Whiteness And Australia: An Exploration Of Racism

The Dark History of Australia

Question:

Discuss about the Nation, Power and Difference for Standardized Privilege.

Australia has had a dark history since the time of the European settlers. It was inherently the land of the Aboriginals, the earliest inhabitants of Australia, who are supposed to have arrived some 50, 000 years ago (Australia.gov.au 2017). During the late 18^th century, the British started claiming supremacy over Australia and started using as an outpost for British convicts. By the start of the 20^th century, people of British descendants dominated almost entire Australian population.

The online posts discus whiteness as a general term used for all the white people across the globe. The first online post throws light on the privileges white people get over people of different color with references from the film, “The Color of Fear”. The post further explains the access white people have to resources and power. The bridge between the whites and other colored people have expanded to such an extent that it has come to a point where white people now consider privileges as something normal which they are ought to get.

The second post explores the atrocities and neglect the ‘other’ colored people received from the colonial times to the present age of globalization. In explaining the present condition of the ‘other’ people, a comparison has been drawn between the white people and people of different color. While the whites enjoy the liberty to voice their opinion, different colored people are silenced (Moreton-Robinson 2015). The post also talks about the influence of historical progress on the current predicament of the different colored people.

The third post highlights the scary factor of colored individuals being ignored based on their skin color and undermining their potential. Further, the post draws on the views expressed by Kendall, where he says that white people are regarded as normal people demarcating the others as not normal. The post also discusses how arrogant white people can be and how they can easily ignore anything that the different colored individual has to say.

In the fourth post, a better future for the people of different people especially in Australia has been advanced. Australia too suffers from the evil of racism although it has not come to the surface to catch world attention (Hollinsworth 2013). The post also gives an insight into the future possibilities of an equal nation. The idea of an equal nation with equal power sharing between the original inhabitants of Australia and the later settlers is going to be difficult but not impossible. An important has been highlighted in the post where it has been mentioned that the indigenous Australians must not only be given the power to voice their opinion, but it must also allow them to disintegrate the Australian National Identity.

Understanding Whiteness in the Context of Racism

After going through all the four online posts on whiteness and Australia as a white nation, I have found that it highlighted many areas concerning racism but there must have been a broader description of racism issues in Australia. Moreover, the fourth post emphasizes on what Australia as a nation must do to abolish racism but in my view, it must have mentioned the ways to do it. Australia has not been an easy country for people of other races but it is gradually moving towards that direction. Apart from that, the post also talks about the balance of power between the whites and non-whites but there is no mention of how Australian citizens can contribute towards achieving the goal (Hokari 2013).

While analyzing the online posts, I discovered certain contradictions that came up. In my opinion, the writer could have avoided these contradictions or expressed his or her views clearly, so that the statements could have been clear. The writer stated in the second post that the whites do not want to realize the problems of other colored people. He or she contradicted the statement at the end of the same post stating that the whites consider people of different color as the problem (Mapedzahama et al. 2012). Now, the writer could have avoided this contradiction by either drawing comparisons between the two views of the white people or by mentioning clearly whether other colored people face problems or they themselves are the problem.

While going through the post, I discovered certain complex issues that needed to be discussed elaborately. The writer mentions in the first post about privilege and dominance of whites over other colors. The post begins the argument with references from the movie, “Color of Fear” that white people no longer dominate over other colors but enjoy certain privileges, which they think are what they deserve (Gilbert 2013). I found it a very complex issue as dominance comes from privilege and these two terms cannot be used distinctly to describe the status of the white people. Furthermore, there are also mentions in the post about the standardization of privileges as belonging to the white only and that these privileges are the advantages the whites enjoy not at a personal but at an institutional level. Here, I think that the writer could have emphasized more and explain deeper meaning privileges being given at personal and institutional level (The New Daily 2017). The strengthening of the gap between the privileged and the neglected with each passing time is getting stronger to an extent that white people find privileges to be normal, mentions the writer. I found this to be another complex issue. According to me, the writer could have used case studies to prove this point as I found it difficult as a reader to affirm to this point. It is because there are evidences that the world is moving ahead and there have been events and incidents that confirmed the fact that racism today is in its weakest form (Herring et al. 2013).

