Yet another incident of racism on public transport has been reported.
A woman on the NSW Central Coast train line started hurling racist abuse at an innocent Asian passenger. Another passenger captured it on video and what comes out of this lady’s profane mouth is beyond shocking.
We’re in disbelief that a country as “multi-cultural” as Australia still has such low levels of racial and cultural tolerance.
We’re in shock because we can’t believe that such bigoted pigs still exist in our country.
The thing is: this kind of behaviour happens all the time.
Once in a while, a similar incident might be reported, like the one that happened to the French students on a Melbourne tram or the abuse ABC presenter Jeremy Fernandez and his son experienced on a Sydney inner-west bus.
But it’s all due to coincidence these moments are captured and brought to the general public’s attention.
And in the true style of social media, a social conscious tsunami hits us. For a day or 3 we’re appalled, shaking our heads that things need fixing, people need to be educated.
But then, it all dies down again.
Only for it to rise when fate, timing and the ratio of decent people at that heinous moment exceeds the racist a-holes that cause it.
I don’t have the answers.
But during such abhorrent behaviour, I’m not sure it’s worth fighting these scumbags.
I’ve been in the middle of one of these. Because it’s a random stranger that tries to cut you down, make you feel worthless, you’re supposed to believe that it’s nothing personal. In fact, it’s ALL PERSONAL.
The anxiety levels almost send my lungs to paralysis. It takes me hours, days, even weeks to mentally and emotionally recover.
But, I don’t want hate breeding hate. Or even worse, violence.
Racism isn’t fleeting and by the looks of things, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
I do want more people – both the likes of those who have been effected and those who haven’t – talking about this more often, instead of when a random video starts going viral.
I want people to remember that while this offensive behaviour is unacceptable, let’s accept that not only does it happen, unfortunately, it’s prevalent.