When Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj reported racist abuse during the recent Sydney test match, Australia鈥檚 ugly racism hit the headlines again.
The most racist media outlets questioned whether聽the abuse聽had actually happened.聽The聽less racist outlets聽tried to blur聽the incident,聽drawing parallels between racist abuse and sledging 鈥 a cricketing term for verbal insults aimed at distracting the opposition.
,听迟丑别听础叠颁鈥檚聽sports聽journalist, probably had the best聽establishment聽position.聽
鈥淩acism happens in Australian sport because there is racism in Australia,鈥 she said bluntly聽on January 12.
She went on:聽鈥淚n a predominantly white society, with a domination of white voices setting the daily news agenda, it is not a white person鈥檚 place to decide what is racist and what isn鈥檛.鈥
She鈥檚 right. But without a class analysis she聽didn鈥檛 draw any聽conclusions about why victims of聽racism are rarely believed, nor how聽institutionalised racism聽has聽not only聽destroyed the careers聽of聽professional sports people, it聽has also聽destroyed聽the聽lives of many.
Sports commentators are聽well聽aware of the insidious nature of racism in sport. First Nations鈥櫬爌layer Adam Goodes,聽a聽Brownlow medallist and former Sydney Swans footballer,聽has featured in聽debates and documentaries about聽the topic.聽Goodes spent three years being booed and racially vilified, until he was forced into early retirement in 2015.
Last year, the ABC聽ran a聽feature-length聽story on聽the persecution,聽which started聽some 40 years ago,聽of another聽First Nations鈥櫬爁ootballer,听迟丑别 former St Kilda player聽.聽Racism destroyed Muir鈥檚 career,聽it also聽nearly聽ended his聽life.
Few,聽however,聽draw the conclusion that the same injustices聽Muir faced聽are at play for聽all聽First Nation鈥檚聽communities.
Institutionalised racism,聽a legacy of colonialism,聽is the cause of so much poverty,聽a聽shorter life expectancy and less quality of life for聽this country鈥檚 First Nation's peoples today.聽Racism is also the context for the聽high聽levels of infant mortality, blindness, deafness, diabetes and liver disease they suffer.
From 1788 until today, First Nations鈥 peoples are still having to fight against corporation鈥檚 wilful destruction of their land and for their聽children聽not to be taken away.
Refugees聽and asylum seekers聽suffer similar vilification, portrayed as 鈥渋llegals鈥澛爋r聽鈥渋nvaders鈥 coming to steal land and jobs.聽It is shameful that the racist scapegoating of a tiny minority is聽promoted (albeit in different ways)聽by both major parties.
The聽establishment聽media reflects the ideology of those who rule society.聽Rulers benefit from聽racism and sexism聽(and all the 鈥渋sms鈥) because they keep us聽divided聽and stop us from聽working together聽against exploitation and injustices and聽challenge the system.
Racism has its historical roots in the聽development of capitalism.聽Just as racism helped enable the emerging capitalist class of medieval Europe to accumulate the capital to plunder the native Americas, so today it serves the interests of those in power who use racism to divide workers聽and deflect anger,聽especially when times are tough.
Racism in sport,聽and more broadly against First Nations peoples,聽won鈥檛聽end while聽it remains one of the bedrocks聽of聽a聽system which relies on聽a layer of super-exploited聽workers.
The mainstream media, even those who call out racism, won鈥檛 explain that because it would involve聽challenging the hand that feeds it.
Unlike the big media, we have no reason not to challenge and expose the injustices of the capitalist system. And unlike the big media, we don鈥檛 rely on paid sponsors and advertising. We rely on you.
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