Tolerance Issues in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tolerance Issues in Australia - Essay Example The implication here is that irrespective of racial or ethnic affiliation, all Australians are equal members of society and are accepted as such. According to Adams (1997), this supposition is little more than a myth or an exercise in politically correct, wistful, thinking. Not only has the dominant, Anglo-Saxon, group only recently embraced the principle of tolerance but have displayed a persistent proclivity for continued backtracking. To fully comprehend Adams' argument on the status of tolerance in Australian society, an explanation of his conceptualisation of the term is important. Tolerance is the acceptance of the other,' accompanied by recognition of the inherent value and equality of social/ethnic/racial groups. Tolerance is characterised by the embrace of moderation and the absence of ethnic/racial arrogance (Adams, 1997). It most certainly has its limitations and these limitations are reached when one's rights are transgressed upon or one's space is violated (Adams, 1997). The violation of one's place/space/rights generates fear which is, in turn, outwardly expressed through intolerance towards the others. In other words, there exists a fine line between tolerance and intolerance according to Adams' definition. Operating from within... Indeed, the land was violently wrested away from its native inhabitants and redefined in the White Man's image. As Adams' argues, "Australia was devised as a white man's country, defiantly and arrogantly white" (Adams, 1997: 13). Within the framework of the project for the re-creation of Australia, not only did tolerance have no place but intolerance, legitimised through conviction in the white race's superiority, was the main instrument. Historically, therefore, Australia was founded upon intolerance. It was only following the recreation of Australia as an Anglo-Saxon country and the solidification of the white man's status as the dominant socio-political group that Australians began to embrace the concept of tolerance. As may be inferred from Adams' discussion, Australia's embrace of the principle of tolerance was motivated by the growing popularity of liberalism, on the one hand, and enabled by racial confidence, on the other. Quite simply stated, the White Man believed that he had created a white Australia, forged a nation in his own likeness and hence, could afford to be tolerant towards minorities (Adams, 1997). As minority populations increased and Australia evolved into a more obviously multicultural society, the dominant group's tolerance was tested. According to Adams (1997: 13), "the voice of bigot has never been silenced in Australia." It was aroused upon the sensation of threat emanating from immigrant groups and the supposition that their growing number could instigate change in Australia's Anglo-Saxon identity. It was capitalised upon and exploited by Hanson and other right wingers who, not only divided the nation but, exposed the very narrow limits of tolerance in Australian society (Adams, 1997). Australia has for

Role of the public sector in health care (economics) Essay

Role of the public sector in health care (economics) - Essay Example The ethics and economics of this determination require collaboration between the various entities that are affected by this social decision. The following paper will give an overview of the background on why having a public healthcare system is an important social responsibility for a state. Once the foundation has been established through economics and ethics, the way in which the system works in Canada will be examined and reported. The paper will then go into a discussion of the economics of public healthcare through theoretical exploration. A comparison of Canadian and United States philosophical debates about the economic issues of a public healthcare system will be presented before a more thorough examination of the role of the public sector in healthcare concludes the exploration of healthcare in Canada as it is relates to economic perspectives. There are many reasons for having a public health care system. Social reasons include the humanitarian aspect, the purpose of encouraging research, and in being a representational model for ethical governance. Economic reasons for providing health care are even more compelling. Although the best reason for providing health care is so that everyone is healthy, an economic basis for doing so is that productivity of the individual rises when they are healthy and illness has been prevented, thus the collective becomes more productive. In addition, public health care creates savings through preventing illness from getting to a point that the costs on the public system are higher and more damaging than they would have been should health care have been provided on its onset. The responsibility of creating a public health care, however, falls on more than just the government. Public health care systems need to be collaborations between business, government, health care organizations and individuals, and the consumers of health care who are the people of the state. In order for the system to work, there must be