A couple of days ago I wrote a blog post about just because someone may be gay, poc etc etc, doesn’t automatically make them a good person…Read it here.
Interestingly enough it was proven to me yesterday morning in my own real life and not on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram. I have to do a bit of a back story.
The indigenous people do not have a good general reputation in Australia. A lot of people in Australia think that they are lazy, trying to rort the system, always trying to get something for nothing. Now while there are Indigenous people who are like this and in the past have been like this. It’s our own white fellas fault. No denying that at all. We took children who were a little lighter from their families, we gave them alcohol. I mean…I didn’t do that personally, but white people did. However I’ve only ever met very motivated Indigenous people who want to get the best for their people. I’ve also though, seen the alcoholic ones living on the street.
However, I was become extremely upset yesterday morning. I catch the bus usually from and to work, it’s easier and it comes out cheaper. Since I work though and work at a high casual rate, I get charged a higher ticket rate for bus tickets. Where I live, you can get a different range of bus tickets. If you are elderly, if you are a school student, if you are under 5 (I think) it’s free. The rate also changes at different times of the day. During 9am till I think about 3:30pm the tickets for everyone are cheaper, some being cheaper again then most.
SO…Where I was going with that…My bus driver today was a Muslim, he is my regular bus driver and he is as sweet as they come.We got to a particular bus stop at 8:58am. Which means that unless you have a concession card of some sort, you have to pay the full adult price. These Indigenous people got onto the bus and started accusing the bus driver of being racist and that he’s taking Australian jobs and that he came over by boat…They sounded exactly like my racist white Aunt…Too be honest with you. By the time they had screamed and ranted it was past 9am. I was shocked I tell you. Shocked. Not only were they in the wrong to begin with, they clearly weren’t working and they accused the driver of being an Indian…When he’s a Muslim, of trying to “rip them off”. Even if he was, which he wasn’t, it only another 3 dollars. I felt like telling them if they don’t like how the buses are run, get your licence.
But here was my dilemma…If they had continued I knew I was going to say something.
But what can I say? I’m white? I felt like if it had continued, I would have to say something…But what?
The only thing I could think of to do was to write to the bus company and commend him on his calmness. The thing was I would have totally given them the money, but I didn’t want too. Then later on we picked up a Sudanese elderly man and he had forgotten his card, so I gave him the money, because he was getting upset at himself. It was really hot today as well, but I also wanted to give him the money.
Lolsys Library 