Critical Reflection 4

Reverse Racism: Discrimination or Affirmative Action?  
         

       In chapter three of White Nation: Fantasies of White Supremacy in a Multicultural Society, author Ghassan Hage discusses the concept of a tolerant society as merely a “White Fantasy” (Hage, 78). Specifically, Hage examines Australian society to demonstrate how the practice of tolerance in multicultural societies is closely related to the perceived power of White nationalists and their attitudes of intolerance and exclusion of migrants (Hage, 79). From this perspective, the author suggests that the “tolerant society” is rooted in the denial of a loss of perceived power (Hage, 99). 

         Similar to present day nation-states such as Australia, Hage states that Islamic and European states have historically advocated acts of tolerance which co-existed with intolerance (Hage, 81). For example, although Christians and Jews in the Muslim Empire were given a status as “protected ones” under Islam’s Shari’a law, they were forced to pay a head tax, wear special clothing, and were forbidden to practise their religion publicly in front of Muslims (Hage, 81). However, within a post 9-1-1 Western world this is ironic because Muslims are being discriminated against by the same practices of tolerance that Hage notes were first used in the Muslim empire.

          Following the discourse of tolerance in Australia that emerged as a result of state-sponsored multiculturalism in the 1970's, Hage questions the extent to which Australia's current policies of tolerance and multiculturalism are truly distinguished from the country’s past history and policies of assimilation and integration. From this view the author states that although the government’s intentions for adopting integration and multicultural policies as mentioned above are perceived as good, it is still based on upholding the majority Anglo standards (Hage, 83).

            With reference to Preston King, Hage emphasizes that intolerance can not simply be taken away, but is rather reinforced by the majority who are asked to be tolerant (Hage, 85). Next, Hage goes on to attribute the co-existence of tolerance towards power relations, not to the fact that government policies of tolerance were not forcefully implemented (Hage, 86). Instead, multicultural tolerance is a strategy of the White state aimed at reproducing and disguising relationships of power in society (Hage, 87). According to Hage, to tolerate means not only to accept, but also position the other (i.e. those who are accepted) within specific limits or boundaries (Hage, 89). Hence, the author suggests that the continued existence of intolerance in “tolerant” societies is due to a lack of incentive for those in power to be tolerant (Hage, 100).

            Since acceptance of the migrant’s identity is granted by white Australians, it can also be taken away. Hage compares this power relation between those who do the accepting and those who are accepted to that of a parent who dictates when their teenager “becomes” an adult (Hage, 103). Thereby permitting White Australians who engage in this form of acceptance to live in a fantasy space, the “Australianness” of the ethnic other appears as if it is under their control at a time when the migrant is becoming Australian independent of their will (Hage, 103).

           Nowhere is Hage’s notion of the “white fantasy” in Australia more evident than in the issue surrounding migrant workers. In what has been called “reverse racism,” workers and trade unions claim employers are discriminating against White Australians in favour of predominately Asian migrants who are willing to work harder and longer hours for less pay (Eccleston, 2010).

           In the following news clip, fellow Australian Craig Whitney echoes the concern that racism is working in reverse. Explaining how his employer began to strip shifts from white workers like himself at a Meatworks in Ipswich, Whitney believes companies favour cheap foreign labourers who are less likely to complain that they are paid less to work more. He also feels as though Australians are too expensive to hire, so if companies get the cheap labour in they cut the costs, explaining why he and other Caucasian employees received one or two days of work, while the Asian migrants are guaranteed forty hours a week (Eccleston, 2010)

            Perhaps the issue of migrant workers in Australia should not focus on “reverse racism,” but rather the laws, politics and economics which allow the exploitation of migrant workers. The fact that an Australian Pizza Hut receives many more foreign applicants does not allude to discriminatory hiring practices, but it is indeed foreigners who are willing to do the work unwanted by a majority of Australians. However, migrant workers should not experience undermined labour conditions. Likewise, wage and working conditions should be based on a standard regardless of the employee’s ethnicity.

            As the condition experienced not only in factories, but which also takes place at carwashes, supermarkets, and fast food restaurants, a new multicultural policy that stamps out entrenched workplace racism is in need. Newly arriving migrants should feel welcome, valued, and safe, but sadly they form the minority groups which experience persistent pockets of ethnocentrism, and are forced to live in an ethnic enclave that lies outside of the mainstream society.

References

Eccleston, David (2010, November 14). Reverse Racism: What is it and are you a Victim of it? Today Tonight.

            Retrieved from http://au.todaytonight/article/6812577/general/reverse-racism In text: (Eccleston, 2010).

Hage, Ghassan. (2000). Good White Nationalists: The Tolerant Society as a "White Nation" Fantasy. In White

            Nation: Fantasies of White Supremecy in a Multicultural Society (pp.78-104). New York: Routledge.