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Classism, A Form Of Prejudice? :: (Howard S. Emanuel)

As is only right, much focus has been placed on many different forms of prejudice in Australian society in recent years....

By Howard S. Emanuel - 3rd June 2006 - Back to News

CLASSISM, A FORM OF PREJUDICE?

As is only right, much focus has been placed on many different forms of prejudice in Australian society in recent years. Agitation from minority interested groups and individuals, for the community to fully address the implications of prejudice, have existed for a long time, and have now thankfully evolved to a point where the issues have become mainstream.

As a community we are having to soul search rather deeply, as we challenge our historical attitudes toward some issues. I believe we all know that despite the confusion and pain this can cause us, we are doing what is fundamentally right, and that indeed in the long term our actions will build a better society for our children. A society that transgresses the difficult barriers to create opportunity for all, to insist that restrictive structures be dismantled so as all of us can work toward realising our peak potential.

Such an example would be access to quality further education.

Access to university or similar should not be restricted to those in the community who can meet the associated costs. Not all want to enter further education, nor do all need to, but many who could, who feel their true calling is in further study or the like, are unable to. I believe in some cases such people go on to live lives that are unfulfilling, that lack challenge and real purpose in their own mind, and indeed often at a young age degenerate into a cruel parody of disillusionment, frustration, mediocrity and in the end even morbidity.

Too many under-stimulated and dissatisfied community members leads to widespread inertia and a society that lacks a direction built on energy and perseverance.

Whether we like to accept it or not Australia is a class structured society, but is somewhat different to other societies where lack of opportunity can be traced back to the lack of a free and inclusive democratic public process. In such places class structures (and there incumbent benefits) are ruthlessly promoted and enforced by dictatorships and regimes.

But in Australia we have an active democratic government model that allows, if indeed we see the need, through sheer will to demand that equality is a reality and not a distant and illusive dream.

We choose in Australia to keep our rigid class system in place, we haven’t in a broad sense addressed this issue. European based society in Australia was founded from the womb of imperialist England, one of the more class-structured societies in the world, with centuries of fine-tuning of this process to its credit. For example, the hereditary right of incumbency to a seat within the House of Lords, is only just now being challenged.

No wonder we find the shackles so hard to break. As a first step to creating a society that truly endorses equality, we must admit who we presently are, with our good points and those not so attractive. To my mind an audit if you like, of the national picture, is overdue.

For example can we really expect to have balanced and truly representative social policy flowing from our parliaments when the majority of members have a background of domestic stability and even privilege.

The plight of the disadvantage and underachieving groupings in society is not fully recognised or understood by those in public life with no actual link to personal and broader hardship. Quite obviously there are those who struggle beyond disadvantage to reach elected office, but many more need to be given the opportunity to do so.

The reality is that many Australians are currently experiencing personal hardship, either relating to finances, living conditions, employment opportunity, emotional stability, a sense of place, family struggles and the like. Active class structures keep socio /economic groupings in their historical moulds, and do not allow for a refreshing and constructive flow of discourse between those from different backgrounds.

How many participants from truly disadvantaged circumstances, enter law as a profession, and reach the top? Consequently the flavour of our law structures are historically conservative, are less dynamic and accepting of the need to understand the realities of the circumstances of all community members, than would be the case, if the majority of participants were not incubated from this reality. Currently even the cost of accessing the law in Australia is restrictive to many in the community.

Is it the case that many enter the fundamental human areas of law and medicine motivated by the financial reward and elevated place in society, rather than out of a desire to serve and rehabilitate?

Class structures kept in place by us, actively discriminate by way of blocking the path to the professions for those who cannot pay the cost of university courses. Class structures predetermine what many of us go on to do in our lives, where the opportunity to genuinely break free of the shackles of our forebears occupations is indeed limited, if we wish to do so.

There are many examples of lack of understanding between peoples being the fault of the class system that is active in Australia. Before you condemn this memo think about your own circumstances, of your family, friends or whoever. Why do entrenched patterns remain in place? Why do some areas historically house the underprivileged, indeed in Australia the so-called lucky country, why are there so many underprivileged and why is this number rapidly increasing. Ask those who dominate the middle and upper classes, they control the real levers of power and they control the ability for there to be a more even distribution of opportunity, and through this, emancipation from inertia, and a life of repetition. To commentate is not enough; we should act to change what so many of us know is so fundamentally wrong.

Thank you.

Regards,

Howard Emanuel

Mobile: 0400 158 896

E-mail: howard@howardemanuel.com

Web:   www.HowardEmanuel.com

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: howard-emanuel@hotmail.com

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