In which country is the link between race/ethnicity and social class stronger: USA or Australia?

[Tooting Carmen]

I'd actually like to discuss this.

On the one hand, despite only making up around 2% of the population of Australia, the Aboriginal population there makes up an incredibly high percentage of the country's underclass and criminal population - far more than does the also tiny percentage of Amerindians in the US. What's more, Pacific Islanders in Australia are probably also predominantly working-class leaning. At the same time, the country's Asian and Middle Eastern populations are usually quite affluent and successful.

On the other hand, needless to say that Blacks and most Hispanic groups make up a very high percentage of the poorest and most marginalised sections of the US population. And although Asians and Middle Easterners may be on the whole wealthier and more successful, here too there is variation - Laotians, Vietnamese and Filipinos tend to be a lot poorer than Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and South Asian groups.

So, which is it?

[Andullero]

I'd actually like to discuss this.

On the one hand, despite only making up around 2% of the population of Australia, the Aboriginal population there makes up an incredibly high percentage of the country's underclass and criminal population - far more than does the also tiny percentage of Amerindians in the US. What's more, Pacific Islanders in Australia are probably also predominantly working-class leaning. On the other hand, the country's Asian and Middle Eastern populations are usually quite affluent and successful.

On the other hand, needless to say that Blacks and most Hispanic groups make up a very high percentage of the poorest and most marginalised sections of the US population. And although Asians and Middle Easterners may be on the whole wealthier and more successful, here too there is variation - Laotians, Vietnamese and Filipinos tend to be a lot poorer than Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and South Asian groups.

So, which is it?

That might be so, but, doesnt Australia rank higher than the US on the Human Development Index? That alone might be an indicator that social disparities aren't as explosive, methinks.

[Tooting Carmen]

That might be so, but, doesnt Australia rank higher than the US on the Human Development Index? That alone might be an indicator that social disparities aren't as explosive, methinks.

For various reasons (some of them pretty obvious, such as the US having a much bigger global impact) the racial divisions in Australia aren't as well-known and discussed globally as those of the US, but they are actually at least as severe.

[Tooting Carmen]

bump

[Redmar]

The US probably also has a higher regional divide which I don't think is that significant in Australia.

[Tooting Carmen]

The US probably also has a higher regional divide which I don't think is that significant in Australia.

But is it correlated to race at all?

[Creoda]

Australia is less classist than the US, there are far fewer poor minorities, and we don't have anything like the urban ghettoes America has in spades, pardon the pun.

[Creoda]

For various reasons (some of them pretty obvious, such as the US having a much bigger global impact) the racial divisions in Australia aren't as well-known and discussed globally as those of the US, but they are actually at least as severe.

Severe as in heated? Not even close. Racial tension in Australia is a teddy bears picnic compared to the US, and tbh even Europe.

[Tooting Carmen]

Severe as in heated? Not even close. Racial tension in Australia is a teddy bears picnic compared to the US, and tbh even Europe.

Aboriginals are grossly over-represented in Australian jails, to an extent that surpasses even African-Americans. And for all of the US' own sins, I cannot think of a scandal quite on the same level as The Stolen Generation. Then there were those riots in Sydney a few years ago involving fights between Anglos and Lebanese. While I agree that Australia's issues are a lot more hidden and subtle than the US', it doesn't mean they aren't there. (Don't get me wrong - I generally get on pretty well with Aussies, and tbh I usually prefer you guys over Americans).

[JamesBond007]

I'd actually like to discuss this.

On the one hand, despite only making up around 2% of the population of Australia, the Aboriginal population there makes up an incredibly high percentage of the country's underclass and criminal population - far more than does the also tiny percentage of Amerindians in the US. What's more, Pacific Islanders in Australia are probably also predominantly working-class leaning. At the same time, the country's Asian and Middle Eastern populations are usually quite affluent and successful.

On the other hand, needless to say that Blacks and most Hispanic groups make up a very high percentage of the poorest and most marginalised sections of the US population. And although Asians and Middle Easterners may be on the whole wealthier and more successful, here too there is variation - Laotians, Vietnamese and Filipinos tend to be a lot poorer than Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and South Asian groups.

So, which is it?

It seems to me your fundamental axiom or assumption/premise is incorrect. Comparing the USA to Australia or other countries such as England is apples in oranges in terms of social class. Also, you seem to be suggesting its cause is racism rather than average low IQ of blacks and to a lesser extent Hispanics-- the latter of which is not even a race.

For instance, I don't know much about the australian class system but in England the middle classes are only loosely linked to how much cash you have while in America the middle classes are defined by how much cash you have (not necessarily on your person think more abstractly), what kind of job you do and what kind of education you have.

In America you be a plumber or even complete bum but if talk about philosophy (the upper classes study useless stuff such as philosophy at colleges such as Harvard and Yale), wear certain kinds of clothes of certain kinds of fit, style, and fabric. You talk without double negatives and write with proper grammar and punctuation. Don't speak a lot. Call a Tuxedo a dinner jacket, and you are thin etc.. etc.. then they (the upper classes) will consider you more upper class than a middle class American who went to a state school and is a doctor (an MD rather than PHD).

In other words class is a complex phenomena that is idiosyncratic to each nation. Australian culture and American culture may be closer to each other than American and English culture but to assume they operate on the same social class system is mentally daft or stupid.