Just an anecdote from a neighbour who used to run a pub in Queensland (Redcliffs).. he related that most trouble he had was not from Aboriginals but from whites. But his anecdote will say much more than a 2500 word essay on 'human commonality'. He was walking along alone one night, and suddenly out of the darkness came the curious shout "Hey white fella"... now at this point, one might imagine, based on rather racist mythology, that he was about to be mugged by a bunch of 'coons' (to use the terminology of the myths) but no... it turned out to be a highly intelligent, warm hearted aboriginal friend who had recognized him.
He responded "Yes Black fella?"
But what these words cannot really bring out is the lack of racism, the lack of the slightest hint of racial denigration or ill feeling between the white bloke and the black one. As Clint Eastwood portrayed in his very challenging movie Gran Torino, he would call his Italian barber "You daigo bastard" or something like that...and the Barber would reply "You Irish prick".. but all of this was just light hearted banter and it went both ways.
I can deal with 'hey white trash' without raising an eyelid. I can dish it out too.. 'yes you black bastard'....... (or or "yes you lebo thug" ...other race appropriate slingoff) you need to say such things with a smile though.
As Andrew Bolt says,
In fact, let’s go beyond racial pride. Beyond black and white. Let’s be proud only of being human beings set on this land together, determined to find what unites us and not to invent such racist and trivial excuses to divide. Deal?
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