Are you multicultural or are you Australian?

[Donte]

I’ve been pondering for a while about the whole ‘multicultural’ notion.


We often hear ‘multicultural people’ or ‘multicultural experiences’ etc but what exactly does that mean?


I am from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, (was born and raised in a non-English speaking country), like the 46% of our population. However, I never think of my self as ‘diverse’ or ‘multicultural’. This is a term other people have created to describe me and my experiences. I am me. A human being like everyone else.


The term ‘multicultural’ often implies ‘different’ or ‘diverse’, but different from what or whom? Well, clearly, from the white-Anglo Australians.


So, my experience has been that in Australia today we have the dominant or mainstream White-Anglo culture and the ‘multicultural’ culture - anything and anyone who doesn’t fit in the white-Anglo category.


The reality of course is that the white-Anglo segment of the population is also part of the whole ‘multicultural’ society, even if it’s the dominant one.


This is never viewed in my opinion, its proper light, perhaps for political reasons and the hidden racism that still lurks in the background of today’s mainstream culture.


Interestingly enough, even non white-Anglo Australians have come to accept this white propaganda and every time I hear them refer to ‘Australians’ they connote ‘anglo’. They usually say I’m Greek or Turkish or Maltese etc. - and any reference to ‘Australians’ seems to indicate ‘the others’, ‘the whites’.


This of course has created an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality which stems from the remnants of the ‘white australia’ policy and the ‘melting pot’ days.


So, who is really an Australian? What makes you true blue Aussie? Is the woman covered in burqa from head to toe who’s been naturalized three decades ago an Australian? And if so, equal like the fifth or sixth generation white-Anglo neighbors of hers?


Often, you’ll find that this is not the case. I propose that it’s time to scrap the labels, erase the terms and start treating all people of Australia with equity despite their looks, skin color, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion etc


How does that sound?

[Donte]

Hi Summer Rose,

So beautifully said!

I just want to say that I believe we should also share our scars because they have made us who we are and there’s no shame in having them; on the contrary we should be proud of them. X

[Donte]

As stated on this website under ‘Our work within multicultural commubities’ - ‘beyondblue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians.

beyondblue also recognises the complexities of identity and that people may identify with more than one community.

Our task is to strengthen understanding, capacity and practice to reduce the impact of depression, anxiety and suicide among multicultural/cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. We will do this through tailored and collaborative approaches.’

[Just Sara]

Thankyou Donte' for your reply;

Asking people to distinguish between multiculturalism and being Australian is separatist thinking. It can't realistically be one or the other. I really feel you should've explained things better in your original post.The name of the thread alone is conflicting.

To address your last post to me; the term I referred to is 'aborigine', not 'aboriginal', the former being a noun and the latter an adjective or proper noun. And yes, all indigenous cultures worldwide are indeed aboriginal.

It's more an archaeological determination than a nationalistic one as they were deemed part of the flora/fauna when discovered by Europeans who had no pluralistic goals in mind.

Your opinions about original Australians migrating here being similar in nature to legal immigration is imo misinformed. Australia was only made a Federation 200 yrs ago; Aboriginal Australians migrated here 60,000 yrs ago. They are the oldest surviving culture in the known world and have done so 'despite' our presence.

You wrote;

"The aboriginal people are under the nine special needs groups and a government priority like the LGBTI people, the culturally and linguistically diverse people, the homeless, the veterans, the remote and isolated people, the disable etc" This statement took my breath.(Like LGBTI people?)

Many Aboriginal Australians suffer these very same issues as part of their culture! Homelessness, substance abuse, child sexual assault, suicide, remote rural/isolated communities, some of which are linguistically diverse in their own right and their numbers of mentally disabled are rising dramatically.

Again, I have to completely disagree with you Donte'. Quoting statistics might seem advantageous, but it's analysing and interpreting those stat's that's important.

