In today’s modern society where we like to believe that as a nation we are tolerant and indusive it is shocking to see the socioeconomic gap that exists for indigenous Australians and how causal racism is such a common part of society In stand Grant’s 2015 speech delivered at the 1Q2 racism debate on how “racism is destroying the Australian dream” he explains how racism is still prevalent in Australian culture and how it is an intergenerational problem. The ideas that racism is destroying the Australian dream and that causal racism is accepted in this culture, that there is a long history of racism and that they are deeply rooted in the historical narrative and personal experiences. but that we can move forward, but we have to go to the root …show more content…
He initiates his feet with a prompting question, who are we? This tells us that he is questioning what Shell's identity is. It also encourages the audience to think about what they think Shane's identity is, remove values it holds. Grant proceeds to reference a place he describes as most holy, most sacred to Australians, the footy he questions how a reverted space such as the AFL grounds could allow such troubling incidents to occur. By linking the AFL to Australia's identity, the grant presents it as an integral part of the nation's culture. He achieves it through vivid auditory imagery, thousands of voices as it creates a loud, noisy atmosphere. This auditory is further Buda pon by the metaphor used of hounded, a term that invokes an animalistic pursuit as if the crowd were pack rent loosely chasing their target. The imagery of thousand voices creates a vivid picture of a loud, busy atmosphere when paired with the zoomorphism of hound. It creates an image of thousands of people wanting to hunt and pursue a person. Grant repeats that emphasising how the person targeted wasn't even seen as Australian. A Vision that sharply highlights the denial of identity for Aboriginal people even in a space that's deemed most sacred to Australians. So imagine a place that wasn't even sacred to a stranger what would happen …show more content…
It Juxtaposes two sharply different ideas, highlighting the horrific statistics of indigenous history where they die younger than the average Australian. This deliberate contrast serves to undercut the national anthem, exposing its force through hard hitting statistics that reveal it in accuracy. It lays bare the notation that racism is ingrained within the white Australian culture, suggesting that to address racism and inequality we must go to the root of the problem. Grant continues by repeating the phrase the Australian dream before elaborating on its meeting. He adds the Australian dream is rooted in racism, emphasising that racism forms the very foundation of this stream. He referenced Terra nullis: The idea that a Shia was designed to land upon British arrival, it was a myth used to justify colorization. Grant argues that from the moment of invasion Aboriginal people were viewed as inferior, a belief that persists to this day. And now upon historical references, Grant evokes the horrific statement they were smoothing the dying pillow. This imagery illustrates the disturbing reality that indigenous people were seen as burdens that could just be killed off and their deaths being seen as a form of protection. This helps the audience grasp the brutality inflicted upon indigenous community, highlighting the targeting of a specific group
All three authors recognize that difference constructs discrimination. The concept of othering (Hall 1997) and Anglo dominance presented by Moreton-Robinson (2015) help understand Judith Butler’s findings as to why oppression and exclusion cannot be reduced completely. It is same fear of the ‘other’ and white dominance in Australia that keep Australian institutions from reaching integration and equality—film being one these institutions. The filmmakers of The Sapphires attempt to tell the Aboriginal narrative. The scenes mentioned in the previous paragraphs, educate a diverse audience about Aboriginal discrimination in Australia in the 1960s. However, even though the filmmakers reveal some truths of Aboriginal discrimination, they do it in a way which the Aboriginal narrative is suppressed and Anglo dominance is maintained. “The Sapphires” plot is not centered on Aboriginal discrimination, rather a story of how four Aboriginal girls learn about love and friendship. Aboriginal discrimination in the 1960s forms only a small part of the journey to entertain American Troops in Vietnam. By presenting a musical comedy-drama film, the filmmakers sugar coat Australia’s dark past. The movie also ends on a good note. Cousin Kay who at some point rejected her Aboriginal roots, overcomes her prejudice and gets more in touch with the Aboriginal culture by partaking in an Aboriginal ceremony. By the end of the film the audience barely recalls the discrimination scenes and only remembers a happy ending. This is dangerous, as the film deceives its white Australian audience to believe that racial inequality in Australia is an issue of the past not the present. Therefore, promoting the idea that the Australia does not continue to privilege white people over Aboriginals
In the opening of the speech he uses rhetorical questions like “Who are we?” and “What sort of country do we want to be”. He does this to get us as the audience to connect to his purpose and understand where he as an Indigenous is coming from. He also uses repetition of “Australian Dream” throughout his speech to let the audience remember what his purpose is and to deepen our thoughts about our ‘Australian dream’ and what it really means. Stan Grant uses these techniques and many more to portray his ideas and to clearly get across to the audience's perspective of the ‘Australian
The lines, “As I said, it might help if we … we can imagine it’s opposite” use perspective to put the non-indigenous Australians into the shoes of indigenous Australians, to help them explore and understand the possibilities of not belonging.
