It feels like the sewers have burst, spilling a stinking mess of racism, homophobia and misogyny all over the public debate in Australia. Aboriginal football stars and a female prime minister have been among the noted victims of hateful abuse and insult.
It has shocked some people. Where did this come from? What does this say about 21st century Australia?
The ugly truth is that these hateful attitudes have been out there in force for some time, but it is reported only when the hate is channelled against prominent people. Thousands of incidents of such hate happen every day in neighbourhoods, shopping centres, schools and workplaces.
One reason for this is a new licensing of hate speech and prejudice that was manufactured with the neoliberal right's global campaign “against political correctness”.
We can blame former Liberal PM John Howard for leading the so-called “anti-PC” charge but this ideological offensive was given real power by actual assaults on the rights and material situation of the groups that are the target of this campaign of speech. Liberal and Labor governments are responsible for this.
PM Julia Gillard has been the victim of misogyny. Yet her policies have also helped power the tsunami of hate and prejudice. The Gillard government's shameless attacks on refugees, its continuation and extension of the racist NT intervention against Aboriginal communities and its attacks on the rights of sole parents (overwhelmingly single mothers) are fuelling the sewers of hate.
The “Parenting Payment for Parents - NOT Newstart” Facebook page said: “With the government and society attacking single mothers' finances, characters, it is feeding the sexism and increasing it.
“Single mothers are viewed as trash, this is affecting all women and this is spreading like a cancer in the community …
“The government have moved single parents onto the dole so people will view us as dole bludgers, dismiss us as decent parents and eliminate any respect (what little we did get) for us.”
Sexism, racism and homophobia persist because they are constantly reinforced, systematically, in daily life by real relations of oppression, subjugation and exploitation in society. In turn these attitudes justify the continuation of these relations. If these material and power inequalities are eliminated, the hateful attitudes will soon be defeated and banished to history.
We have to wage a war on the advancing tide of sexist, racist and homophobic hate — and we do this week after week in publications such as Green Left Weekly. But we know that taking on these reactionary ideas and attitudes means also standing up against the bipartisan conservative policies that power this hate and division.
We need your continued support to do this. Please make a donation to our Fighting Fund. Direct deposits can also be made to Greenleft, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062-006, Account No. 00901992. Otherwise, you can send a cheque or money order to PO Box 515, Broadway NSW 2007 or donate on the toll-free line at 1800 634 206 (within Australia).