Written By NIM SUDO
Another day, another racist. Though these days, instead of sitting comfortably under the skin of our society, they’re popping out in all their angry, pimply glory.
This time, it was at a Telstra store in Miranda, Sydney. A white woman was asked questions as part of increased hygiene measures and became irritated, refusing to be served by an Asian employee. She later referred to another worker as a country, calling them “India”, using the country itself as a slur. Threatening deportation, she made clear her right to be in this country by refuting theirs, declaring herself “Queen of Australia”. In a way, she’s not wrong. So is this mentality part of our colonial heritage?
In the end, this isn’t about COVID-19. The virus did not suddenly cause her to be hateful, nor did it miraculously assure her of her identity as being more Australian than those workers. All it’s done is given her the courage to voice her longstanding misgivings about multiculturalism in this country. And she’s not the only one.
Remember, if you have experienced any racism or know of anyone else who has, please report it to our COVID-19 Racism Incident Report.
Image via Daily Mail