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Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison's Spineless Take On The Serena Williams Racist Cartoon Controversy Sums Up How Useless We Are At This Whole Conversation

The new PM could have shown he was a real leader by calling the Serena Williams cartoon racist, and also addressing the nuances of intention and impact. He failed to do so, and in doing so failed us in a much bigger way.

Ask yourself this: Is your view of racism and the history of race relations in the world something you can, or even want to, enforce on anyone else?

While you think on that, here’s a little tale from my life.

Two weeks ago I was walking along a street in New York when a local black activist stopped me and asked “Would you like to take the opportunity to make reparations for your white male privilege?”

As the six foot four, white, straight, male I am, I laughed awkwardly, taken aback by the snap gravity of the question in contrast to the drunken bar crawl I was on at the time.

Then I realised she was serious and wanted me to actually give her a donation.

As the somewhat inebriated six foot four, white, straight, male I was, I said no, stumbled over some reply about living the change I want to see in the world before hustling away.

I have no idea what the right response is to that situation but I think it’s safe to say I didn’t nail it.

But as I’ve replayed the conversation again and again in my mind I’ve realised once again that my simply not being racist wasn’t enough to satisfy her request for penance.

Even if, as a six foot four, white, straight, male I live the perfect life of non-racist existence, there is still a lot of race-based tension impacting a huge amount of our lives.

And just mumbling and shuffling away doesn’t change that.

So when Scott Morrison, our new, six foot-ish, white, straight, male Prime Minister was asked about whether Mark Knight’s Serena Williams cartoon was racist, and his response was to smile, brush it off and walk away, he failed to offer the exact kind of leadership so many Australians so genuinely want.

Someone who offers a considered, compassionate moral compass for the problems this country faces.

There is a lot of noise surrounding both Serena’s performance at the US Open and Mark Knight’s cartoon portrayal of it. Everyone is heated, passionate and very Loudly Online about it.

So I wanted an answer from our Prime Minister that gave direction and clarity and heaven forbid leadership.

Here’s a confession: I, like many, didn’t see a problem with the cartoon at first. I saw a drawing of a powerfully built, female, African-American tennis player, with frizzy hair, losing the plot in exactly the way she did on court.

The sports fan in me saw what Knight was saying, wasn’t offended, and moved on.

But just because I – as the six foot four, white, straight man I am – can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t racist.

Morrison could have stepped in and explained that white Australians (men, especially) aren’t bringing the right perspective to it.

We don’t have the engrained hurt that comes with centuries of slavery, genocide, betrayal and so very much more.

To add to my ignorance, I had also not read ‘The Story of Little Black Sambo’ and was unaware of the 70-year-old controversy surrounding that book’s artwork representing African-Americans, and definitely made no links between the two.

But I’m sure as hell not alone in that. And what I wanted ScoMo to do was tell me that just because I am not offended, I’m not then permitted to dismiss the anger of those who are.

I wanted Morrison to tell us the right reaction is in the eye of the beholder, not the creator.

To acknowledge that the global response of outrage cannot just be dismissed as empty.

I then wanted him to challenge us to also accept that sometimes the intent of the creator isn’t reflected in the reaction – sometimes in trying to make one statement, they inadvertently make another – and so to acknowledge a creation had at the very least missed its mark isn’t to inherently demonise the creator.

Before the cartoon had even been published, Serena’s ‘sexism’ comments had already ignited a “white male privilege / political correctness gone mad” debate and this was the chance for Scott to show us he has the emotional complexity to guide Australia through a real 21st century problem.

Instead he smiled and walked away.

And so we will go on debating amongst ourselves… one further step removed from any sense of feeling our politicians represent the real people on real issues.

Meanwhile those who still don’t “see” the racism aren’t going to suddenly declare that they are insensitive ignorant monsters, and those who are offended aren’t going to spontaneously declare it’s an overreaction to a meaningless scribble.

Because neither of those things is true. But they are the loudest voices without a leader who ducked the question.

I accept Mark Knight says he didn’t mean to cause racial offence when he published his cartoon, but he and all who don’t ‘see it’ have to accept that it is offensive.

Similarly, those who are offended could accept the intent of the work wasn’t to racially vilify Serena, and keep their anger proportional to the action.

That’s what I wanted Scott Morrison to say.

But I would have settled for him saying … something.