This is Home

I do look forward to “You can’t Ask That” - though I could not look at the screen recently when someone spoke.  It was about domestic violence.  I was happy to hear, but felt it was so wrong that one human being could do that to another.
The latest episode featured African Australians. I tend to put them in a box.  What was highlighted to me was that one does not mean all.  The biggest difference was the colour of their skin.  They stood out. 
There is an element generating the bad publicity.  It made me think that you don’t need to be African Australian to do bad things.  It seems every people group has a bad element.  It was a Caucasian Australian that perpetrated the Christchurch massacre.
Someone interviewed mentioned that if an African Australian does something bad then they are all labelled “thugs.”  Another person pointed out that it is they that are afraid to go to restaurants.  In every situation they brace themselves for potential racism.  When out.  24/7.
Someone I knew rued the fact that so many “foreign” names were in an Australian international team.  I mentioned that add “Kuskie” to that mix, and it would not look out of place.  Just as an aside, we used to be Kwaitkowski’s.  When the family migrated, they changed their name to Kuskie.  I am led to believe that on the other side of the river the same family group changed their surname to some other derivative.  To me it is a classic case of sit on the porch and see what the other mob is up to.
Where ever in the world I go, I consider myself Australian.  For African Australians it is not a case of “if where you came from was so good, go back there.”  In a lot of cases they love their country, and would go back if they could.  Most of us came here looking for a better life.  In many places war causes people to flee.  One fellow said that none of his adult relatives had died of natural causes.  They had all died at the hands of war.  In other cases, it is extreme poverty or corruption or intolerance.
I loved what one of the interviewees said.  They said you imbibe the best of each culture.  For many, Australia is the promised land.  Despite elements of racism, our tolerance seems to set us apart.  This place is not without its problems though.  It seems where ever there are people, there are problems.
More than one highlighted how where they were from it was natural of everyone to help.  One lady cited another person offering to hold their baby while they shopped.  She said here to do that, you would need a police check and blue card first.  I feel I know where they were coming from.  I wanted to get “arty” photo’s of a playground.  I took them at daybreak so as not to arouse suspicion.
One of the people being interviewed said something that rang true with me.  She said “back home I had nothing, but was spiritually alive.  Here, I have never had more, but I am spiritually dead.” To me, it does not need to be one or the other, but it seems few things muddy the water more than affluence.
We all came here from somewhere.  Even the first Australians migrated here.  It does not seem to matter if I was the first or 131st.  This is home.  It is probably best we all try to get along.