Australian Identity

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Racism and Egalitarianism

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"we don't believe we are better than the "brown skins" as the English do; we fear we are inferior" Adele Horin - journalist

According to research by Deakin University, 70 per cent of Australian-born students and 80 per cent of migrant students experience racism at school (1). Such research would suggest that the majority of Australians will probably feel that they are victims of racial discrimination at some stage in their lives. After experiencing racism at school, they may experience in the workforce, on public transport or in the service industries.

In addition to most Australians feeling that they are victims of racism, almost all Australians will be accused of racism at some time; either individually or as a result of the social groups they belong to. This includes Australians of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Aboriginal, and British ancestry. The accusations of racism are quite logical. For every victim of racism, there has to be a perpetrator of racism. Furthermore, for every racist individual, there has to be a culture that created the racist individual.

Despite most Australians feeling that they have been victims of racism, and most Australians being accused of racism by others, only a tiny minority of Australians will ever concede that they are personally racist. It would seem that most Australians believe that it is always someone else who is wearing the white hood, doing the Nazi salute, or in some way acting in an un-egalitarian manner.

Ironically, the discrepancy between the amount of Australians who believe racism is common in their country, but that they are not perpetrators of it, may be attributed to Australia's egalitarian ethic. It has a way of making Australians appear highly critical in the minds of outsiders, but eqalitarian in the the minds of themselves. In other words, racist to outsiders but believing in human equality in their own self-identities. The Australians can acknowledge that others feel like they are victims of racism, and they can feel like are victims of racism themselves, but since they are egalitarian in thinking, they struggle to concede that they are personally racist. As a consequence, not only can a belief in egalitarianism put Australians in denial about the offence they are causing others, it can also be the chief cause of the offence.

One of the problems with the egalitarian culture is that it often results in criticism being directed at foreigners who intentionally or unintentionally communicate attributes of superiority. The criticisms are not designed to make the foreigner feel inferior, rather, they are designed to stop them feeling superior. For example, during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Australian public embraced Eric the Eel, an African swimmer with no more ability than those watching. Eric struggled to swim 50 meters but every stroke was accompanied by the kind of cheer normally reserved for gold medallists. By cheering Eric, the Australian audience was trying to increase his social status and help him rise above his underdog status.

Eric the Eel at the 2000 Olympics

While Eric the Eel was being celebrated, America's champion athletes were booed. Nicole Beatty, a letter to the editor writer, explained the booing of Americans,

"We don't boo Yanks because we think they are better than us. We boo yanks because they think they are better than us."

In short, whereas some cultures use insults that make them feel superior, some Australians use insults to stop others feeling superior.  

It is unlikely that the likes of Beatty would see themselves as racist; however, Americans who endure insults do often feel like they have been victims of racism. One such American was Solomon Dennis "Sol" Trujillo. After being head hunted to become Telstra CEO in 2005, he offended the ego of some Australian businessmen, politicians and journalists. As a consequence, they repeatedly made reference to Trujillo's Mexican heritage, which included caricatures of him as one of the three amigos. The insult was picked up and proliferated throughout Australian society without any complaint. When Trujillo returned to America, Australia's left-wing prime minister Kevin Rudd celebrated his departure with the words "adios." Reporting journalists laughed at the comment.

In 2009, Trujillo told an American audience that he was the victim of racism. It was a claim many Hispanic Americans agreed with. As far as they were concerned, the jokes were the equivalent of drawing Obama looking like a monkey in order to belittle his policies. Some Australian journalists later made concessions that although Trujillo had a small point, it was hard to feel sorry for a multi-millionaire. While Sol was indeed a millionaire, a derogatory stereotype of a a race had been used to demean the tall-poppy and in that regard, a whole race had been offended in the desire to offend the singular individual. Such was their focus on vilifying Trujillo that the journalists failed to realise that they were also vilifying Hispanics. (Kevin Rudd likewise refused to apologise or concede his adios comment could have been racist.)

Another problem with egalitarianism is that Australians often treat other cultures like they treat themselves, which includes subjecting them to forced self-depreciation. For example, for decades the Red Faces segment of Hey Hey it's Saturday was used as a stage for people to make fools out of themselves. In 2009, a group of highly successful medical practitioners, from non English speaking backgrounds, continued the tradition with spoof of the Jackson 5. While Australians have learnt to accept having the piss taken out of them and take it out of themselves, other cultures find piss taking deeply offensive. Specifically, Americans reacted in quite a hostile way to the Jackson 5 being made to look like buffoons.

