Race and cultural difference - so 20th century right? Wrong. The issues concerning the Indigenous population and the barriers to achievment are happening now.
"It is now widely accepted that those who 'lack' English language skills, or who 'lack' a particular educational experience, or who 'lack' strong local employment networks tend to face greater difficulties in transcending this hierachy in order to become of the occasional success stories" (Fozdar, Wilding & Hawkins, 2009: 179-180). Fozdar, Wilding and Hawkins (2009) have attributed the priveleged and the subordinate to the issue concerning the role of 'whiteness.' This whiteness comes from "the assumption that race is a social construction" (2009: 180). By focusing on the (generalised) priveleged people within society, the biological features have come to be associated with positions of economic or social power.
We can see this relating to other theorists; McIntosh (1998) dedicates her article into exploring the concept of 'white privelege.' She claims that white privelege is "an invisible package of unearned assests." McIntosh also claims that "whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow 'them' to be more like 'us.'" Does this imagery emerge because, as we mentioned, it is a generalised conception that white people have better resources, therefore a greater chance at achieving success? Maybe it doesn't have too much to do with the idea of resource, but the idea of culture and the cutural norm for young Indigenous people.
Mudine (2013) published an article within the Daily Telegraph that perfectly fits this argument. Let's talk some statistics: 25% of the prison population is made up of the Indigenous populaton; 50% of the juvenile detention population are Indigenous (Mundine 2013). Now on one level this is the most obvious issue attributing to the lack of Indigenous peoples within positions of power in Australian society. It's not. The most startling problem that this brings to the forefront is that idea that because these incarceration rates are so high, Indigenous communities view this as 'normal.' That's where the real problem lies.
Mundine (2013) determines that there are commonalities within the juvenile detention system among Indigenous males; they claim that they have no access to schooling besides when they are incarcerated, they have had plenty of skills training, yet it hasn't led to employment, they have difficulty adjusting to their life outside of detention, and (scarily) some of these males prefer living in detention rather than at home. "These realities all discourage education and work which are the pathways out of poverty" (Mundine 2013). But maybe McIntosh (1998) is right in her assumption that white people are trying to change the way Indigenous communities value education and employment. Is it more beneficial for white communities or Indigenous communities?
The cultured view of unemployed, uneducated and incarcerated men is destructive - regardless of their skin colour. This is what we should be focusing on - not the fact that they may or may not have Indigenous background, but the fact that they are stuck in this cyclical norm of poverty and a lack of education. Mundine (2013) claims that "We could establish top schools and thriving commercial enterprises next to every disadvantaged community, but nothing will change unless children attend school and adults take up jobs." And this is exactly right.
Until there is a cultural shift in the value of employment and education, these young men sitting in juvenile detention, will never know the rewards attritbuted to education and knowledge. The sad reality of this situation is... they enjoy spending their time in detention. So instead of us spending our time debating whether it is our whiteness or the colour of our skin that attributes certain people to failure, or to success, perhaps we should be implementing programs, financial support and educational help in helping youth see that there is hope despite their hardships.
Reference List:
Fozdar F., Wiling R. & Hawkins, M. 2009. Race and Ethnic relations. Oxford University Press: Hong Kong.
McIntosh, P. 1998. 'White Privelege and Male Privelege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies.'
Warren Mundine, Octover 17th 2013, 'Held down by black racism and ignorance,' The Daily Telegraph. Accessed online at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/held-down-by-black-racism-and-ignorance/story-fni0cx12-1226741221643
No comments:
Post a Comment