ipl-logo

After Darkness And The Australian Dream

1646 Words7 Pages

Australian culture is based upon an aggressive form of self-imposed conformity, which viciously attacks anyone who is deemed unique. Contrary to the promoted ideals of mateship, having a fair go, and egalitarianism, Australia does in fact function under a subconsciously discriminatory system that vilifies ‘outsiders’ who threaten the status quo. The documentary The Australian Dream directed by Daniel Gordon released in 2019 and the novel After Darkness by Christine Piper published in 2014 both represent this toxic culture in different ways. While the documentary shows the dehumanisation of AFL player Adam Goodes because of his calling out of racism towards Indigenous players, After Darkness deals with the more complex issue of Japanese internment …show more content…

This is shown in The Australian Dream when Adam Goodes called out a young girl for calling him an “ape” during the Swans and Collingwood game in 2013. Goodes quotes, “Whenever I had been racially vilified before it had been by peers or drunk men, It’s more shocking when it’s a 13-year-old child. No 13-year-old is racist”. Ultimately, this is evidence of generational racism and has most-likely stemmed from familial beliefs and assumptions that date back to more severe times of oppression towards aboriginals. Overall, calling out the young girl caused outrage Australia wide which quickly backfired on Goodes and led to AFL fans relentlessly booing at Goodes when he touched or scored, which many speculated to be motivated by racism. This ultimately took a toll on his mental health, prompting him to take a break from AFL in 2015 to discover more about his aboriginal origins. Yet, the dehumanisation of Goodes was not confined to only this incident, like when he was confronted by racist attitudes and treatment, being targeted for speaking up against the accepted values of AFL culture and being depicted as “contentious” and a “troublemaking” person in the media. The media and AFL fans actions ultimately destroyed his dignity, leaving him with no choice but to abandon his …show more content…

This theme occurs throughout The Australian Dream when Adam Goodes was targeted by fans and media that were confronting him with racist attitudes and treatment. Moreover, in the novel After Darkness Dr. Ibaraki was dehumanised as he was deprived of his identity. After Darkness focuses on how government actions and cultural attitudes deprived people of their sense of compassion, identity, and dignity towards Japanese people in WWII. Both the documentary and the novel are relevant in today's society as they highlight how non-European Australians have been dehumanised throughout Australia's history and how little has changed. Furthermore, they both position the reader to feel empathy and angry on behalf of the protagonists due to the displacement, discrimination and racism they’re both impacted by. The Australian Dream and After Darkness overall reveal the truth behind Australia and how it runs under a racism-based prejudiced system that dehumanises outsiders who challenge the status

Show More
Related

Themes Of Jasper Jones By Craig Silvey

273 Words | 2 Pages

Craig Silvey's novel Jasper Jones is set in the small Australian town of Corrigan, which appears peaceful on the surface but is rife with underlying issues such as racism and abuse. The author has included these explicit and challenging topics to highlight the darker side of Australian society and to challenge readers to confront uncomfortable truths. One of the main themes of the novel is racism, which is evident in the treatment of the town's Indigenous population. The character of Jasper Jones, who is Indigenous, is subjected to racial slurs and discrimination by other characters in the novel.

Read More

Jack Davis No Sugar And Matt Ottley's Requiem For A Beast

946 Words | 4 Pages

The narrator describes how the Indigenous Australians in the area were forced to leave their land, saying, "The black people are gone, and so are the dingoes" (Ottley, 2007, p. 5). This quote highlights the displacement of Indigenous Australians by white settlers, as well as the impact of their absence on the environment. Moreover, the artwork in the text portrays the Indigenous Australians as dark and shadowy, emphasizing their marginalization and exclusion from mainstream society. Together, these examples demonstrate how power imbalances are present not only between humans, but also between humans and animals, and between different racial groups. The text serves as a commentary on the

