To celebrate the 100th post on MacroEdgo I am honoured to publish for the first time the work of an extremely talented young man who is destined to make a real difference for humanity, my 12 year old son. This is a school assignment which was just too good to not be read by a wider audience.

Coming to Australia

By Navin Edgerton

As I saw the figure that I least wanted to see rise on the horizon of the school cricket pitch, my feet stuck to the ground, high pitched noises piercing my ears. My head got dizzy, I became disoriented. It felt like seconds ago that my grandmother had been crying on my porch, in Sri Lanka about my Australian citizenship being approved. My whole life had been left behind other than my parents and brother. It had not been long since I had moved to Australia and being asked to a fight wasn’t a great start. The words that dreaded figure had spoken to me rang in my ears, “You and me, fight”.

The teasing hope of the possibility that my father’s advice would work taunted me. The previous day I had come home and asked my father what I should do. It was difficult to talk about it before breaking out in tears. In my new school here in Mackay, there were only six black people, I had encountered much racism in the few weeks I had been in Australia. I tried to avoid it but deep inside I knew that the reason this girl asked me to fight was because she was prejudiced, the thought of my skin colour making me not an equal made my lip tremble. She got closer and closer, my near constant heartbeat was threatening to stop my body functioning.

As she finally approached me, I started feeling my legs give way. She bent over next to me and whispered, “Meet me at the water tank after school”. My bones shivered once again threatening my collapse, the soft grass certainly felt like an amazing escape from this reality. I had to face her though. The water tank was the place known for fights. I summed up the courage to use the advice that my father had given me. I hesitated. I couldn’t stop thinking about the possible backlash. I remembered all that I had left behind. “No, let’s fight now”. I had done it, a gush of wind knocked me, but I was confused because it was a still day.

I quickly realized that the gush of wind had come from the fleeing of the girl that asked me to fight. I tried to move but I couldn’t. My father’s advice had worked. For the next few weeks, I thought about it. I couldn’t get why she ran. Years went by and I didn’t hear from her. She was still at the same school, but she seemed to always perfectly avoid me. Although I was able to face one bully, I knew I would never be able to escape racism. What this made me realize though, is that bullies aren’t strong, they speak confidently and act strong to cover the hole in themselves or their confidence.

Note: This story is about my mum. She still encounters lots of racism to this day, and she is undervalued because of that. She is the strongest person I know for putting up with that daily.

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

Bias and prejudice is expressed in varying degrees across society, and that makes combatting it challenging as detection is often problematic even for those it is directed against.

Why is it that a salesperson treated you with condescension?

Why was your application to rent a home rejected even though you are an executive in a high-paying industry?

Why did that person in authority lose their temper with you when you did nothing and you have seen others behave or speak towards them in a truly marginal manner without invoking a response?

Why did this group of workers express extreme frustration during your presentation as a manager when other managers never experienced such an emotional response? And 

Why do you keep getting overlooked for promotion when other lesser experienced and skilled colleagues are moved ahead in their careers, sometimes even suggested as an effort to address workplace diversity?

These are all examples from the lived experience of members of my family or friends, or events we have personally witnessed.

In “Racism and Political Correctness” I stated that a major issue in Australia is the political correctness around calling out racist behaviour. It is obvious that a problem will never be dealt with if it is rarely identified let alone discussed.

Another critical issue is in identifying individual instances of racial prejudice, or even repetitive racial prejudice against one or a number of people, when plausible deniability exists.

As I said in “Quotas Are Necessary To Address Workplace Diversity” the insidious nature of prejudice in society, including in the workplace, is that it can be detected relatively easily at the aggregated top-level by under-representation and/other disparities in measurable parameters such as income, while granular detection – unless explicit – is extremely challenging.

How can a particular event be examined and it be determined to what degree that outcome is due to prejudice and what part was played by other factors that creep into the natural complexity of human interaction?

For example, those workers definitely showed a lower level of respect for your high position in the organisation, lower than ever expressed towards another in that same or similar position in recent corporate experience, but how much is that due to you having a different skin colour and cultural background to the majority, and how much was it due to the circumstances (including the general buildup in emotion across society and in the workplace in challenging times), and how much was it due to your communication skills generally and how you employed them there and then (dependent on your own emotional state at the time)? 

That’s part of the reason why bias and prejudice is so oppressive – the subject of the prejudice or bias will always naturally question why they were not “good enough” on this occasion – leading to questions such as:

What was it about my experience that led me to not be a contender for the role?

Did I not answer the interview questions well enough? or

In my presentation to staff did I appear less empathetic or was I unclear in my answers and that caused their frustration to boil over?

On the other hand, sometimes we learn about people who have reached very high level positions in influential organisations who have risen through the ranks while maintaining inappropriate views which translate to antisocial and destructive behaviours.

One recent example was a zoom presentation by Australian-expat Bill Michael, KPMG UK Chair, paid a 1.7 million pound annual salary, when he said:

Now is the time to say: do you care enough? Right, I don’t think this point of, what do you call it, unconscious bias? I think unconscious bias is complete crap, complete and utter crap for years, it really is. There is no such thing as unconscious bias, I don’t buy it. Because after every single unconscious bias training that has ever been done, nothing’s ever improved.

According to the article there were some in the audience who took exception to his comments – clearly as otherwise it would not have been publicised – but his were not mild or marginal comments, nor were they made in person to a small number of like-minded peers.

One wonders the volume of other inappropriate comments this senior executive has made on his long and “successful” career, to whom and to how many, within this organisation and others including amongst his privileged social circles, and what impact that has had on promulgating and embedding prejudice and bias within those cultures.

The subjectivity of interpreting comments, however, was even on display over the reporting of Mr. Michael’s expressed views when another writer in the left-wing ‘Guardian’ said:

[KPMG] regularly appears in lists of the best firms to work for, and boasts about its flexible working schemes. So it is possible that Michael was being held to a higher standard than many other bosses.

Perhaps this ‘Guardian’ writer is correct, perhaps managers in other organisations are not held to the same standard, on diversity and inclusion along with workplace flexibility, but if that is true it just proves the point. If this type of commentary is acceptable by a manager in any organisation then it is a sad indictment on the state of that workplace.

I do suspect, however, that there is a large element of truth to this writer’s inference, that strong scepticism towards the existence of subconscious bias and thus prejudice is commonplace in workplaces, especially in the major Anglophone countries, and I discussed elements around this, including the selection for sociopathy, in an early MacroEdgo article “The Authenticity Piece For Leadership Is Right In My Wheelhouse“.

The reality for most of the subjects of instances of bias and prejudice is that, unless the degree of behaviour exhibited by perpetrators makes it explicit, they will be unaware of the bias. The level of frequency they are the subject of bias then becomes a major factor in detecting the prejudice.

There comes a point where it becomes clear that outcomes are consistently unfair, and the likelihood that other factors, effected by the subject themself, have played a significant part in this repetitive behaviour is exceedingly low. While people who refute the existence of prejudice and bias often suggest that “would-be victims” are quick to blame others for their lack of success, in my experience the subjects of this behaviour are reluctant to accept that such unfairness would be perpetrated against them. It hurts them to acknowledge it because they want to believe that they are fully accepted and safe to be themself in the environment where they spend the most and best energy of their days.

At that point the victim has essentially eliminated all other potential causes for the repeated outcome – such as being passed over for employment opportunities or having their work performance rated harshly – but what can be done about it? Even if there is a channel to make a complaint, how can they prove repeated prejudice or bias when so much of that assessment is subjective?

Moreover, if proven somehow, what can be done retrospectively and restoratively to remedy all of those instances of prejudice which have impacted their career and income, and worse still their sense of value and contribution to the organisation and to broader society?

The complexities around this issue allows nongs like Mr. Michael, who have experienced privilege throughout their lives, including in the workplace, to have a long and influential career without any appreciation of the privilege they have enjoyed and the impacts that has had on others.

I would place this in a similar category to a manager telling staff – individually or in a group – that they ‘believe all lives matter’ as I discussed in “An Explanation Of Black Lives Matter“.

It is easy for many to dismiss these behaviours as rare or of little significance. They are neither, and the consequences of bias and prejudice is significant at the individual level. Moreover, across societies and economies it wastes significant amounts of valuable human capital. 

Of course bias and prejudice affects various groupings of people, from women to ethnic minorities to religions to sexual orientations or gender identity to age and more. As I explained in “Quotas Are Necessary To Address Workplace Diversity” some people will be subjected to multiple prejudices. Hereon I will concentrate specifically on racial prejudice, discussing indications of its existence in contemporary Australian society.

The Scanlon Society has conducted surveys on attitudes towards multiculturalism in Australia since 2007. Their surveys conducted in the second half of 2020 found that:

• 84% agreed with the statement that “multiculturalism has been good for Australia”, 
• 82-83% agreed that “immigrants improve Australian society by bringing new ideas and cultures”, 
• 81-83% agreed that “immigrants are generally good for the economy”, and
• 71% agreed that “accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger”.

