Opinion:

Right-thinking people will condemn any form of protest that is fuelled by hatred and racism.

The shameful Sydney protest on Saturday was such a protest.

The use of swear words is the hallmark of extreme hatred.

There have been mixed reactions to yesterday’s article labelling the protest a day of shame.

Political allies of the protesters supported them while those who believe in decency and public decorum condemned the style.

A public educator recently linked people’s behaviour in the way they were raised. It means it goes back to their families and the environment they grew up in.

She was asked: “Why do we hate?”

She says: “We hate because we are taught to hate. We hate because we are ignorant.”

“We are the product of ignorant people who have been taught an ignorant thing which is that there are four or five different races. There are not four or five different races. There’s only one race on the face of the earth and we are all members of that race – the human race.

“But we have separated people into races so that some of us can see ourselves as superior to the others. We thought it would work I guess but it hasn’t worked. It has been bad for everyone.

“It’s time to get over this business. There is no gene for racism. There is no gene for bigotry. You are not born a bigot. You have to learn to be a bigot. Anything you learn you can unlearn. It’s time to unlearn our bigotry. It’s time to get over this thing and we best get over it pretty soon. I am an educator and it’s my business as an educator to lead people out of ignorance – the ignorance of thinking that you are better or worse than someone else because of the amount of the pigment in your skin. Pigmentation has nothing to do with intelligence or with your worth as a human being. It’s time to get over that.”

These are  words of wisdom at a time when some politicians are spreading hate and racism

Those in influential positions particularly must be careful of the kind of message they dish out. It is not okay to hate and swear at people publicly if you disagree with them. We should respect our differences and be civil in the way we treat each other.

The danger is that young people will think it’s fine to hate and swear at people and they can do it too. That’s how they learn. They are not born with it, as the educator says.

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