So what is racism anyway? Can't you take a joke?

Today I wrote a post about racism, and linked off to an initiative called ‘Give nothing to racism’.

It sparked some interesting discussions and got me thinking a bit more about it.

So what is racism anyway?

I think that it’s actually quite subjective. What is racist and offensive to you might not be perceived racist to someone else.

So how do you know if something is racist or not?

I’ll give you my take on it. You are free to have your own opinion, and indeed to express that opinion in the comments below.

I should point out that I am a white, middle-aged male, and it has be argued on several occasions that I have no idea what it is like to face discrimination every day.

But that would be wrong.

I have not faced overt racism, but as a short person I have faced overt discrimination all of my life, for an attribute of my body that I have no power to change. It has left its marks on me, as you might expect for someone who constantly has their height (or lack of it) pointed out to them.

I live in a society where being short is not a good thing. Even the language is against short people.

To ‘come up short’, to ‘short change’ someone, or to say ‘I’m a bit short of cash’ all deride the shortness as being undesirable. Good things might come in small packages, but they don’t come in short packages.

So what makes discrimination and racism different from a playful joke?

Can’t we joke about anything anymore?

Yes we can!

Here is my take on discrimination, and racism. I’ll try to illustrate this a little. It makes sense in my head, but it may not make sense once it is written down. If it doesn’t, I apologize. Please don’t just dismiss the argument simply because it is poorly articulated.

I think what makes racism racism, is intent. The intent to belittle, defame, frighten, blame someone who is different from you, or your society, or group, is what makes it racism. Poking fun at differences is not inherently racist.

And here is my (imperfect) reasoning:

Australia and New Zealand have a very close relationship. We are like family, with Australia being the big brother to New Zealand. And as such, we tend to tease each other quite a lot, particularly around our unique use of language.

We tease each other about sports and cultural events too. It’s all done in fun, and there is no malice or intent behind it. They think we say ‘fush and chups’, and we think they have an underarm problem.

They steal all our really good bands and claim them for their own. They even think they invented pavlova, which is just wrong, so wrong.

But when I was travelling, who would I hang out with? Who would I go the extra mile to help out if help was needed? Any Aussie that needed help, was family that needed help, so you did what you would do for family. So our exchanges are not racist. They are the good natured teasing that siblings often indulge in.

On the other hand, when I was working in Australia and people would complain under the breath, just loud enough for me to hear, about “all the bloody kiwis coming over to Australia and stealing their jobs”, that’s racist. That’s demeaning. That’s saying I’m a thief. That’s saying I’m bad just because I come from New Zealand.

And I wasn’t stealing their jobs because no-one would give me a job - because I’m a kiwi. In the end I had to leave Australia and look for work elsewhere.

And that, I think sums it up for me. If you tease me about my accent, my love of a nice woolly sheep, and my uncanny resemblance to a hobbit, that’s all fine. That’s a good natured ribbing, a joke, something to laugh about for you, and for me.

No-one gets hurt!

Poking fun at our differences is not a bad thing. We are different. Difference is good. Vive la difference. (said in a terrible French accent. I don’t mean that the French accent is terrible, just that my rendition if it is terrible….I sense I’m just digging the hole deeper here…)

But when there are barbs, even subtle ones, in the exchange, that’s a whole different thing. When there is intent to hurt, to belittle, to blame, or insight hatred and fear, then you are looking racism right in the face. And it is not pretty, ever.

You might think reading this, that New Zealand is a wonderful place free from racism. But it is not, and it never will be. But there is a general feeling in the country that racism is no ok, it’s not acceptable, and we need to get rid of it as much as possible.

We still have our neo-nazi idiots and white supremeists, but they are viewed as just that - idiots. They rise up every now and then and make a bit of noise, and then they get slapped back down and told to go and wash the dishes or “we’ll tell your mum”. And they go back to being invisible again.

An immigrant’s life is never going to be easy no matter which country they end up in. But here at least, I think they can make a good life for themselves and their families. Some will face more overt racism than others. All will face covert racism - the subtle looks, the shying away, the downturned mouth, and these will have an effect on them.

But as it is pointed out in the video that I linked to earlier today, we know that this is happening and we know it is wrong. And knowing that, there are efforts being made to stop it from happening so those who are new to the country feel like they belong here and are welcome here.

We are not perfect. But we know what perfect is and we are willing to strive for that perfection, even if we know it is not attainable.

So what are you going to do to stamp out racism?
How are you going to help those who are different from you, feel safe and valued and welcome?
How are you going to make the world a better place?

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So what is racism anyway? Can't you take a joke?