Me against my brother; my brother & I against...
When I first read about what happened in Cronulla, the first thing that popped into my head were the lyrics, "You are, we are, we are all Australian". I shook my head and understood why I have yet to really feel 'homesick' for Australia.
It was very easy for me to leave Australia at the time that I did. For me, September 11 and 'the boat people' scandal greased the wheels so to speak. Since I've been gone from Australia, the one time that I did feel a kind of pride was when Australia made the World Cup. Australian soccer, represents more than anything else, the Australia that I know/knew. I also feel a kind of pride when I talk to my students about Aboriginal culture. Compared to indigenous Australia, how can any of us feel as if we were anything but children?
Lebs vs Aussies! Ha!
I really felt as if I should post something about what happened but I really feel like I am 'over it'. I wasn't surprised at all by what I read but I no longer know what to say about racism and redneckism in Australia. I used to say that it goes back to power structures and who has the control over what is presented as authoritative. Now, I would refine that and say that it goes back to individual responsibility. The media in Australia is disgusting when it comes to 'issues' of ethnicity.
Still, I can't be responsible for someone else's responsibilities! I can only be responsible for how I interact with what is around me. Despite the underlying redneckism that exits in Australia, if you accept even a modicum of responsibility, the problems disappear. They really do. I can't expect the Hansonites and Howardites to change but I can change myself. I just wish that the 'Lebs' would learn to see this.
Perhaps the thing that I was most saddened by was the way in which 'we' (as in us, err, Arabs) deal with each other. Even if it is good for us, we don't seem to be willing to take advice from anyone for fear of appearing to 'sell out'.
I'm tired of this stuff...
Sleiman
It was very easy for me to leave Australia at the time that I did. For me, September 11 and 'the boat people' scandal greased the wheels so to speak. Since I've been gone from Australia, the one time that I did feel a kind of pride was when Australia made the World Cup. Australian soccer, represents more than anything else, the Australia that I know/knew. I also feel a kind of pride when I talk to my students about Aboriginal culture. Compared to indigenous Australia, how can any of us feel as if we were anything but children?
Lebs vs Aussies! Ha!
I really felt as if I should post something about what happened but I really feel like I am 'over it'. I wasn't surprised at all by what I read but I no longer know what to say about racism and redneckism in Australia. I used to say that it goes back to power structures and who has the control over what is presented as authoritative. Now, I would refine that and say that it goes back to individual responsibility. The media in Australia is disgusting when it comes to 'issues' of ethnicity.
Still, I can't be responsible for someone else's responsibilities! I can only be responsible for how I interact with what is around me. Despite the underlying redneckism that exits in Australia, if you accept even a modicum of responsibility, the problems disappear. They really do. I can't expect the Hansonites and Howardites to change but I can change myself. I just wish that the 'Lebs' would learn to see this.
Perhaps the thing that I was most saddened by was the way in which 'we' (as in us, err, Arabs) deal with each other. Even if it is good for us, we don't seem to be willing to take advice from anyone for fear of appearing to 'sell out'.
I'm tired of this stuff...
Sleiman
posted by sleiman @ 8:26 PM
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