Racism Anxiety in Sydney’s Heartland?
May 11th 2008 00:10
In his 2003 book ‘Western Horizon Sydney’s Heartland and the Future of Australian Politics, David Burchell suggests the term 'racist' is used in the Australian public arena like a general panacea for political disagreement on the issue. Is there any evidence to support this view?
Burchell suggests the term racist is used in Australian public discourse as an ‘all purpose description of every strand in popular opinion of which liberals and radicals disapprove’. (p.45) He goes on to qualify that those who do disagree of multiculturalism are imagined as only venting ‘repressed’ racist views, threads of the nation’s dark soul.
In his assessment of Western Sydney, Burchell uses a combination of historical evidence from the post-WWII urban-spread, population demographics, crime statistics, and survey data from the Australian Election Study (2003, p46), to support his claim that the area has racism anxiety. An anxiety, when taken in a global-climate context however, not that ‘out-of-kilter’ (2003, p53) with the country as a whole. The conclusion is yes, that in the literal sense of the term, Western Sydney’s responses to survey questions and views expressed on talkback radio could be branded racist, but first take into account the underlying reasons and catalysts: simmering racial tension/911/Tampa.
As argued, Burchell’s evidence was gathered from a number of sources. The most compelling of these would have to be the population demographics data, the evolving face of multiculturalism in this traditional Labor heartland. History shows the Western Suburbs of Sydney as culturally diverse and ‘working class’. (2003, p51). And here, it would seem, is one of the main underlying reasons for this reported elevation in racism anxiety: the ‘working-class’ no matter what colour or creed are naturally protective of their jobs. Nothing disturbs a worker more than a perceived threat to their livelihood, not to mention a new brand of terror threatening the global economy. Add to this inflammable anxiety-cauldron the Tampa spark—more bodies to usurp jobs from an already bloated workforce—coupled with intense media scrutiny, and all those fears of losing jobs, homes, even lives, come rushing to the surface.
Hence, one is inclined to agree with Burchell’s conclusion that these fears are hear to stay for the moment (p61-62), as past values of egalitarianism, mateship, and the Great Australian Dream, draw up alongside cultural diversity and the ‘new’ Australian multiculturalism—a society built on difference. Herein lies the challenge facing contemporary Australian politics.
Reference
1. Burchell, David 2003, Western Horizon Sydney’s heartland and the future of Australian Politics, Scribe Publications, Carlton North, Victoria.
Burchell suggests the term racist is used in Australian public discourse as an ‘all purpose description of every strand in popular opinion of which liberals and radicals disapprove’. (p.45) He goes on to qualify that those who do disagree of multiculturalism are imagined as only venting ‘repressed’ racist views, threads of the nation’s dark soul.
As argued, Burchell’s evidence was gathered from a number of sources. The most compelling of these would have to be the population demographics data, the evolving face of multiculturalism in this traditional Labor heartland. History shows the Western Suburbs of Sydney as culturally diverse and ‘working class’. (2003, p51). And here, it would seem, is one of the main underlying reasons for this reported elevation in racism anxiety: the ‘working-class’ no matter what colour or creed are naturally protective of their jobs. Nothing disturbs a worker more than a perceived threat to their livelihood, not to mention a new brand of terror threatening the global economy. Add to this inflammable anxiety-cauldron the Tampa spark—more bodies to usurp jobs from an already bloated workforce—coupled with intense media scrutiny, and all those fears of losing jobs, homes, even lives, come rushing to the surface.
Reference
1. Burchell, David 2003, Western Horizon Sydney’s heartland and the future of Australian Politics, Scribe Publications, Carlton North, Victoria.
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