That is all extremely positive, but the survey also pointed at some deeper currents. Over one-third answered that Australia has been accepting too many immigrants (and that measure has remained above that level in recent years) and 60% agreed that “too many immigrants are not adopting Australian values”. 

Over half of the one-third who thought that Australia has been taking too many immigrants – i.e. around 20% or 1 in 5 of all those surveyed – agreed that “immigrants take jobs away”.

Clearly the survey suggests there is a large swathe of the Australian population with negative feelings towards migrants in society and in workplaces.

Moreover, that such a large proportion (60%) wanted migrants to work harder at assimilating is suggestive that even a significant proportion of the 84% who had positive views of multiculturalism (and agreed with the benefits of immigration) harboured some level of disapproval at recent migration. Likely some of this is due to earlier migrants and their families, e.g. post-WWII, believing that their migration was beneficial while harbouring feelings that more recent migration is not so positive.

In the most recently published Government data on migration (to 30 June 2019) 30% of all Australians were born overseas, and at the most recent census (in 2016) the proportion of migrants and their next generation born in Australia amounted to almost 50% of the population.

Prejudice and racism by earlier migrants, many of whom were themselves subjected to ethnicity-based bullying and prejudice and bias, is an issue rarely discussed in Australia but I believe it to be a significant factor from anecdotal observations.

In response to my posting on FaceBook of my explanation of Black Lives Matter to a long-time friend, which formed the basis of my MacroEdgo post, a conversation developed with a post-WWII migrant from central Europe who was defending the views supported by our mutual friend and was criticising the Black Lives Matter movement.

He had several concerns with BLM; the initial one that it was divisive. I made some initial points on FB and my post “The Lie Of Reverse Racism” was a more detailed response. He ultimately agreed with my points and complimented me for my writing.

What came next, however, was a rich learning experience for us both. He tapped into how he felt in those early years not being accepted into the broader Australian society in northern Queensland, and said “all my mates were indigenous growing up and we were ‘all in this together’!”.

Sadly he then retreated behind a blanket statement that BLM is a marxist movement because the website for one group stated those beliefs. 

I wondered aloud to him, privately, whether that might just be a convenient excuse, and I suggested that perhaps “the fear of being different, again, when you are now accepted into broader society, prevents you from speaking up about what you know, including from your own personal experience, within the community?”

Naturally sympathetic and appreciative of what he shared, though, I added “I have no idea how difficult that must have been, but I genuinely feel guilty that my ancestors may have played a role in making you feel unwelcome.”

It is a real shame when those who have personally experienced racism and prejudice do not speak up and teach us all, including their own descendants, about the dangers and personal consequences of it. While perhaps the long-lasting emotional consequences of being subjected to social exclusion and bullying and prejudice explain a reluctance to be conspicuous, it does not excuse becoming indifferent, or worse still, taking on those racist and prejudicial views and behaviours against others.

It seems to me that there is an element of thinking that “our migration was good for Australia and we integrated, but more recent migration has not been as good for Australia because these recent migrants are different and are not integrating”. Of course that was the common refrain of those objecting to earlier waves of migration.

Besides the inherent bias in those views, the prejudice and bias of Australians is highlighted by the contradiction visible within the wording of the survey questions. That is, if over 80% of people agreed that diversity leads to changes beneficial to society and to the economy, why would 60% of people want that diversity lost by assimilation to a homogenised pre-existing society?

To this point I have concentrated on what might be considered reasonably strong bias as a result of racial prejudice. To emphasise the varying degrees of bias I am going to discuss one example of how what might be considered more mild bias, not necessarily based on prejudice but more on ignorance or just plain lack of understanding or appreciation for difference, which can have serious impacts on the significant number of people it affects.

Like for a lot of people of Asian ancestry in Australia, experience from my wife’s family and friends has shown that many people do not naturally have a good appreciation of their age. Several times when approaching her 40s colleagues stated extreme surprise at the fact that my wife had two children which raised the question of exactly how old they thought she was.

A friend had a more remarkable experience. She was an academic also in her late 30s and during orientation week a workman on campus asked her “Are you lost young one?” indicating that he had confused her for a first year less than half her actual age. 

While at a personal level these professional women recognise the humour in these instances, they are also acutely aware that there are more serious consequences to these grossly erroneous assumptions.

Their natural small frame and skin tone confuses many in Australia as to their age. In the workplace a subconscious assessment of age and life experience will have consequences on subconscious perceptions relevant to relationship-building and functioning within workplaces.

Just like small men fight against instinctive reactions to their size, often resulting in suggestions they displayed behaviours consistent with a theorised inferiority complex often referred to as a “Napoleon complex” or “small man syndrome”, small younger-looking women have to battle a perception of cuteness and immaturity. And if they are in fact a strong personality in a small body, they are especially prone to being patronised and demeaned as being “feisty” by males and females alike. 

Moreover, in a society that highly prizes as attractive fit and youthful looks, insecure individuals may be prone to ill-feeling towards them. That may be exacerbated if the female prefers to present herself in a way which emphasises her femininity while still expressing professionalism. 

How a female chooses to present herself can draw strong emotional responses from others. It has no bearing on their performance or their ability to perform in the workplace, but that does not mean it does not affect perceptions of them which introduce biases affecting such assessments. Moreover, how people prefer to present themselves is deeply personal, and this article is a wonderful example of how this relates to prejudice against and personal power for young African-Australian women.

Undoubtedly difficult to manage, these factors can introduce biases which impact significant numbers of workers, especially around perceptions of their professional experience and maturity to take on higher roles, and so critically impedes workplaces, broader economies and societies from experiencing the full benefits from multiculturalism.

A few days ago I had an epiphany as I listened to my wife explain her earliest  experiences of racism to our youngest son. He was interviewing his mother for a school assignment on somebody he knew who has faced challenges in their life.

As she explained to our son that she did not have any concept of what was racism until she migrated to Australia when she was a little younger than he, I already knew all of the information. I knew that in her country of birth, Sri Lanka, as a child she found that Caucasians in the country were treated as if they were special. Perhaps that was emphasised in her household as her grandfather was a strong supporter of the British and had taken on much of the British culture in eating at a dining table with properly set cutlery, and so on. Sadly for him, his love for sharing his interest in Shakespeare and English literature with his grandchildren set them up ideally to move out from under his roof and emigrate.

(Please note I do not suggest that prejudice is absent in Sri Lankan society as it certainly does exist there between cultures and castes and more.)

As my wife discussed that it had never occurred to her that people in Australia would treat her differently, I realised that, all these years later, with all she has experienced, in many aspects she remains naive to what underlies racism.

In the past I explained in my writing why it is that Anglo-Celtic Australia truly understands the breadth, if not necessarily the depth, of racism and prejudice in our society. It is people like me that grew up frequently witnessing the hushed conversations or jokes in the street, often preceded by a quick glance around to see who is nearby, that I discussed in “The Lie of Reverse Racism“. It is a critical point of great relevance to this discussion which many still refuse to concede. (I do accept, however, that others might not have witnessed racist attitudes to quite the degree I did in northern Queensland*.)

After a shared life together over 30 years, this has been a watershed year for us. Several things have coalesced – the step up in civil rights actions, events and realisations of relevance to our family and friends as discussed above, and especially an apparent reduction in the willingness of my own parents to be tolerant of diversity (and by extension ours) – that have led to me being more open about what is the real nature of the racism and prejudice that I witnessed and participated in as a youth.

My epiphany was that partly out of shame, and partly out of loyalty to my parents as well as not wanting for my wife to feel hurt and less connected to them, I have been politically correct in not explaining to my wife the deeper core beliefs underlying racism. But I now realise that it is important that she understands exactly what this belief system is that has impacted her life in Australia so greatly, and will impact our children, and what are the widespread but less visible signs of it.

We recently discussed, for instance, how prejudiced people will argue that suspicion of strangers is “natural” and biologically hard-wired into animals including human beings. Along with a belief that non-Caucasian “races” are inferior (and there are historical “scientific” papers attempting to argue that point including by Darwin himself and even the “moral superpower” Swedes), racists and prejudiced people will justify their beliefs and actions by inferring that racism is natural. Consequently they believe, either consciously or subconsciously, that all attempts to counter racism – from their perception of a top-down imposition of “political correctness” through to explicit measures at progressing diversity and inclusion goals – are ultimately doomed to fail.

From my early life I heard it said that indigenous Australians – Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders – were lazy and not good employees, and that on the sporting field they lacked courage and grit (in my experience many Australians consider grit and steely determination the preserve of Caucasians). This seems constant no matter how many hard-fought premierships and State of Origins are won by diverse sporting teams! I also learned from others in my community to be suspicious and a bit fearful of people who looked and behaved differently – I recently recalled to my children how I was even anxious on my first trip outside of Australia as an adult, to Singapore of all places, when I was 25 and on my honeymoon.

These were the views and fears that I was taught in and by my community as a child and into my youth, but I learned differently when I entered a more diverse community beginning at university.

I learned that strangers do not stay strange for long when you have an open mind.

I also learned and experienced that an open mind is not dependent on the possession of a passport, or a university degree, but on an open heart. 

For this same reason the possession of a passport or degree does not guarantee an open mind.

