Analyse a recent event (such as the Martin Place siege or Cronulla riots) through two different theories of power. Which theory of power offers a more compelling explanation of the event? Why?
The current study focuses on the event that occurred in Australia which was called as Cronulla Riots. The riot between Lebanese and Aussies was so severe that it disturbed the economy of Australia and lead to damage of property to large extent with the loss of human life. The Cronulla Riot will be discussed and analyzed in the study in context to theories of power so that better results can be drawn. Moreover, the theory of power will help in knowing that which power relates most with the event.
The riot happened on 4th December 2005 when an argument took place among two or three volunteer lifesavers of North Cronulla and four guys of Middle Eastern. The youths from Middle Eastern appearance assaulted the surf life savers. Both the parties fought over the ownership of the Cronulla beach which turned violent later on resulting one lifesaver unconscious as he was bashed very violently (Evers 2008). The newspaper covered the incident that worked as provocation to the people. Moreover the riot raised the racial and ethnic tensions that affected the nation and its economic growth. The riot injured almost 13 people on Sunday 11 December 2005 (Tasa.org.au 2015).
The riot took place between the Arabs people and the Aussies people. The Lebanese gang bashed the lifesavers of Australia and forcefully exerted power on the Australian guys. The quarrel among the members gave rise to racism tension and all the community belonging to Muslim united together to stand against the Australian people (Reid 2010). The test message that was circulated by the media provoked the Australians and they engaged 5000 Australian people in order to reclaim the Cronulla Beach. Both the communities fought violently and culture of Australia was affected and nobody followed the law. Moreover, it was a hard time for the Australian force to control the riot (Reportingdiversity.org.au 2015).
According to this theory, the power was held by both the community that is Lebanese people and Australian people in the case of Crolluna Riot. Both of the communities formed their own group in order to fight with each other. Each community used their power to influence their people to fight against the Australian or Lebanese people (Poynting 2006). On the other hand, as the Lebanese communities were Muslim so maximum power was held in the hands of the Australian people. Both Lebanese and Australian people used their power so that Cronulla beach can be claimed.
The powerful Australian local political group influenced almost 5000 people to raise their voice against the Lebanese community group in Crolluna Breach. Apart from that, the media such as Daily Telegraph used their power to add a fuel in the burning riot that influence people more and made the riot more violent (Smith 2006). The riots took such shape that injured many people and both the community. Lebanese Australian employed their power to disrespect the culture of Australia and the Australian Law. However, it can be viewed that during the clash between lifesavers and Lebanese gang, the Lebanese gang were holding more power as they were more in numbers that injured the volunteer lifesaver (Islammonitor.org 2015).
According to the elite theory, the power is concentrated in the hands of government, big companies, military, organizations and wealthy individuals. As per the case of Crolluna Beach, the highest power was in the hands of Australian military force to control the violent environment in Crolluna Beach (Stratton 2011). The military force brutally harmed the people and the people were beaten very badly by the military or police. Due to the violent approach of the police it led to injury of 104 people on 11th December. The police force caught the people and sent them to jail. On the other hand, some people have to lose their life as well that made people more violent against the police and military of Australia (Evers 2008).
The police arrested large number of people over the days and kept the people in jail for number of days so that situation can get calm down. From the point of view of Sydney media, the media used their power in wrong way that racially motivated the Lebanese and Aussie people to have a fight for their rights (Reid 2010). The community fought such brutally that many countries warned there people not to visit Australia. Although, military and media used their power, but both the Lebanese and Aussie community also used power to reclaim the beach and fight for their pride (Sociology.org.uk 2015).
Elite form of theory is based on the power in the societies which is in hands of the few wealthy or few organisations. These people are los known as the economic elites. A t the time of Cronulla Riots broke in Sydney in 2005, among the surf life served and groups of Lebanese young me. This is theory of elite will give an insight of the reason for the fighting was occurred due to racism and the foul mouth between the two individuals which tend to broke into high voltage fight all over the South Wales and Australia (Stratton 2011). There has been huge difference between the pluralist theory and the elite theory model. Here the Elite form of theory is been used by the Australian locales who started fighting using foul languages with Muslim Lebanese (Sociology.org.uk 2015).