Read More

Examples Of Stereotypes In Looking For Alibrandi Essay

1879 Words | 8 Pages

Looking for Alibrandi provides valuable insights into the struggles faced by individuals like Josephine in navigating cultural identity and assimilation within Australia's multicultural landscape. By addressing themes of cultural heritage, societal expectations, and the challenges experienced by immigrant communities, the novel deepens our understanding of multiculturalism and its complexities. It sheds light on the need for a more nuanced and inclusive portrayal of Australia's multicultural society (Marchetta, 1992). Moreover, the representation of diverse experiences in popular culture, as depicted in Looking for Alibrandi and its film adaptation, contributes to a more inclusive and representative portrayal of Australia's multicultural

Read More

Stan Grant's Speech: Racism Is Destroying The Australian Dream

458 Words | 2 Pages

Described as “Australia’s Martin Luther King moment” Stan Grant as part of the IQ2 debate series attempted to confirm the legitimacy of that “Racism is destroying the Australian Dream”. Grant pronounced that racism was not only eroding the Australian dream, but lay at its very foundation. Beginning his speech, Grant references the recent controversy involving former AFL player Adam Goodes and the racist butchery which lead to his eventual retirement. Grant talks inclusively about the incident inciting that "When we heard those boos, we heard a sound that was very familiar to us ...

Read More

The Australian Dream, Directed By Daniel Gordon

858 Words | 4 Pages

This lack of diversity in media representation reinforces the notion that the media is complicit in perpetuating a narrow view of the Australian Dream, which fails to encompass the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous Australians and other minority groups. By constructing a limited range of voices in the media, the documentary prompts viewers to question the values of a society that may prioritize certain narratives over others, perpetuating an unequal distribution of power and representation. Through its powerful construction of voice and documentary conventions, "The Australian Dream" becomes a poignant call for change. The film does not merely present a narrative of victimhood but constructs voices that portray Indigenous Australians as resilient individuals fighting against the oppressive weight of history and societal prejudice. Adam Goodes, in his willingness to share his experiences, emerges as a symbol of strength, perseverance, and the unwavering pursuit of justice.

Read More

How Does Nullah Overcome Adversity

674 Words | 3 Pages

In this world we live in, people face adversity every single day. They face it through physical adversity, mental adversity and one of the most common is social adversity. However, as shown in history, literature and even films, people possess an ability to triumph over the most daunting adversities and come out stronger and more resilient than ever. By examining these stories, it gives us the courage to be more resilient by showing us what human beings really can achieve when facing adversity. In the movie Australia starring Hugh Jackman, Character Development is shown through the characters overcoming adversity such as racist behaviours in early Australian history.

Read More

Stolen And Life Without Me: Theatre Analysis

605 Words | 3 Pages

For non-Australians and even for many Australian citizens, knowledge of Australian policies such as the Half Caste Acts, Aboriginal Protection Act and non-indigenous policies such as the White Australia policy and the Assimilation policy stained Australian culture as incredibly racist. This context would help the audience of Stolen to understand just how much cruelty Indigenous Australians experienced. Harrison pushes the thematic concern of inequality through the five children institutionalised. The children are played by adults who symbolises the transgression of pain from child to adult; sexual abuse, intellectual abuse and physical abuse never just

Read More

Racism In Jasper Jones

748 Words | 3 Pages

Indigenous Australians, in many states, were denied full citizenship on grounds of their race. Migration laws were set up at every opportunity to support "white" European outsiders to Australia. However, gradual change in people’s perceptions began in the late 1960 's. Racism all through the 1960 's impacted the characters in the way that it improved certain qualities, and got the perusers to additionally comprehend the characters themselves, and in addition feel certain feelings towards them. Supremacist mentalities and activities are obvious all through the novel. For instance, the Lu family are over and over separated because of the way that they are Vietnamese migrants.

