Flagging Exclusionary Nationalism

Abstract

After an outline of the history, design and uses of the Australian flag, this paper considers the media frenzy and public outcry surrounding the publication of research findings identifying a relationship between the flying of Australian flags on cars for Australia Day and racist attitudes. While the findings did not surprise many social scientists, given the semiotics of the flag and its increasing use as a symbol of exclusion, they were apparently highly contentious for portions of the Australian public. This paper describes and analyses the public reaction using three case studies from among the hundreds of examples. An email, a blog discussion, and a newspaper article, are analysed to demonstrate overlapping themes focussed on racism, patriotism, and nationalism. The chapter concludes that the publicity flagging the relationship between flag use and exclusionary nationalism actually may have worked against the goal of producing a considered debate about appropriate forms of nationalism and flag use, delivering the flag into the hands of exclusionary nationalist.

Appendices

The Telegraph (2012, January 25). Several posts have been deleted due to length. Language has not been edited. While these comments originally appeared in response to Miranda’s blog article, they are now inaccessible online.

Appendix 1

Press release, University of Western Australia. (2012, January 23). Study shows racist views link to car flags. University News. http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201201234297/research/study-shows-racist-views-link-car-flags. Accessed 8 June 2019.

1.1 Study Shows Racist Views Link to Car Flags

People who fly Australia Day flags on their cars tend to express more racist attitudes than others without flags, according to research findings at The University of Western Australia.

UWA sociologist Professor Fozdar and a team of assistants surveyed 513 people at last year’s Australia Day fireworks on Perth’s Swan River foreshore.

One in five said they had attached flags to their cars to celebrate Australia Day.

Professor Fozdar said 43% of those with car flags said they believed the now-abandoned White Australia Policy had saved Australia from many problems experienced by other countries, while only 25% without flags agreed.

A total of 56% of people with car flags feared their culture and its most important values were in danger, compared with 34% of non-flaggers.

And 35% of flaggers felt that people had to be born in Australia to be truly Australian, while 23% believed that true Australians had to be Christian, compared with 22% and 18% respectively for non-flaggers.

Professor XX said her research also revealed clear differences in how people with car flags felt towards minority groups.

Only 39% of flaggers expressed a positive view towards Aboriginal Australians compared with 47% of non-flaggers, 19% of flaggers felt positive towards Muslim Australians compared with 26% of non-flaggers; 7% of flaggers were positive towards asylum seekers compared with 24% of non-flaggers, and 27% with flags felt positive towards Asian Australians compared with 48% of non-flaggers.

Three survey questions sought views on Australian cultural diversity: 64% of people with car flags agreed that it was good for people from different ethnic, religious and racial groups to live in Australia, compared with 75% of non-flaggers.

An overwhelming 91% of people with car flags agreed that people who move to Australia should adopt Australian values, compared with 76% of non-flaggers.

A total of 55% of flaggers believed migrants should leave their old ways behind, compared with 30% of non-flaggers.

However majorities of both groups—60% of flaggers and 73% of non-flaggers—also felt that it was best to respect and learn from each other’s cultural differences.

Professor Fozdar said there was no clear link between education, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, voting pattern or income and flag flying, although her survey showed a slightly higher likelihood of younger rather than older people adopting the practice.

In terms of nationalism, 88% of those with Australia Day car flags said they thought it showed they were proud to be Australian, while only 52% of those without flags thought so.

Some thought the increased popularity of flying Australia Day car flags was due to increased patriotism while others said it was simply peer pressure to follow the trend or avoid seeming unpatriotic.

Many said it was due to marketing and the cheap availability of car flags, while some thought it was a response to loss of culture due to multiculturalism, immigration, invasion and terrorism.

“What I found interesting is that many people didn’t really have much to say about why they chose to fly car flags or not,” Professor Fozdar said.

“Many felt strongly patriotic about it – and for some, this was quite a racist or exclusionary type of patriotism – but it wasn’t a particularly conscious thing for many.

“Very clear statistical differences in attitudes to diversity between those who fly car flags and those who don’t, show that flag waving – while not inherently exclusionary – is linked in this instance to negative attitudes about those who do not fit the ‘mainstream’ stereotype’.”

Professor Fozdar said fewer people said they flew Australia Day car flags last year—one in five—compared with 2010 when it was one in four.

