Racial Tension in Australia

So John Howard believes that there is no underlying racism in Australia? Well, I'm sorry but I have to disagree with that.

May I start by saying that I formed these views months ago, and not as a reaction to the recent mob violence in Cronulla. That was as much a reflection of the intelligence of drunk young people as it was of any racial tensions. This post is prompted not by the riots but by subsequent comments by politicians.

While I've always considered Australia's underlying attitudes towards race as suspect, I actually had to leave the country to form a clearer picture of the subject.

Most Australians are aware, to varying degrees, of Australia's historical attitudes regarding race and nation, from early European settlement, through the White Australia Policy and up to the "modern" approach towards Refugees and immigration. However, it wasn't until I had to explain these things - on a number of occasions - to someone with no knowledge on the subject that I found myself confronted, and I mean really confronted, with Australia's past, both colonial and modern, and what it meant regarding our racial attitudes. Asked point blank if Australia was racist, I found that a simple "no" couldn't suffice.

Leaving aside the modern dilemma surrounding Refugees, those shameful days have been consigned to - and deeply buried in - the history books, haven't they? John Howard and others may be able to brush such ideas aside, and why not? They hardly make for easy or comfortable study. Yet, we mustn't be so quick to assume that such a nasty part of a country's psyche can be so quickly eradicated. That would be both dangerous and irresponsible.

Just because Australia may be a "tolerant and respectful" nation does not remove the possibility of there being any underlying tensions. "Tolerant", coming as it does from "tolerate", isn't necessarily a good thing. I tolerate headaches and rush hour on the Tube because I have to, not because I like them. John Howard himself has said that he is "tolerant of homosexuality". Do you think that he meant that in a good way?

Now remember that I'm discussing Australia's underlying values. I'm in not trying to argue that Australia is, on the face of it, an outrightly racist country, that all Australians are inherently racist or that any racial tensions that may exist are worse than those in other countries. To illustrate this point, One Nation was a flash in the pan compared to the British National Party and its brethren, not to mention any number of worrying "nationalist" parties across Europe.

I'm not proposing any solutions. John Howard says we shouldn't overact, this much I agree with. However this doesn't mean that we should avoid taking an honest look at ourselves as a nation, without dismissing any parts we may find uncomfortable to look at. Only then can these problems be properly addressed.

As a postscript may I address the argument that, as Australia's population is so diverse, it can't be racist? Who said that only white people can be racist?