So the question is how to open the minds of those who, like the highly paid Australian executive Bill Michael, have chosen to keep theirs closed?

Because the problem is systemic, so must be the answer. National anti-racism and anti-prejudice/anti-bias programs must encompass all aspects of life from early education, the workplace and into every dark and difficult-to-reach corner of our society.

Earlier I asked what can be done restoratively about all of those instances of bias and prejudice in workplaces. I partly answered that in one of my earliest articles on MacroEdgo “Quotas Are Necessary To Address Workplace Diversity“:

some times an applicant from the unfavoured group with less experience will be given a chance to prove themself in a position above someone from the favoured group with more experience. After all, some of that extra experience was gained at the expense of other individuals who did not really have equal opportunity. What is important is that when somebody is chosen to correct diversity that that person is authentic and of a high calibre, and is not necessarily somebody who shares more in common with the favoured group rather than the unfavoured group.

That may translate to giving multi-level promotions to and/or accelerating the development of talented and authentic leaders from minority subgroups. Without a culture change, however, such measures will be susceptible to undermining by antagonists, in many forms, because the need for the measures is not deeply appreciated and accepted. Herein lies another reason for why a perfect meritocracy is not ideal for a healthy society as argued by Prof. Sandel – because it would embed all of the advantage and disadvantage that exists.

All Mr. Michael’s comments prove is that a tremendous amount of work is required to address subconscious bias in workplaces and broader society, as well as how little effect the corporate training to this point has had especially if his employer KPMG is indeed one of the more advanced organisations.

What is needed is honesty over what is the cause of biases along with individual honesty over retained prejudicial attitudes.

To be effective, the aim of diversity and inclusion training must be to assist all to stand in the truth of their own individual degree of racism, prejudice and/or bias as well as their privilege.

That training needs to be deep, diverse and persistent because some of the most impactful biases are subtle and the degree to which they exist challenging to detect.

Now that is what we should all care about. Surely there are many more ‘Mr. Michaels’ in corporate Australia and elsewhere. It is to be hoped that diversity and inclusion training would reform their faulty perceptions, or at the very least create a culture which reinforces to all – no matter what their position – that expressing scepticism towards the existence of subconscious bias, which actually is a subconscious effort on their own part to perpetuate their privilege, is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with in the strongest terms. 

It is patent that Mr. Michael did not care nearly enough about combatting prejudice and bias. 

If KPMG are authentically progressive he will pay a justifiably heavy price.

And to demostrate how the answer to Mr. Michael’s rhetorrical question is obvious, infact children’s logic (often the most brilliantly direct), I leave it to the genius of Dr. Seuss from “The Lorax”:

 “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

But that in itself is ironic since it is now accepted that the author of Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel, while ahead of his time on understanding environmental issues, did not show enough care himself over diversity and inclusion in some of his books.

*I realise that I will be challenged on this because the common refrain of many in northern Queensland is to reject the notion that racism is an issue there – instead of reeling off all of the instances of racism that I recall witnessing and later in life being offended by, and in all honesty they are too numerous, I will simply recount one particular interaction because it says a lot about the common culture (the attitude and the feeling of impunity with which highly offensive racist comments can be made – this person did not bother to check who was nearby). In my first professional position after completing my PhD I worked for the Queensland State Government and a very high level ranking member of staff (second in charge at the facility) said to me as we walked to the staff room together discussing a Category 5 cyclone out in the Pacific, in response to my concern for the poor people living near it, “Nah, nothing to worry about mate, there’s only coons in grass huts out there!” I was entirely taken aback, even with my upbringing, because I never expected anybody in a workplace to make such an offensive statement let alone somebody in such a high position. I was so shocked that I never responded, and was disappointed in myself, but I stayed ready whenever I spoke to him and did not have to wait long. I was in the photocopy room with two others, including a colleague whom completed his PhD with me, and the secretary came in to say that somebody from our former university department had called and wanted to know whether we had left any biological samples in the freezer. They were trying to ensure the material was not hazardous before discarding it. As the secretary left this same high level Government employee said “they should just suck it up into a syringe and inject it into some gooks, they’ve got enough of them out there now”. The other two were silent, but I was quick to say that he should not assume that others would agree with his vile and offensive comments and walked off, later informing my direct boss of the interaction. I should have made a formal complaint but did not out of concern for career implications.

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

Being on the other side of the Earth from the majority of partipants at the WEF Davos Agenda, I fell behind on the video feeds of their discussions.

I combed through the remainder of talks the following week and I found very interesting this discussion between moderator Ngaire Woods and panellist Michael Sandel “Renewing The Moral Foundations Of A Post-COVID World“.

Woods stated that in large part the discussion concentrated on the ideas that Sandel, a Professor at Harvard University, presented in his book “The Tyranny Of Merit”, published September 2020, and also in this TED talk.

(I have ordered the book which has not yet arrived, but I have a backlog of reading – I am currently reading “In Defence of Open Society” by George Soros and “COVID-19: The Great Reset” by Schwabb and Malleret, the latter to see how closely the ideas fit with my essay published several months before it “The Great Reset”)

The essence of Prof. Sandel’s views is that the people considered successful in our modern society do not comprehend the degree of luck that they experienced in their “success”, leading to a humility deficit from the “winners” and a pervasive view that underprivileged “losers” are responsible for their challenged life circumstance which even they believe.

I found a great deal of common ground with Prof. Sandel including in my writing about my own career, especially in comments from several years ago before launching MacroEdgo, and in other relevant musings in various places and in my essays including “Your Life: Something the elites have always been prepared to sacrifice for their ends“, “The Magic Sauce Of American Economic Dynamism Is Not Based On Personal Greed“, “People Before Money“, “What Really Scares The Global Elite“, “Why The Rush Messrs. Morrison And Frydenberg“, and “How Might Milton Friedman Respond To The COVID-19 Pandemic“. 

In actual fact my musings were very similar at times as evidenced, for example, in this writing from February 2018 which I reposted early at MacroEdgo in “Smarties To Exploit Monetarily (STEM): Australia does not value human capital“:

I made [this point] to my son’s teachers when I accompanied their class to the Queensland primary school leadership forum two years ago [in 2016]. (Now being a stay at home dad, I am fortunate to have these wonderful opportunities to help out teachers, the children and my sons.)

An amazing assemblage of “winners” was put together to inspire the children – including the young scientist that was in the running to go to Mars – and they were all keen to share the secrets of their “success”, many even having the humility to admit that fortune was indeed a factor. But it was clear that none truly understood just how big a factor it was (perhaps it is only natural to focus on what we actually contributed to our “success”).

I suggested to the teachers that we only heard from the “winners”, and while their messages were very worthwhile, the children would also do well from hearing from some of the many equally talented and equally resilient people that for any number of reasons did not quite “make it”. The teachers gave polite affirmation to the comment, but it’s probably something that one can not fully appreciate unless you can truly understand it from personal experience or from observing it at close hand.

And in my Coronavirus Update published 18 March 2020, just one week after the WHO “made the assessment that COVID-19 could be characterised as a pandemic“, I stated:

Finally, I might make mention of sports stars. I understand the arguments being made about them being concerned about their families as well as their own health if they are going about their usual lives routinely and playing professional sport. But there are two points here. That is no different to those people working in vital services who are at far higher risk. What is more, generally they get paid much, much less than professional sports people in high profile sports. The simple reality is that sports people are able to earn such high incomes because they provide distraction from the modern reality for people. And there has never been a greater time for the need of distraction as we are about to experience most of the developed world in lockdown. In the sport that I follow most closely, rugby league, in big matches they talk about “going to war”. I really think these people need to give very careful consideration to why it is that they have such a privileged position within our society. And I will say this, if in this hour of need they do not find the courage to play the role for which they are so handsomely rewarded, then I think once this is all over we need to make some major changes. They should not be taking home income that is many, many multiples of the income of people who make real differences in the lives of people while putting their own in jeopardy. Undoubtedly the revenue is there in the sports, but there needs to be some sort of equalization taxation so that that income flows through to real heroes of society.

Prof. Sandel believes that the febrile politics of the moment has its origins in this winners versus losers mentality. I agree, but there is also an element of belief amongst the disadvantaged that the “game” never was fair for various reasons.

I largely agree with Prof. Sandel that this competition is unhealthy and in my writing I tend to refer to it as “toxic aspiration” rather than tyrranical merit.

Prof. Sandel made the point in his WEF panel, as he does in his TED talk, that at Harvard there are more students from just the top 1% of wealthy US households than from all of the bottom 50%, highlighting the benefits that accrue to the elites and entrench their inter-generational advantage. Obviously I agree strongly with this view.

In “Your Life: Something the elites have always been prepared to sacrifice for their ends” I made the point that the elites that I respected “are those who authentically understand the privilege that they have enjoyed, usually from birth by virtue of the luck of being born in a developed country or into middle class even if they consider themselves ‘self-made’, as well as respect and appreciate relationships with other human beings especially the people who loved and guided them.”  I elaborated a little further on what is admirable behaviour amongst elites in  “How Might Milton Friedman Respond To The COVID-19 Pandemic“.