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

The Telegraph (2012, January 25). Several posts have been deleted due to length. Language has not been edited. While these comments originally appeared in response to Miranda’s blog article, they are now inaccessible online.

Section of blog discussion from article: Nation’s tolerance for this nonsense is flagging ( The Telegraph 2012 )

Wed 25 Jan 12 (07:12 pm)

Keith replied to Shebif Thu 26 Jan 12 (09:51 pm)

It’s a funny coincidence that such vilification of Australia and Australians always finds its way into the msm just in time for Australia Day. The usual lefty smears are indulged and indeed encouraged. Of course it doesn’t hurt these terribly courageous crusading sociologists to get their names in the paper when comes time for the next batch of grants to be given out. Fozdar should be sent a demand to refund the $2 million⁴ out of her own pocket. Her “research” is a bad joke.

Pubello replied to Shebif Fri 27 Jan 12 (07:59 am)

Funny Ha Ha… Shebif.

More denial from the supporters of the Noalition. Next you’ll tell us that the Cronulla riots were a reflection of good will towards people of ethnic backgrounds. As drunken yobs, drapped in the national flag, attacked anyone of non anglo background.

…[4 paragraphs deleted]

…[two posts deleted]

truthteller replied to Shebif Thu 23 Feb 12 (10:19 pm)

A major cause of the Cronulla riots was Muslim men raping white women and saying that they would do them leb style. Muslims should be deeply ashamed as anyone else who behaved imroperly during that riot.

…[one para deleted]

the lone gunmen(Reply) Wed 25 Jan 12 (07:12 pm)

evil wraps itself in a flag every time. blind nationalism can be a dangerous thing.

todd of adelaide(Reply) Wed 25 Jan 12 (08:14 pm)

Lloyd replied to todd Thu 26 Jan 12 (12:50 am)

…[one para deleted]

Your comment is just rubbish which is intended to impugn anyone who loves their country.

But there an aspect of our national identity to which we are blind and which is dangerous, at least to us. We are blind to the fact that we a) are generous to a fault; b) are overly tolerant; and c) place such stock in egalitarianism that we are borderline socialist.

I’d rather spend some time during Australia Day pondering my good fortune in being of this great country than wallowing in angst about waving the flag.

…[20 posts deleted – including positive, negative and neutral]

con T replied to Sean Fri 27 Jan 12 (03:28 pm)

would say kathy freeman wearing the aussies flag and running around the arena in 2000 is ok

Of course its OK!She is not wrapping it around herself getting drunk and abusing people is she?

I see that Ms Fozdar got her Phd in Wellington N.Z……

One wonders how long her association with Australia has been…Is it good for the youth of Australia to be overexposed to the attitudes she seems to espouse?The generations of Australians whose energy and selfsacrifice made this country what it is… .and of whose bounty Ms Fozdar is now the recipent…… .should be thanked..not slighted in this mean-spirited way..

Appendix 4

Example of email sent to the researcher.

From: les …Sent: Tuesday, 24 January 2012 5:53 PMTo: (Author removed)Subject:racism with flying our flag.

• 1. Listen here lassie, yes you, how long have you been in this country? …I was born

• 2. here, I have defended this country and fought for this country under that flag, my

• 3. father also defended this nation under the flag and now my son and daughter who

• 4. have both fought under this flag and are still serving under that flag…alongside them

• 5. indigenous australians are doing the very same as it was in my day…we are one

• 6. when it comes to this nations very proud heritage…you calling me a racist/ now that

• 7. has to be curtailed young lady you are the biggest biggot, lier and bullshit artist I

• 8. have ever had the misfortune to hear about… If you were in front of me right now I

• 9. would slap you down and kick you lilly livid arse until your nose bleeds

• 10. woman..where do you get off calling me and my fellow compatriots racists for flying

• 11. a flag on the national day, where does your patriotism lie??? it certainly does not

• 12. lay within the country you now reside in!!!

• 13. and If I were you(thank god I am not) I would be looking over my shoulder because

• 14. somewhere along the line you my dear lady will get your upcomings for sure

• 15. The ire of the land will surely pays its respects to you and your kind…

• 16. and you call yourself a doctor hahahaha you nothing but a media seeking junkie tree

• 17. hugging hippy bitch who needs a good slap and a kick up the arse

• 18. LB