Elite theory explains the actual reason for the broke out of the fight across the nations and specifically in the Sydney. The rule of elite in Australia as the locales of Australians who are also known as the native European are very much elite power in all societies and political groups. These elites in Australia are very much racist abuser who is also known as the ruler of the place or the native of the place (Evers 2008). This can be proved by the native of Australian chants bash lebs, Kill Lebanese, and go home Lebby Sucm are few of the articles which shows the protested by the crowed.
Apart from that, large member of the people are very much got escape from the imprisonment for the hitting the Lebanese. This shows that elite group ahs immense power to rule the migrants within the Australia. This incident has changed the form of the Australian Advance Fair who are being attempted to fight with the police for the riots (Smith 2006). Police of Australia failed to control the crowds which are gathered in Lakemba mosque who are in face of Aussies. Although the Australian minister has condemned that, the country has any kind of racisms and the character of Australian people are beyond the ethnicity. Attacking the people on their race is just not an Australian way of living and cultured.
From the month of July 2006 to 2007, Austrian Muslim students from 15-18 years of age in Sydney are very much in fear. Elite group of has been again insulted the Lebanese Australian who has being also taint as the thug and cowards by the 2GB talk back hosted by the Allen Jones on 7th of December. However, most of the Muslim in the country was very anxious about the happenings where the power of Australian people shows that, one of the Lebanese people were based by the Australian attackers to prove their point of power and include race war as their weapon for the defense (Poynting 2006).
Sydney place is not able to even able to fund out the gangs who did it and the reason given for the communal riots which shows the injustice to the minor community that revolt into the huge war between the native and Muslim within the Australia. One of the major weapons for the power for the major community such as local natives of Australian is base on the wealth, traditions and religions authority (Reportingdiversity.org.au 2015). These rioters are very much uses power o for position to sustain in their decision on not to punish the rioters who are harmed the religion and made the characteristics of native red faced in front of the world. However, power elites are typically united by their beliefs which again support indirectly to the natives as favor for their religions (Reid 2010).
Conclusion
As given from the case study, the Cornulla riots are very much sequence of events which has been broke out in the Sydney harbor beach. There has been ample evidence which shows that the small fight turn into the national issues which again has shows the power of elite within the Australia. The case was sparked a way of claims and again the counter claims from the both sides which resultant into violence more broadly about the nature of race relations in Australia. The riots turn the chanting into the nation’s anthem by respect and pride for White Australians. However the other fears shame and fear. This is form of power is also known as the elite group power who dominates others by large with its religion, tradition and money.
References
Journals:
Evers, C. 2008. ‘The Cronulla Race Riots: Safety Maps On An Australian Beach’. South Atlantic Quarterly 107 (2): 411-429.
Poynting, S. 2006. ‘What Caused The Cronulla Riot?’. Race & Class 48 (1): 85-92.
Reid, Carol. 2010. ‘Will The ‘Shire’ Ever Be The Same Again? Schooling Responses To The Cronulla Beach Riot’. Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 2 (1): 47.
Smith, Tony. 2006. ‘The Cronulla Chaos: Five Gloomy Explanations’. AQ: Australian Quarterly 78 (1): 9.
Stratton, Jon. 2011. ‘Non-Citizens in the Exclusionary State: Citizenship, Mitigated Exclusion, and the Cronulla Riots’. Continuum 25 (3).
Websites:
Islammonitor.org,. 2015. ‘Cronulla- Five Years On’
Reportingdiversity.org.au,. 2015. ‘The Cronulla Riots- The Sequence Of Events’.
Sociology.org.uk,. 2015. ‘Theories of Power’.
Tasa.org.au,. 2015. ‘The Cronulla Riot: How One Newspaper Represented The Event’.
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