Anthony, you presume too much. You assume that you know me, or how I would react to overt racism. Your imaginary scenario is unlikely to occur but I have laughed off worse, I don't let clowns like your imaginary friend get to me.

The issue I have with your article is that you deny racism has a negative effect. Your arguments are merely assertions of your interpretation of the world - you don't want to consider the effects of racism on Indigenous Australians and if you say it often enough it must be true.

I have seen racism's effects on kids at school, people seeking health care (the AMA was shocked by its research into heart disease treatment for Indigenous Australians). Racism is often subtle, and may sometimes be an unconscious act that the perpetrator was socialised in - sometimes with no ill-intent. However, this does not make its effects any less real. It does not make racism go away. Denying racism as a cause of problems does not stop the low education expectations. It does not stop stereotyping by medical staff. Denying racism does not rebuild self-esteem and combat depression and internalised sense of being a second-class citizen. Confidence and pride in identity can lessen the effect of racism but it does not mean that racism ceases to exist and harm.

Your simplistic definition of racism, recognises only overt racism. Your suggestion that because some Indigenous have succeeded in mainstream society they have not experienced racism demonstrates you have a closed mind. Andrew Bolt claims you as a good friend. Are you sure you are not saying what you think others want you to say.

Joe,
I think you might be onto something about new ways being invented.

Anthony,
by the way, in your imaginary scenario I would be highly offended by the cu&^%, it is very profane.

The greater percentage of racism is brought on by those who claim to be the victims. Objectionable behaviour invites retribution which in turn is being twisted into discrimination and, Bingo ! Someone screams racism.

“The issue I have with your article ... deny racism has a negative effect. Your arguments are merely assertions of your interpretation of the world - you don't want to consider the effects of racism on Indigenous Australians and if you say it often enough it must be true.”

Until you give some good evidence (not just the consensus claptrap argument you rely on), then yes, I will fail to see this “racism effect” you keep referring to, though fail dismally to prove. “Aka, it would seem that your arguments are merely assertions of your interpretation of the world - you want to believe the effects of racism on Indigenous Australians and if you say it often enough it must be true.” Yes, like me, you are entitled to your opinion, but when making grand claims, please justify them. How about you try just one more time Aka. Show me the evidence that the problems facing Aboriginal people today are caused by racism. And while you are at it, please explain why this racism you refer to, seems to have no effect on many fine Aboriginal people Australians. And when I refer to these ‘fine Aboriginal people Australians’ I am not just referring to those with 2 drops of Indigenous blood, but those who are very clearly Aboriginal, and have faced examples of what could be considered racism, yet found it within themselves to succeed. Do a little bit of research and you will see that my father is a good example of what I am talking about. It’s not what’s outside of you that matters, but what’s on the inside – a fact that seems to have slipped by those Aboriginal people who claim to be so spiritual.

And judging by your statement “in your imaginary scenario I would be highly offended by the cu&^%, it is very profane”, although I don’t know you, I do have a fair idea of you the sort of person you are – basically a good person, but someone who believes others have more power over you than you have over yourself.

In support of what Anthony has said above regarding 'not seeing' racism, it needs to be understood that 'racism' is word that has no more 'objective reality' that can actually be ‘seen’ than do words like 'jealousy’ ‘disappointment’ ‘bigot ‘prejudiced’ etc. All such words are purely ‘connotation’ not ‘denotation’. CONNOTATION = “the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes”. DENOTATION = “a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea”. The word ‘pig’ has a denotation (the animal itself), and it has a connotation and hence can be used ‘pejoratively’ (i.e., as a “disparaging or belittling word or expression”). The term ‘racist’ or ‘racism’ along with ‘jealousy’ ‘bigot’ are always used as CONNOTATIONS – because they actually have no empirically or objectively observed reality.

Because they are connotations and can only have any ‘existence’ in human minds (they don’t have any real existence outside the human mind) they always relate to ‘perceptions’ or ‘interpretations’ of the entirely neutral facts in our objective world – and these interpretations have deep roots in (i) the core motive through which each mind interprets its world – our ‘state of being’, (ii) the unchosen social programming we have learned through our life that gives the particular ‘form’ to the core motive through which we ‘see’ (iii) the ongoing stream of events and facts that we are confronted moment by moment during our journey since our unchosen birth into a body. Not all connotations are used to ‘attack’ and describing someone as ‘mistaken’ or even ‘fearful’ can give rise to more helpful outcomes.

Again, Einstein’s ‘only choice’ (and in relation to all other factors Einstein was a ‘determinist’) “we are either full of fear [separate interests] or full of love [shared interests]” all the rest is merely the unchosen potentials that we happen to find in our biological history, social history, and present circumstances. Again – ‘racism’ is a pejorative connotation use by fear driven people in their futile attempts to change the conditions of their world – thereby making it worse!

Namaste,

"Because they are connotations and can only have 'existence' in human minds..."

But these are the constructs utilised by humans to act upon the world and to influence those around them.

"..'racism' is the pejorative connotation use by fear driven people in their futile attempts to change conditions of their world..."

Would you deny that the social partition of blacks from whites in America in the past or Apartheid in South Africa were driven by connotations of racial superiority and inferiority by those who were running the respective shows?....and protest against such social manipulation in these instances turned out to be not so futile in the long run.