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Social Darwinism is a strong underlying theme throughout the movie. When Mr. Neville, the Chief Protector of the Aborigine Populace, speaks of his plans to “breed” the Aborigine blood out of the half-caste children, he states: "In spite of himself, the native must be helped"[1]. This statement is one that shows the underlying thought of European superiority over the Aborigines, who were considered “barbaric”, “savage”, and essentially an “inferior” race. This eugenic point of view was quite obviously a doctrine of racism from the outset[2]. Although the basis of Aborigine culture is spiritual and based on Dreaming, the Aboriginals were seen as being as being “heathens” because of their lack of belief in the Judaeo-Christian God. This is what condemned them in the eyes of the colonialists. In an attempt to “save” the Aboriginals, the British saw it in their best interest to “Christianize” them. The Aboriginals were seen at the bottom of the Great Chain of Being, not only because of their religion but also because of their skin color. On this chain, the refined Christian white male was seen at the top, just underneath God and the Angels[3]. Using this theory, the superiority of culture was described as a function of biology, and natural selection was used as a tool for attempted genocide of the Aboriginal race[4].
Although this case of extreme genocide is not seen in modern Australian society, there still exists an underlying racism that indelibly flows through the country. The legacy of “White Australia” has since been left behind, however the target seems to have shifted to widespread “Islamophobia”; a fear of the Muslim faith and Middle Eastern culture. Stemming from both geography and the current American foreign policy induced “War on Terror”, the fear of all things Muslim seems to have gripped the country. This is apparent in the comments by Sydney MP Bronwyn Bishop last August on the banning of the Muslim headscarf. Stating that the headscarf is an “iconic item of defiance”[5] demonstrates an insulting ignorance of basic Islamic teachings. The underlying racism in modern Australian society is evident in incidents such as the Sydney Race Riots which occurred in December on Cronulla Beach. Hundreds of Australians of mainly Anglo-Celtic and European decent gathered on the beach and carried banners stating anti-Islamic and ethnically motivated statements such as: “We grew here, you flew here”[6]. People of Middle Eastern decent were targeted and although the event was condemned by the Howard government, the incident highlighted the sad truth of the racism prevalent in contemporary Australian society today.
Rabbit-Proof Fence raises many issues that are quite obviously still of relevance in modern Australia. Although each issue is not directly paralleled, the attitudes expressed in history are shifted to present day society. Issues of Aborigine identity loss are still impacting a generation of Indigenous peoples today. Many Aboriginals have a connection to a part of land that is also an innate part of their being, and more still are currently trying to reclaim their Aboriginal rights on that land. These issues, along with the prevalent societal racism, metaphorically forms the “Rabbit-Proof fence” that separates all that is “White Australia” with all that is not. This fence will remain an icon of Australian thought unless steps are taken to educate Australians and encourage them to embrace the multicultural and pluralistic society that exists in Australia today.
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My next paper is a comparason of how national identity is protrayed and maintained in both Australia and Canada! Fun stuff :P...i love being Canadian!
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