Letter of the Day

Racism all too real

RITA Panahi’s belief that by seeing “the world through a racial filter, (one) will see racism everywhere, whether it exists or not” has some validity, but the tragic truth about racism is that it has been, and still is, very real and painful for some of our Indigenous people (“The world through a racial lens is distorted”, Opinion, 5/11).

By asserting that “genuine racism is exceedingly rare”, it seems Panahi does not follow Aussie Rules, oblivious to the consistent racial abuse experienced by many Indigenous footballers, beyond the boundary and on social media.

At the same time, Jesinta Franklin’s expectation that her children will “face racism because of the colour of their skin” may be an extrapolation too far, but perhaps her experience as Lance Franklin’s wife has endowed her with insights into racism that Panahi, “as someone who has darker skin than Franklin’s children” has eschewed.

Generalising from the particular about racism can be counter-productive, but realising it exists beyond one’s own social bubble should be acknowledged as a truth, however inconvenient.

As a Jew, I was physically attacked and verbally abused a few years ago, yet I do not regard this country as anti-Semitic.