Where I departed slightly from Prof. Sandel’s views was his discussion of “merit” and meritocracy where he seemed to suggest that the advantage that those in the top one percent of wealth received ended at their acceptance into university as if merit then took over as the main determinant of their “success” from that point on.

If this is an accurate perception of Prof. Sandel’s views then they are entirely analogous to this depiction of the situation of advantage and disadvantage in America, “The $100 race” – an exercise that I deeply appreciate and often talk about and/or mention in my commentary – where after the advantaged are given greater and greater advantage dependent on their own personal circumstances, being more of a head start in a sprint race, and then the race is run freely without further advantage applied through the race.

It is a brilliant demonstration of the challenges disadvantaged young Americans face in their lives, making the point that irrespective of those disadvantages these people still need to run their own race to the best of their abilities. It also demonstrates to the advantaged young Americans how much fortune has favoured them even before their race began, no matter how much they wish to claim their successes as being due entirely or mostly to their own unique combination of hard and smart work.

While it is a good representation, and can teach both the advantaged and disadvantaged important lessons, the truth is that is not a perfect model.

In both cases – the $100 race and Prof. Sandel’s example of meritocracy – it needs to be reflected that the relative advantage does not work to a certain point after which outcomes are determined on merit from innate characters and learned skills. Just as the system was not a genuine meritocracy through to that point, the same factors act to ensure that merit after that point is not the determining factor in outcomes.

If somebody has an enormous advantage on being accepted into a prestigious university based on family connections, those same connections will work to their advantage for their entire life.

Throughout societies we know prejudice and bias acts to affect outcomes on groups of people for entire lives.

I discussed this in “Quotas Are Necessary To Address Workplace Diversity“, with the following concept diagrams (of the level of positions within a profession with the very broad base being the lowest level positions and the peak being the very highest positions that can be attained), and I pick up again on the theme in the companion essay to this one “Racial Prejudice And Bias: A matter of degrees” which I will post imminently.

Advantaged Subgroup

Entire Group

Disadvantage Subgroup

For the $100 race to accurately reflect this lifelong advantage, after everybody was advanced (i.e. handicapped) according to the relative privilege they were born into and experienced in their youth, the disadvantaged would be hobbled or carry additional weight to varying degrees while the advantaged would run with various strength rocket boosters fitted to shoes which added to their favourable situation through the entire race.

As I reflected on this during drafting I realised what a good model the children’s board game “Snakes and Ladders” (“Chutes and Ladders” in some countries) was for the real life situation. This was confirmed as I researched the game. 

From Wikipedia:

The game is a simple race based on sheer luck, and it is popular with young children.[2] The historic version had its roots in morality lessons, on which a player’s progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes)

The wiki does a great job of explaining the odds of the game:

Any version of snakes and ladders can be represented exactly as an absorbing Markov chain, since from any square the odds of moving to any other square are fixed and independent of any previous game history.[5] The Milton Bradley version of Chutes and Ladders has 100 squares, with 19 chutes and ladders. A player will need an average of 39.2 spins to move from the starting point, which is off the board, to square 100. A two-player game is expected to end in 47.76 moves with a 50.9% chance of winning for the first player.[20] These calculations are based on a variant where throwing a six does not lead to an additional roll; and where the player must roll the exact number to reach square 100 and if they overshoot it their counter does not move.

Again there is the same shortcoming, however, and it is highlighted in the description of probabilities here, “from any square the odds of moving to any other square are fixed and independent of any previous game history.” In real life this is not the case. For example, by changing only the name on a resume – indicative of different ethnicities – the likelihood of being selected to progress further in the selection process for a job can be very significantly altered.

Thus we must recognise that, for the standard “Snakes and Ladders” game as an analogy for lives lived, there are a multitude of different boards which we play on. The most advantaged in society have a board with a greater proportion of more positive life events – i.e. more and longer ladders. People born into disadvantage have a board which has proportionately more and larger snakes or chutes and fewer ladders to reflect the reduced odds of “success”.

What board we play on is determined before our birth.

That is not merit or even our own fortune, for those who like to believe statements like “we make our own fortune”.

As I reflected further on this I realised that this could be reflected in a modified “Snake and Ladders” board with the slight problem that there is no natural end to the game because there is no common goal – or square – that we all arrive on when the goal relates to “success” as measured by wealth. That is fitting, however, because all of our paths are different and we all reach different endpoints. Moreover it allows for infinite wealth because that becomes the reality for many fortunates or advantaged in that no matter how much “success ” at accumulating wealth is achieved they still are driven to achieve more.

On this board, the game starts at -10 months reflecting that chance exists at the moment life is conceived. There are an infinite number of squares because the vertical axis (“success towards wealth”) is infinite, but as we all know, the horizontal axis of time (“age”) is finite. Of course the game progresses from left to right – as yet we have found no wormholes to take us back in age! 

On conception the player immediately moves to a square, but unlike in the traditional game, the higher your position on the board – i.e. the more fortune you have experienced – the more likely you are to experience even more good fortune. The higher up the board your trajectory the higher the proportion and the longer the ladders are and the fewer, shorter snakes or chutes, increasing the probability of a rapid climb. And so on it goes upwards towards infinity.

We know that children conceived to parents in the poorest countries are far more likely to suffer adverse outcomes from the moment of conception and in some countries infant mortality is such that 10% of babies die before 5 years of age.

Below are a few stylised examples of lifepaths on this modified “Snakes and Ladders” board. First is a stylised indication of the average middle class American born around 1960 (note this has became an increasingly less common pathway as the middle class has been hollowed out with the trajectory of more moving lower rather than higher). Perhaps we can say at that line the snakes/chutes and ladders are as per the standard board, and as indicated on the figure, the further above or below this line the more the proportions shift in a favourable or unfavourable manner. Note that all healthy babies born in the developed world start out at or above the line on the x-axis because of the societal resources available, whereas only the healthy babies born to the most wealthy in the developing world are above that line.

Following are examples of life paths, including for:

• in red a child born in Angola which has one of the highest rates of infant mortality – this paper provides a valuable insight – “Social inequality in infant mortality in Angola: Evidence from a population based study“
•  in green an attempt at Jeff Bezos’ path based on his Wikipedia page. 

I did not know anything about Bezos’ early life before reading this, and while his achievements are commendable given the challenges he faced very early in life, together with his mother, nothing there changed my views on the validity of these arguments. He may be an extremely intelligent and driven guy, but he is also the ultimate “winner” in the “success towards wealth” game – being the wealthiest person on Earth at present – and one only needs to wonder how an unborn baby, with all the same potential as he had, would progress if conceived to a poor rural Angolan family. 

Can you just begin to imagine how much human potential is lost globally because of inequality?

While these paths are presented as lines on a graph, the reader should consider that if they zoomed into those lines or elsewhere on the board – as if increasing the magnification of a microscope – then the intricate grid with snakes/chutes and ladders would be revealed (whereas on a microscope slide with greater magnification the view can change from a whole invertebrate animal, then to organ systems and finally to individual cells).

Of course there are very many facets to a human life, and in many ways that is what Prof. Sandel alludes to, as do I in placing “success” within inverted commas. One of those concepts is happiness and some nations are even attempting to account for this in their decision-making.

If a third dimension or axis were added – for “contentment with life” (in my view a deeper appreciation for life than simply “happiness”) – research suggests that the relationship between it and “success towards wealth” breaks down rapidly above a certain level of wealth which is further evidence that this competition and “toxic aspiration” is indeed unhealthy. But that is another conversation.

Finally, Prof. Sandel speaks to the need for renewing the dignity of work and placing it at the centre of our politics. The quote (above) from my Coronavirus Update on 18 March shows that I, too, am passionate on this point. I certainly agree that dignified work has been an important factor for humanity to this point in our development and it will remain so. I believe, however, that the changes that humanity has reached with the fourth industrial revolution is going to affect our relationship with work as artificial intelligence and automated equipment increasingly carries out necessary functions for societies. I discussed this in detail in “Theme 6: More Time For Personal Fulfillment” on my Investment Themes page.

This enormous change is and will continue to necessitate a major adjustment in society in how we contribute and what are our perceptions of those contributions. After reading Rutger Bregman’s “Utopia For Realists” I immediately became a supporter of the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) and I believe it must be central to affording a dignified life for all.

I am a little concerned, however, that the attachment of those on the left of politics with the dignity of work meme may cause them to misunderstand these profound changes . Humanity does not need more work for work’s sake out of anxiety that people will not cope with the change. Societies need to embrace the concept of participation including personal reflection and development, as well as other altruistic activities. My experience is that this inflexibility creates a bias against and rejection of UBI by many on the left which I find disappointing as it could be an integral aspect of inclusion in a dignified society.

In doing my ‘due diligence’ prior to publishing this post – my new practise since writing “The Great Reset: Momentum builds with the World Economic Forum agenda” – I learned that others have associated the boardgame “Snakes and Ladders” with Prof Sandel’s views. The theme was incorporated into this animation and it was the title of this book review but it was behind a paywall so I could not read what was written. These are the only two instances of association that I identified in my brief Google search.

