The composer’s representation of people and politics are products of their own political motivations and perspective, which advocate discussion and awareness amongst the audiences by exposing the hidden fallacies embedded within historical past. Inherent in Henry Reynold’s memoir Why Weren’t We Told (1999), the representation of society’s attitudes towards race relations in Australian history reflects historical flaws of the communal ‘white blindfold’ perception of Aboriginal past. The text captures personal experiences to represent historical manipulation, educating audiences about the misunderstood history fed by political agendas. Influenced by his motivation to expose the misinformation of our political past, Reynolds cultivates greater …show more content…
Reynolds opinion on the long-lasting implication of historical …show more content…
Reynolds exposes the persecution of Indigenous People, describing the entrenched belief in Aboriginal inferiority common in 70s North Queensland, recalling one school principal who said he ‘did not expect much from [Aboriginal children] because they had smaller brains’. The ‘confidence and complete certainty’ with which the comment was made conveys how deeply negative ideas about Aborigines had been ingrained. These attitudes resulted in an assumption of superiority by white citizens, who Reynolds writes expected ‘lowered eyes and a submissive downward tilt of the head’. Reynolds’ personal voice resonates with condemnation for the oppression faced by Aborigines, illustrating how his perspective has been shaped by his experience of race relations. By sharing this account, Reynolds raises questions about the historical origins of the racial tension he experienced. This foreshadows the dissatisfaction expressed later when he reveals that historians before 1960 had largely ignored interactions between settlers and indigenous peoples, therefore ‘providing no material…to understand the nature of contemporary relations between black and white Australians’. Thus, readers can appreciate how personal experiences allow Reynolds to create an evocative representation of racial politics, as his knowledge of ongoing
Australians were worried, as they thought these individuals were inferior and are likely to dominate society. The bulletin magazine had a biased perspective towards others of coloured immigrants as it determined to remain culturally ‘British’. Knight explores the consequences of the White Australian Policy, and the authority that it carried as ‘an important symbol of both Australia’s relations with Asia and its own national identity’(pp.226). The intention was to exclude individuals
It cannot be denied that our indigenous population has suffered severely since the colonisation of Australia. While the movement towards reconciliation is undoubtedly gaining widespread support, unfortunately many misconceptions are still prevalent and the future of many indigenous Australians is still uncertain. Disadvantage is still experienced by an unacceptable number of the population. Statistically, indigenous people have poorer health, opportunities for education, life expectancy, employment options and the majority live in the remote areas of Australia. As well as this
“And that’s why we got dragged ‘ere... So he could have a nice, white little town.” ‘Many of the injustice perpetrated against Indigenous people in No Sugar are the result of a sense pf superiority dominant in privileged “white” Australians’. Discuss The play ‘No Sugar,’ was a realist drama written by Jack Davis in 1986, which examines the lives of Munday-Millimurra family during the Great Depression as they were removed from their homeland in Northam on the Moore River Settlement.
