A Response To : Plight unmasks the injustice of 18C

Hedley Thomas's column in the Australian today highlighted the plight of Kyran Findlater one of those snared in the QUT net. For me, it was alarming in the extreme. If you haven't read Hedley Thomas's column please do. Because if ever there were justification for amending 18C and removing the AHRC I believe this is it. 

Hadley Thomas column

There was one comment to this story that I think is worthy of sharing. I have the permission of the writer to share it. 

Dear Kyran

I hope you get to read the comments. I have moved from being appalled to saddened with the way you have been treated. In the ordinary course of things, I think it is irrelevant for me to state my ethnicity in any debate because it doesn't inform the substance of my argument. I will make an exception on this occasion and tell you that I am black and of South African origin. I state this with the hope that someone in govt will read and see that the very people of my skin colour they are seeking to protect are unambiguously appalled. I have lived in Australia for 5 years and there's never been a day I have ever felt conscious of my ethnicity because ordinary Australians are the most welcoming people. I cannot stay silent when a fellow citizen like you has his reputation impugned for daring to speak his mind. I shed a tear when I read that you offered to pay $3500 in what can only be described as a ransom payment. This is wrong on many levels and I hope that in speaking out Australians see that we are all united in demanding an end to 18C. 

The law has encouraged a culture of victim hood in ways I presume it never intended. What I find offensive about 18C is that it is based on a racist presumption that people like me cannot handle robust debate and need to be protected from offence and insult. By default we are cast as a class of citizens to which the law is prepared to grant rights not accorded to the majority simply because of our ethnicity. My place in society is not strengthened by depriving you of your fundamental rights. You and I have never met and probably never will but the law as it stands pits us against each other simply because we look different. Yet, when I became a citizen I pledged to fight alongside with you should Australia be attacked militarily. By extension I believe I have to stand and fight with you when our shared Australian values are attacked in my name. It is contrary to good conscience for someone like me to whom Australia has given a lot to turn a blind eye whilst you are stripped of your dignity, reputation and adorned in a cloak of criminality. 

I will do what I can to fight the good fight so that you and I are reconciled by laws that treat us equally. The injustice you've suffered is an injustice to me as well and to be honest it has really hurt me emotionally. I will do everything I can to fight for changes to the law. I hope one day you and I can meet and share a beer (non-alcohol beverage for me).

Regards to you and your entire family.

Andrew M

I don't mind admitting I found this response extremely moving. Like Andrew, I shed a tear over what he wrote. How lucky we are to have people like Andrew call Australia home.

18C & The Rise of Pauline Hanson

There was a very interesting column in The Australian today. It was written by Matt Ridley titled- Stop the shouting: if we don’t tame Twitter, we’ll face mob rule. The first line in particular resonated. 

“Schisms of hatred seem to be fracturing the political landscape wherever you look.”

How true. I would add, destroying tolerance along with it. Every word is analysed by someone looking for something to attack or have a go at others over. 

Like many I’ve been disturbed by the rise of Pauline Hanson in the political arena.  I personally don’t like her brand of politics. If we had to have an anti-Muslim party in Canberra I think we would have been much better off with the ALA. At least the ALA representatives understand the issues. They have done their homework on topics such as Halal. Hanson’s knowledge when tested is very thin in all areas related to Islam, Halal and Sharia law. Hanson trades on fear on not facts. 

After reading another column in the Australian today related to Hanson, “Distortion of rights ‘helped Pauline Hanson.’ I posed this on Twitter. “If Tony Abbott hadn't wimped on 18C I wonder how different the outcome might be.” I was accused of Abbott bashing. Seriously. 

Many Liberals were very disappointed when Mr Abbott wimped on proceeding with 18C legislation. Fact. It lost him support. Also fact. So rather than ‘bashing’ Mr Abbott I suspect if he had proceeded with changes 18C he may still be in Government. The debate would certainly be different and people would feel free to speak their minds on topics that concern them. 

Then Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson said at the time he was: ‘‘Disturbed to hear the government has backed down on 18C and will keep offensive speech illegal. Very disturbed.’’ 

He also stated source Fairfax media: 

“The racial discrimination act significantly restricts free speech in a way that all other anti-discrimination laws do not and the government seems to foolishly think that backing down will assist them or be in the best interest of the Australian population.”

Mr Wilson said there should not be a situation where select legal privileges are enjoyed by some and not by other people.

“The Prime Minister said that he wants to unite team Australia. I agree, which is why we should have laws that apply for everybody consistently,” he said.

