The myth of one Black culture and one White culture is a myth fueled by greed, fostered by ignorance and carried by language. This language hides a monocultural agenda.
Let's dig a little into the minds of seemingly well-meaning "white culture" educators, through their language. Why not? They've been studying "black culture" long enough - time to study back. Who knows - we might find the deep-down hidden secret that causes our systematic exclusion from education and employment. The secret that keeps us all "black and white"...
Digging Into The Myth
When teachers of Australian Indigenous students are inducted, they are told, "The Aboriginal people have said that they want to learn the secret English, which is the language of media, politics, business and employment." However, if you track down the point at which this comment emerged in the research, you will find an entirely different message.
The original quote was from an old Aranda fella, who actually said that we want to learn the secret English of when "white fellas say one thing, but mean another". This is a theme that emerges throughout Indigenous education research, but has been ignored and misquoted to suit the colonial interests of the dominant culture. It refers to what some "Standard English" speakers might call "subtext". Others from the same language group might call it "reading between the lines."
How To Find The Colonial Subtext
In order to interpret subtext, you first need to understand (a) the social standpoint of the person encoding the text, (b) their cultural subjectivities and (c) the context.
- (a) Social Standpoint If you seek this in someone who you think belongs to "the white culture" you quickly discover there is not one homogeneous "white" group at all. And you also discover that within the culturally diverse "mainstream" there is not one common language used for media, politics, business and employment. Even within each of these areas there are different forms of English spoken - for example, the language of a receptionist is completely different from that of a mechanic. So, when people talk about "Standard English", we can be aware of the simplistic definition they are attaching to it. They are creating yet another language situation in which "white fellas say one thing, but mean another."
- (b) Context Now, to get closer to the subtext, next we examine the context of this simplistic definition of Standard English. The context seems to be the desire to teach Indigenous mastery of the discourses of power, and mastery of code-switching between languages. But this need is impeded by the erroneous belief that there is an homogenous white Australian culture and language, rather than the reality of remarkably diverse cultures within this arbitrary ethnic "group". The false beliefs spring from monocultural, nationalist propaganda that saturates the media daily, encouraging targeted social groups to identify with one mythical "white group".
- (c) Cultural Subjectivities Nearly at the subtext now - we just have to examine the subjectivities first, which are many and varied. Within assertions of the need to teach "Standard English" to the exclusion of all else, cultural prejudices emerge. These are also found in commments such as "Only Aboriginal people should be allowed to speak Indigenous languages." Questions need to be asked around this. How is Indigenous language different from / more "special" than other world languages? Are Aboriginal languages and cultures exotic artefacts to be viewed by outsiders, but never participated in? What does melanin content in the skin have to do with this? Why is it right for Anglo people to go to France and learn French, but wrong to come to Australia and learn Aboriginal languages?
The Subtext (Secret) Revealed
After examining the answers the subject gives (no, shouts) to these questions, we find the subtext at last, revealing double standards driving ongoing colonisation of the Aboriginal world, beneath the disguise of philanthropy.
"They are different! Their cultures and languages are the problem! They have to be kept out of our places for safety! Stop blurring the lines between us! I need them to be black, so I can know that I'm white!" Under this almost sub-consciously racist agenda, Indigenous languages are devalued, and replaced by simplistic academic versions of English that do not reflect the reality of the rich language spoken by the diverse invading English speakers (not to mention the vast populations of non-English speaking colonists).
This further excludes Aborigines from equal participation in the discourses of power, linguistically compounding disadvantage and perpetuating the residual habits of
human rights violation (Amnesty International report) that still linger from a bygone era of genocidal policy.
Reconciliation Through Language
Arguably, if language helps construct our reality, then we can never truly have reconciliation in this country until it becomes commonplace for members of invading cultures to learn Indigenous languages. The reality of our country is far less simplistic than "black and white". There is vast cultural and linguistic diversity within Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures.
Two-way liberal policies are not enough - we need "Many-way" approaches. The true key to the secret language of equality in our country is pluralism.
