White Australia Policy: Racism Vs. Aboriginal Culture

The identity of a country is often based on the culture with the majority. This culture may harbor deep-seated racism towards other cultures. Racism is the theory that the race which the racist belongs is superior to other races. There are a number of ways racism can develop, such as what the predominant culture was at the formation of a country, whether that culture is compatible with other cultures, and what passes for normal in the eyes of that people’s culture.
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A country is usually established by one culture. Other cultures are compared to this culture that then becomes the default. These comparisons are frequently, if not entirely, favourable to the default culture. Before European settlement, Australia was not one unified country and Aboriginal culture appeared in slightly different forms all across the land. After European settlers claimed the land, Aboriginal culture was ignored and European culture established. The land was not

It may be believed that the culture’s ways are always the best, and other cultures are not considered to have any positive elements. This was the thinking behind the ‘White Australia Policy’; after years of half-hearted protection full-blood Aborigines were allowed to die out, while part-Aborigines were encouraged to assimilate into European culture. In 1937, the government released a policy paper which concluded: “The policy of the Commonwealth is to do everything possible to convert the half-caste into a white citizen.” In practice, the ‘half-castes’ were not accepted by the white society causing the assimilation policies to fail, due mainly to high Aboriginal unemployment. It is poignant to highlight that while policies specifically regarding Aborigines were terribly intolerant, it was racism from the community that rendered the policies ineffective. The government may have had a plan, but the culture it promoted had other