Racist behaviour – When is it ever legitimate to do so?
Clearly not ever because we have laws in this state and country to penalise those who commit it. But like all laws, there are bounds to be people who break them.
As all aspects of our lives have been severely affected by this coronavirus many of our freedoms have been restricted like never before. At least not in this country in modern time.
As a society we accept it because it is for the common good. It protects our health systems. It helps save lives. And we heed the advice well and are way ahead of “flattening the curve”.
It was a collective effort. We all should collectively feel proud.
But it’s difficult all around. Be it you’ve lost your job for the first time, been stood down, shut down your restaurant or cafe, can’t buy toilet paper, felt unsafe at home, experience violence, feel fearful of the unknown, or in my case the sense of a constrained and a meshed potato like life where work-life-children-phone-zoom-skype-calls-physical-freedom-livingroom-bedroom-kitchen-studyroom are frustratingly inseparable.
But that does not give me the right to be racist, or behave as if another race is the cause of this virus. Nor you.
We are a proud multicultural society where almost 50% of us have at least one parent born overseas. We are a global citizen and welcome people from all over the world, many of whom are our relatives, friends or former neighbours.
We are a society, made collectively by all of us, for all of us where we enjoy the food, the conversation, the culture, the fashion, the intelligence, leadership and volunteering efforts that has given us much more than otherwise the case.
I get that we are frustrated when our freedoms are restricted. I get that we are angry because of a pandemic abruptly brought upon us. I get that we feel vulnerable when unable to farewell our loved ones the way we always know it. I also see that our frontline people are putting an amazing amount of efforts and sacrificing so much.
I also see so much community spirit has been demonstrated during this time. And indeed I also see the strong belief in heeding official advice because we know it is the right thing for our society. These are illustrations of the spirit of human nature. We are not a bunch of individuals forced to be here. But we are a society made up of each and every one of us.
I appeal to the better part of our human nature during this time. The better part we have demonstrated aplenty already during this crisis. Remember the Bushfire crisis only a few months ago.
And we can, we have and we will do it again. And again.
The laws may not be able to catch all those in breach of racism but the better part of our human nature can. Let’s not allow that be tarnished by the poor behaviour by some. We’re all in this together. It is never legitimate.
https://www.multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au/experienced-racism-heres-what-you-can-do
