The Only Thing Worse than Racism is Imagined Racism

My column in today's Australian newspaper

I have taught my black children that the only thing worse than racism is imagined racism. Actual racism can be confronted and dealt with.

But imagined racism – where racist undertones are presumed in every interaction – is a bondage from which you can never be freed since the chains exist entirely in your own mind.

It is for this reason that Labor MP Anne Aly’s insistence, reported last month, that a proposed code of conduct for politicians should focus on “racism and micro-aggressions towards people of colour” is alarming.

In a submission to the committee charged with creating the code for parliamentarians and staff, the federal Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth wrote:

“I have witnessed instances of subtle racism and micro-aggressions towards people of colour in commonwealth parliamentary workplaces and have experienced them myself.”

Notice Aly does not complain of racism but of “subtle racism”.

She does not allege aggression towards people of colour. She claims, rather, to be aware of “micro-aggressions” in the parliament.

I would have thought this was cause for celebration. Whatever racism does exist in parliamentary workplaces, it is evidently so subtle as to be barely perceptible.

That is, after all, the definition of a racist micro-aggression. It is an act of racism so infinitesimal that you must look very hard to find it before you can claim to have been traumatised by it.

I would suggest that if you have time to inspect something very carefully to work out whether you are offended by it, taxpayers are probably not getting value for your wage. But I digress.

Aly’s submission continued:

“No code of conduct that seeks to change workplace culture would be complete without acknowledging that these behaviours (micro-aggressions) exist in our workplace.”

The MP is right that acknowledging micro-aggressions will change workplace culture, but not in the way she thinks and certainly not for the better.

Focusing on subtle racism and micro-aggressions will only train people to pore over the minutiae of every conversation and to sift through the entrails of every interaction in search of hidden racism.

It prepares a small group of people to be always ready to take offence. And it trains everybody else to go through life always fearful of giving offence. As a result everyone is worse off, though nothing has actually happened.

You’re about half way through this article that was published in today’s Australian newspaper. Click here to read the rest.