Not Really Australian

I’m Australian. No really, I am. I was born in Australia, I speak English, I know more about Australian history than is healthy, and I’ve read many Australian authors. I also swear a disproportionate amount in my every day life. I’ve eaten our native animals and flora because they are very delicious.

However I’m not Australian. Not at all. The people on the street, the police and the people on the trains will never see me as Australian. Why? My skin colour isn’t white.

“Where do you come from?”

“Australia?”

“ No, where do you really come from?”

That’s a fairly usual conversation that any one was born in a nation but doesn’t look like a walking stereotype of said nation has to face every day.

Usually the conversation is benign. They usually understand that yes, I am Australian when I state I was born in Australia. But usually, the conversation can take on more sinister undertones when they insist that it isn’t possible for me to be Australian. All because I don’t fit the “White” stereotype of the Australian.

With Brexit, it seems as though that usual conversation can become even more sinister than usual. If you don’t look a certain way, people will refuse to accept that you are a citizen of a nation and tell you to “Go back to where you came from!” as a minimum. Those of us who know our history, know that this type of mindset can lead to the majority rounding up anyone who “looks different”.

In the case of many like myself, we would have to go back to the hospital that our mothers gave birth to in that nation.Then, we would have to find a womb to crawl back into.

The citizens of a nation don’t have a specific race or ethnicity. We are citizens because we have citizenship, not because we have a certain appearance. Citizenship doesn’t appear as a visible marker on our bodies.

This belief that your appearance can identify where your citizenship lies feeds into the hate. The hatred and prejudice against the “other”. All the tiny visible differences are latched upon by others as a reason to hate and a reason to destroy.

So while you may feel “It doesn’t really affect me.” just think about how different you are to your neighbours or the others around you. You have have different coloured eyes, a different hobby or just enjoy different brands of clothing. One day, that difference may be used in order to embolden others to tell you “No, you’re not really one of us.”