How do you define differences in race? Is it where you were born? The culture you identify most with? The literal colour of your skin: black, white or brown?
Have you ever uttered “Where are you really from?” when you got an answer that was more ‘white’ than you expected to your “Where are you from?” question?
The motivation behind this question isn’t always spiteful, but is an example of everyday racism people are talking about all over social media right now. Everyday racism, everyday sexism, everyday things that perpetuate the belief that one type of person is better than another is harmful. One comment here, one comment there might seem harmless, but it adds another ounce to a problem being experienced worldwide. There’s a distinct difference between tongue-in-cheek jokes and a joke that isn’t really a joke.
Many people had opinions on Australia’s attitudes to people of colour when I moved here. I live in one of the country’s main cities, so I don’t feel any kind of way being here at all. That said, this two-minute exchange from months ago still sits awkwardly with me: as I was walking out of Kmart, the customer assistant by the door asked to look inside my bag. I complied, but asked her why. She replied not to worry, but I pressed and she got flustered, red and apologised, but still gave no reason. She looked 19 at most, and very embarrassed, so I left it. Some of you may question whether it was about race, in fact, I did too, at first; as someone who has had quite an English upbringing, it is admittedly not often my first thought. In the first draft of this article, I listed a paragraph of reasons validating why she had no other reason to stop me, but they are dead words, because I know my brown skin is why she wanted to see inside my bag.
This experience doesn’t affect how I feel about shopping and it was an isolated incident for me, but I have many peers for whom this isn’t. To them, this isn’t even a big thing, because it’s N.O.R.M.A.L. How many of you can say this? Now, think why or why not.
I could write a whole essay on media representation of people of colour, and have for many a coursework over the years, but I’ll keep it to a few sentences for the purposes of this piece. Media representation and journalism are huge passions of mine, and bias is unavoidable, but just watch what you’re reading. To the untrained eye, the words in articles may seem harmless, but for even those sources I would deem reliable, you need to have your wits about you: for example, often more negative adjectives are being used to describe the protesters compared to the police in coverage of America’s protests right now.
What is my purpose in writing this piece? I have loved ones who are far more qualified to talk on this subject than I am, to whom this cause strikes even closer, who have countless first-hand experiences. However, I want to show that this affects ALL people of colour, even your most Anglo-cised friends, housemates and drinking pals. Don’t be “faux woke”: join the global conversation that shouldn’t stop for years to come until equality is actually achieved, and do your best to keep actively learning about the inequality and how we can change it.
Image by: @krisstraub
