Blank Faces
A staple of the ‘B’ grade slasher movie is the chase scene. The hero is pursued by a somewhat competent assailant who never quite seems to catch their intended victim. I’m still trying to process the fact that a scene reminiscent of a low budget thriller played out not that long ago in a town not that far away.
On Monday 29 of August 2016 local police received a report of a dead body in bushland just outside of the town of Kalgoorlie. When the officers arrived they found the corpse of a fourteen-year-old boy and a stolen motorcycle (1).
Over the course of the police investigations they ascertained that the boy had been run down by a Nissan Navara which was linked to the owner of the stolen motorcycle. A fifty-five-year-old man was charged in relation to the incident. He was charged with manslaughter.
It’s important to recognise that at this stage all of the facts surrounding this incident are not public knowledge. There may very well be sound reasons as to why the man was charged with manslaughter and the charge may be upgraded in the future.
The fact that the driver did not immediately report the crime does little to support the view that the boy’s death was accidental. Despite this we should wait until the full facts are known before forming any firm opinions on the defendant’s motives.
The townsfolk of Kalgoorlie however did not wait. When word reached them that the defendant was not charged with murder they converged on the town. A riot ensued in which many police officers were injured.
It could have been far worse if not for the actions of a few residents. An eighteen-year-old girl provided us with an iconic moment as she stood arms outstretched in front of police trying to calm the crowd (2). The actions of this girl, who was related to the boy killed, serve as evidence to us all that we can bury hate for the greater good of all.
What I find most remarkable about this incident is what happened next. Remarkably little happened next. A month on and there is no commentary. It’s like it hasn’t happened. There are no in depth articles discussing the underlying issues surrounding this tragedy. No politicians exclaiming never again to the sound of snapping camera’s.
The boy killed was of Aboriginal heritage. The driver was a white male. I wonder if we would be talking more about this incident if the boy killed was white and the driver of the vehicle Aboriginal? Such thoughts leave me uncomfortable as the hardest of truths often do.
I’m confident that if it was a white boy killed we’d still be talking about it. There would be no all too comfortable silence. There would be calls for an investigation to determine ‘just how this happened’. Government politicians would be launching enquiries. Opposition politicians would be blaming the government. So many snapping cameras.
How depressing is it that the death of a white kid would be more likely to spark a debate about racism that the death of a black kid. Black kids are dying. Even when they are living they are doing so at a much reduced standard than other Australians.
In the following days we saw a small number of opinion pieces published. Andrew Bolt contributed one particularly unhelpful piece (3). Mr Bolt chose to focus on the fact that a cartoon published a few weeks ago depicting Aboriginal people which some people found offensive was in fact accurate.
Bolt is, somewhat tragically, right. The cartoon was highlighting the fairly widely accepted fact that many aboriginal children grow up without much support from their fathers. Seriously though what is the worse aspect of this child’s death Bolt? His father not knowing where his son is or a person running over a young boy?
Meanwhile no one could escape the fairly consistent online bleating that’s been going on over an incident which many are suggesting is racist. On a day where the members of his book club were asked to dress as their favourite hero a young white boy dressed like his favourite footballer. As the footballer in question had dark skin his mother coloured his skin dark brown (4).
Many people have suggested that in colouring her son’s skin to a darker shade it is offensive to people with darker skin as it is reminiscent of Blackface (5). Whilst darkening one’s skin was an element of Blackface it is deeply misguided to suggest that it’s as simple as some boot polish.
Blackface is not offensive because of the colouring of a white person’s skin. It’s offensive because of the types of racial stereotypes it perpetuates. These stereotypes include the slightly simple but happy plantation worker, the wise old uncle tom and my personal favourite Zip Coon the dandified freed slave.
These stereotypes solidified negative attitudes against people with darker skin. This assisted to both directly and indirectly oppress dark skinned people. It continued well into the twentieth century. Even when the application of make-up stopped the stereotypes have persisted.
Well known director Spike Lee has addressed this consistently over the past decade. Lee notes that while the boot polish is off, the only thing that’s really changed is that the actors portraying these stereotypes are now dark skinned. Just consider how many movies you have seen, particularly historical dramas, where a black actor plays the part of a simple rural type? The wise old uncle tom has morphed into the mystical negro.
Now consider the actions of the mother of this young white boy dressed as the black footballer he idolises. What negative stereotype is that perpetuating? What dark skinned person is he mocking or demeaning? Who would be offended at a young boy idolising them? Certainly not the footballer (6). No stereotype is being perpetuated by this young boy and no one is being mocked or demeaned. For that reason, the boys costume is not offensive.
Those criticising the young boy and his mother are so keen to get on the outrage bandwagon, so keen the get on the right side of history and exclaim ‘RACIST’. All the while these same people say precisely nothing when a black child dies under the wheels of a ute driven by a white man. The same people have no comment about the alcohol and drugs rife in aboriginal communities. No comment about the disproportionate sexual abuse suffered by aboriginals. Nothing to say about the ancestors our ancestors slaughtered.
What do you think history will actually say about these people's behaviour?
I suspect future historians will recognise those criticising this young boy and his mother for the simpering idiots which they are. They will talk in condescending tones about how these poor ignorant people didn’t know any better. They will note that those more concerned with re-posting the image of the moment on Facebook than discussing the underlying racial tensions in Australia are themselves racist.
Addressing the imbalance between the lives of the traditional owners and those descended from the colonials is not simple. That does not mean we should shirk from this challenge.
Can you imagine what it would be like? To live in a country which used to be yours but which isn’t anymore. To be told that your way of life is wrong. To be forced to live in a way which runs counter to your deeply held beliefs. We have outlawed their way of life. It’s enough to drive someone to drink.
We could simply ask how the traditional owners want to live. How they want to contribute. We might not like the answers. We will have to make sacrifices. I think that’s what it will take for genuine progress to be made. If we are not willing to sacrifice, it’s all meaningless platitudes.
I’m not perfect. I am sorry. In the past I’ve said things that reinforced negative stereotypes. I’ve referred to Aboriginals using language that is offensive and unhelpful. As I’ve matured that’s stopped. I won’t do it again because I want to raise my son to respect people. I want to live in a society where I’m not worried about a riot because someone’s child was run over.
If I want that I need my son to understand that what the people who colonised Australia did was wrong. I want him to be able to talk about these issues. I want him to want to help. If I can’t lead by example, then how can I expect him to be that person?
The man who ran down that child in Kalgoorlie had a father. A father who might not off been there. If he was around perhaps should have spent some time talking to his son about the difficult issues that surround race. And no time at all sledging someone who just wants to look like their idol for a day.