Whilst, Mrs Whyte presented the issue fairy and appropriately with a good understanding of the underlying issue of social disadvantage, however, it lacked a sense of urgency and passion for the issue. Bob Gosford’s article “Is the NT’s paperless arrest scheme a new “Hallmark of Tyranny”” (2015), is a great contrast to the opinions presented in mainstream media and is highly critical of the points made by such news outlets as the Sunday Territorian as well as the Attorney General, John Elferink. Gosford uses the ideological framework of social disadvantage to propel other ideals of self determination and liberalism in order to counter act the strong views of neo-colonialism and paternalism held by policy makers. Within this article there is a strong sense of pride and will power to combat these fundamental ideological issues. By using the quotation from the case of Donaldson v Broomby (1981), the reader truly grasps a true understanding Gosford’s passion for the issue and identifies the truly devastating effects of social disadvantage Indigenous Australians face within the criminal justice
The article highlights the systemic neglect and abuse of indigenous Australians in the political arena, saying that the Labor government had made moderate attempts to bridge the gap. The tone of the article condemns colonisation, believing that the long term effects are a deliberate cause of cultural trauma of the Aboriginal people. The author utilises emotive text and presents a view predominately swayed towards an Aboriginal experience within colonial and modern day Australia. Implications for Essay: Hollinsworth presents a view of historic and contemporary racism within Australia, stating racism as one of the factors contributing towards low literacy rates within indigenous communities. This article will support the final essay in relation to the view of racism within Australian political, societal and educational spheres and how these issues affect the welfare of indigenous
The effect of this is not only seen in the engagement of the audience, who are seemingly majority white, but also in the mammoth reception of his speech online. Receiving millions of views and strengthening public engagement into the discussion of racism in Australia today. Grants display of passionate emotional rhetoric and a pure sincerity for his beliefs present a strong case for his argument. His powerful statements reveal a permeant scare on the face of Australia, and shameful history that still permeates
Ernest Solomon Scat, the grandfather, portrays a white way of defining history and history writing. There is one passage that particularly emphasizes what history meant for many settler Australians. Apart from his ambition concerning breeding out the colour of people, he expresses the dream to open a Bed and Breakfast inn on his land, offering ‘cultural’ and ‘historical’ information alongside the board and lodging. This quote not only confirms the assumption that white history excludes Aborigines and their view on the past, but it also offers examples of what history in some people’s opinion should contain to make it worthwhile: “Adventure, enterprise, vision”… (24)
The commercialisation of aboriginal culture is appropriation for monetary gains that only benefits a few in societies like corporations at the expense of Aboriginal people’s dignity and cultural pride. For example, having their traditional clothes used as Halloween costumes, disrespecting their culture, and romanticizing them in stories as “noble savages” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Some people say that cultural appropriation is freedom of expression but, this type of discourse that justifies racism leads people to justify the continuous silencing of Aboriginal people as freedom of expression should be equal to everybody, not to a select few. Aboriginal people are left out in discussions about themselves, which lead to the dominant population making their own assumptions and decisions, informed by Eurocentric views, on behalf of aboriginal
In this paper, I examine the influence of Captain James Cook 's conquest of the Southern coastal indigenous aboriginal clans, and his influence on the Western perception. I discuss Western biases noting our cultural biases of the European explorers, their descriptions of indigenous Aboriginals, and comparing these to the written and archaeological records. I look at comparative literature, the Australian government and Aboriginal heritage resources, and the archaeological record along with scholarly articles to determine the likely reaction of the coastal aboriginals to the European settlers. I also examine how the European records of contact may have affected biases against the Southern coastal Aboriginals. It is my assertion that a negative,
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.
Through a historical reflection on the past injustices against indigenous people he asks the audience to consider “will Elijah Doughty become the latest victim of a vulgar, corrupt, indifferent system?” (Graham, 2016, para 54). Graham attempts to disrupt the power structures through an interrogation of the foundation of justice as it pertains to white and indigenous populations. Graham exposes the inequities of the discourse that allows the one incident to be view in radically different ways. He overtly draws to the reader attention the impact of language used frame the dominant thinking.
Post World War Two fear spread among many countries. Organisations such as The United Nations established to prevent further wars. Declarations such as The deceleration of Human Rights was created in hopes of a peaceful world. However peace was not achieved and Human rights were not followed through for everyone. Aboriginal people post WWII did not have the rights and freedoms that other Australian people had.
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.
Indigenous rights are a prominent topic in Australian society, constantly undergoing debate within the public sphere. The divide between White and Indigenous Australians has been an ever-present issue in society since the settling of white man on Australian territory. These vast inequalities caused by a range of social issues have subsequently contributed to a lack of civic participation from the Indigenous community within Australian society. Stan Grant’s 2015 speech at the final IQ2 debate draws attention to racial issues present in modern Australian society, which hinder Indigenous Australians’ ability to fully participate and engage in political matters. Indigenous Australian, journalist and television reporter Stan Grant addresses the
Within this course we touched upon the subject of indigenous people and how often throughout history they’d been exploited of their resources and removed for their land. In Patrick Wolfe’s, Traces of History Elementary Structures of Race, it says,“... The community these students shared with other Indigenous people is deeper than colour, and more specific than discrimination.