Strategies for coping with racist behaviour

[Emmen]

Hello everybody,

With coronavirus, there has been a spike in racist behaviour against people of Asian ethnicity in Australia. I’m sure there are people in our community who have been on the receiving end of such behaviour. You may also be Indigenous or of other ethnicities, struggling with the emotional impact of racism directed against you over the years. This could include anxiety, depression and reduced sense of self-worth. I though we could open up this forum as a way of sharing coping strategies when facing prejudiced behaviour.

I’ll start by listing some ideas:

• Build a network of people around you who can make you feel good about yourself
• Identify the behaviours that have led you to internalise the idea that you are 'not good enough' for society and work on accepting yourself as you are
• Reminding yourself that the actions/words of racist people stem from their own insecurity rather than you

What are your strategies?

For those seeking more information on racism, its impacts and what you can do about it, here are some links that can help.

BB article: Respond to racism (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/the-invisible-discriminator/respond-to-racism)
BB campaign: The Invisible Discriminator (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/the-invisible-discriminator)
BB article: Educate yourself about racism (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/the-invisible-discriminator/educate-yourself-about-...)
Forum thread: Racism (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/racism#qgLmI3HzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A)

Sending love,
M

[Guest_1584]

Haven't read the whole thread but the last thing l'd think is that you'd wanna upset people.Of course there'd be some of that in Australia it's in all countries. And sadly yeah the Covid thing wouldn't help right now but to my mind that'd be crazy it's like here our fool pm is not us , he's not the people, he's a bloody embarrassment to the country and even if there was some Covid thing in China it wouldn't be the people themselves.

My brother lives in Asia a lot of the time he says they're all nice and all smiles to his face but he's well aware they'll be yacking away about him behind his back.

l'm about the person , if l don't like someone it's nothing to do with where they're from it'd be bc they didn't come across nice to me or had obvious attitude or whatever. lf they're like that to me l'm not gonna like them l don't care who they are.

rxc

[Guest_1643]

Hi Not so Hot

Im really upset you feel not welcome as you contribute so much to the forums.

[Birdy77]

Dear Not so hot,

I too am very upset that you do not feel welcome here.

Your posts are so heartfelt - you have been through so much, and have contributrd so much to the forums.

I have gained a lot from reading your words here and on your personal thread. You have been through so very much.

Thank you for being courageous and sharing your journey.

I hope you stay.

[Birdy77]

Especially as the original post /purpose of this thread, as posted by Emmen back in i think June was :

"With coronavirus, there has been a spike in racist behaviour against people of Asian ethnicity in Australia. I’m sure there are people in our community who have been on the receiving end of such behaviour" ...

So, Not so hot, please be assured that your posts are super-relevant and on point and your experiences are so valid and important to be heard.

I really hope you come back.

[Sophie_M]

Dear Not so hot,

Thank you so much for speaking so honestly about what is your everyday experience. We are sorry that we live in a world where you have had to develop strategies for dealing with casual, and not so casual, racism. That you do so with such generosity and kindness is remarkable. Thanks to brave people like you challenging such base comments, assumptions and behaviours, individuals and societies can change for the better. However, we know mounting such challenges can take a real toll on your mental wellbeing, which is why sharing your experiences on these forums is so important. We want you to continue to feel safe and supported posting to these forums.

Our forums are underpinned by five key values. At all times these forums should be supportive, respectful, empowering, safe and friendly. One of the most fundamental ways we ensure the forums stay this way is to accept people's experiences as they describe them. We are sorry if you feel like your experiences were invalidated in any way here. We hope you continue to share your journey with us.

While the support offered on our forums is often quick, it is important to remember it is not immediate. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the qualified mental health professionals at our Support Service any time day or night to discuss these issues and their impact on your mental wellbeing. You can phone 24/7 on 1300 22 4636, email them (replies within 24 hours) or webchat to them if you're more comfortable typing than talking between 1pm and midnight AEDT every day via the links at the top right of all Beyond Blue pages.

[Emmen]

Dear Not so hot,

You are very welcome in this forum. Nothing you have said is upsetting. As a person who has been on the receiving end of racism, this thread is for you to share your thoughts, experiences and feelings. I hate that you feel silenced and unwelcome here, to the point of you departing because unfortunately, this mirrors the real-world experiences of many minorities.

Australians are capable of being racist, as many of our personal experiences (including mine) can attest to. Unfortunately I am unable to see the comment that has caused you to leave this thread in the first place, Not so hot, but please know that this forum is meant for you and that we want to see you back.

Kindly,
M
M

[blondguy]

Hello Not so Hot

I just popped online and noticed that my input was upsetting for you. I apologize if I caused you any pain or anguish. I always post from the heart and havent had anyone try to read 'between the lines' to understand my level of TLC. I am only a volunteer on the forums and doing the best I can

Hi Emmen.....Its good to see you!

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Guest_1584]

Of course they're capable as l was saying most countries are don't think anyone's naive enough to think some aren't . And if your talking Chinese Australians in China atm are very on edge too. Personally l was only trying to point out that it's by far all though and some states are worse than others too, seems like that fell on deaf ears too though.

rx

[Guest_1584]

Ps , Sorry that was meant to say that it's by far not all though , and in some states some people are worse than others too.

rx

[Cocobons]

Hello there,

Thank you for creating this thread. I am a person of Asian heritage and definitely have experienced so much racism in Australia, much even more now because of Covid and tensions between China and Australia.
I live in a White predominant suburb in Melbourne, and the people living in that suburb are a hit and miss. Some of them are nice but a lot of them are so aggressive and hostile. I have reached the point where I feel so sick of being here in Australia. I just want to move to Canada instead, but I can't do it now because migrating to Canada is not that east, and I have children here in Australia so it's not that simple for me to just flee from the country.
I am married to a White Australian and when my partner and I are out in public, I always feel people treat him completely different to the way they treat me. They are a lot nicer to him. With me they are either hostile or just straight up ignore me. And no I don't have an attitude, I am a very polite person, even my husband says so, so it's not because of my behaviour. This has happened way too long now that I feel deeply hurt and not welcomed, excluded and it has wrecked my self-esteem. I noticed when we go to multicultural suburbs or inner CBD suburbs, White people are a bit nicer. Moving suburb is not an option for me now because I get to live ay my partner's relative's house for free and can't afford renting as of the moment.
Many days I feel so sick of the community that I live in that I even feel dreaded just to go to my local Woolies.
Australia will be such a beautiful country if there were not so many of those racist, condescending, disrespectful and aggressive people that abuse their White privilledge.