Read More

Racism Is Destroying The Australian Dream Speech Analysis

652 Words | 3 Pages

This article discusses the speech given by an Indigenous journalist, Stan Grant who participated in a debate where he spoke for the motion “Racism is destroying the Australian Dream’’. Hence, the main points of this article are mostly evidence given by Grant in his debate to support his idea that the Australian Dream is indeed rooted in racism. One of the main points is that the indigenous Australians are often excluded and disregarded as non-Australians simply due to their race and skin colour. Grant pointed out the incident where AFL player Adam Goodes was publicly jeered and told that he did not belong to his country as he was not an Australian despite the fact that Australia indeed is the land of his ancestors.

Read More

Case Study: Indigenous Australian's Playing In The Australian Football League

137 Words | 1 Pages

Sport features many stories and themes that can be focused on outside of the obvious bat and ball aspects. More importantly than what game people are playing, is often who these people are. This essay will focus on Indigenous Australian’s playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) as a major case study, in regards to how their involvement in the game shapes Indigenous identity and sensibilities in Australian popular culture. The history of the games Indigenous involvement has been marred with racism and inequality towards Indigenous players. The AFL has attempted to be progressive and show leadership among the Australian sporting landscape by showing respectful recognition to Australia’s first peoples.

Read More

Analyzing Archie Weller's 'Herbie'

1452 Words | 6 Pages

Herbie is described throughout the relentless bullying as an ‘A*o’ and ‘b**ng’ by his peers. This derogatory language is used to display the deep-rooted racism and hatred towards the aboriginal population through the connotations of the language. Terms like ‘A*o’ and ‘b**ng’ are Australian terms which are widely recognised as slurs which hold deep contempt and hatred towards the aboriginal population due to their deeply oppressive history. This language also shows the consistent ridicule that Herbie experienced for something as simple as skin colour, which will have a lasting effect on how he sees himself in the future. One time Herbie is described as ‘strip(ped) … naked ‘like a proper n****r ought to be’’ and being a ‘frightened boy.’

Read More

Aboriginal Identity Essay

1190 Words | 5 Pages

Abstract Being an aborigine in a white dominated society is a complicated identity. Australia, one of the white governed nations, also owns many aboriginal tribes. They lived harmonious lives in the early period. But European colonization has made a profound effect on the lives of Aboriginals in Australia, which led to the total demolition of their native culture, identity and history. As a result the new generation Aboriginals have lost their Aboriginal heritage and have been accepted neither by Aboriginals nor by whites.

Read More

Be Good Little Migrants Essay

690 Words | 3 Pages

The descriptive language, “cheap, exotic food” even tries to ridicule the cultural food which migrants were expected to prepare for the Australians. “Cheap, exotic food” is a connotation for unsatisfactory food. “Feed the mainstream”, hints that regardless of a migrant’s new identity, they were still considered as different from the majority. The quote, “We’ve given you opportunity for family reunion, equality, and status, though your colour could be wrong” uses racial imagery to create a picture in the audience’s mind of the “incorrect” coloured Australians. This statement maintains the concept of migrants never being able to be fully considered Australian.

Read More

Summary Of Australia's Silenced History By Nola Gregory

775 Words | 4 Pages

The poem “Australia’s Silenced History” was written by Nola Gregory from Western Australia in November 2016 as a response to a powerful and provoking video called “Stan Grant talking about racism and the Great Australian Dream.” The poem was written so that our nation would not forget that Australia has a dark past. The subject of the poem is Australia’s dark history and how it impacted many people. The theme is the importance of respecting and acknowledging our history so it can be dealt with. The subject matter of the poem Australia’s Silenced History is about the shameful history of Australia.

Read More

Racism In Australia Essay

607 Words | 3 Pages

Thus, by the uses of different type of information about racism in Australia society, it clear that some people are being racist through social media. In conclusion, it is clear that racism has affected many people, like a contagious disease, following people where ever they go. Racism has been and still is a prolific evil in Australian society. It’s disgusting that people believe there is a different between them and treat each other differently only due to their culture and colour of skin.

Read More

More about After Darkness And The Australian Dream

Related Topics

Open Document