SMH: Face of Reclaim Australia rally Nathan Paterson insists: I'm not racist

Face of Reclaim Australia rally Nathan Paterson insists: I'm not racist

He insisted he was not racist, referring to his friendship with the Bangladeshi owner of the kebab shop that he frequents.

In a way, Paterson is correct. He does not hate or hurt people because of their race. He is not a racist in the concrete sense.

There is a scale of concrete racism:

1. Someone who kills a person because they are of a different race
2. Someone who assaults a person because they are of a different race
3. Someone who insults a person because they are of a different race
4. Someone who is rude to a person because they are of a different race
5. Someone who avoids a person because they are of a different race
6. Someone who hates a person because they are of a different race
7. Someone who dislikes a person because they are of a different race
8. Someone who discriminates against a person because they are of a different race
9. Someone who encourages concrete racism
10. Someone who condones concrete racism
11. Someone who protects concrete racism

Concrete racism occurs someone takes action to harm another based on their race. There is no evidence that Paterson has done any of these things, nor condone anyone doing such things.

Yet. he has a partial glimpse of the truth:

He has been trying to find Housing NSW accommodation for several months and has been told it could take more than 10 years to find the permanent two-bedroom home he would like to have so that the younger of his two sons can stay with him on weekends.

It's that struggle that has led him to believe governments - whether local, state or federal - aren't doing enough to help "everyday Australians".

"The government needs to start looking after its own people," he said.

"Newcastle council want to let some of those 12,000 Syrian refugees come to settle here, but there isn't even any housing for Australian people."

He points to the discrimination by Australian governments in the area of housing. He has the keen sense to recognize that there should be suitable housing for everyone.

Because of the government's war on the poor, he is unable to secure suitable housing. It is this scarity of housing that bringing up the abstract racism in him. The government is indirectly creating racism through housing scarity.

Yes, he is a racist in the abstract sense:

"They're all over in their countries blowing each other up, and they want to bring all that here. I say just leave them there."

Yet, how can he not feel this way when the media and government continually say the same thing? Why is he labelled a racist when he just repeats what people of importance say the same thing?

Paterson is being manipulated into becoming a racist of a deeper hue through the policies and actions of the government, and the blanket propaganda of the media.

The only hope for him to grasp the unpopular idea that everyone is a human being deserving of the same dignity and rights.

Even this simple act will be corroded by the simple fact of trying to survive in an economic and political system that is built on and needs racism.

You cannot get rid of racism by hounding people like Paterson, but through the revolutionary overthrow of Capitalism.