Racism in Education

I believe that racism is the most unacceptable form of discrimination in existence. Judging someone’s entire life and their prospects for the future based on their cultural and ancestral background is beyond disgraceful. This is not to say I haven’t had moments of saying or thinking something racially insensitive during my life. I remember that during year 1 in primary school I became close to a girl from South Korea, and when my mother suggested that she and I liked each other, I recoiled in shock and exclaimed “NO WAY, she’s Korean!” At that point in my life I was too young to consider the extremely negative impact of racism on the modern world, yet I still find it hard to forgive myself for saying something of that nature.

In accordance with Greg Vass’s academic article “The racialised educational landscape in Australia: listening to the whispering elephants” (Vass, 2008, p.7), I have also been fortunate in having been born as a white male, a “privilege” that I subconsciously take advantage of everyday, as I have always felt included in school activities and social events and I’ve never been ridiculed due to my natural British heritage.

A video I saw recently which demonstrates the abhorrence of racism was Racist rant on Sydney bus. Woman not convicted (Access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiLpFG5uUc0). Watching this video for the first time I lost a lot of faith in humanity and our progression towards racial egalitarianism in our modern day Australia. One of the most disgusting things about the woman’s rant is her portrayal of herself as an everyday normal Australian. I have never met an Australian so blatantly and openly racist in my life. I’m disappointed that no one on the bus tried to stand up to her, assuming the role of a “white ally” (Vass, 2008, p.7). Inevitably though, Australia would be a sick and abhorred country if people felt the need to be prepared for a racist outburst such as this.

A recent interview shown on the ABC, however, has renewed my faith in a future Australia that is alien to the concept of racism. Entitled “Teachers, pupils on mission to tackle racism in Australian schools” (Taha, 2013), the interview focuses on the principal of Punchbowl Boys High School in south-west Sydney Jihad Dib and the growing of multicultural acceptance in his school. Dib employed an “anti-racism contact officer” (Taha, 2013), in an attempt to monitor racism and unite the 35 different cultural backgrounds of the school’s students. By developing a hands-on approach as a principal, Dib could effectively eliminate cultural collisions and disputes by speaking one on one with students, ensuring the most united future possible for his school.

Ultimately, racial stereotypes and generalisations shouldn’t exist, and cultural backgrounds shouldn’t be used to predict the future success of a student. Australian children shouldn’t be brought up to ridicule and abuse peers who have different ethnic origins to them. Although some humans may be tied together by a particular culture or religion, we are all individuals who work at different paces, and this individualism should be targeted and focused on to ensure egalitarianism in schools. 

References:

·      Vass, G. (2012). The racialised educational landscape in Australia: listening to the whispering elephant. Race Ethnicity and Education, p.7; doi: 10.1080/13613324.2012.67450

·      Racist rant on Sydney bus. Woman not convicted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiLpFG5uUc0

·      Taha, M; “Teachers, pupils on mission to tackle racism in Australian schools”; ABC News 24; 2013; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps-students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools/4854174