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After Darkness And The Australian Dream

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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

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