Thanks Daniel - you are not the only one who has noticed this disturbing trend.
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Reclaiming the Southern Cross
Written by Daniel Smith
Monday, 25 January 2010 05:18
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While we have a lot to celebrate and be proud of this Australia Day, there is a growing danger that the values that many of us identify as being "Australian" are under threat from a new and harder-edged sense of nationalism. There has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks about the growing number of young Aussie men walking around with tattoos of the Southern Cross adorning their bodies. I first noticed this late last year, when I thought it very strange that I had seen two people with a Southern Cross tattoo during one grocery shopping expedition to Maylands. There is nothing wrong with this, in itself, of course – of all the things people get inked, the Southern Cross is not the least attractive design. However, it is becoming a little unoriginal and the cohort that are adopting it in this way are spoiling my love for this national symbol. As we approach Australia Day, I find myself reflecting on my identification with being Australian. I find myself thankful that I live in a country with such abundant wealth and opportunity, thankful that my country gave me a good education and continues to provide me with a first class public health system; thankful that I don’t have to pack a gun when I leave the house and that our environment remains relatively unspoiled. On top of being thankful, I am proud of every achievement our relatively small nation makes on the global stage, whether it be our successes on the sporting field, our humanitarian efforts or our achievements in academia and science, however I am conscious that most of these achievements are possible only because of the great wealth and natural advantages that we have been blessed with.
Of course, it doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to identify this new trend’s origins. There is a generation of young Australians, who I call the Howard Generation, that grew up during the post 9/11 noughties learning to hate Muslims and suspect anybody with a dark beard (Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or just plain dark featured) of carrying a bomb. By the political design of their creator, the Howard kids paradoxically learned to hate the people fleeing the oppressive regimes of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein and arriving by boat in Australia as much as they hated the oppressive regimes themselves. The Cronulla Riots in 2005 saw the Howard Generation make their first step onto Australia’s public stage, with hundreds of white, Anglo-Saxon Aussie blokes draping themselves in the Australian flag and hunting the local Lebanese in packs. While I am not naive to the actions of some Lebanese men that sparked the riots, the fact that our national symbols were adopted by young, white Anglo-Saxon Aussie men and the issue depicted as an Australian versus un-Australian battle was disturbing and both a national shame and international embarrassment. Of course, the situation was made worse in the weeks ahead as Big Day Out organisers decided to ban Australian flags from their events. Naturally, this caused patrons to bring Australian flags on mass, giving rise to the increased flying of the flag and adoption of the Southern Cross that we see today. There was a time that I saw the Southern Cross as an alternative national symbol to the Union Jack, much the same as I saw Waltzing Matilda as an alternative national anthem. These days (and possibly because I only have the Boxing Kangaroo to fall back on), I have come to the realisation that the symbols we choose to represent our sense of national pride are irrelevant. What defines us more, both at home and abroad, is how we, as a people of great wealth and natural advantage, treat those who are less fortunate and possibly different than ourselves. And, in this, despite all of our wonderful achievements and gifts as a nation, I am not sure that we are progressing. I was sitting at a bar in Johannesburg recently and a black South African, upon learning that I was an Australian, told me that he recently considered moving to Australia... but heard that Australians were too racist.
Comments (6)
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yes it is a trend with the southern cross all over peoples bodies and car stickers but at the end of teh day this is australia and i thinkits good that people are taking a bit more pride in there counrty and letting people know that this australia! and they are proud of it. afetr havinga bunch of u.k family over for christmas i can see how our country is seen as very non australain . My family were shocked and board at the whole concept of borthbridge.. all asian shops and cafes etc etc nothing remotely aussie there . Yes australai is a rascist counrty in my eyes which is not a good thing but this is because we have let far to many people come and live here and don't even try to encourage them to take on our ways and culture.we speak english and we don't cover our faces or heads with clothing but do have to show our full face on drivers liscences. we go to Bali for a holiday and have to wear a sarong to enter a temple as we respect there culture. i think these immigrants should do the same. each race hangs out with its own here in perth and there is not much blending. i work for a chinese company and alot of my mates there have told me first hand that they are married to someone they dont love ,have kids to them but its just so they can come and live in australia . then there family can also move here. this dissapoints me emensly... I feel very aussie in the eastern states but perth does have an australian factor missing ..Maybe it is peoples attitudes that are wrong but i would happily vote for no more immigrants to come in for the next ten years apart from peopel from the u/k untill such a time that we are not part of the commonwealth... anyway happy australia day 