Is that a Racist Comment ?

Racism is a very emotive word in Australia. Because nobody wants to be labelled racist the term is now used widely. It has become the definitive way to end an argument – if the other person is classified as racist you have won the argument and the debate ends. It’s similar to the way we invoke a link to the Nazis or Hitler. It’s the ultimate insult.

But when is someone really being racist and when is a person a racist? Does one racist comment make a person a racist? And how does racism impact indigenous people?

I often hear that ‘Asians are bad drivers’. Clearly this is racist as it labels an entire race. The justification for this is that there is a perception that the number of bad Asian drivers on the road is disproportionate to the total number of Asian drivers on the road. Could it be true? Is it a matter of the chaotic driving we see in Asian cities being practiced on the roads of Australian cities? I think that’s possible. But is it racism? What is the impact on Asian-born Australians when people espouse this view? Does this comment bring shame to Asian people? Does such a comment make it harder for Asian people to participate fully in the wider Australian community?

My impression is that even if the comment is merely understood as ‘Asian drivers are proportionally more likely to wander into my lane’ , there is still a danger of how the comment is taken by the audience and by Asian people in general.  Some people hear such a comment as confirmation of their racist views on Asians.  For many it may be something  to joke about with their Asian friend, but for some it will help to keep them separated from having any Asian friends.

Research has tried to explain the dominance of black athletes in sprinting. A low centre of gravity and longer limbs have been postulated as reasons for their success. To then say that black people are fast runners is obviously another stereotype, and labels all black people. But is it racist? Isn’t it actually positive racism? Are there negative outcomes for black people if I say ‘black people run faster than white people’? Surely in most cases it’s said in admiration.  And is this offensive to the black people of the world?

So what about John Elliot referring to indigenous people as ‘abos’? Isn’t it just an abbreviation? Australians use abbreviations all the time. And a nickname is usually a sign of acceptance. Aren’t there many whitefellahs in the outback who live amongst indigenous people and might refer to their ‘abo’ mates?  Well not all abbreviations are acceptable. Some are said with affection, some are said with contempt – it’s all about how it is said.

So how it said and what was is the impact? Firstly the commentator – John Elliot isn’t known as someone with affectionate view towards indigenous people. In fact you would suspect he would be anti-indigenous based on his outspoken views on other topics. So it is likely he is not saying ‘abo’ as a term of affection, but rather as a derogatory remark.  A remark with a distinct lack of respect.  It may be unfair but I suspect he would have said ‘bloody abos’ if interviewed 40 years ago. If I refer to Lebanese as ‘Lebbos’ I know I am not being complimentary. In fact I know I am being derogatory. It’s rarely ‘just an abbreviation’.

Secondly, the wider audience.  Any existing racism is reinforced by Elliot’s very public statement. Here’s a successful business man referring to ‘abos’ as if it’s acceptable.  If he can say them I can say it too. And given what I know about  John Elliot I’m pretty sure it wasn’t complimentary.

Thirdly, the indigenous community – the target of the comment.  How offensive is it that Australia allows a prominent businessman to refer to indigenous Australians as ‘abos’ when the term has so often been a term of disrespect in the past? As an indigenous person I imagine I would see that in the paper the next day and ask myself how long will it be before I am no longer publicly subject to that sort of contempt? Here’s the real test of any racist comment. How does the target group or race feel about it ?  How many people are offended ?  Maybe there’s no problem if the only person offended is some activist who happens to be offended by any remark.

That leaves 3 ways to test a racist remark – WHO is saying it and what is their likely intention ? Who is listening to it and how will they interpret it ? and How does the ‘target’ race feel about it ?