How white is white enough?

Lindeback – an Anglicised form of the Swedish Lindebäck.

Linde, meaning tree. Back, meaning creek.

Fozdar writes that “officials were given strict instructions not to allow any non-whites to enter the country. However, it was clear that they were uncertain about just how to identify who was and who was not white, meaning that they were required to apply their own discretion on a daily basis in deciding who could and could not enter Australia.”[1] The film ‘Admission Impossible’ documents how these standards changed over time, and how as the need for immigration arose, the need to reinvent what it means to be white also grew.

'White' - But different. 

As Australia continues to redefine its national identity, so to, does it redefine what it means to be white. While my granddad (half Swedish, half Polish) was bullied in school for being a halfie, I am often called white, with my Swedish heritage not being seen as ‘different’, but contributing to my whiteness. I will explore two reasons that I believe to behind the change in perceptions of my families whiteness, firstly, that white ‘standards’ drop due to multiculturalism, and secondly, that the families changing standards of power, privilege, and wealth affect our perception of being ‘white’.

Admission Impossible spoke of how Nordic people were allowed into Australia under the White Australia Policy when more immigrants were needed. However, even then, they were classified as not-quite white, and only allowed to work in menial jobs. Something has changed in the classification of Nordic people, as they now encapture ‘whiteness’, I suggest that this is due to non-white immigration. When my mum was talking about which shade of white to paint the lounge room, I said that both whites looked the same – they did, when compared to black. However, when placed next to each other, the white’s seemed very different. The palate of Australian racial diversity has changed, and as a result of the new contrasts, our perceptions over what is white have changed.

If you play golf during school lunch then you are white.

Fozdar argues that whiteness is always associated with power, privilege and wealth.[2] My family enjoys a level of wealth now, that my grandfather did not have when he was growing up. While his family was working in menial labour, if they had a job at all, my father’s stable job has affected the perception of us as a ‘white’ family. I would argue then, that the concept of ‘whiteness’, is inherently different to the concept of ‘bogan’, and that while ‘white trash’ has the word white in the name, it is an entirely different concept. A white person, as anglo as they may be, who does not embody the wealth, family connections, and privilege expected of a white male, does not embody ‘whiteness’.

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[1] Fozdar, 183

[2] Fozdar 184