The Moveable Feast – Australia and race hate as experienced in the lifetime as an observer
Speech given by Thomas Keneally AO at the 5th Annual Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture
19 October 2019
19 October 2019
Many say freedom of expression means nothing if it doesn’t entail a freedom to offend others. Enjoying such freedom means that you may also have to tolerate hurtful or distasteful speech. But what if the burden of tolerance is not borne equally? What if some forms of speech wound not merely sensibilities but also another person’s dignity? How should a liberal democracy treat forms of speech that degrade others because of their race?
Racism can cause a lot of damage to both individuals and communities.
Learn about how racism exists in all areas of our society, including workplaces, schools and the wider community and what you can do to prevent it.
Many people experience racist behaviour.
The Challenging Racism Project has found that 20 per cent of Australians surveyed had experienced racial discrimination in the form of race hate talk, and about 5 per cent had been attacked because of their race.
It's a question that people ask all the time. If we're all part of the human race, why are people racist? After all, there are no biological differences between people. No race is superior or inferior to another. We're all the same.
There are many reasons why people can have racist attitudes.