CONT..

The archetypal Aussie has a white skin and the rest are in the best position to be sensitive to the passive racism that entails. Actually it’s often also aggressive.
How do we explain the “Aboriginal problem”? If we no longer subscribe to supremacist notions of racial inferiority, how do we explain that our native pariahs are in such a comparatively appalling state?
I believe they are direct victims of their ethnicity, both discriminated against and, more importantly, tormented within by an inherited stigmatism associated with appearances. Of course we who are white can be culturally anonymous, or assume an Australian identity if we like, or take pride in our cultural extraction—since the colour white brims with confidence the world over. But this leaves us devoid of empathy. Ramesh Fernandez is also obviously a proud man and feels an insult we can’t or we complacently refuse to relate to. Indeed we resent his resentment—pride on all sides.
It seems to me aborigines lack that cultural-pride we and Ramesh take for granted. They were invaded, dispossessed, exploited, denigrated, despised and discombobulated. Their cultural heritage is all but extinct, “primitive” in any case by comparison with Western enlightened Man. Yet their features insist that that’s who they are and their pride, where it tries to assert itself, is disingenuous or conflicted. Or understandably only resentment, aggression and self-loathing persist, whether conscious or unconscious.
I think we could try a whole lot harder to empathise. Better still we should abandon Australian identity based on appearances.

Truly, this racist tag is bandied around like so many sporting cards on a primary school playground. Yes there are racists as there are feral Collingwood supporters, thugs, thieves and people with any and every distasteful trait. What of it?

The predominant culture of global business does not abide racism. The predominant belief system within our culture does not accept racism. If we truly believe all races are equal we should not be taking offense when we are confronted by the village idiot.

Intelligent people are genuinely interested in other cultures, some even jealous of the richness of foreigners. Others maybe ignorant of their own intent or merely baiting you - toughen up. The world is full of all sorts.

This is not apartheid S.A. or Colonial white Australia. The world is an entirely different place let alone Australia.

It is insulting to those who in the past and to this day suffer life threatening and economic racism with real consequences for us to be taking offense to verbal slurs and or imaginary slights - tell them to stick it.

Squeers,

I think most of us posting here would have to walk a mile in an Aboriginal's skin to understand.

I spoke to that cab driver on the two-way, who at that time of night was taking direct phone calls. He intimated that these women were "not in the right condition" to be picked up - ie, that they were drunk. But they weren't drunk. I spoke to them for an hour and they were as sober as I was.

Maybe his idea of "the right condition" was based on other criteria.

poirot
The indigenous issue is a world away from the type of racism or perceived racism experienced by immigrants from foreign shores. I am not really sure there is any value in discussing the two simultaneously.

The overwhelming majority of Australians rarely come across anyone who appears to be indigenous. The way Australia has and continues to deal with indigenous people is a subject of far greater complexity then that raised by this article.

Mixing it up is wrong headed and one of the reasons why we are so infantile about both issues.

YEBIGA,

You may be right. I do think it's instinctual behaviour in man upon meeting someone who has different traits to ask from whence they hail.

Your comment: "The overwhelming majority of Australians rarely come across anyone who appears to be indigenous..." seems a little odd, but put's me in mind of an observation made by Clive James - that Australians, by and large, view Aboriginals as "something between a sideshow and embarrassment."

Another example of the "Only White People are Racist " hypocrisy. When I've been overseas, were those non-Europeans who asked where I came from, racist? Of course not, they couldn't possibly be racist, could they? Or those locals who point at and stare at blondes?

As to stolen land, the history of humanity is record of invasions and land theft, Europeans certainly don't have a monopoly there. There aren't many nation-states that aren't founded on land theft at some time in history.

The author should nominate some nations that are models of harmonious race relations or haven't suffered murderous "ethnic tensions"---India? LOL, Sri Lanka? LOL, Cambodia? China?, Latin America? Racism is on the rise in Europe.

I've encountered so many non-"Europeans" who readily express racial prejudice, but who will deny that it's the mirror image of "White" racism.

Of course there's racism in Australia, there's a lot of room for improvement. That said, I don't think anyone would want to trade places with the "Tribals" in India, the San in South africa or the indigenous inhabitants of Latin America.