See Me. Hear Me. Speak With Me.
Unraveling prejudice views and debunking stereotypes in Australia.
The Japanese proverb of the Three Wise Monkeys, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil” is well-known to all of us. Over history, the ambiguity of this motif has been interpreted in many different ways.
What does this message mean to you?
Today, I bring forth a different meaning. Let us take these famous words, shake them around a bit, add a few, take away a few, lay them back out and see what they say….
Out with the old, in with the new!
This new phrase, See Me. Hear Me. Speak With Me, aims to unravel a deep-seeded ‘evil’ in all of us; stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Sure, we all stereotype, and stereotyping doesn’t have to be negative. From a social cognitive perspective, it’s a way for our brain receive, encode and store information about others. Either consciously or sub-consciously, we then place a ‘label’ on that person or group and react accordingly.
But has stereotyping gone too far?
In today’s globalized society, we have access to an abundance of information about people from opposite ends of the earth. However, when information becomes diluted, it can feed negative stereotypes. From the derogatory nicknames, to the tasteless jokes, to the snide glances; it all adds up and is NOT okay. Looks like the old ‘sticks ‘n’ stones’ saying needs a shake-up of its own!
Have you ever felt like this?
The ‘terrorist’: See me. For the woman I am under the hijab.
Muslims are a hot topic within our media today. From the atrocities of the Sydney Seige, to the Paris attacks, to the recent bombings in Brussels, to the ongoing brutality of ISIS; all have had devastating effects on families, communities and nations. There is no doubt these have engendered views of negativity and distrust towards Muslims.
But is the backlash towards Muslims warranted? Are ‘they’ all the same?
Muslim student at Western Sydney University, Ms. Amna Al Gureishy, sheds some light onto the issue by saying, “The media has portrayed a wrong image about Islam due to minor groups such as ISIS, therefore people in society try to avoid any contact with Muslims thinking they are a threat.”
“I believe ISIS should not be considered as Muslims because no faith allows such horrific acts. Islam does not consider such people as Muslims,” she says.
Not only is Islam associated with extremism and violence, but Muslim women are often portrayed as oppressed, powerless and voiceless in our media. Further, their attire has even been seen as offensive, sparking controversial discussion of ‘banning the Burka’ in Australia.
Through a westernised lens, we can make several assumptions about the attire of Muslim women who choose to ‘cover up’, but Amna is proud to wear the hijab.
“Many people believe the hijab is a barrier, where as to me it’s a way of motivating myself, to make a statement,” she says.
Although the hijab is a symbol of Amna’s strength and confidence as part of her identity, not everyone feels the same.
“When being in public I receive many hateful looks. Also, the media has a big impact on how Islam is portrayed which leads to hateful comments to good Muslims,” she says.
The labels associated with Muslims such as ‘terrorist’, have fed the negative stereotype towards this group. As a result, this has led to ‘Islamophobia’ within Australia. The prejudice views and discriminatory behaviours from this ‘phobia’ have driven a further wedge in the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’.
But the good old Aussie egalitarian mateship is not lost!
An interesting, albeit confronting social experiment was conducted, aimed at Muslim hate in Australia. Almost every bystander stood up for the Muslim woman being bullied.
Whether it’s hatred from a Muslim, or an Australian racist rant towards a Muslim, issues like these always make the headlines. Perhaps if acts of kindness towards one another were made more accessible to the public, it would provide people with a more balanced view.
The ‘queer’: Hear Me. For I shout loud when I stand proud.
What kind of labels do you associate with a man who happens to be gay? Is he automatically effeminate? Is he suddenly imaginative, sensitive neat or fussy?
Of course, gay men (or straight men) can be any of these things! However, throwing in a whole heap of generalised characteristics tends to homogenise a group nonetheless. But it’s when the neutral stereotypes turn negative, and labelling becomes degrading, that stereotyping becomes a serious social problem.
From a sociological perspective, the ideology of heterosexism is embedded in our culture. To be considered anything other than heterosexual is to ‘deviate from the norm’.
Being raised in a Catholic Italian family, Mr. Mark Sangiuliano, shares his experience about his family’s initial reaction to his sexual orientation.
“My immediate family (Dad, Mum and brother) were not supportive when I first came out,” he says.
“When I first came out to my brother (he was 17, I was 15) he was mortified! He then told my dad who sat me down with my mum and brother, and told me I had taken 10 years off his life, that I was a disappointment, that it was a phase and I was selfish for doing this to the family.”
