Erin Molan: Racism can be black or white — but don’t forget the grey

There’s almost nothing in the world that can destroy someone more quickly than the accusation of racism. And as we continue our transition to the new, better modern world, my issue today is the existence of grey areas, writes Erin Molan

Over the past two weeks, the Las Vegas racism scandal has dominated almost every inch of rugby league-related newspaper columns, TV bulletins and radio airwaves, not to mention social media.

The same can be said for Sam Kerr and the alleged incident involving a policeman in the UK.

The scrambling by those who have previously shown no compassion or understanding in this space is mind blowing but to be expected in this era of cherry-picking activism.

The readiness with which many opiners have sought to excuse behaviour that otherwise wouldn’t pass the pub test has been fascinating, if not infuriating, particularly for those who have been the victim of their wrath in the past.

Racism is clearly not black and white and those who have experienced it have the right to feel exactly as they do – unqualified, unconditional offence, hurt and revulsion.

What might cause you pain may not bother someone else and haven’t we seen provocative and sensationalised evidence of that this week.

The pundits (and punters) have proven that they can magnificently craft and redefine the words subjective and personal, which is why so much care is being taken now with some accused of wrongdoing, when others are crucified mercilessly for something that many believe has no racial element at all.

During the week, a rugby league player disclosed that he and his friends from a similar background use words deemed “derogatory” all the time, including the exact word used in Las Vegas.

Racism must be stopped in all its forms.

He says these words are used for “banter and a laugh” and that “at the end of the day they don’t really mean it. It is just words”.

He has every right to feel this way, express this opinion and defend his mate, but would the same staunch defence have been applied by as many if the alleged perpetrator of racism were from a western background?

Would it have received a millisecond of contemplation or traction? We all know the answer to this.

Racism should be called out every single time.

The biggest changes in history have occurred because brave people stood up and refused to accept a standard they believed was inadequate, immoral or unjust.

But we’ve turned what used to be an effective means to improve society and the lives of those marginalised into a weapon — and as we’ve seen over the past two weeks, in the process we have spread the net to extend the hurt to the victimised communities as well.

Incidents of racism may not be straight forward but still need to be prevented

It’s hard for me to talk about my own experience in this space because, to be frank, it is deeply traumatising and there’s a legal element, but it is well known that I took action after an article labelled me racist for referencing a story regarding a sports commentator struggling to say a name.

The trend to weaponise incidents, occasions and behaviour for the purpose of attempting to destroy is perilously dangerous and becoming more frequent.

There’s almost nothing in the world that can destroy someone more quickly than the accusation of racism and, in its purest form, where there is no doubt or debate that it exists, so it should.

But my issue today, as we continue our transition to the new, better modern world, is the existence of grey areas.

Can we continue to always call out any hurt or offence but, as we’ve seen with the two athletes this week, can we apply the same level of humanity, understanding, support and empathy they seem to have received in droves to others who might find themselves in a similar position.

To those who might offend without malice nor intent to hurt, rather than the campaign of seek and destroy that is often driven by those now showing uncharacteristic sympathy.

There is nothing more abhorrent than racism and those who have experienced it first hand will confirm that more emphatically than I ever could.

However like much of the global “new order” we are witnessing, we need to ensure that we are consistent in our approach to calling it out and responding appropriately when we do.

Undoubtedly we are going to meet grey challenges along the way, as well as the easily handled black and white ones.

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