I consider Prof. Sandel’s to be a significant contribution to understanding contemporary politics and socioeconomics. 

“The Fallacy of Merit” could very well have been chosen as the title for his book and related works, but to do so would miss the point that Prof. Sandal’s view is that a perfect meritocracy, if achieveable, should not be the end goal for society.

As an avid Bloomberg viewer the repetition of their advertisements can grow tiresome  and at present the interview between David Rubenstein and Oprah Winfrey has been overplayed. It grates with me for one reason in particular. I have a generally positive view of Winfrey and, without knowing very many specific details about her life, I have a vague perception that she overcame significant personal hurdles to achieve her success which allows me to relate to the general admiration western society has for her. Moreover, there is no doubting she has used her enormous profile to advance many important issues especially relating to women and civil rights.

Rubenstein encourages Winfrey to talk about her early career as a journalist, and Winfrey recounts how her best friend thought it was great that at 22 years of age she was earning $22,000 and excitedly suggests that she might be earning $25,000 when she is 25. Winfrey turns to the audience and sarcastically says “that would be great, I’d be earning around 60 by now – 62”. 

This suggests that Winfrey has lost some connection to the reality of life for the majority of Americans. In 2018 the median income of a 3 person American household was $74,600 meaning that more than half of all American families, many working more than 1 job per adult in the household, and raising a child, was earning less than $75,000.

For me this supports the views of Prof. Sandel but it goes even further to say that in a society where it is difficult to achieve financial security, and so success at building wealth is venerated, even those that overcame challenges to be very successful can lose connection with those struggling to have a dignified life and consequently lose (some of) their humility.

Of course, if I, myself, harbour insecurities over my own career – which I probably do – then this will serve to lower my threshold for annoyance at these comments by some degree – though my wife agrees with me, also 🙂  (and there’s a veiled reference to my upcoming post).

The ideas that Prof. Sandel shares are powerful and provide an excellent reference point, amongst others, to contribute towards the fairer and more sustainable, diverse and inclusive communities that humanity desperately needs to emerge from The Great Reset era on a surer footing.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the importance of dignified work for all, along with fair pay and recognition for it, I also recognise that the changes that humanity is currently experiencing through the fourth industrial revolution will likely decrease the importance of work in our feelings of connection and contribution to society. Other sources of connection and participation will need to increase in significance within a supportive policy framework. 

Further to Prof. Sandel’s appeal for a “more generous public life”, the concept of “dignity” must apply to all our lives, in toto, overarched by political policy that promotes respect for the contributions that all current and previous human beings play in all our lives. 

To achieve that globally we must act locally. In doing so we will show that finally “we have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community”, the vision President Roosevelt was leading humanity towards as World War II was concluding. 

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

The lie of reverse racism is one of the chief tools of the racist to create division and draw people to their side.

I realised this early when I first began to reflect on the racism which I learned from my upbringing in conservative northern Queensland.

“Oh they receive so many hand-outs from the Government and free housing, and did you even know they get free taxis – it’s just not fair!” is an accurate paraphrasing of many conversations I heard non-indigenous Australians have when I was a child.

Of course there was no discussion of the realities of what it was like for indigenous Australians as their lands were occupied by Europeans, they were killed or moved to missions, and their children stripped from them to “assist” in assimilation into the European-based society enforced on them.

I strongly doubt whether any of the gossips had the slightest idea of what Government assistance indigenous Australian actually received, but it sure bonded the “us” and drove in the wedge further from “them”.

Hansonism has ensured that this narrow-minded division has also been applied to recent migrants with darkened skin, especially those from Asia and Africa.

When I wrote my explanation of Black Lives Matter, specifically when I explained the inferred 4th word, I was thinking of addressing what the racists suggest is that word – instead of at the end “Also” they suggest the movement is saying “more”, or even at the front “only”.

That is utterly preposterous given the history of racism in our and other nations, and the deeply ingrained inequity and systemic racism embedded in our systems.

The concept of reverse racism is wrapped up in white privilege, and it is patent in the objection to Black Lives Matter. “Why only say black lives matter, are you not being divisive (yourself)?” is the question of the racist or the ill-considered privileged. 

To divide assumes that first we must be whole.

When in Australian history, or American, have we ever been whole or all equal? That is precisely what Black Lives Matter is all about – making us whole – making us all equal.

But the only ones who do not realise that are the ones who have enjoyed a privileged position their entire life, even though many prefer to see themselves as victims because of other changes in society associated with, for instance, automation and globalisation.

The power in Black Lives Matter, and leaving the 4th word silent, is in assertion. It says that irrespective of what others who have enjoyed privilege in their lives say or think we assert that black lives Do matter. 

Now, in this assertive tone, even placing an emphatic “Do” is a disservice.

Black Lives Matter.

To many of us who have enjoyed that privilege our entire lives even the concept of equivalence shocks them so greatly that they immediately misread that for preference, and then scream “reverse racism”.

They confuse assertion for aggression, and their fight or flight stress response is activated – often leading to responding in kind with the aggression that they erroneously perceived – rather than placing themselves in others’ shoes and considering what it must be like to live in a society where for hundreds of years your life and the life of your family, ancestors, loved-ones and friends have not been valued as equal or as important. 

As the father of two black lives, and the husband of another, you better believe we, too, assert that their lives matter! Just as much as any human being that has ever walked this Earth!

Is that not all our birthright as human beings?

It is not lost on me, either, that some might perceive that I may be expressing my own white privilege insisting that my own blood and loved-ones would enjoy the same privilege that I have enjoyed. But that leads to a whole other discussion which I am currently working on for a post on the racist undertones to much of the reporting on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

I must admit one thing, however. I Do enjoy spending time with migrants and/or people who have spent a significant proportion of their life outside of Australia because many are humble, considerate, appreciative and sincere, the characters we valued and upheld before entitlement and anger grew so strong…

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

To A Good Person Who Did Not Understand

I have just had a conversation on social media with somebody who I have known since childhood, and who I know to be a lovely, and true and honest spirit.

It was not just that conversation, however, that prompted me to publish my comments in full here. Last night I was informed about a discussion that took place with somebody in a position at such a high level that they should have understood well, and had been trained also, to not make the statement that they believed all lives matter after having discussed diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the murder of George Floyd. It almost beggars belief that a person in such a position would be so ill-equipped for that discussion. To say any more of it would be to betray trust so I cannot, but it does prove to me just how far we still need to go!

Finally, just to get an indication of exactly how difficult are these concepts to understand, on the drive home from school today I asked my 12 year old and 15 year old sons whether the statement “all lives matter” is a good thing to say in today’s context, and why. They both immediately said “no”, it was not a good thing to say, and they made all of the key points that I would and have made. The reader can infer from that what they will, but I will say that I infer that a reasonably intelligent and open-minded person should understand by now why it is inappropriate to make such a statement.

Below is the conversation I had with my friend after she very sincerely stated that she was confused and wanted me to explain it to her. Please feel free to share this or to use the text if you find yourself in a situation where you need to explain the significance and symbolism of Black Lives Matter.

I know you don’t have a mean bone in your body, so I would be happy to explain (and perhaps some others might follow and understand too).

Can you hang in with me while I explain?

That message [her post stating “Police Lives Matter (share if you are brave enough)”] is actually like walking around town smiling and waving with one hand, but looking at some and giving them the finger with the other hand.

I know you thought you were being inclusive by saying something like “hey, I care about police officers because I care about all people” – right?

But what many people are doing by sending this message around is attacking the sentiment and people protesting for Black Lives Matter.

So sending a message that causes hurt amongst some of course is being divisive, even if that was not your intention.

How can I infer all of that – well we all do it all of the time – infer things from all sorts of gestures (on the face, body, images/symbols or in slogans).

Can you imagine living in a place where people don’t understand what is “flipping the bird” – people would just laugh at you wondering why you are poking up a middle finger. Believe it or not, in some countries the rudest thing you can do is take off your shoe and wave it at them 🙂 We might laugh if someone did that to us, but somebody from that culture would be highly offended.

One harmless example of the power of symbols – when my first-born was still 3 on a Friday night he saw me watching the channel 9 crew talking about the upcoming game, and just from seeing the commentators and footage of the empty field he asked “who is playing footie tonight, the telephones and the beers?” He knew from the people and the field that a football game was likely to be played and he already associated the Telstra symbol with telephones and the VB symbol with beers 🙂

The point is that these symbols and gestures are deeply embedded in our minds, including from young ages…

I will pause for a second here and continue on in another message – but while I do I ask you to think about what was the most evil symbol of the 1900s and think what about that symbol depicts the atrocities committed under it (blood, guns, gas chambers?) – nothing – but most people, especially those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis, feel fear and anger towards the symbol…

OK so I hope that you have followed and understand how symbols and gestures can send powerful messages.

So to understand why ….. Lives Matter, including All Lives Matter, is hurtful we need to recognise a few things.

Firstly it is important to understand that the symbolism behind Black Lives Matter existed first, so all of these other statements followed, and they are not stand alone statements.