Hey Hey it's Saturday and the Jackson Jive

A third problem with the egalitarian culture is that some cultures view it as a sign of rudeness, arrogance, or disrespect. For example, in 1980 a Japanese prefecture sponsored a weekend seminar to discuss problems that Japanese people might experience in Australia. One speaker, Hiro Mukai, stated:

"Australians appear very naive to the newly-arrived Japanese. They speak the same way with everyone."

Japan is a hierarchical society, in which a different language is used depending upon the relative status of the people communicating. Formal Japanese is particularly important when people encounter each other for the first time. In Australia; however, the language is very egalitarian. Titles are rare and a boss will probably speak to a worker in the same manner they would speak to a friend. Ironically, this can be offensive to many Asian countries. It can even be offensive to European countries, such as England, where a lack of formality is interpreted as a sign of arrogance. In a nutshell, many cultures consider a failure to give respect to be a sign of racism. They don't appreciate being treated in the same manner as a garbage collector or a shoe salesman. Furthermore, they don't believe Australians should automatically assume to be on the same level as them.

A fourth problem with egalitarian culture is that can be used to justify prejudice. During the late 19th century, many unionists argued for a white Australia policy because non-white races were not seen as possessing the egalitarian thinkings of Australians. Ironically, the same psychology was was used during China's cultural revolution. In order to conform to Communism's egalitarian ethic, student activists tortured and humiliated anyone that they believed lacked egalitarian values. Paradoxically, the students used their belief in their own egalitarianism to justify their own superiority. Today, Indian students and Indian teachers in Australia have been targeted for abuse on the grounds they are from hierarchical cultural backgrounds.

A final problem with egalitarian culture is that it makes many Australians equate self-praise with racism. In 1998, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission defined racism as

In order to deal with their difficulties with self praise, many Australians feel they have to tell the world that Australia is a racist society in order to prove that Australians don't really consider themselves superior. For example, the author of this article used to teach the cultures of English speaking nations in a Chinese university. The Australian authors of the Australian section of the prescribed textbook had defined Australia as a racist society and used the stolen generations and the white Australia policy to justify the opinion.

Feedback to this site has likewise shown some of the difficulties that some Australians have with self-praise. The following email was received in the days when the site was a bit more positive. It shows someone trying to fight his supremist tendencies by insulting the culture that made him who he is:

"Seeing ourselves as larrikin convict types allows us to avoid all responsibility - it's always somebody else's fault, we're always victims or martyrs, morality is for pompous wowsers, excellence is just 'elitism' (the new Australian weasel word, as seen during the republic referendum).

The historian Henry Reynolds (who has exposed the violence against Aborigines on the Australian frontier, and Aboriginal resistance) in his book 'Why Weren't We Told?' finds it a 'strange paradox that we can celebrate our failed assault on Turkey [in 1915] but feel embarrassed about the successful invasion of Australia', even though 'without a successful prosecution of the border wars [against Aborigines] there would not have been an Australian nation in any recognisable sense'. We're afraid of the very words 'war' and 'invasion'. Convictism, larrikinsm, 'mateship' - these ideas allow us to let ourselves off the hook, to think of ourselves as 'innocent underdogs' rather than what we really were, according to Reynolds: 'calculating overlords'.

Does the convict heritage make us love freedom? On the contrary, I think it makes us obsessed with security yet afraid of all responsibility - including the moral responsibility of admitting how this country was conquered. I'm sure the difference between 'master' and 'convict' hardly mattered to the Aborigines. " D Morgan

It is strange that as the site as lost its very positive pages, it has received less insulting emails. It seems that many Australians are more comfortable with an insult than they are with a compliment. While insults are the norm in Australia, most of the world is very different. If critical Australians give them insults instead of compliments, most get upset about it.

Unfortunately, because many Australians have been brought up in a critical culture, they criticise other cultures as freely as they criticise their own. Inevitably, this disrespectful frame of mind makes them appear racist. Furthermore, to deny cultural diversity in the name of pretending all cultures are the same leads to quite ignorant perspectives on the world. When foreigners encounter this ignorance, they again conclude it to be a sign of racism. Although it may not be fair, part of the problem with the Jackson Jive sketch was that the Australians failed to realise that what is acceptable for Australians is not acceptable for other cultures. In other words, they treated the American judge and the Jackson 5 as they would treat Australians, instead of considering how they were different.