Do you realise that Aboriginal Australians are at a 'much' higher risk for diabetes, dialysis and heart disease (independent of co-morbidity factors) than the rest of the population?

And...

'In 2008 sensus, nearly one-third (32%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 years and over had experienced high/very high levels of psychological distress, which was more than twice the rate for non-Indigenous people' per ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics)

I think this says it all.

Respect;

Sez

[Donte]

Thank you Sez for the clarifications.

Infeed, I am learning a lot from what you are saying.

I particularly would like to say that you have highlighted very nicely the fact that people go across the various ‘Special needs’ categories as an aborigine can also be homeless, LGBTI, living in remote areas etc. This is something I have highlighted in a past thread.

I had also written about ‘combination stigma’ and how it impacts on our mental health in another thread which may be worth reading.

I also acknowledge that not all aborigines are vulnerable or disadvantaged. I have an aborigine friend who is a PHD professor and lecturer at various universities across the country who is by no means disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Similarly with culturally and linguistically diverse people or LGBTI people; just because you identify with a certain group doesn’t necessarily make you disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Please excuse me if I haven’t expressed my thoughts in a better manner. English is my third language and still often translate things in my mind.

What I understand from your posts is that we cannot put aborigines in the same ‘boat’ with the rest of the special needs groups or the mainstream Australians. And that aborigines have higher risks associated with health and mental health and quality of life. If I have understood correctly, then I have to say that I don’t disagree with you.

The title if my thread is endeavoring to bring attention to the fact that the dominant Anglo-Australian culture tends to view multiculturalism as ‘the otger’, excluding themselves from it. It is the Australians (white-Anglo) and the 46% of the population - the multicultural. In my view this is impacting on the mental health of the culturally and linguistically diverse populations and perpetuates stigma and racism.

This section of the forums is dedicated to the ‘multicultural experiences’ but I believe aborigines are also part of the whole population and I don’t differentiate between white-Anglo Australians, migrant culturally and linguistically diverse Australians and aborigine Australians.

My belief is that we are all Australians no matter if we were born here, or our ancestors have migrated 60,000 years ago, 200 years ago or 60 years ago or 5 years ago.

This is something I formed through my experiences since I became Australian 30 years ago and is constantly morphing as my knowledge increases. Nothing is set in concrete.

Thsnk you for contributing to my learnings. X

[Summer Rose]

Hi Sez

Thanks for your post and the reminder about triggers.

I'm really appreciative of the way you have shared your knowledge throughout the discussion. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has learned something valuable from your posts. I just hope that you are okay and that the discussion didn't take too much of a toll on you.

Warm thoughts to you

[Hayfa]

Hello everyone,

I want to say thank you to everyone for your amazing and valuable contributions to this discussion.
As the project coordinator and contributor to the original design of this forum, I feel that this is an important discussion that should allow the different point of views.

Apologies if some content may be distressing to some readers but this particular warning is also highlighted under the heading that introduces this forum space.
The aim of the Multicultural Experiences forum is to engage in discussions on topics that are related to multicultural people, children of migrants and/or mixed cultural heritage. The topics that people will choose to talk about can be varied and interesting and ultimately the discussions will touch on well-being even if conversations about mental health are not at the forefront of conversations such as is the case in other places in the beyondblue online community.

When creating the forum it was recognised that discussions about mental health issues may probably not be at the forefront of conversations since mental health literacy in most multicultural communities is not high, hence the decision for allowing discussions about a diverse range of experiences and opinions on those topics, and giving people a space to share about mental health impacts if they desire.

I feel that there may be other occasions where certain threads may strike a chord with some people and I welcome you to please contribute and respond if you feel you need to.
This discussion has taken place with respect and continues to do so. In order to learn more by understanding different views especially where they sit in the multicultural experience and Australian experience it is integral to allow for the different point of views.

