The Socceroos, One Nation and the politics of belonging

As Australia celebrates multicultural Socceroos on the world stage, the rise of One Nation raises troubling questions about who is considered an Australian and under what circumstances, writes Leon David.

SUNDAY, June 14, AFTERNOON, Nestory in Iran He scored the extraordinary goal he scored against Türkiye in the World Cup with thousands, perhaps millions, on behalf of Australia.

Just hours later, media outlets across Australia cited polls showing One Nation was a clear leader in national polls for the first time.

To the casual observer, this is simple math. If millions of people are cheering Iranunda’s magnificent goal, a large subsection of those supporters must also be supporting One Nation. A party would probably not want people like Irankunda here, not to mention many of his team-mates with immigrant backgrounds, despite his efforts to hide his racism under a cloud of anxiety about the country and his so-called identity.

How can this unity exist?

Before people jump to conclusions, one point needs to be clarified. It’s OK to advocate for reducing immigration on your own. The problem is that the One Nation narrative is anchored in a decades-long track record of targeting certain types of immigrants, whether they are Muslim, Asian, or of another race. If that’s not racism, I don’t know what is.

Of course, this is not a unique phenomenon. This isn’t limited to Australia either. There are countless examples where a black person has been praised for their achievements on the sports field, only to subsequently face ostracism, discrimination and hostility.

After 1936, Jesse Owens Although he embarrassed the Nazi Party, he faced continued segregation and segregation when he returned home to the United States. He was applauded while representing his country against an evil empire. But when he returned home, he was no longer an American.

Similarly, England’s three 2020 European Championship superstars were received with great enthusiasm as they led their teams to the final. But as soon as possible Bukayo Saka He and his black teammates were subjected to punishment as it was known that he missed the last penalty and England lost. insult and abuse.

closer to home, Gout GoutConsidered Australia’s newest athletics superstar, she is celebrated when she wins, but is subjected to abuse on social media and must constantly show that she is “Australian”.

So what’s going on? Is it okay as long as black people do extraordinary things for Australia? What about the majority who are not sports stars? What about the humble middle manager, taxi driver or nurse? No goal, so no citizenship?

Or do immigrants, the visible ones, need to achieve extraordinary things while constantly demonstrating their commitment to Australia? Apparently there is an acceptable immigrant and someone who is being blamed for the cost of living crisis and housing shortage. There are immigrants who score goals and make centuries. On the other hand, there are immigrants who openly take our jobs and damage our culture.

It is not surprising that such incidents occur in Australia. Racism here has its own flavor. People freely express their racist views, often towards members of the community in which they are racist. This is an interesting phenomenon.

I even get whispered comments about there being “too many Indians” or that every Indian here is a student with an overstayed visa. It is completely overlooked that such people make these comments to me, a person of Indian origin. I’m fine with my accent being Australian for some reason. Or they don’t see that I am of Indian origin.

It’s definitely weird; Colorblind but still racist. Of course, the same response is always given to such views: “Of course not, man, I don’t mean you. You’re one of the good ones.”

While the One Nation wave is not an all-encompassing wave, it is certainly a wave. But there are still many: those who still believe in acceptance, tolerance and inclusion.

These people cheering on the multicultural Socceroos should wear the green and gold with pride. Be honest with others, namely those who cheered for the Socceroos when the World Cup ended to support the racism espoused by One Nation. Remove the green and gold and replace it with an orange one (with apologies to the Dutch fans, of course).

Don’t be a hypocrite and support people of different ethnic backgrounds (and Socceroos) like Nestory Irankunda. Muhammed Ture or Engagement Velupillay When it suits you, only to return when the party is over.

The Socceroos, like the Matildas, are an Australian success story. It doesn’t matter how far they go in the World Cup. They represent modern Australia and play that way.

I wish someone didn’t have to feel like it was theirs to score a great goal at the highest possible level.

Because this is not a feat that the remaining 99 percent of the immigrant population can hope to achieve. This 99 percent belongs whether there is a goal or not.