Let Us All Combine

For those who've come across the seas. 

We've boundless plains to share; 

With courage let us all combine

To Advance Australia Fair

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This Thursday I spent Australia day in the city and made a point of going down to Fed Square.

The town I come from is tiny and not particularly multicultural, but spending the day in the city with people from all over the world really made me proud of how multicultural our country is. It was a truly wonderful day and even if the origins of the day may be shady, it was beautiful to see everyone integrating and socialising and just celebrating the fact that we are in this country.

It was a bit disappointing coming home to my small town and seeing the blatant racism from people who I considered good friends and family members. I'm ashamed of this part of our culture. People who think that nobody should be able to migrate to our country, let alone a legitimate refugee seek safety here. People who honestly do not acknowledge or accept the fact that our ancestors mistreated the original owners of this land grossly over the years. 

I tend to get really political when it comes to any form of discrimination, and especially based on a person's appearance or background, and seeing people who I have been so close to in the past be so proud about their wish for people who are not visually caucasian and don't conform to their limited version of what Australian's should be to "get the hell out" or "go back where they came from" just makes me completely ashamed. Especially when they base it on religion and claim that our way of life is the "right way". Everybody has a right to live in this country and nobody has the right to force their views on others or cause them to feel victimised.

This post wasn't meant to be quite so aggressive or political but I have so many feelings towards this topic and this time of year is rife with racism.