“There is nothing more dangerous to a multicultural Australia today than the idea that some people have legal privileges on the basis of their race which do not exist for other people.”

This is where the likes of Pauline Hanson rise. She did it before by inciting people's fear over Asian gangs. She is doing it in 2016 in capitalising on people's fear of Islam and Muslim’s. When people feel they can’t openly voice their concerns they turn to people like Hanson. 

I still believe in Free Speech. I will continue to voice my opinions (perhaps forthright at times) and if others choose to look for reasons to attack and admonish me, that is their problem. But I will call them out. My tolerance level is shrinking at a rapid rate when people try to turn comments into something they clearly are not. 

I suspect I won’t receive any acknowledgement when I pointed out the obvious in stating I wasn’t bashing Abbott. I was merely posing a question.  I do think the situation might have been different if Mr Abbott hadn’t reneged on the promise and backed down on 18C. It certainly would have removed one of the major opportunities for Hanson to capitalise on.  The suppression of the right to speak your mind regardless of perceived ‘hate speech.’ 

I read this, this morning. “The challenge is not just to kick Hanson out of the Senate. Her political career is mostly unsuccessful, and it is unlikely she will be there for too long. The goal should be defeating her agenda.” We do that by allowing people to speak openly and freely about the things that concern them. By having sensible debate and not making people feel threatened or excluded. The question is, are we adult enough to do that? At times I seriously doubt it. I hope I’m proven wrong. 

18C needs to be back on the agenda. 

Politics NO : Attack On Our Rights YES

The battle that is raging in this country isn't essentially about politics. It's about rights. Politics is the tool used to batter people with. In the meantime, the silent or small voices on all sides of the political divide are being trampled on and worse ignored.

Rubbish, I hear many say. It's all about politics. Those on that side, hold 'that view' and we on this side, hold 'this view'. Not so.

I give a couple of recent examples of proof of what I am saying. 

Goodes BooGate. Anybody who didn't support the theory, that booing Adam Goodes was racism, was immediately branded a racist. Sports administrators, B grade (so called) celebrities, media hacks, social media trolls were screaming at people from their various vantage points. Racist, racist!!! 

It didn't matter what your reasons for not supporting Goodes were (or are), and there are many reasons why people don't support or like him. Nothing to do with his indigenous heritage. They simply don't like him and his behaviour. The racism branding team simply wasn’t interested to hearing our opinions. We were simply put into  the racist box  or the not racist box. Putting people into little boxes makes  it easier for people on both sides to attack the opposing view. 

The social media traffic highlighted the problem. They boo; they must be Liberal supporters. They support Goodes; they must be Labor or Green.  It really had nothing to do with with politics. The Essential poll released yesterday proved it. The majority of people polled didn't think it was racism at all and they came from all groups. Labor, Greens, LNP and Independents. Similarly those who did think it was racism cut across all political groups.

It's Was Question of Rights not Politics

Now we have the SSM marriage issue. It's being played out as a LNP vs Labor/Greens/LGBT battle. Let's throw in a bit of religious bullying to sweeten the mix; another string to bow of the pro-lobby.

Yesterday, the LNP party room discussed and agreed on their collective position with regards to marriage rights in this term. The vote went 66 status quo 33 free vote. Some people even accused the Prime Minister of vote stacking (including the now feral Christopher Pyne) for including the Nationals in the discussion. Malcolm Turnbull has also come out condemned the decision. Unbelievable.

The vote even without the Nationals would still have been, status quo. It is the LNP that governs the country. Not Liberals on their own. Those attacking Mr Abbott for including the Nationals in the discussion, and the party room vote, would have been happy to take away the rights of the Nationals because as country folk, more of them are in the anti SSM camp. Disgraceful.

Once Again It’s A  Question of Rights not Politics

Tony Abbott has conveyed that he wants to ask us, what we think about SSM. He is advocating for a plebiscite at the next election. I say great, it should be down to us. This isn't about legal change it's about social change and that impacts on all of us.

Given the lauding of the 'rainbow' lobby and their supporters over Ireland's referendum, you would think they would be appalling a plebiscite here. But no, they are doing exactly the opposite. They praise Ireland, but seek to deny me and you the same right. Hypocrites.

They are using politics as the tool to beat up the very person advocating for my rights to voice my opinion. And they are denigrating anyone who supports him.