Even if we are not at times stating anything implicit about mental health conditions, we are supporting people in their events that have given rise to any mental health impacts such as anxiety, stress or depression.
There are other posts in this forum that are about mental health and many such as this one about particular topics. Sometimes being introduced to a different perspective can also be good and helpful to alleviate any anxiety, concerns or stress that may be currently held about a topic.

Hayfa

[Just Sara]

Hi again Donte';

I'm really sorry to harp about this, but I feel you're still missing my point about terminology. So I'll paste my original paragraph and highlight the word I'm talking about.

"I just want to clarify something; the term 'Aborigine' is no longer used and can be perceived as derogatory. 'Aboriginal' describes a person with an 'Indigenous' background pertaining to the original peoples of that land. In my area it's called Wiradjuri country."

In your last post to me you used 'Aborigine' many times. I understand you're being respectful, but still seem to misunderstand the information I posted. I'm sorry I didn't express myself clearer.

Nationalistic topics can flare up sensitive issues for people of all cultural backgrounds including white Australians. What I found concerning was the 'air' of defensiveness this thread encouraged. Feeling as though we need to defend ourselves is really uncomfortable, especially when validation is a large part of recovering from MI.

So for the sake of what this thread 'could' address, these are my views;

Cultural identity for white Australians is a touchy topic. Our history as a nation is only 200 yrs old and laden with terms such as, Aussie Battler, Digger and Mate. We identify by a number of generations in this country, not by a particular set of cultural standards.

We struggle to describe what being Australian really is too. Do you understand? We feel like displaced descendants of convicts! Especially when reading some of the comments above; it's like having it rubbed in my face.

I personally don't have any connection to my great, great grandfathers homeland. It was never spoken about or referred to. Unlike other cultures, we're lost in a multicultural explosion of food, colour, fashion, language and familial tradition.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be like people on TV who 'knew' who they were. I didn't have a white Xmas or traditional clothing to wear at certain times of the yr; I felt bland.

This affected me very deeply. I gravitated to boyfriends from other cultures to experience some semblance of integration; just to taste something other than meat and 3 veg.

I hope this helps you understand me/us better.

Respect;

Sez

[white knight]

Hi Donte

I agree with Sez when you compare early UK settlement to migration of recent decades, there is no comparison. Its like you make such comparisons to justify your views.

Re: you wrote

"Many soldiers from diverse backgrounds have fought in the various wars and defended Australia. Our army, like our police force and our doctors, politicians, judges, teachers etc is made up of many diverse people from various backgrounds - ethnic and religious.
When you say 'Regardless, we still on the whole welcome migrants', who do you mean? Who is 'We'? Your ancestors also choose Australia for their new home fleeing persecution from England, so I don't really see much difference here. For the Aboriginals the English are the 'boat people"

"We" are the present occupiers of this country. You dont "see much difference"... I do and we all have different views on this topic which makes it divisive. I, like quercus, wonder what benefit this discussion has towards mental health. For it does contribute towards mental confusion and hurt.

Tony WK

[Donte]

Thank you Sez,

I actually understood the exact opposite from your previous post, i.e. that aboriginal is not used anymore and I should be using Aborigine. I'm so confused in the midst of all this political correctness that sweeps this country currently. Every second week there's a new term that groups come up with and the rest of the population has to be aware about it and catch up....sometimes I feel I have no time to breathe before a new change happens. Apologies, didn't mean to be rude but yes, I totally missed your point. Sometimes I'm so distressed myself that I feel like throwing in the towel quiet frankly....

[Donte]

Hi White Knight,

Thank you for your question,

The benefit to this discussion is that views like the ones you have expressed have contributed to my personal mental demise and developing a mental illness as they still make me feel like an outsider; someone who still struggles to belong forty years later; but due to my skin color and accent I'm constantly reminded that I am not good enough;... not completely Australian and don't I dare compare myself to the white knights of this continent! So yeah, very hurtful indeed and divisive. This is the whole point of this thread that you seem to be missing still. 🙂