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

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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

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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 ...

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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