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One of Australia’s best-known promoters of reconciliation, Dr Evelyn Scott, gave the Catholic Education Week address in Melbourne. One of her themes was the way stereotyping leads to racism.
I have a profound and unshakable belief that it is through the educational system that racism will eventually be excised from the body of Australia and other countries. For only by education, will stereotyping come to an end.
It is stereotyping which is the root cause of racism; it is stereotyping which is preventing us from reconciling our differences; it is stereotyping which makes whites suspect blacks and blacks suspect whites; it is stereotyping which makes whites think that Aborigines are a drain on the welfare system, are a backward people, and are uneducated. And it was stereotyping by previous governments which said that Aboriginal mothers and fathers were incapable of nurturing and protecting their children which led to the stolen generation.
The term ‘stereotype’ was first used in the eighteenth century to describe a printing process designed to duplicate pages of type. Today its meaning has changed dramatically. Today, we recognising stereotyping as a fixed conception of a group which is held by many people, which allows for no individuality or critical judgment.
Let’s look for a moment at a few examples of the stereotyping of races, and see why it is such a profound barrier to reconciliation.
Aborigines are drunks. The Scots are penny-pinching and mercenary. The Germans are legalistic and militaristic. Pacific Islanders are gentle when sober but vicious when drunk. Arabs are terrorists. Negroes are drug addicts but have wonderful musical rhythm.
Don’t think I’ve invented any of these stereotypes just to prove my point, because these are the very words I’ve heard in my long and eventful life from many otherwise sane people. However offensive and damaging these stereotypes are, they perpetuate racism by stressing the superiority of one race over the stereotypic inferiority of another.
Racial stereotyping is the first step on the road towards racism. Often it begins with racist jokes; then it moves to generalisations, which usually begin with the statement, ‘I’m not a racist, but …’
From here, once the immediate society has given its approval of the racism by not complaining, it moves into the realm of absolute knowledge, which is invariably based on ignorance. By this I mean that the next statement often begins with something like, ‘You know, it’s well known that Asians are …’ or ‘It’s a common fact that Negroes are …’ or ‘Everyone knows that Aborigines are …’ And then the stereotype is trotted out with all the familiar generalisations and misconceptions.
It would be very useful to put a ban on stereotyping and racist jokes and all the other hurtful figures of speech, just like we have bans on other forms of unacceptable language and behaviour.
But I’m not an advocate of censorship. I’m only asking us to appreciate that a racist joke might be funny to the people in the mainstream community listening to it, but it can be hurtful and indeed harmful if it is the instigator of further stereotypes and misconceptions.
This isn’t a simple issue. We often think in stereotypes. It helps us to cope with the enormity of the world. And most of us would argue that stereotyping isn’t always wrong, especially when it’s used by such people as sociologists or journalists when they’re referring, for instance, to a group movement.
They might call a group of young people Generation X, or label them simply as the ‘Me’ Generation. These trends are usually based on sound academic social research. So, when it is non-racial, stereotyping can define and put into simple terms a large-scale syndrome and make it easier to understand.
And there’s probably no better example of this than in our own back yard. After all, we Aussies take great pride in the world seeing us as ‘open’, or ‘friendly’ or ‘good-natured’ or ‘tolerant’. It makes us feel proud of who we are, and these simple, but general tendencies provide a useful snapshot of a national character.
So why am I so concerned about stereotyping? Because when a stereotype is employed to paint the rough outline of a national portrait, it may have its uses. But when it’s used by vilifiers and racists to create the dead, stone image of a group of people, or when it’s used to portray the supposed dangers of another race or religion, then stereotypes quickly lose their charm and become a weapon of mass destruction.
This leads me to the conclusion that any racial stereotyping has the potential to be dangerous, even when it portrays a happy-go-lucky and benign impression of a people. To call Australia a happy nation is just the other side of the coin to calling us a land of boozers who love our beer a bit too much; to call us all sports mad is close to calling us work-shy and lazy.
As I said, I detest censorship, and I’m not advocating laws against racial stereotyping. What I’m arguing for is an attitudinal change to the way we think about people different from ourselves. And that can only come from education; and from that process of education will evolve the grounds on which we can deliver true reconciliation.
Evelyn Scott’s involvement in Indigenous affairs goes back to the 1960s when she was involved in the campaign to change the Constitution in regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Born in Ingham, Queensland, she helped establish Aboriginal Legal Services, Housing Societies and Medical Services in that state. She worked for the Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and was Regional Manager of the North Queensland Region Aboriginal Hostels Limited for 6 years. In 1980 she was an official Australian Government delegate to the United Nations Conference in Papeete, Tahiti. In 1985 she moved to Sydney where she managed employment and student hostels.
Evelyn became well known around the whole of Australia as Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation which presented its important final report to the Federal Government in 2000.
That same year, the Australian Catholic University presented her with an Honorary doctorate for her work in the advancement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the advancement of women and her tireless work for reconciliation. In 2001, the James Cook University in Townsville awarded her with an Honorary Doctor of Letters in recognition for outstanding service to the Queensland community, exceptional service to the university and exceptional contribution to human well-being. In 2003, she was the recipient of an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Evelyn is of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander heritage. She has been a widow since 1973 and has five children and six grandchildren.
See the website Racism No Way for an interview with Evelyn Scott, as well as many useful resources and activities on racism.
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