Christopher Columbus

[RossTaylorsBox]

Correct

 

[Neptune]

I know, it's hard to believe someone who [lays the race card as much as Sunny would ever utter a racist word. And yet:



Quality human.

What a terrible man. Someone should make a thread about this, scandal.

 

[Adders]

I read today that not being racist isn't a quality to be encouraged. Unless you're demonstratively anti-racist it means you condone racism.

 

[Furball]

We can’t say Hitler was bad because there were some other people in the 40s who thought genocide was ok.

But enough about Winston Churchill

 

[Red Hill]

I read today that not being racist isn't a quality to be encouraged. Unless you're demonstratively anti-racist it means you condone racism.

What "demonstratively anti-racist" actually means or looks like is pretty open to interpretation, especially at this point in time.

 

[silentstriker]

I read today that not being racist isn't a quality to be encouraged. Unless you're demonstratively anti-racist it means you condone racism.

What "demonstratively anti-racist" actually means or looks like is pretty open to interpretation, especially at this point in time.

Yes, it is. However, the issue is that a lot of racism exists in society because people put up with it, and yes, benefit from it - especially those who are not victims of it. We are all part of a society (as much as libertarians hate to admit) that is interconnected and we all benefit and suffer from things we have little control over. It's not every man for himself. This is just getting people to be more actively involved in the solution rather than passively sitting back, because it's very easy to just say 'well I am personally not racist so I don't have to do anything'. That type of mentality helps perpetuates the status quo, which is beneficial to a lot of people who themselves might not be racist - but it is a structure that benefits them because in many ways it has been designed to disempower a lot of people solely based on their race.

 

[Red Hill]

Yes, it is. However, the issue is that a lot of racism exists in society because people put up with it, and yes, benefit from it - especially those who are not victims of it. We are all part of a society (as much as libertarians hate to admit) that is interconnected and we all benefit and suffer from things we have little control over. It's not every man for himself. This is just getting people to be more actively involved in the solution rather than passively sitting back, because it's very easy to just say 'well I am personally not racist so I don't have to do anything'. That type of mentality helps perpetuates the status quo, which is beneficial to a lot of people who themselves might not be racist - but it is a structure that benefits them because in many ways it has been designed to disempower a lot of people solely based on their race.

One thing I've been considering a lot during the past 2 weeks is the inherent differences between racism in Australia and racism in the USA.

 

[silentstriker]

I only know Australian history superficially, mainly from a book I've read about the stolen generations. What are your thoughts?

 

[Red Hill]

I only know Australian history superficially, mainly from a book I've read about the stolen generations. What are your thoughts?

I think Australia always wanted to view itself as a democratic working-man's utopia. There has always been a reluctance in Australia to bow to wealth. There's an old saying here, "Jack's as good as his master, and probably a good deal better". Australia prided itself on the idea of a "fair go", and equal treatment for all in regards to reward for work and labour. The White Australia policy was essentially a result of this. Used as a throwaway line, the White Aust policy sounds horrible, but initially it was believed that importing Asian or Islander workers would lead to them being badly paid (essentially creating slavery) and the country losing what it wanted to see itself as. Obviously history is more complicated than that, and there was some overtly racist ways this message was portrayed thru propaganda (esp in war times) in the years that followed. This "fair go" also plays itself out thru our health system as well. Basically any Australian can be treated for free for most things.

The indigenous experience is a whole other kettle of fish, and a fairly horrible one at that. Ravaged by disease, attempts to breed them out, massacred, forced to assimilate into a society until their heritage is not recognisable. But there were also heaps of attempts to live harmoniously. But it's different here now. Indigenous Australians now make up a very small percentage of the population (3% ish). A lot of Australians would not even know an indigenous person.

The Australian aborigines are regarded as the oldest surviving culture in the world (40,000-60,000). I think now some Australians are starting to appreciate that surviving in this country is ****ing difficult and we might start looking at some of the ways it used to be done.

This is a great read if you can get a hold of it:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/24/dark-emus-infinite-potential-our-kids-have-grown-up-in-a-fog-about-the-history-of-the-land

Essentially I guess racism is complicated here, perhaps a bit less overt. We've benefitted from mass waves of immigration, first a lot of Greeks and Italians in the 40s/50s/60s, and then a lot of Asians from the 80s onwards. There's a lot of xenophobia and casual racism against new groups, but we tend to assimilate together within a decade. There's essentially no systemic racism against immigrants, and generally the country benefits greatly from immigrants.

Best not to get started on our detention centres...