Melbournelife: Media and multiculturalism Aussie

Last night I saw Insight, a talkshow program in SBS TV. The topic was about multiculturalism, in particular about the conflict, identity confusion within migrant family who comes to Australia. Firstly, It shown how young migrant generation is feeling as being part of Australian, and adopting Australian values (even though without any clear explanation about what values they are adopting), which is often create conflict within their families. there are some people from Bangladeshi background, lebanese, gereek, egypt. Some are parents and children, husband and wife, gay coples from malaysia, different religion couples from pakistani and Greek, etc.

The discussion was introduced by the host as type of cultural conflict between first and second generation of migrant Aussies. But then, I get impression that the host tend to focusing on that the conflict of egneration within this migrant family is not only a matter of age or cultural issues but she seems like bring into the religious conflict between islamic values hold by some of these migrants and Australian values hold by others. This is my point which I really concern about what media do. I cannot prove that the host deliberately try to bring the issue to conflict between muslim value as contradictory with australian value, because what she did is not obvious or direct statement. This is what I said in teh previous journal about feeling of being treated differently by others.
Despites the attitude of the host that I think is not professional in that matter, I think everyone in that show also implicitly doesn't agree with the notion of contradictory values between Australian values and muslim values. I respect the Monash University experts who talked about the universal values. Young migrant generations admitted that they have some conflict of dientity within family especially when it is related with idnependency, freedom etc, but they are also sure that all of conflicts they face can eventually resolved through compromising. The same views of old generations. But seems like, the host already has certain frame of thinking which prevented her from listening of these different perspectives. Yeah, I think racism is rarely happened obviously, but it happened in subtle ways which is often very dififcult to be proved. The key to avoid this behaviour which can hurt other people who are different with us is 'to start justice from our mind', being just even from our thinking, before we can translate it in our attitude.

Another interesting issue is about the citizenship test about adopting Australian values. Most of attendees think that this test is rubbish, for many different reasons.
This is interesting because I suddenly think in terms of evaluation, particularly program theory approach. If I take evaluation of this citizenship test program, fistly I will ask, what is assumption within this policy? From the explanation of Minsiter of multiculturalism something (Ms. Gambiro or someone I forgotten), it is assumed that it is reasonable that everybody who wnat to be Australian citizen to adopt Australian values such as equality, etc. But then, the question is: are these values that she mention is exclusively Australian values, aren't they universal values which some of tehms adopted in teh legal framework such is in teh UN human right charter, etc? I need to read ind etail to ensure what does it means by australian value which should be adopted. Firstly, there is possibly confusion or unclear definition of australian values. secondly, who define these values? why should this type of test and not others? What is the objective of this test? With many unclear parts of this policy, would this objective possibly achieved? So many questions on this issue. But I will not elaborate here, should remember to write again next time.

Back to the talkshow, the citizenship test is considered by many attendees as offended, rubbish, etc. This kind of test is also cosidered by these attendees of the talkshow as udnermining the contribution of migrant to the australian societies. An inetersting comment was if the citizen have to know australian history and values, how about the history of aboriginal people. If the integration of migrants into the society is now considered as a problem, why it was not a problem that the white settlers not only didn't want to integrate with the existing society, Aboriginal culture, but also try to devastate this culture by forcing aboriginal children to integrate with the white fellas. Australian values is about contesting knowledge, I think this values is a representation of powerful actors values which is imposed upon others. It is often happened in more tightly control society in developing countries, but it is truly ashamed that it actually happened in a democratic countries like Australia.

I will write about the media (editorial in The Australian) position in the refusal of Australia to ratify the UN charter on indigenous rights. This is about how media (the fourth estate of democracy) in developed countries are also not truly neutral and can be partial to the power.