However, Mark also points out how supportive his friends were at the time, which was incredibly liberating for him.
“I was fortunate to have a group of friends who supported me and accepted me as a human being, not as their gay friend,” he says.
Despite the negative stereotypes, attitudes towards homosexuals are changing. Australia celebrates the LGBTQI community through one of its most loved events, The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. People gather together to celebrate the nation’s diversity through stunning lights and glittering parades. It is a time of acceptance, self-expression and festivities.
Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull, celebrated this year’s Mardi Gras, being the first PM to attend such an event.
Mark has celebrated almost every Mardi Gras for the last 10 years. In this time, he has also become closer with his family.
“Cut to 15 years later and my immediate family have not only accepted, but embraced me and are also comfortable with my sexuality,” he says.
“They have learnt that being gay is not a lifestyle choice. They will comment their disgust if they hear homophobic slurs and they have changed their perspective on gay people.”
As such, the more we educate ourselves about people, the more human they become. This in itself obliterates generalised stereotypes and prejudice attitudes towards others.
The ‘queue-jumper’: Speak with me. For I will share with you my journey.
The ‘migration crisis’ is another heated topic within our media, with asylum seekers making headline news. When it comes to stereotyping this group, we’ve just about heard all the vitriolic slurs that have been thrown at us! From ‘thieves’, to ‘cashed-up immigrants’, to ‘illegals’; one of the most common innuendos being, ‘queue-jumpers’.
Other than the incredible dehumanisation that these stereotypes infer, there are already several problems. Not only are they uneducated generalisations, some are completely inaccurate! Let us start with the most commonly recognised term; the ‘queue-jumper’.
But before I continue…what’s a ‘queue’ meant to look like anyway? Let’s find out together!
Type ‘queue’ in Google images and you will find something like this:
Secretary at the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, Mr. George Winston, slams the ‘queue-jumper’ stereotype associated with asylum seekers.
“It’s the biggest lie because there’s no queue in the first place! It’s a complete myth,” he says.
Detention Case Manager at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Ms. Laura Robertson, provides further insight into the issue.
“I can understand why this is the stereotype because it generally takes years for people in a refugee camp to be processed and their life in the refugee camp is difficult and can still be dangerous,” she says.
“Having said that though, this is not the fault of the IMAs (Illegal Maritime Arrivals) — it is the fault of the government and the Department for being reactive and making knee-jerk decisions rather than taking a more careful and considered approach.”
Another public perception is that asylum seekers are labelled as ‘opportunistic’. This label implies dishonesty and criminalises this group. To provide a more balanced view, Laura shares some raw experiences from some of her cases.
“Unfortunately this stereotype is perpetuated by some detainees I have worked with who have confessed that they have come to Australia to work (i.e. have no protection claims),” she says.
“However, I have also worked with IMAs who appear to have genuine claims based on the experiences in their home countries. I have had Somali women who have been raped repeatedly in refugee camps and saw an opportunity to escape by coming to Australia. I’ve had an Iranian man tell me that he had to listen to his girlfriend being gang raped repeatedly in the room next to him as the Basij detained them when they took issue with them showing affection in a public place.”
The debate around asylum seekers will continue. However, with access to accurate, first-hand information, we will be able to demystify the ingrained stereotypes surrounding this group.
Let us take some wise advice from George Winston when he says,“Take a risk and meet some of the people. Try to understand what their lives are like and what they’ve fled from.”
May the monkeys guide you.
The intrinsic need to belong is an essential part of our being. We are a social species, and the ability to connect with others is paramount to our social identity. However, in order to feel a sense of cohesion within one group, we tend to ostracise another. This ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ mentality forms the polarised divide of ‘us’ versus ‘them’.
Have you ever been stereotyped? Have you ever felt like people have taken one look at you and have made a preconceived judgement before even speaking with you?
Next time we all throw some harmless words around, or giggle at some cheeky jokes about others, be sure to think twice and take Tim Minchin’s brilliant piece of advice:
Whether you’ve been labelled as the: ‘geek’ because you’re smart; the ‘roid muncher’ because you work out at the gym; the ‘bimbo’ because you’re blonde, the ‘lazy’ person because you’re not super skinny; or even the ‘bulimic’ because you ARE skinny; these Three Wise Monkeys invite you to come forward with the hashtag, #SeeHearSpeak and share your story.
Join me, and remind us all, that in the end, we are all human.