They are, in reality, a response to Black Lives Matter.

Then we have to think about what is the symbolism behind Black Lives Matter. Well the first thing is that there is a fourth word inferred in the statement at the end – which is the whole point of it. Do you know what it is?

“Also”

It is again inferred in the “response” that you posted, except because it is said by many in anger and disapproval at Black Lives Matter, for them it is underlined and/or bolded (not in reality, just inferred remember).

So why is it necessary in this day and age to make the point that Black Lives Matter?

Well because of the history of America and Australia and other countries where racism has been so embedded in the culture since Europeans arrived in the country.

For 450 years in America and almost 250 in Australia black people have been treated as if their lives don’t matter as much as others.

Black American slavery treated people as commodities (like loaves of bread, bought and sold) and today racism deeply affects their lives. In Australia many Aboriginals were killed by settlers, it was only in the 60s that they were accepted into law as citizens of Australia, and of course racism deeply affects their lives.

The history on that is undeniable, even though racists do deny it and aim to confuse the issue (many racists also deny that the holocaust occurred).

The murder of George Floyd bought all of this to a head last year. Do you know how he was killed? A policeman stuck his knee into his neck for 9 minutes as he lay pinned unable to move and as he tried to say “I can’t breath”. 

Can you even begin to imagine that? Perhaps you might want to set a timer and wait in silence to understand just what a long time that is, let alone if they were the last minutes of your life as your lungs are gradually deprived of air.

Can you even begin to imagine the hate in that person’s heart to do that to another?

In most developed countries we are so concerned about animal cruelty that we insist that food animals die quickly and painlessly.

I hope that explains exactly why there is such strong symbolism behind Black Lives Matter and why responses against it are so offensive.

But I know you and I know you are a good person who cares about people… just one final post to come

So finally, if you did not mean to be offensive why should you do anything about it?

Well if you did walk down the street flipping the bird at everybody but not meaning to be offensive, would you not feel bad once it was explained to you and then try to make up for it by apologising and ensuring you understood why it was offensive and make sure you didn’t do it again?

You already started that by asking me why it was offensive, right 🙂

People who say others should not be so sensitive about these issues are as much as saying to people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis they should just forget about it and move on. The problem is that we know that if we do not learn our lessons then we are sure to repeat them, and as I said above, racism has been with us for a very long time. What is more, if we do nothing about it things will never improve and likely they will get a whole lot worse again.

People who spread these posts fall into 3 categories – those who understand all of this and spread these responses deliberately to be offensive and counter the Black Lives Matter message, those that understand it is not entirely polite (they understand the double meaning to “share if you are brave enough” and take up the “dare” aspect) figuring it can’t really hurt anyhow, and then there are others that have a very honest spirit and just do not understand the offense, instead thinking that they should be “brave” to stand up and say that I care about all people including …. (whoever was the group of people before “Lives Matter”).

On the internet people do not know you and they cannot determine in any way what category you belong to and most people assume that it is a statement of support for racism (even if people will deny that they are racist – that is the strange thing about it – most racist people, besides those who are actively involved in far right movements and who feel righteous in their racism, actually consider themselves to not be racist). These messages are shared and shared – going viral – so that in the end, regardless of your intention, you end up contributing to increasing division.

So when you do want to express support for people you are better off doing it in your own way. And when you see posts that you think are likely to be racist or otherwise divisive, the role that you can play is by just ignoring it and not adding to the spreading of those divisive views.

Doing nothing with these messages – not sharing, not liking – is an important part of getting towards that inclusive world that you and I both want for ourselves and all of the people that we love and care about.

I sincerely hope that this helps you to understand what is definitely a complex situation, which is getting more and more confusing because the people who want to create division amongst us are getting more and more sophisticated in the way that they spread their messages.

If you want to talk it through more, don’t hesitate to message me or talk it through with other friends (perhaps including some Aboriginal friends).

Sincere thanks for asking me to explain this for you. I look forward to catching up next time.

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

On the morning of Thursday 21 January 2021 in Australia I sat and watched transfixed on the television in awe as somebody spoke to and for all of humanity. That person described themself as “a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother” who now knew it is possible that they might be President. As tears formed in my eyes all I could see was a brilliant and beautiful young woman who possessed the rare ability to change the world.

Amanda Gorman became my first hero of 2021!

In the days since the inauguration of President Biden, Ms. Gorman has never been far from my mind, her evocative words deeply enmeshed in my neural synapses already. I recall reading about how the aim of repetitive advertising is to link emotion with brands so that when we drink branded cola, for example, our brain fires up all of the neurons associated with emotions such as fun and excitement, not just taste.

When the stage is huge, and the timing momentous, just one brief moment is enough to embed and link those emotions forever. I will never forget the day I heard Amanda Gorman recite her “The Hill We Climb”, and it is for that reason that I will never forget President Biden’s inauguration.

That, I suspect, is exactly why she stole the show – she was meant to – and gee did she stand up with the courage she exalts from all of us to provide all of the youthful optimism tinged with mature (beyond her 22 years) realism that perfectly encapsulated the times.

The only problem for me as a writer is that her brilliance only proved to me my own inadequacy, for I have lamented this past year my inability to reach my contemporaries with my words. Then my own realism sets in and I know that Ms. Gorman is an exceptionally rare talent, and I find comfort in pondering on how we share such a similar view of the world and what our future must be. 

I also appreciated the use of the imagery of the bridge in this passage, “If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made”, immediately recognising the echo in my own writing in “The Great Reset: Building the bridge“.

I have also been reflecting upon my belief in my own writing, and something that I have understood intuitively since I was 16 years of age based on how my sister loved receiving my (admittedly rare) letters from home while she was at university. That I, as a male, have always had a rare ability to connect with my emotions and to express it in a clear – if typically “unconcise” – manner. For some reason I was a male who realised that he was emotionally “deep”, as my sister again recognised and described me as such to a friend when I was in my early 20s, and was proud of it.

When I was younger my innate shyness – that I can now observe with mature eyes as it is mirrored in my first-born – prevented me from sharing that depth of emotion and insight with others outside of my family, and even within my home I was often criticised for being “too sensitive”. Maturity and confidence, along with other opportunities to understand the world from studying for my PhD, strengthened my voice. 

As I explained in “How I Remade Myself After A Breakdown“, even though I was very muscular and fresh off the family farm as a lad, I was never a man’s man, or a blokey bloke, or however you might wish to express machismo. One of the sharpest reflections on that came at my brother’s buck’s (bachelor’s) night when everyone was crowded around the typical stripper’s performance cheering and, while not wishing to be singled out as being disinterested (out of fear of it being confused for being of ambiguous sexual orientation), I gathered with everybody looking upon the performance but all the while was wanting for it to be finished as soon as possible. Thankfully, an over-excited mate of my father rushed forward towards the performer bringing an end to the performance. When it was my turn for a buck’s night the one thing my mates knew for certain was off the table on the night was a stripper.

I dislike being within large groups of emotionally charged men. I feel uncomfortable with the unpredictability of over-excited testosterone. Perhaps it is one of the many consequences, together with post-traumatic disorder, of needing to bravely step up on a traumatic night at home when I was 15 years of age to take my father’s gun from his hand when he was overwhelmed with emotions – anger, hurt, confusion – at fear of loss of our family farm through foreclosure. The ambiguity of his intentions in that moment of rage has never left me, neither the image in my head of those 6 bullets sitting atop our fridge, as he left them that night, looking down upon our family table as we ate every meal for seemingly years.

None of that makes me less of a man than any other. It took me some time to realise it, but if the old stereotype that bravery is the reserve of real men, then confronting real emotions is the ultimate in masculine expression.

Of course the expression of courage is not just reserved for real men, but I use this to highlight just how cowardly are many men who fear emotion and so bottle it up, often to release, sadly, on those significantly less physically strong than them in women, children and youth.

The strength that I admire most is emotional strength, as embodied in Mandela’s definition of courage as being able to summon the strength to act even when scared, and that is in no way reserved for men. Off the top of my head some of the most courageous people to my mind are Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. And yes, Amanda Gorman, who stood on the brightest stage mere mortals have and courageously said that she knows the way forward if only humanity has the courage to be it.

Western society in general does now seem to be moving in the right direction with the challenging of gender stereotypes, and here, after being critical of the Australia education system over racism, I need to say that I have long been singing the praises for early educators for teaching a level of emotional vocabulary and intelligence that remains elusive to many adults. At least in the (public) schools that my children have attended, the level of conflict in the school grounds has been orders of magnitude less than I witnessed in my schooling several decades ago and much of that must rest not only with parents but with teachers.

The changing societal view of male gender identity, however, is something middle-aged men especially seem to be struggling with, and elected male politicians in Western nations have recognised there is significant advantage in appealing to the imagery around what it is to be a real (white) man.

That is especially true in my home country of Australia where the idolised image of masculinity is so tightly tied to “the bush” or “outback” in characters such as 19th century Bush Rangers and especially Ned Kelly, the fictional Crocodile Mick Dundee, or in many stories of the “larrikin” soldiers fighting in Gallipoli.