The Atrocities and Neglect Faced by Colored People

When I went through the fourth online post that mentioned the status and stand of Australia in regards of racism, I found minimum references to the concepts of nation, power and difference. Australia as a nation has faced the wrath of racism more than any other country especially during its initial years of existence but there was no mention about it in the post. In my opinion, the post could have included examples from Australia’s history as a white nation where policies like the White Australia Policy of 1901 boasted of white supremacy. Then it could have stated how these policies were later amended (Australia.gov.au 2017). In addition to that, I think the writer could also have highlighted the present status of the country. The amendments in laws, declaring Australia as a rapidly developing multicultural nation, could also have helped give the readers a clear view of the writer (ABC News 2017).

Those enjoying privileges automatically earn the ability to enjoy power. The concept of power according to me, thus, is directly related to privileges. The post I feel could have established a link between these concepts. However, the last section of the fourth post does mention about the sharing of power and the need for it to be the focus of Australia as a nation looking ahead. Still, I as a reader craved for more insights into the steps taken by Australia in this regard. When power is shared amongst people of varied race, it turns out to be a boon to the nation. The writer could have given examples of recent developments in Australia where the citizens protested against the celebration of Australia Day on 26 January as it marked the anniversary of the atrocities Indigenous Australians had to go through in the hands of the British (The Conversation 2017). However, the writer convincingly stated the relationship between the balance in power relations and the shift in privileges enjoyed by the whites and other colored people. The scenario of the Australian National Identity is witnessing positive transformation.

The shift in power relations automatically calls for a difference in the way a nation reacts to people of different color, cast or creed. I found very little emphasis on the difference a shift in power relation makes in the given posts. In addition, the writer could have mentioned the changes in policies that concern the safety, security and equality of the Aboriginals or the Torres Strait Islanders or people belonging to other tribes. However, the writer did include an insignificant part in the fourth post regarding the policies where the writer stated that there has not been much difference in Australia’s policy regarding the treatment of the ‘others’ (Durey and Thompson 2012). It has only changed from mistreatment of ‘others’ to invisibility.

The supremacy of the white in Australia and the privileges enjoyed by them even today is not something that is in the open or debated nowadays, but its presence is felt (Hage 2012).

Conclusion

While reassessing the country’s national identity recently, it has been evident from the developments in the national policies that a concerted effort is being made to identify the ‘other’ race as an integral part of Australia. However, the real difference is yet to be seen as only the whites are making and amending laws in the country with little or no contribution from the other skins. It is a matter of time when aboriginals, Torres Strait Islanders and other multiethnic citizens of Australia, that give the country vibrancy, will be given their deserved rights.

References:

ABC News. 2017. Wyatt becomes first Indigenous minister in ‘signature moment’ for Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-18/wyatt-to-become-australias-first-indigenous-minister/8191448 [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].

Australia.gov.au. 2017. The changing face of early Australia | australia.gov.au. [online] Available at: https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/changing-face-of-early-australia [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].

Durey, A. and Thompson, S.C., 2012. Reducing the health disparities of Indigenous Australians: time to change focus. BMC health services research, 12(1), p.151.

Gilbert, K., 2013. Because a white man’ll never do it. HarperCollins Australia.

Hage, G., 2012. White nation: Fantasies of white supremacy in a multicultural society. Routledge.

Herring, S., Spangaro, J., Lauw, M. and McNamara, L., 2013. The intersection of trauma, racism, and cultural competence in effective work with aboriginal people: Waiting for trust. Australian Social Work, 66(1), pp.104-117.

Hokari, M., 2013. Globalising Aboriginal Reconciliation: Indigenous Australians and Asian (Japanese) Migrants. Cultural Studies Review, 9(2), pp.84-101.

Hollinsworth, D., 2013. Decolonizing indigenous disability in Australia. Disability & Society, 28(5), pp.601-615.

Mapedzahama, V., Rudge, T., West, S. and Perron, A., 2012. Black nurse in white space? Rethinking the in/visibility of race within the Australian nursing workplace. Nursing inquiry, 19(2), pp.153-164.

Moreton-Robinson, A., 2015. The white possessive: Property, power, and indigenous sovereignty. University of Minnesota Press.

The Conversation. 2017. Changing Australia Day is pointless – and there is much to celebrate. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/changing-australia-day-is-pointless-and-there-is-much-to-celebrate-71010 [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].

The New Daily. 2017. Australian national identity redefined with integration at core. [online] Available at: https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/03/20/multiculturalism-integration-freedom/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].