If you dare to disagree with these pressure groups, you are automatically accused of being anti-gay. Not so. I am simply concerned about what this change means and where will it with lead in the future. I know, many share that concern. This is not a hysterical concern, as some try to claim. It is a legitimate concern, based on what has happened overseas. And, what is now emerging in some of those countries who have gone down the SSM path, with respect to 'other' groups demanding the same right. It also cuts to the core of rights with businesses forced out of business for saying no.  

Consider this, it wasn't so long ago that prostitution was illegal in this country. How many people consider prostitution immoral and an abuse of women? I suspect the number who do is significant. I feel very strongly about the treatment of and exploitation of women in brothels. But, the people had no say,  it just happened. Social change driven by self-interest lobby groups has a habit of creeping up on society. We see it day in day out. As a result our rights are being eroded. 

The ‘rainbow’ lobby are even trying to force TV stations to cancel ads from the Marriage Alliance who are trying to get their opinions into the public forum. That is suppressing free speech.  

Those who are concerned about this come from all sides of the political divide not just from  the conservative side of politics. A poll running on Seven News today has the public vote at 50/50 (currently). That is not a majority. 

I maintain, this is a question of rights, not politics. Time to take a stand. 

#ISTANDFOR ....

The events of the past week and furore over booing and the usual #Istandfor campaign that has ensued, has prompted me to reflect on "what I stand for" when it comes to racism. 

I'll will state that this point, that booing based on racial intent is not acceptable. Any form of racism is contemptible. Booing as a response to someones behaviour, and behaviour that has offended or hurt you, is entirely different.  

Therefore:

I stand with all of those who face real racism and discrimination day in day out. 

I stand with those people who are physically attacked and in many instances killed because of their colour, their religion or their ethnicity. 

I stand with those who are denied the right to work because of what they are, not who they are as people. 

I stand with those who are isolated and shunned because they are different in some way. 

I stand with those who are spat on and verbally abused because of what they wear, what religion they choose to follow not who they are as human beings. 

I stand with those who don't hide behind what happened 200 years ago and who then use that as an excuse for their own lack of fortune today and who suffer the indignity and pain of real racism and exclusion.

I don't stand with people who have made a success of their lives be it through business, sport or politics and who continue to blame me for the misdeeds of my forefathers. 

I don't stand with people who continue to ram down my throat that I am a white trespasser in the country I was born in and for whom my father, grandfathers and uncles put their lives on the line. People who tell me “First of all, Aboriginal people have been here a lot longer than anybody else, so just remember whose lands you are on and maybe pay a little bit more respect to that,’’ (Respect is earnt it can not be demanded) 

I don't stand with people who use their position to push their indigenous, religious or ethnic agenda without thinking about how their actions will cause hurt and distress for others. And when faced with a backlash point the finger and call racism. 

I don't stand with people who create divide and run away. 

We Have To Stop Labelling People Racist

"Racism motivates some Goodes booing:" Tim Wilson..

We are all racist in some form if we were honest. There are simply some individuals or groups of people we don’t like. However, most people keep it to themselves & they don't attack others; verbally or physically.

That is, until those they have an issue with 'shove their OWN racism back into the silent majorities face as Goodes has. Then they erupt. In this case and they boo Goodes. Big deal, if they beat him up that would be a different thing all together. But they BOO. It's called being human and we have to stop vilifying people for being human and look at the root cause of why people behave the way they do.

The more people in the media and sport attack the fans and label them racist,  the more people will turn on him. Many have not forgiven Goodes for his treatment of a child. Personally, I lost all respect for him after that. Many have not forgiven him for his comment  'remember whose land this is' when he was made Australian of the Year. That comment made me bristle. When he said that, he immediately signalled his views of the white majority in this country. He exposed his own racism. He also highlighted his own hypocrisy given he is mixed race. His stupid war dance was deliberately provocative. Of course people would react. But rather than reflect that perhaps he was ill advised to do it, he whined and once again called racism. In Goodes case, he just keeps 'picking at the sore'. People are simply fed up.

Thomas Sowell said. “The word 'racism' is like ketchup. It can be put on practically anything - and demanding evidence makes you a 'racist.'” Exactly right.

Where is the evidence that those booing Goodes are racist? No one has produced any they simply use the word to vilify, discredit and bully others. There are more important things to be focused on than this. Real racism for instance.

In closing, I think it is incredibly sad that a great player, will be remembered not for his contribution to sport, but his deliberate attempts to divide a nation. Perhaps this is his intent, who knows.

@patnjak “Racism is a word that is so badly used that when real racism is about you won't recognise it which is a great shame for all” Brilliantly said.