My role as a stay at home Dad has provided an opportunity for rare insights into Australian male identity. Early on I witnessed my father struggling to accept my new role which seemed so alien him – on occasions he introduced me to friends in an intentionally derogatory manner by describing me as a “house wife” – which drew us into argument where I told him that he needed to get over his own embarrassment about the role that I had chosen to play for my family. 

In wider society there were also challenges. I have found being a male home parent to be incredibly isolating as women in the primary caretaker role, and with free time to build connections within the school environment, were reluctant to develop closer relationships with males. 

Moreover, as a male frequently in the school environment, around young children, I felt extra pressure to always be exemplary and never place myself in a position where people might develop the slightest suspicion of improper behaviour on my part (in the early years, still very much recovering from a breakdown, that added extra anxiety). As one example both of my sons in Prep loved that I volunteered to assist in their swimming classes and liked me being on hand in the dressing room to help them. But I felt awkward going into the dressing room, recognising the risks to perceptions of me, and only did so briefly and for the first few weeks even though mothers frequently went into both male and female change rooms regardless of the gender of their own children. 

Still I accepted that this is the nature of current society, and it is preferable that people be alert to the risks of children being hurt rather than underplaying the risks and disbelieving hurt children as occurred in the past.

The truth is that the identity of the Australian male has been confused for decades with rural-urban migration conflicting with the popularised version of the fun and care-free knock-about Aussie man. Nothing exemplifies that more to me than the angry young men tearing around our cities in their rarely off-road 4×4 tradies utes, such as the one I discussed in “The Great Reset: Teaching what we left behind“.

Given that the rural-urban migration pattern is far from unique to Australia, such conflicting identity especially for less socially-adaptable men is likely an issue in many societies.

It is hardly any wonder, then, that many male politicians go to great lengths to contrive a “rugged” masculinity into their carefully crafted public image, which necessitates a rejection of vulnerability and sensitivity. That is how you arrive at a PM who infers that people, and especially men, anxious about the risks of contracting COVID-19 in the most severe global pandemic in a century, are “whimps” lacking the courage to “come out from under their doonas”. 

That is the definition of toxic masculinity, and the current Australian PM is especially prone to it as was another recent conservative Australian PM in Tony Abbott.

Even Mr. Morrison, though, came to understand that building such a persona comes with significant risks when interacting with authentic rural Australians, especially when emotionally fragile such as the people of Cobargo who suffered greatly in the fires last Summer.  

I have to admit that I consider having had a breakdown to be an advantage in developing a strong sense of self and emotional awareness. Whilst never a high testosterone man’s man my self awareness was poor. Much of that was a coping mechanism to deal with the pressure I lived under as a boy and lad, and through my recovery I realised it is characteristic of my family, but that flaw in my life skills stayed with me well into adulthood.

Having a breakdown stripped me bare emotionally and was frightening and confronting. But it did provide me with the opportunity, through absolute necessity, to rebuild myself with a far stronger foundation based on much introspection of myself and of the formative events and relationships in my life. Necessity, that is, if I was to achieve a good quality of life again and be the father and husband I aimed to be.

Still I would not recommend a breakdown to anybody and there is nobody happier than me that this period of my life is behind me.

Few have the ability to make major changes in the way they interact in and with society without first suffering a major shock or unless their incentives/reward system is seriously altered.

That is precisely why men need good role models in society, including our elected male politicians, who are able to authentically show their true self rather than attempting to cobble together a public image encompassing the improbable trinity of an urban man with the knock-about likeability of Mick Dundee who in diplomatic circles is smooth, sure-footed and worldly enough to chart a safe course for the nation in an increasingly fractious geopolity.

I would note, also, that in “The Great Reset: A letter to my Father and ‘Sliding Doors’ self” I stated that “an open mind is not dependent on the possession of a passport but on an open heart”. That is precisely why the much-loved Australian fictional character Mick Dundee was so relatable – his nature appealed to our better selves – but the ironies abound, not least of which is the lack of genuine openness in Australia, particularly in rural Australia, especially around race.

I am proud that I have come a long way in my life, but I know that I am not perfect – far from it. I am not any longer so ignorant to suggest that in the hypothetical survey that I put forward in “Racism and Political Correctness” I could honestly select the best level for diversity and inclusion attitudes no matter how much I may want to believe I could. I am aware that the faulty thinking that I learned from the overt racism I witnessed and participated in as a child right through to my early adulthood, and then the systemic racism to which we are passively exposed still daily, has impacted my thinking so that I undoubtedly am affected by unconscious bias towards all sorts of groupings within humanity.

In truth, in our global humanity at the commencement of the 21st century, I honestly doubt that very many people would be truly free from these unconscious biases. That is why I firmly believe that artificial intelligence technology must be employed within workplaces, for instance, along with quotas and other active measures, to address diversity and inclusion in an anti-prejudice program.

For me, Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas, completely missing the point at the 2020 AGM that a truly diverse company had not been achieved just because they had a gay man as the CEO and several female board members demonstrates this point amply.

My experience, however, does suggest to me that belonging to, or becoming a part of, a minority is an advantage to understanding and becoming sensitive to issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.

The irony of racist attitudes, as I alluded to above, is that many of the most strongly racist and prejudicial people are likely to overstate, through ignorance, their acceptance of diversity and inclusion, while those less extreme on the spectrum are likely to be capable of a far more realistic self assessment.

A breakdown gave me an understanding of what it is to acutely and confrontingly address my identity. An unconfident young man, with a weak voice at expressing my views and my own identity, my confidence grew as I excelled as a research scientist and increasingly become identified as Australia’s expert in my field (as I was introduced at the World Aquaculture Society Symposium in Sydney in 2000) and as an emerging world leader (as was frequently being stated to me in person). With the clicking of the “send” button on the email announcing my retirement, all that was gone. A very key aspect of my identity was removed as if it were erased because it would have zero relevance to my life from that point onward.

Few people understand better what identity means to us as human beings as those who have had a breakdown due to an abrupt end to their career. Since my breakdown I have heard sports people, venerated within society especially when still competing, increasingly speak about their struggles with the challenges of retiring especially when done prematurely.

I have always remembered a line in an interview with Brett Kenny, who probably would have been considered one of Australia’s best ever rugby league five-eighths if not for a guy by the name of Wally Lewis, when someone in a bar asked him “didn’t you use to be Brett Kenny?” For me that sums it up so perfectly!

Male identity, wrapped up in testosterone and its byproducts of aggression and power, is vulnerable. Yet that is the one thing that is seen as emasculating to admit.

Male leaders who continue with this ridiculous cultivation of an urban or rural Mick Dundee identity for Australian men do a disservice to themselves and to Australian boys. 

But nobody can say all of this better than Amanda Gorman:

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy 

and change, our children’s birthright.

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

I have a Media Pass to “attend” the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda Summit taking place virtually at the present. I have viewed a great many of the panel discussions, but I have not witnessed as much emotion and passion as was on display on Wednesday (27/1/21) in the “Mobilizing Action on Climate Change (Option 2)” panel and I recommend all to watch the discussion as a matter of urgency.

The panel discussion gives a glimpse at the path forward for humanity and has especially concerning elements for Australia, or at least the current Federal Government. For one, Australia was one of only 3 nations that were mentioned specifically (by name) – the other two, obviously, being US and China. While Australia was not singled out in terms of our (lack of) efforts on Climate Change, unlike the other 2, we were discussed because of our fires last summer. Be in no doubt, those fires are now emblematic of climate change and its consequences. Australia’s brand is damaged and the longer we are led politically by climate change sceptics the greater will be that damage. Secondly, coal is very much a dirty word world-wide, and the one moment of tension (in what was an evocative but entirely polite conversation) was when John Kerry (US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, National Security Council) disagreed with the importance of gas as a bridge to sustainable energy production (towards Ben van Beurden, CEO of Shell). Of course, Australia is focusing much of its post-COVID response on gas, and is protective of thermal coal exports, and is clearly a global outlier in that regard. Morrison’s Government is isolating Australia on this to an incredible degree, and like climate change, the damage might not be apparent at first but the consequences will be deep and long-lasting if not addressed promptly.

This panel will undoubtedly be considered one of the highlights of the Summit. Speakers along with John Kerry were Jesper Brodin (of IKEA), Feike Sybesma (of Royal DSM), Ben van Beurden (of Royal Duch Shell), Amina Mahammed (Deputy Secretary of United Nations), Alok Sharma (of COP 26), and moderators were Borge Brende (of the WEF) and Rabecca Blumenstain (of New York Times).

I have summarised the key statements of each participant down to the following:

John Kerry was very strong, apologising for the void left by the US in recent years, and emphatically stating that “the whole attitude [towards climate change] needs to shift”. Concerningly John stated that “Right now we’re on track to reach 4.1 to 4.5 degrees (Celsius above pre-industrial levels)… we’re already seeing what happens at 1.2 degrees let alone getting to 1.5, and most scientists will tell you that they fear we are going to blow right through 1.5”. In summing up he dramatically stated that “Glasgow is the last best chance to summon up the response… the world has high expectations and we need to meet them”.

