Noosa MP Sandy Bolton
My Parliamentary portfolio Committee, Legal Affairs and Safety, has just completed the inquiry into serious vilification and hate crimes in Queensland with the report available on Parliament’s website. It is shocking what has and is being perpetrated to our fellow human beings across communities within our streets, schools and yes, online. Vilification has many definitions and ranges from vilification through to unlawful vilification. However it starts with the Cambridge dictionary definition as ‘the act of saying or writing unpleasant things about someone or something, in order to cause other people to have a bad opinion of them’: Hmmm, well at some point I have no doubt we have all experienced that! The contributors? A combination including a lack of understanding (empathy) around differing cultures, beliefs, perspectives, and situations, amplified by media on and offline. As vilification increases, it can lead to hate, and potentially violence.
Whilst we have an amazing community where we see extreme compassion and empathy for our environment, flora and fauna, our visitors and new residents, I have also seen creeping in during Covid, a lack of empathy on a range of matters, further ‘labelling’ of those with a different belief, and some quite outstanding commentary that has led to me scratching my head in confusion and disbelief.
Empathy according to Dr Google is ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.’ That is not easy unless you have walked in another’s shoes, including the mud that sticks, or the soles that are threadbare from efforts. Hence why broadening our knowledge of their world and experiences, through their sharing and our conversations, is so important.
When I arrived here 30 years ago, there was some serious ‘ruckussing’ going on between what was seen as newcomer ‘greenies’ and older farming families. Having come straight from remote properties in the NT and QLD, where there is no place for divisions as you are interdependent, we learnt that empathy is the route to resolution, or at least agreeing to disagree! Everyone had a role, whether medical, mechanical or disaster, as there is no one within hours to save your life, fix your car, put out a raging bushfire or pluck you from floodwaters. Seeing this local dissent, I started the Kin Kin Village Voice, to connect and share stories to foster empathy between the diversity, as well the phone numbers of who fixed cars or blocked pipes!! It was very ‘amateur’, typed out on paper with pictures hand drawn by a local artist Liz, and then photocopied with a donation of $20.
Although times have changed, as well my role as a community representative, I still do similar however using different platforms. Whether speaking at events, in Parliament or sharing in columns or Facebook, what is going on in our community, the aim is to increase understanding and to decrease divisions, as these detract from the common ground to better our world and get through disasters including Covid.
Many ‘observers’ ask where I get my patience from in responding to criticism of my efforts to unite versus divide. I was confused about this as I am most definitely not a patient person, and my much better half and family will testify to that! However, after some brutal misconceptions regarding my sharing of key messages on social media from a recent rally, which has given me a whole host of fodder for many columns, I realised that many were confusing my ‘patience’ with what was actually ‘empathy’ for others. This can at times be in direct conflict with my own beliefs, or in line with those who actively politic against me! Did I not say when I was elected that I was your ‘voice’ without agendas or alliances, or restricted to those who hold similar viewpoints, or what may be considered a majority, though that is for a whole other column!
There are excellent books on how our brain works, as well contributors to our perceptions and beliefs. One book by a neurophysicist gave an exercise that demonstrated how we can try to differentiate between what appears black or white, when both are actually white! By the information given with the image, he had in effect ‘tricked’ our brain without us knowing it. That says something fairly basic – differing viewpoints or perceptions are nothing to get angry or abusive about, it is an exercise in understanding how the belief was formed. And you can only get that by listening and accepting that we do not know everything, as well that at times there may be some ‘trickery’? Others may be able to explain better including Confucius “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance” and Socrates “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
For our community to prosper and move beyond Covid, loss of black glossy feed trees, deflated clowns, and a raft of issues that require knowledge, empathy and cohesiveness, we all need to be prepared to listen and learn. This is not based on whether a viewpoint is a majority or minority as remember, the most significant changes throughout history have often started from the voices of a minority, that later morphed into a majority. Famed cultural Anthropologist Margaret Mead said “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
Empathy for others with opposing viewpoints does not weaken you or your beliefs, or make the sky fall in. It demonstrates a raft of very admirable qualities, decreases divisions whether in your personal or work relationships and community endeavours, as well lessens social unrest. Most importantly, it is key to ending vilification, and moving forward to a place where ‘hate crimes’ are another part of our past. I see this as one of the most important social contracts we can have with each other.
As we move from COVID, into the many realms that require all to come together and share their stories without fear of vilification including the Path to Treaty, take a moment to consider. Are you a contributor, a bystander or a changemaker when it comes to the vilification of others?
From the very many diverse viewpoints that I work with every day and incredible people, if any community across QLD can lead the way to greater empathy as part of increasing knowledge, Noosa can.
A final word from Margaret Mead. “Never depend upon institutions or government to solve any problem. All social movements are founded by, guided by, motivated and seen through by the passion of individuals.”
Until next month, keep updated by joining us on Facebook, stay to your regimes and don’t forget those boosters! If any concerns, please call us on 53193100 or email noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au
Sandy
