How I can do better on race relations
Living in Australia — as a white middle-class man — I have experienced no systemic racism nor disadvantage. Rather, through my voting habits, apathy toward various matters, and general complicity, I have perpetuated various forms of institutionalised & systemic prejudice toward Australia’s indigenous peoples. It is a matter which I have shied away from engaging in.
The reason for this essay is to outline my (at the time) perceived reasons for disengaging from this dialogue and why I believe those reasons to not only be incorrect, but also unjust and morally indefensible.
Another reason I want to write this essay is that I had some advantages others haven’t had. Firstly, I was lucky enough to write articles for the university magazine and also work my way into being a campaign manager on a Federal election. This bothers me greatly. I never used these positions to propagate or give voice to these most important matters. Rather, I disengaged from them, never penning an article about the continued disadvantages faced by indigenous people nor raise matters concerning racism in any substantial sense on the campaign trail. This, most obviously now, was a grave moral failing — for my silence does nothing but begets the status quo; a status quo which indefinitely holds down some and limits their progression based on an arbitrary attribution. This is the definition of unjust — this is why John Rawls had theoriesed the ‘Veil of Ignorance’, this is why we are taught to dissociate from ourselves when designing public policy — it should not be about the I, but the broader community. So, in saying all this, below I will attempt to catalogue my reasons for disengaging from these discourses.
Firstly, even whilst not being all that knowledgable about the world around me, I believe I had some sense of being on the privileged side of the status quo. Therefore, for me to have taken action which could overhaul the status quo could have led to some of my many advantages being taken away. I don’t remember ever thinking this exact thought, but rather what I want to get at, is that I may have known this subconsciously, as most people do. This subconscious knowledge was a part in dissuading me from speaking out properly. It should be clear to all now why this abhorrent illusion must be washed away. For silence is in many regards complicity — to not speak up is not only cowardice but indefensibly immoral.
Secondly, I had a perceived elitism in how I believed socio-political dialogue should happen. Anytime certain conventions were not followed — such as politeness, no voice raising etc — I would disengage from the discussion or dialogue. I saw this a lot when it came to the discussion of race not only in the US but also here in Australia. This belief was morally questionable and unjust of me. It put my desire for civility during a discussion above the civil and political rights of a whole demographic of peoples. It is embarrassing to me now that I once thought like this but I did. This superiority of my needs and wants above these others is another example of my first point — a subconscious superiority that is held by so many. I perceived my wants for a healthy political dialogue to be above the legitimate concerns of so many. This position held by me was not only an embarrassment to ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs’ but was a disgrace to the political sphere I hold in such high regard. All people’s voices should be heard, to silence some is to restrict the moral growth of all. Through my own disengagement, I was actively working to silence so many important voices. What I wish I had seen at this point in my life was the dire need for a further multiplicity of views to enrich and populate our societies and make life more fair and just.
And finally, I had prioritised issues I saw as more important (foreign policy, the economy, social spending etc) above the urgent cries for assistance. I played down claims of systemic police violence towards Australia’s First Nations peoples. Though it is clear to me now, any instance of this sort of anti-democratic, unjust behaviour is a travesty and embarrassment for all. For any reduction of rights and opportunities for some is a reduction for all. As John Stuart Mill argued, to silence and restrict any voice is to redact the right of society to hear this voice. In Australia, indigenous incarceration rates far outstretch those of the broader society. This is a topic which should be as important to the rest of Australia as it is to the indigenous community.
I hope going forward in my life I will reflect on why I choose to disengage from such issues. I hope I investigate the root causes of my apathy toward them and consider if what I am doing is just and morally defensible. Each person must make a difference. Each time an aboriginal child is disadvantaged in their endeavours this is a stain on all of Australia. The dignity and respect which all life should beget has been missing for so many. The rights and securities all are promised in our modern societies are still missing for so many. Sure, some vast improvements have been made — and the issues may be less all-encompassing as they once were — but this is absolutely no reason to disengage from the dialogue as I have done for so long.
Don’t fall into complicity, don’t take the easy way out because it carries with it some advantages. Stand up for what is right, stand with your fellow and extend the same rights and opportunities you have to them. Don’t live in blissful ignorance because things are easier. To continue to do so is a disgrace to John Rawls’ ‘Veil of Ignorance’ and an embarrassment to the values and ethos which democracy is supposed to hold.
I have written this for myself — I hope to be able to use it as a reminder to speak up and speak out. As a reminder to investigate apathy at all corners. And finally, as a reminder to see the humanity in all and give it the respect it is owed.
