I recently decided that I would become more actively involved in discussions regarding politics and social change after learning of the Australian Government’s many shortcomings both this year and in the past. My friend and I had recently stumbled across a group of students from Flinders University and the University of Adelaide who are affiliated with the Socialist Alternative and made the effort to attend a meeting of theirs.
Marxist ideas can be overwhelming when one is first introduced. Often dismissed as too idealistic and therefore non-practical, these concepts and theories may be difficult to grasp for newcomers. My own personal experience with Socialism has been one that could be described with the following statement:
“Sure, it’s all well and good in theory – but it’ll never work.”
But really, is that so true? Because what exactly does work in our current system? We’re seeing an increase in unemployment, the gender pay gap and the exploitation of worker’s rights (for e.g. you may have heard that the Productivity Commission’s draft report recently recommended that penalty rates be slashed[1]). We’ve witnessed our Government’s poor treatment of minorities – i.e. women, Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. We’ve sat back as Keating, Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott and now Turnbull have called for the unfair incarceration of men, women and children who have fled war-torn countries (many of which Australia has bombed and is still conducting air raids upon). We have been lied to over and over again. We’ve been made promises in the lead up to Federal Elections that we have never seen realised. And perhaps most importantly, we’ve been lead to believe that the Government speaks for the Australian public. The reality is that it does not.
Perhaps the most obvious example of the Federal Government’s unwillingness to support the wishes of the public is its refusal to legalise same-sex marriage. Turnbull and his party would have us believe that it is in the interest of the majority of Australians that the Marriage Act remain unchanged. This, however, is simply not the case. In fact, an overwhelming seventy-two percent of the population were in favour of marriage equality back in 2014.[2] So, I ask, where is this so-called “democracy”?
I was certainly fascinated by the many ideas explored in yesterday’s meeting. A discussion regarding the flaws of Nationalism, in particular, peaked my interest. It was the opinion of many (if not all) present that Nationalism is heavily linked to Militarism and is therefore extremely harmful to society. The construct of nation-states is certainly something to be questioned. Why do we isolate ourselves from other human beings in this regard? And what is it that makes us Australian rather than merely human?
It was mentioned in an article in Red Flag (the newspaper funded and run by the Socialist Alternative) that what it means to ‘be Australian’ is different to each individual. An interesting point made by the author was that several of Australia’s ‘defining qualities’ – for e.g. mateship, ‘larrikinism’, and ‘having a fair go’ – are celebrated aspects of a large quantity of other nation-states. These aren’t individual ideals. So, if it isn’t for our Government’s economic gain, why exactly do we consider ourselves Australian? You could argue that it is cultural- but again this statement is easily dismissed. We are a nation of migrants. A nation built on the near destruction of its Indigenous population. As with many other Westernised countries, our culture is now (and has always been) intermingled with foreign architecture, cuisine, customs and religions.
I am no economist or politician. My knowledge on either topic is limited. However, it simply made sense to me that we identify as human beings rather than jigsaw pieces in a puzzle of countries, states and territories. We shouldn’t divide the Earth up into regions that certain individuals are unable access due to the colour of their skin, their religion or the amount of Capital they possess. One example given by one of the students was as follows: “Why is it that someone born in Cairns can travel to Melbourne to find work with no trouble at all – and someone born further North, in Papua New Guinea, is denied this right?” This was an example that stuck with me and will continue to influence me in the future.
Marxism and the ideas that come along with it are new to me. At many points today, I felt out of my comfort zone. I didn’t speak up, I didn’t raise my hand and I didn’t comment. But I will go along to the next meeting next week, and maybe the week after, and then I guess I shall see where I stand. Whilst I remain hesitant to label myself, I certainly feel a level of enlightenment after today’s discussions. I see large flaws within the Capitalist system and feel obligated to alert others to them.
I feel as though it is extremely important for young people to step away from material, surface-level interests and to attempt to gain some understanding of how this world works. There is something fundamentally wrong with society if the world’s richest one percent has the same net worth as the rest of the planet – and it is up to us to change it.[3]
References
[1] Australian Government Productivity Commission, ‘Workplace Relations Framework’, http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/workplace-relations/draft/workplace-relations-draft-overview.pdf, August 2015.
[2] Lisa Cox. ‘Poll shows growing support for same-sex marriage’, Sydney Morning Herald,http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/poll-shows-growing-support-for-samesex-marriage-20140714-3bxaj.html, July 2014.
[3] Esther Han. ‘Sixty-two people have the same amount of wealth as half the world, says Oxfam’, Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/sixtytwo-people-have-the-same-amount-of-wealth-as-half-the-world-says-oxfam-20160116-gm7h6y.html, January 18 2016.
ashsutherland11.wordpress.com 