I'm no longer five years old in Lismore — but I am shocked by the power racism still has over me
I'm no longer five years old in Lismore — but I am shocked by the power racism still has over me
How is it that I, a middle-aged woman with career success living a life far more secure than that of many, can be feeling so reduced to nothingness by some of the discourse in the Voice debate, asks Miriam Corowa.
Australian culture is one founded on racism. What disgusts me is while the yes campaign is trying to do something about it, the no campaign is fighting for the status quo and then arguing that they aren't racist.
The cognitive dissonance of the no side astounds me; there were actual Nazis marching towards Vic Parliament yesterday, and they were waving no flags. Is that really the kind of person no voters wish to stand with?
I feel though for us yes voters it is our duty to push back against this shit. To actually push back against Murdoch and his bullshit. To talk to family members, and cut them off if they keep doing this shit.
Ultimately, everyone is capable of racism. The problem is the refusal of no voters to truly consider how they are racist, and then to improve.
12The Tent Embassy has had a big banner out the front for months telling people to vote no, I guess someone should pop over and inform them they need to truly consider how they are racist...
5Calm down buddy, a no vote isn't always going to be a vote for racism and this is shown by the fact that many of the indigenous people can't agree that this is a good thing, or even agree with each other. A no vote can also be a vote of uncertainty and due to history of political failures
4If your goal really is to try and change some perspectives, then I would recommend reading this article on how to talk with others about racism.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/social-psychologist-offers-key-to-ending-racism/
GAZETTE:How do you break through?
LIVINGSTON: I’ll start with the discomfort. People are afraid of conflict in these kinds of conversations. But research has shown that conflict can actually be productive, if it’s the right type of conflict. Task-based conflict is when people disagree about the best course of action. And person-based conflict is when you say, “I think you’re an idiot for [arguing that viewpoint].” So try to focus on the problem and not the person. The second thing is to engage in conversations with curiosity and not with certainty. Research shows it’s much more productive to be in what is called inquiry mode versus advocacy mode. What you’re trying to do in these conversations is either to discover what the truth is — by asking questions — or to discover a common ground. And you can’t do that if you’re too deeply entrenched in your own convictions or ideological position.
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
It was one of the places visited on Charles Perkins' Freedom Ride of 1965, just two years before the referendum that would give the Commonwealth power to legislate on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and have our population counted in official statistics.
As we peer ahead to whatever October 14 will end up being, it stirs up deep-seated painful emotions caused by a hidden war that is waged on the inside daily: racism.
Last week, the ABC reported that peak bodies for Indigenous mental health were calling on politicians to engage in more respectful discussions around the referendum and that members of the federal Coalition had declined to meet with representatives.
That early compulsion to prove myself worthy was compounded by messages about tackling stereotypes that Aboriginal people are inherently dirty, lazy, and dumb.
Fighting an invisible force that pushed me to work ever harder but equally diminished every achievement because of that feeling that there was something inherently flawed in my very being.
My colleague Stan Grant, the formidable Professor Marcia Langton, and of course, the great Adam Goodes, just to name a few whose stories we've heard.
The original article contains 719 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 74%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
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