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1/ Whiteness in Australia is always rebuffed by comparing ourselves to other countries, especially USA ("at least we're not as bad"). White people think our current politics inspired by Trump - a ludicrous fantasy. Racism has ALWAYS been bad here. It is the fabric of nationhood.
2/ Genocide was the foundation of the nation. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander kids removed from familes from 1800s TO THIS DAY. Torres Strait Islanders, Pacific Islanders & Aboriginal people enslaved officially 1800s to 1970s, TO THIS DAY in different guise(work for the dole)
3/ Official immigration, the White Australia Policy until 1970s. Hanson has been popular from 1990s TO THIS DAY. From 2001, rejecting international obligations to refugees, from excised islands to offshore detention TO THIS DAY. Cyclical moral panics over migrants TO THIS DAY
4/ White supremacy is part of how everyday Anglo-Australians think about the nation (see Prof Hage's "White Nation"). It thrives not just because of neo-Nazi groups, but because White Australians perpetuate selective history & feel entitled to dictate what it means to be Aussie.
5/ White Australians need to believe racism here is a passing aberration so they feel comfortable & removed from racism- ignoring every other racist episode in history, past & present. So, no, Trump is no inspiration. We have always had worse versions of "Trump," since invasion.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, any discussion around racism or colonialism tends to be met with "well we're not as bad as Australia".
New Zealand is more progressive than Australia, that's for sure, but racism is all deeply entrenched.
Absolutely. And the progress that has been made is a result of struggle by Maori, not because white New Zealanders were substantially less racist than white Australians.
I don't disagree with your overarching argument, although I think it's wrong to equate work-for-the-dole with aboriginal enslavement or blackbirding. But I also think that Aust is in a better place on all the axes you mention, compared to the 1800s reference point you nominate.
You do realise that Indigenous Australians work 3 Times as long for their dole as non-Indigenous people?
That's terrible.
I don't think Australians realise how offensive some 'normal' things are until they leave Australia. I certainly know people who have felt that way.
Racism is everywhere. Shall we talk about the “mestizo” countries? I’m not sure identifying who is racist by the external metric of skin colour, rather than the internal metric of what someone thinks, is a good method for fighting the moral scourge of racism.
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