The idea that indigenous Australian communities are underprivileged and do not receive the same justice that the white community accrues is represented through Jay Swan and his interactions with the corrupt white police officers and the indigenous locals of the town. My empathetic response to the text as a whole was influenced directly by way the text constructs these ideas as well as my knowledge of the way indigenous Australians are represented in the mainstream media and the behaviour of the police force as an institution. These contextual factors and the way Sen has constructed ideas influenced me to empathise with the indigenous
After the release of Rabbit Proof Fence, many `politically right' white Australians tried to promote that the film was based on myth and misunderstanding but in facet is not as the film itself promotes the openness of racism. Racism was not only a problem is Australia but throughout the world and is continuing to stay a problem, even in our own backyard. The racism between the white Australians and the Aborigines is quite similar to the racism shown in schools and even in parliament here in New Zealand between the Maori and Europeans, or once again between the `white' and the `black'.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have some of the worst health outcomes in comparison to any other indigenous community in the world (AIHW, 2011). According to United Nations official Anand Grover, Aboriginal health conditions are even worse than some Third World countries (Arup & Sharp, 2009), which is astonishing, considering Australia is one of the worlds wealthiest countries. Thoroughly identifying the causes and analysing every aspect behind poor health of indigenous Australians, and Australian health in general, is near impossible due to the complexity and abundant layers of this issue. Even within the category of social determinants, it is hard to distinguish just one factor, due to so many which interrelate and correspond with each other. The aim of this essay is to firstly identify and analyse components of the social determinants of health that impact the wellbeing of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, and demonstrate how they overlap with each other. By analysing the inequalities in health of Aboriginal and non-indigenous Australians, positive health interventions will then be addressed. Racism and the consequences it has on Indigenous health and wellbeing will be discussed, followed by an analysis of how and why social class and status is considered a determining factor when studying the health of the Aboriginal population. The issue relating ...
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
Broome, Richard. Aboriginal Australians: Black Response to White Dominance 1788. George Allen and Unwin: Sydney. 1982.
The Australian Reconciliation Barometer (ARB) sheds some light on the concerning reality that is faced in Australia. Indigenous Australians feel excluded and marginalised from the Australia Day celebration. To add on to this data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that there are persistent socioeconomic conflicts between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. These conflicts not only ruin the celebrations, but serve as a stark reminder of the historical injustices that continue to reverberate through younger generations. The Australian Human Rights Commission has also reported an alarming rise in racial discrimination and abuse during Australia Day, particularly targeting the Indigenous Community.
The final line, "I'm not racist... I'm simply privileged by being white," confronts the underlying power dynamics and systemic racism that perpetuate these attitudes, suggesting that acknowledging one's privilege is a crucial step towards combating racism. The reference to the prime minister suggests the influence of political leaders in shaping societal attitudes towards race and ethnicity. Being the stolen generation setting a terrible precedent for the people of Australia, generating prejudice and dictating the words and actions government can have on the
Are we in denial about the reality of Australia and exactly how we wrested the Lucky Country away from its traditional owners? Let’s look at the Assimilation policy regarding “The Stolen Generation” that was implemented, and consisted of the removal of indigenous children from their families. This represents the attitudes Australians had towards Indigenous people based on the assumption of black people inferiority and white superiority. How Indigenous children who were taken from their parents were forced to adopt and learn white culture and reject their original and traditional values and language. ("Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples | australia.gov.au", 2018)
I would want to start by paying my respects to the nation's elders, both past and present, and acknowledge them as the land's Traditional Owners and Custodians. I extend this regard to the present-day Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Systemic Racism Systemic racism is the term used to describe how racism is ingrained in societal institutions, laws, and customs, resulting in unfair treatment and consequences on people depending on their race or ethnicity. Aiming to eliminate misconceptions and advance anti-racist beliefs and actions, this may entail education campaigns, community organising, grassroots activity, and legislative changes (Bonilla-Silva, 2021). For instance, compared to their white counterparts, Black people may be
A racial hierarchy had made it’s way into the Australian lifestyle. A white Australia point of view was taken from the British, back from when they first settled in Australia (1788). The white settlers had immediately “formed racist beliefs about the Aboriginal people.” British superiority and culture was spread through literature and teachings to young children in school, so from a young age children were taught who was “in charge”, this was done so young children feared Aboriginals and felt superior to them from a young age. Unbeknownst to these children, the Aboriginals were the original land owners and custodians.
Nowadays, this wilted torch has recast new fires, modern era poets; shining a light above a marginalised people, unveiling their deep history, interconnection to the land, and their experiences before and after the invasion, and inevitable colonisation of Australia.
Furthermore, the idea that schools are to ‘close the gap’ between Indigenous Australians and Caucasian Australian assumes the position that Indigenous Australian’s way of life is inferior to the