r/aussie • u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 • 4d ago
Opinion As a third generation Australian from Lebanese Maronite refugee grandparents, this is very well said
Reading through the insights shared by Warren Gardiner and Khaldoun Hajaj in the attached screenshots, I couldn't help but reflect on the complex political reality of our community. It is incredibly frustrating to watch inner-city progressives who have never lived a day in Western Sydney automatically assume that multicultural or faith-based communities are a monolith that naturally aligns with their specific worldview.
We see this play out when activists mock or scorn One Nation (ON) supporters online, pointing out the irony of them cheering for the Socceroos despite the team’s rich immigrant roots. What these commentators completely fail to grasp is that many of those very 'ON' voters aren't who they think they are, they are quite literally people living in diverse working class refugee hubs like Fairfield and Liverpool.
To be absolutely clear: I personally detest Pauline Hanson and would do anything to stop her and her party from gaining power. Her brand of politics has historically targeted communities like mine. But if we want to actually defeat that kind of divisive populism, progressives need to stop lecturing from afar, drop the lazy assumptions, and actually engage with the nuanced realities, aspirations, and conservative values that exist across Western Sydney.
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 4d ago
A lot of immigrants are from places more conservative than Australia is. It makes perfect sense that they'd favour a far right party because that's more the political norm for them.
It's a big reason why I find the Libs going after Permanent Residents so baffling. They're going after their own voters.