From: "Margaret Trawick" <trawick-AT-clear.net.nz>
Subject: Re: how racism operates
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 10:26:07 +1300


I can understand Saeed's point, and share his feelings.  We are considering
a potential stereotype of white Australians, and how this might compare with
the stereotypes of Arabs.  The stereotypes of Arabs have long pre-existed
the events of 9-11.  Edward Said reminded us of some of this in his book
Orientalism.

There are in fact some negative stereotypical representations of white
Australians, but I don't know how widespread they are, and they are nowhere
near as pernicious as the negative stereotypes of Arabs.  The latter
were/are based on real or imagined "customs" of Arab people in their places
of birth.  We might imagine that arson is a "custom" of white Australians.
We might blame this custom on poverty, desperation, and ignorance, in the
same way that acts of terrorism are attributed to desperate circumstances.
We might blame it on a fanatical hatred of the people who live around
Sydney, or a fanatical hatred of nature-lovers.  And we might well consider
that an organized group planned the conflagration around Sydney.

But instead, we see no attempt to connect this event, or the general custom
of arson, with Australian "culture".  Instead it is all individualized, and
attributed to misguided children, who will be disciplined by having to do
community service.  The fact that organized crime often employs children to
do some of its work for them, precisely because if caught, these children
will get off with lighter sentences, is not mentioned in the articles Saeed
has forwarded.  Maybe it is mentioned somewhere else.  It could very well be
that someone somewhere profits from all this destruction.

Is there organized crime in Australia?  You betcha.  Is there an Australian
mafia with international connections?  Probably.  Maybe someone should
investigate the fires from this angle.



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