALLY LOUD)
5 Comments:
wow, such a complicated topic!
i personally (being from an immigrant background) do not suffer from racism in day to day life (partly because i'm probably quite intimidating for someone who doesn't know me and also because i'm probably quite oblivious to it). but i can see facets of it each and everyday. my friend is a canadian but his parents are chinese and he is regularly a target for kids to yell things at him and people to treat him differently. in fact, he was accosted by a guy in a pub recently who was spurting racist abuse at him and instigating a fight (which my friend didn't take him up on). this is the dirty underbelly of racism in australia. if howard says it doesn't exist, you can probably assume he's lying and this is a prime example.
i think we can point our fingers at a certain portion of the community for perpetuating this problem. the media is absolutely disgraceful in its portayal of immigrants, in particular the arabic and musilim community. at any given opportunity they will mention "the youths of middle eastern appearance". when was the last time you heard "the youths of anglo saxon appearance"? all this does is continue to raise islamaphobia in the community and this results in incidents like the cronulla riots.
the riots weren't between "aussies" and "lebs"; it was between dickheads and dickheads. the fact that the people involved came from different ethnic backgrounds is incidental.. all of the people involved were australian (i'm using the definition that if you're born here/live here/have an aussie passport then you're australian). the fight was between youths who were angry their continually marginalised in society (the "lebs) and youths who continually feel their society is being over run by "immigrants" (the "aussies"). the fact that the patriotic youth league was present inciting further anger in an already heated situation didn't help.
the racism in australia is ingrained and has been since the white australia policy was disbanded. too many people feel they are missing out on opportunities because "immigrants" are taking over. australia as a whole has been gifted with the presence of these immigrants (and their families) and without them, we would still be a backwater like during the 1920s. the government shows it still has a pro-white policy (failure to say sorry to the native land owners, detention centres, support of one nation) and while howard is in power, we'll not move forward. but in saying that, i don't think labor would achieve much either.. a totally new paradigm is required and i'm not sure who can provide it (the greens perhaps?).
anyways, this has been a rather negative post.. perhaps too negative.. not everyone hates immigrants. it's just a lot of them don't want to be friends with them.
i forgot to mention a website which i think is interesting and relevant to this issue.
http://www.fightdemback.com/
Like Lucky says, wow, what a topic! I haven't travelled overseas yet, but I just assume that Australia is the same as other countries - some people have racist opinions and beliefs, and other people are accepting. But I may be wrong, what do you think Becky now that you're living in another country?
You can go back to World War II and see that many Germans focussed their hate on the Jews, whereas others helped them where they could.
I think there are a lot of disgruntled or frightened and sometimes just plain stupid people who have all sorts of problems, or just have a lot of anger in them for whatever reason, and need to find somewhere to focus that hate.
It's a very complex problem isn't it?
I get worried sometimes and think there is no way to overcome these problems. I agree that it is very ingrained problem - maybe because Australia is a relatively young country and we don't have the history of thousands of years of people coming and going, like there would be in Europe - that's made us isolated and suspicious of strangers.
I agree with your comments Lucky about the Cronulla riots - just different groups of boofheads fighting and drinking, just looking for something to bash someone up for. But this happened a lot in the UK too hasn't it Becky, that's certainly not unique to Australia.
Anyway I guess that's not really shed much light on the problem, but just putting some thoughts down.
Hey
I agree wid Lucky, although I am a white, as opposed to "other" immigrant to Australia. I am fortunate to be studying here in Indo right now with a bunch of exceptionally open-minded and progressive individuals from Australia. I wish I believed that this sample was representative of home.
Racism is ingrained in Australia, and each day people's racist opinions are validated and labelled "not-racist" by John Howard, who clearly does not understand the meaning of the term.
It is interesting to hear Indonesians reflect on their opinions of Australian society. Their perception is very clearly defined as one of a racist, white nation. Get in a taxi with any random driver, and they will ask you about the Paul Keating era, and ask when Howard is going to get booted out. If it wasn't depressing it would be funny!
Anyway thats my soap box just about exhausted.
Adelle!
well bec i
think this was a very interesting topic to discuss the riots you talk about in cronulla were very upsetting for most of us to think that your own child could be capable of such hatred and violence is so distressing I would be so devastated to think that kuyan would be involved in such behaviour.That is why I think it is important for him and any child growing up today to learn about the different ways people live and what every individual can bring to ours or other countries. Good on you for bringing this topic forward and causing us to address our opinions and feelings. luv aunty vicxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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