American views on the Jackson Jive

In some ways, the charge that Australians are racist is a silly one. Australia is an anti-supremist country and always has been. Even the White Australia Policy was partly inspired by a fear of the superiority of non-whites. One of the chief architects, Afred Deakin, wrote of Asians,

"It is not the bad qualities, but the good qualities of these alien races that make them so dangerous to us. It is their inexhaustible energy, their power of applying themselves to new tasks, their endurance and low standard of living that make them such competitors."

Unfortunately, while the desire to pull up the underdogs is a noble one, the need to protect the ego by excluding or cutting down the superior can lead to some mean spirited commentary, and policies. In any case, whether an insult is being used to increase one's own superiority or cut down the superiority of someone else, both are reflective of ego troubles and are a lazy method of addressing those ego troubles. In many areas, foreign cultures are superior to Australian culture and insults of those cultures merely serve to prevent Australians solving some problems in themselves, as well as contributing to charges that Australia is indeed a racist society. Sometimes tall poppies, and other cultures, could do with some displays of respect. Just as it is possible to cheer Eric the Eel for having a go, it is possible to respect the American Michael Phelps for wining 8 gold medals and setting a standard to be emulated. While it may not be possible to emulate a standard such as winning 8 Olympic gold medals, sometimes just having a go is a step in the right direction, as Eric the Eel showed. Sitting in the stands dishing out criticism really isn't baheavour with any virtue at all.

W.B Gould The Landlord

The Landlord, by Convict artist W.B Gould, shows an early expression of Australian egalitarianism. It depicts a suited man with a toothless grin. Strict convention amongst noble man of the time was a deadpan expression; especially if one's teeth were missing. Gould might have painted an ex-Convict whose desire to conform to social prestige had been surpassed by a self-effacing personality. Alternatively, he might have painted a mate as a landlord in order to demean the landlord class.

Billy Blue

In the early 19th century, Billy Blue, a black Convict, became what could be defined as Australia's first celebrity. He wore a top hat and discarded military uniform in a way that could be seen as a form of piss taking. He was admired by the Convict class and dined with the governors. Newspapers of the time didn't even refer to his colour. In tribute to Billy's legacy, many streets, landmarks, hotels and businesses in Nth Sydney were named in his honour. These include Blues Point, William Street, Blues Point Road, The Commodore Hotel, and the Billy Blue Design School. First century conflict White Australia Policy Egalitarianism Aboriginal and colonial relationship

Comments on Australians

Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the 'Grass is Greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence. Douglas Adams - English

As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst, and wombats, you would expect Australians to be a dour lot. Instead, they are genial, jolly, cheerful, and always willing to share a kind word with a stranger, unless they are an American. Douglas Adams - English

Australia seems refreshingly free of class prejudice. Here people take you for what you are, and are less concerned with how you speak, what job you do, where you went to school etc. I enjoy meeting people from many walks of life and treating each other as equals. Paul Davies - British migrant

Australian culture feels as grotesque as The Day of the Locust. There’s no sense of a high culture anywhere, and extreme characters abound. TV ads are often leeringly sexual "These are the only balls you’ll see at our health club," says an ad for a women’s workout center, focusing on some tennis balls Phillip Weis- American

We come from 2,500 years of culture and we all know where they come from Ajurna Rantaunga - Sri Lankan

You have no need to feel iffy about a country where "relaxation is the aim". There's nothing to be worried about if "no worries" is your mantra. People have killed for less. Soumya Bhattacharya - Indian

Australians have a tendency to be loud and obnoxious when they are beered up, which in my experience, is much of the time. They're descendants from pockets and cut purses, and as we all know, the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. Michael Carey - American

What sort or peculiar capitalist country is this in which the workers' representatives predominate in the upper house....and yet the capitalist system is in no danger? Vladimir Lenin - Russian

Australians are, I have found, ready to laugh at themselves if they think that the joke is funny and the humour not ill-directed. And the ability to be self-deprecating is the mark of confidence; it is, as much as anything else, the yardstick by which a society measures how tolerant and self-assured it is Soumya Bhattacharya - Indian