Was "The Australian" right to publish this?

the definition of racism

Ill leave you to email the dictionary people to argue the definition of racism.

 

I don't dispute the dictionary definition. I dispute your interpretation of Leak's cartoon (i.e. that it implies ALL aboriginals are bad parents).

Do you think the children in Northern Territory’s Don Dale Youth Detention Centre come from homes where the parents are model caregivers?

Do you think that any cartoon depicting an act of bad parenting is racist no matter what the colour of the people depicted? Black, white or otherwise?

 

Domestic and family violence

Thats a really good read for an indepth look at this issues currently facing aboriginals.

I really don't get the point of these cartoons. This is a serious life threatening situation we are talking about. You don't see cartoons in newspapers making fun of people with cancer. Because what the hell would be the point of that? The only motivation I can see here is racially driven.

 

If the cartoon focussed on a stereotype and then made fun of that stereotype and applied it to the whole race then yes I would call that racist. Also I would call it unhelpful.

 

This is the key point. You are not explaining how Leak's cartoon applies to the whole race and not just those at the centre of the national discussion.

 

Put the shovel down dude, your hole is only getting deeper.

The white man's burden: Bill Leak and telling 'the truth' about Aboriginal lives

"As a daughter of an Aboriginal man and the wife of an Aboriginal man, I know that Bill Leak’s claim that Aboriginal fathers are neglectful is not representative of Aboriginal family life. Instead, this cartoon is representative of a white man’s imagining of Aboriginal men."

 

I have a question to ask, do you think this thread will overtake the Trump thread? I think its at 1200 posts, just asking

 

Im just waiting for Trump to endorse the cartoonists actions in his next speech. "Look a lot of my friends are aboriginals but these people are telling me Australia has a problem here. They have all these aboriginals crossing over their border, coming into the Australian's country. And they arent sending their best. These aboriginals are rapists and criminals. And sure some of them are probably good people."

 

Sorry I missed the bit in the cartoon where he named the specific people in the picture.

 

Can't help posting these cartoons of another era...

WW2 German poster deriding the French army about using African soldiers. "In the name of civilisation.."


Depiction of Jews in a Nazi cartoon


Demonisation of Japanese-Americans during WW2 by the respected Dr Seuss


Was there an element of truth in these cartoons? Maybe, maybe not, but were they harmful? Yes.

 

Thats just it. An element of truth simply doesn't remove the harm done.

For example in my line of work I get to talk to indigenous kids from time to time. If one of them rings up and complains that their parents are neglecting them. If my response was "oh yeah you people and your aboriginal parents, they are all a bunch of abusive black people arent they". Can you imagine how absolutely unhelpful that would be to the person needing support? Can you imagine how that would destroy the rapport needed to actually carry out a helpful intervention?

Most people interested in genuinely supporting you, don't start off by insulting your race/culture. In fact they tend not to insult you at all.

Is that concept really up for debate?

 

I 'get it'

 

Can I add my 2c worth to the conversation?

I went to a prestigious academically excellent high school in the very racist 70s. I came out with an education that is undeniably to a higher level than the average Joe back in my day. I probably have a higher education than the average Joe school leaver these days too.

I agree with Bullion B that the cartoon is showing just one side of a situation. Why? because I managed to get myself educated enough to be able to realise that I know for certain that some men are deadbeat fathers and that some men bash their wives. I see the cartoon at the start of this as showing what can happen in SOME families. Race to me doesn't come into it. I noticed that the person on TV who was strapped into the chair with his head covered IS NOT BLACK. Does that make him Aboriginal or teen male or what?

I have enough education to know that those racist cartoons of the 20th Century are awful. and were politically motivated. I can see the similarity to this week's cartoon. I reckon everyone's perspectives here are equally valid. This has made me wonder if my 20th century education has created a racist in me that I didn't know existed, or am I smart enough, as I like to think, to see a problem in one context (ww2) but cant see any problem in 21st century Australia because I thought we are supposed to be smart enough to work out that there are deadbeat fathers and wife beaters in every culture, but this particular cartoon refers to a particular piece of news related to specific children. Children who in this case happen to be Aboriginal and the news item is about a specific incident involving specific people. These people happen to be Aboriginal. Would we then be offended if the family is shown as someone else?

I haven't even started on the ABC report. I am yet to find out whether the boys shown on TV were as innocent as the reporter made out. Were they shown "quietly complying" with the staff at the detention centre after they had given the staff a mouthful or two of the kind that I get to experience in my career from some rather deadbeat youth, a product of modern-day Australian society.

 

Can you please explain what point you are trying to make here.

 

It also doesn't say they are aboriginal...

The cartoon was obviously targeted at recent news events.

 

If these cartoons were published in USA or UK...

 

Some one is going to complain to the powers to be... that calling out racism is a personal attack on racists and ...that will be the end of it. We are more concerned about being called racists rather than being racists.
Trump thread is about a foreigner so fair game.

 

The question shouldn't be was The Australian right to publish the cartoon, that's free speech whether we find it distasteful or not.
It should be is it right that there is little or no National outcry when young girls are gang raped in Aurukun? Or why, by nearly any quantifiable measure indigenous quality of life is comparable with those in sub Saharan Africa.
That's a reason for anger, not a crude cartoon highlighting a problem.
It was a cartoon, nothing more, about dead beat parents who, in this case are aboriginal.

 

Good on you Angel for asking questions about yourself and trying to find an answer. I too could see that the social issue raised by the cartoon was a real one and that it was in response to a particular event.

But can you see the stereotyping that’s going on? In all 3 cartoons by Leak posted in this thread all the indigenous people are depicted in exactly the same way. Apart from pronounced physical features they are shown as dirty, bare-footed with a beer can in their hands, uncultured and stupid. If Leak wanted to illustrate a specific situation he would have gone outside the stereotype and drawn a real person. But he did not, he drew the stereotype that he’s got in his mind about the race.

I’m not saying he’s doing this intentionally by the way, it could just be an unconscious thing. But it’s when stereotyping is unconscious that it is the most dangerous. You yourself was taken aback when I posted clearly racist WW2 cartoons for comparison, but you had the honesty to look into yourself to find an answer. I think we should all do that.

 

Was it? What is the other story in this cartoon? An educated, employed Aboriginal man, working to help his community, is attempting resolve an issue in a culturally sensitive way and is experiencing resistance.

The way we have ignored the positive messages in this cartoon and only focused on the negative messages tells us a lot about our own cultural biases and our own cultural sensitivities.

For example, why is this cartoon about a deadbeat dad and not about an Aboriginal Police Officer and the struggles he faces in trying to do his job and help his community in a culturally sensitive way?