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.