And the man said, "Racism is in our DNA"

Australia’s Race Discrimination minister, Graeme Innes, said, “Racism is an inevitable part of society and it’s almost part of our DNA,” last week when he spoke of a project to improve relations between the police force and Muslim communities.

There were millions of alarms bells clanging loudly in my mind when I heard this new piece. And I have two major concerns.

One. So, racism is almost part of our DNA? What this means is that hate based of ethnicity, race and colour and not personality, are inevitable.

If it’s part of our DNA, we can’t help it or stop it. If racism is as natural as our genetic strengths and weaknesses, then much like we can’t alter our propensity for disease, we also can’t alter our attitudes. Surely this makes programs such as teaching police officers how to interact fairly with the Muslim community, futile – well at least until genetic engineering becomes more commonplace.

We can throw money at anything, doesn’t means it’ll stick. Of course, my more politically astute and sometimes cynical LSH will say that it’s not the result that matters, it’s the perceived intention. If this is the case, the government is winning hand over fist. They have mastered the illusionist's trick – the art of diversion.

Two. If we need a program to help improve the relationships between police and the Muslim community, then I’d imagine we need a program to help police engage and relate to the Aboriginal community due to the overwhelming number of aboriginal deaths noted in police custody.

If we are hell bent on overcoming our genetic predisposition, surely we also need education programs in workplaces, in schools, in restaurants, in shopping malls, in suburban streets, in every single space that humans may inhabit.

However, for a moment, let's believe that racism isn't in our DNA and that it's a choice, why do we need these programs for the police force? Surely, the police, in upholding a least one corner of the moral flat sheet of our society, realise, understand and appreciate the laws protecting citizens from racism and if they don't they should, at the very least, not partake in negative behaviour. However, it seems that, unfortunately, the police force could potentially be one of the most corrupt, both morally and behaviourally, institutions on the planet. If Mr Innes is right and we have racism in our DNA, it would only be natural, literally, for there to be issues and they cannot be fixed. 

Since I disagree with Mr Innes and believe that racism is in fact a choice, surely the hiring practices should be more stringent for police force than they are for regular organisational roles. Perhaps attitude to race and ethnicity should be included in the psychological testing. Of course, not all police are corrupt, but as a group, as a mass under the microscope, there appears to be a lot of toxicity. And the toxicity spreads far and wide, initiated by all types of people, into parts of the community and into people's lives causing damage and pain.

For a community that constantly talks about being multicultural and respecting each other's differences, its astonishing that these types of scenarios with these outrageous comments are still commonplace and happen more often than anyone would think.

I love this city...well that one actually.

We went to Sydney for the weekend and it was amazing. It was my birthday the week prior and the trip really just happened to coincide with that event. While the trip was a much needed getaway, we said it was my birthday celebration.

So last Friday morning, I managed to get onto a plane without hyperventilating and flew to Sydney. Shortly after disembarking we jumped on the underground train and headed into town.

I hadn’t been to Sydney for pleasure for about a year. I’ve been for work a couple of times, but that doesn’t count since all I do is hop into a cab, go to an office, hop into a hotel bedroom to order room service and talking to LSH on the phone.

As I exited the train, the cool Antarctic winds chilled the otherwise scorching 30 degree day. The people moved fast, the city buzzed with life around me. I felt like I was back amongst it again, like I was alive.

I did live in Sydney for a while after I returned from a stint in London, only I hated it then. I thought it a poor cousin to the vastly more interesting, fabulous and fantastic London. I worked for a branch of the company I had worked for in the UK. The people in the satellite office were dramatically different from those in London and we just didn’t click. These people were sour, rude and a little bit wanky. All the while the people in London had been really welcoming and fun. So I left, came back to Brisbane, where I figured I would spend the rest of my days. Now, I’ve been here for so long that going to Sydney seems so appetising, so tantalising and so much like the big smoke that I almost wonder if I now look like a backwater local to the city’s residents

It took a few months to learn the “well ‘ard” face of a Londoner, not sure how long it takes to master the stern, determined face of a Sydney-sider. I am sure I didn’t pick it up over the weekend, although I did try to look pensive with furrowed brows, ducking out from under my sunglasses.

There are so many things to love. I love that there are tourists filling the city, pouring out of every orifice, yet there’s a professional purpose to the city too, people walking officiously about with headset to ear, talking in bullsh*t bingo buzzwords that mean nothing really, except to their own sense of self importance.  I love that the city is caressed by brilliant blue water, I love that there’s an enormous bridge that takes my breath away. I love the old dodgy looking opera house that everyone raves about. I love the recently revamped suburbs that were once home to drug dens and prostitutes, but are now filled with incredibly wealthy yet tortured, arty types.  I love that things are old and there are architecturally interesting buildings. I even love the merchandising in the stores, I especially love the great expanse of brands, I love the choice. I love the variety of people, products, music, food, sounds and smells. I also love driving out of town for 30 minutes and sitting on a the back deck of our dear friends' house listening to the kookaburras that rest in their yard of paperbark trees. I love it all.

It seems that I have managed to properly fall in love with Sydney, this time. And just like a new crush or lover, I can’t stop wondering when we’ll next see each other.

Soon my dearest, soon.