The recent racist abuse against footy stars Lance Franklin and Lewis Jetta again highlights the ever-present racist nature of Australian citizens, installed in their thoughts, beliefs and shown through their actions. This again happened on the most holy, sacred ground in Australia’s contemporary history, the footy field. A venue of joy, mateship and passion for the sport all Australians love; but also a place of unwavering criticism, controversy and abhorrent racist attitudes and actions from fans as witnessed from the continuous booing and hate over the 2015/16 seasons towards Indigenous footy star, Adam Goodes. In the last IQ2 debate in 2015 on ABC, acclaimed journalist and First Nations elder Stan Grant, delivered a comprehensive and thought-provoking …show more content…
Grant utilises traumatic anecdotes, allusion to contemporary issues and his first person’s point of view to bring forth the readers values and attitudes of accountability for the past, and criticalness of previous actions against Indigenous people. For example, Grant details personal tales of how his grandmother was turned away from the hospital because “she was giving birth to the child of a black person”. The anecdote attacks the latter part of the Australian Dream, stating “(..)deep sense of belonging that allows all Australian to thrive” which was unfortunately not the case where Grant’s elder was reprimanded of her right to treatment. Furthermore, Grant talks about his grandfather who fought wars for Australia but came back to a nation where “he couldn’t even share a drink with his digger mates in the pub because he was black”. The anecdotes again contradicts core Australian values of mateship and equality as Grant’s grandfather who served alongside his caucasian friends was not recognized as a citizen thus was denied the ability to socialise with his soldiers. Grant further adds onto this issue, illustrating how at his birth in 1963, he was “counted among the flora and fauna” and not recognized as a citizen. This personal account illustrates just how contradictive Australian society is, on how an internationally-acclaimed journalist, having worked for the ABC for over 30 years whilst transforming Indigenous communities nation-wide, was merely regarded as an animal at the time of his birth. The quote attacks the aspect of Indigenous identity in the so-called “Australian Dream” when their
Assess the contribution of Charles Perkins to the struggle for rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people in Australia. Introduction - Charles Perkins made major contributions to the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people. In the past, Australia did not recognise the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal Australians due to European settlements, when they arrived in 1788, they did not understand the aboriginal culture. They looked for signs of land ownership and found none. They claimed Australia as ‘Terra Nullius’ (No Body lands).
Acknowledging the wrongs against Indigenous communities in Australia is critical, as this poem shows. The Stolen Generation was a dark chapter in Australia’s history that still affects Indigenous peoples today. From the late 1800s to the 1970s, thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families by the Australian government. The policy was designed to assimilate Indigenous children into White Australian culture, and many suffered abuse and neglect.
In recent years, the issue of Australia Day marking the ‘invasion’ of ‘white man’ has sparked controversy between the Indigenous and non-indigenous populations of Australia. In his article titled “January 26th is the birth of modern Australia – deal with it”, Peter Moore advocates that the date of Australia Day should not be changed and he provides humour and solidarity for those who share his perspective. He does this through heavy use of attacks and generalisations with an informal, aggressive tone. Conversely, Natalie Cromb, with her article titled ‘Australia Day/ Invasion Day debate: #ChangeTheDate – but not right now”, criticizes the idea of the date changing at present time as she attempts to rally supportive readers to stand up to the
Fairchild opened his piece with a play on the wording of the national anthem, using ‘Advance Australia, fair!’ to highlight the irony of how Australians were acting in a manner distinctly unfair to Indigenous Australians. He then moved to use a personal anecdote about his experience as a social worker to inspire feelings of trust in his audience, as a social worker is generally deemed as a person who is working for the greater good of society. His specific work with the Wurundjeri people also helps to establish him as an expert in the matter, and positions the readers to feel that he is not simply another person with a loud opinion.
Scott Sawyer’s opinion piece published in the Gladstone Observer on the 25th of January 2014, employs an informal tone to argue against the unnecessary racism often exhibited on Australia Day. The piece follows a train of thought as it transitions from an impartial positive tone to stern and disgusted. The article “Ditch the racism and enjoy Australia Day as it should be” states it’s contention in it’s title, clearly and concisely, continuing on to position the Australian population to agree to it’s contention using rhetorical questions, emotive and inclusive language and appeal to patriotism. The article displays a cartoon image of a cave man looking puzzled at a stone wheel, contemplating its existence and use. The image acts as a metaphor
Charles Perkins was an activist who spent most of his life fighting for Indigenous people and their rights. He pushed himself out into a world full of racism, to raise awareness of the issues Indigenous people are facing in education, housing, health and their employment. He was a national spokesperson fighting for the rights of Indigenous people throughout Australia. Perkins through his Freedom Rides fought against racial discrimination towards Indigenous Australians and fought for the concept of ‘closing the gap’, pushing the idea of equal opportunities for Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people inside education and within the community. Charles Nelson Perkins was born in Alice Springs in 1936 to an Arrente mother, Hetty and Kalkadoon father, Connelly .
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.
In this day and age, many believe racism to be an issue of the past, when as a matter of fact, it is still frequently impacting peoples lives all around the globe. Unfortunately, many issues regarding racism occur in the sporting world. In Australia, it occurs most often in Australian Rules Football, or in the major competition, AFL (Australian Football League). It is a widely accepted idea that the players and spectators of a sport, rather than the sport itself have a direct impact of inducing racism within that particular sport. Relating to the AFL, the main offenders of racism are the spectators, who are commonly abusing players of different race to them.
You tell me, and I won’t put it down on the form, No-one will know but you and me”. It’s obvious that the author, Thomas King, is trying to make awareness about the treatment of Aboriginals are facing in
The documentary skillfully juxtaposes archival footage that showcases the triumphant moments of Adam Goodes, a celebrated Indigenous footballer, with a deeply affecting interview where Goodes shares a chilling anecdote about the racial abuse he endured during a game. By giving Goodes a voice to recount his personal experiences, the documentary humanizes him and exposes the emotional trauma inflicted by racist comments. Through this construction of voice, viewers are led to question the values of a society that celebrates success on one hand but fails to protect and support its Indigenous citizens from racial abuse on the other. The stark contrast between Goodes' achievements and the racial hostility he faced challenges the notion of an Australian Dream built on inclusivity and equal opportunity for
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 ...
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.
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.
The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey is centred around a young man named Charlie Bucktin living in the little Australian town of Corrigan in the late 1960 's. Charlie is presented with the issues of racial prejudice, shamefulness, and moral dishonesty. He is tested to address the idealism of right from wrong and acknowledges that the law doesn 't generally maintain equity. The thoughts are depicted through Silvey 's utilization of story traditions which are to either challenge or reinforce our values, states of mind and convictions on the issues brought before us. The 1960 's was an extremely dull period for numerous individuals whose race was recognizably unique - different to that of the “white” population.
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.