Jesper Brodin (IKEA) stressed the need for consistency by politicians.

Feike Sybesma (Royal DSM) stressed that businesses needed to begin to live up to their rhetoric, and highlighted that American businesses are most at fault here due to the short-termism centred around shareholder interests and the profit imperative.

Ben van Beurden (Shell) stressed that his company is an integrated energy business. He highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has proven the size of the task in that the level of emissions reductions this year, because of stringent measures to address the pandemic, must be repeated year after year. Ben said that his focus will be on encouraging a sectoral approach so that each sector and business can work on decarbonising [Edit 8 Feb 2021, replaced “reducing its demand for hydrocarbons” with “decarbonising”], and stated that the market alone can not achieve this so “serious mandates” will be required (i.e. political will to enforce change).

Amina Mohammed (UN) is “not encouraged by short-term commitments at all”. She also highlighted that “finance matters” and so stressed the importance of recovering from the COVID-19 is critical to provide the financial platform to make investments, highlighting the need for private-public partnership. Amena was strong in saying that leaders need to have the courage and the will to act even though measures will be painful. Finally she stressed that it is not fair to enforce strict measures on developing countries when developed countries have polluted along their road to economic success (which I have highlighted in my writing on climate change).

Alok Sharma (COP 26) also highlighted the need for private-public partnerships and spoke about the enormous potential for private enterprise. He stated that not just billions of dollars of capital were required but trillions!

Regardless of the reader’s views on climate change or on particular politicians, viewing this should be uncomfortable for all Australians as we are heading in a different direction to the remainder of the world. While the second half of the panel discussion is where things really start to open up, the whole video is important. Personally, I took heart from it because people so practiced in public communication and diplomacy showing this much passion and emotion shows that the pressure really is now on to act.

Finally, I cannot conclude without saying that Ben van Beurden deserves a pat on the back for having the character and courage of his convictions to present his views as a leader in a sector which is often maligned in some quarters in discussions about climate change. For a few (mostly personal*) reasons I have been following Mr. van Beurden for a few years now, especially on the key issues covered by the Davos Agenda, and he has impressed me as a leader of genuine integrity and authenticity.

Also, I wish to draw attention to an article that I wrote early in the history of MacroEdgo entitled “Coming Soon: Product miles like food miles“, and the related post “Investment Theme: Product and food miles“, where I mentioned IKEA and suggested that their model would be increasingly challenged as the world moved towards adequately pricing in environmental sustainability. At the very least they need to recognise that there is much low hanging fruit in the furniture industry in quality control during production and shipping.

* For one his wife comes from an even smaller neighbouring town to my home town, and anybody who has the sensibility and spirit to marry a North Queenslander has to be alright in my book 😉

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021

I have steadfastly criticised and praised Governments and other actors in the COVID-19 pandemic when and where I felt it was due.

I agree with China’s sensitivity over Western innuendo about the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19.

I realise that many will immediately dismiss this on the basis of my friendship with Dr. Shi Zhengli, but I would counter that my logic is clear and undeniable. Moreover it is consistent with many highly regarded scientists including Australian Nobel Laureate Prof. Peter Doherty, that being that these studies are important for future management strategies (to reduce the risks of future pandemics) but were not a high priority given the resources that needed to be poured into managing the pandemic globally. What is transpiring this Northern Hemisphere Summer only supports that view. Prof. Doherty’s comments were even more strident than mine:

the whole thing is a distraction from the next United States election and it is pointless for anybody else to buy into it, in fact it is stupid

Prof. Doherty speaking on Bloomberg Television, 4 May 2020

Australian PM Morrison and other conservative Government officials are attempting to rewrite history and denying the geopolitical aspects inherent in their pursuit of the issue, but they cannot avoid the context in which they called for an inquiry into the origins.

In “The First Victim Of War Is The Truth” published 20 March I pointed out that “in recent days [President Trump] has returned to [pointing blame at China] by referring to it as the ‘China virus’”. And it was in April that Australia through Foreign Minister Marise Payne began pushing for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

To suggest that the two issues are unrelated, given the close links between President Trump and PM Morrison, is a farce if for no other reason that Australian Government officials and politicians would have known for certain that China, and every other nation, would interpret it as such and so would have chosen to avoid the perception of joining with President Trump if they were at all concerned about China’s reaction.

Truthfully, the WHO team going into China this week should have been a story of scientific interest. Important, yes, but a purely scientific matter. Instead, because of the crass assertions of US President Donald Trump, now almost universally condemned within global political circles as being “unhinged” as if his election loss “suddenly” pushed him into psychopathy, along with the supportive innuendo from Australian Government officials, has turned the story into a fraught geopolitical issue involving limited trust, and suggestions of subterfuge and nefarious agendas.

It is important to note that even though SARS emerged in late 2002 tracking the origin of the virus took exhaustive research spanning a decade. It took three years from the outbreak to determine that bats were the likely original host when a 2005 paper showed that they were reservoirs of SARS-like coronaviruses. It took another 7 years of exhaustive research, painstakingly and methodically analysing samples collected by crawling through pungent guano-lined caves, to determine the exact origin of the SARS virus.

If the reader followed those links, and here is another for good measure, they might have observed an important fact. The scientist that led that research was none other than Dr Shi Zengli. 

Sadly lost in the perceived cloak and dagger game of deception is the one undeniable truth – that Dr Shi is an outstanding virologist and a world-leading authority on SARS-like coronaviruses – thus there was no better laboratory in the world to receive those initial samples from sick people in Wuhan a year ago, and the work of these scientists gave the world the best possible start in combating the pandemic.

I am the first to admit that my views on China have evolved over the preceding 24 months as shown in my writing on MacroEdgo. However, I see few who have been consistent across all important issues as the pandemic has shone a spotlight on societal values and leadership which has permitted or even necessitated deep reflection by all of us. Those few who have been consistent are likely so through inflexible ideology rather than having sound reasoning that has stood the serious tests of this time which I refer to as “The Great Reset” era. Moreover, my evolution has been as much about how I view my own nation and our allies as much as it is about China.

Quite simply, when the facts change I update my views.

Of course the ones with the most challenging decision on whether to stay the course or pivot are the conservative politicians who condoned, if not enabled, the erratic actions of President Trump for the past four years.

I even said in the past that I would not invest in Chinese companies out of concern for human rights and military involvement. I have long had similar concerns over western companies, and I have resolved to redouble my efforts – when value returns to global stockmarkets, whenever that might be – to carry out the necessary due diligence to ensure that I am morally at ease with activities of the companies in which I invest, whether they be domiciled in China or elsewhere. Anything less would be hypocritical of me.

Many Australians seem to come at disagreements, or “spats”, with other nations from the automatic perspective that we must be in the right. We are not always right, however, and we only have to look back at the second Iraq war to see that sometimes our national leaders just do what they want to do irrespective of what are the views and desires of Australian citizens.

I agreed with and supported a reframing of the relationship between China and the West. However, the moment that it was clear that global humanity confronted the enormous challenge of COVID-19, with China the first affected nation, that reframing should have been put on the backburner. What is more, that could have been done knowing that a tremendous amount of goodwill may have been derived from empathetic determination to be a good friend.

We should have done everything we could to help them. If they wanted, through pride, to be somewhat independent in their response then we should respect that for what it is rather than being suspicious. But most importantly, when it became clear that they successfully stamped out the infection in Hubei we should have praised them profusely for their achievement, and we should have gone to them to learn from their experience.

Instead of being a friend to China we seemed determined to show that we were antagonists, no doubt in large part due to the Trump Administration requiring overt demonstrations in support of them. The ironic thing about “big, tough” bullies is that their insecurities drive them to seek support for their actions leading to “ganging up” on adversaries.

Now China is determined to show not only that it does not need Australia, but that Australia needs China much more. I consider that all of the ways China has demonstrated this has been highly intelligent because, to the observant, they have clearly been demonstrating all of the ways that Australia has been hypocritical in the way it deals with China and the rest of the world. 

I will focus on trade issues which China is highlighting with widespread actions against many of our primary products, but will not entirely sidestep the very serious issues over human rights and our actions in theatres of war. I will simply say that it is preposterous to call their social media stunt – yes, a stunt and far from delicate – fake news because it was not a real picture as the same could be levelled at anti drink-driving or speeding advertisements which feature actors. They were making a point, and did not go as far as they could have by questioning why we went into the Middle-East to start with in our longest-lasting conflict ever – that if you are going to talk to others about human rights then you bloody-well had better come from a higher moral ground. But Australia and it’s allies fall well short of that. The point about the Middle-East conflict is all the more pertinent when a comparison is made between the number of innocent bystanders killed in the conflict to those killed in the 911 attacks, and also to compare that number with the number of Americans currently dying daily from COVID-19 because it is out of control and their politicians did little to stop it.

When I worked for Biosecurity Australia on developing import policy for aquatic animals and their products I learned that Australia had a reputation for using biosecurity as a technical barrier to trade which impacted our relationships with many nations including allies. There was always an issue that low-income developing and newly industrialised nations felt they lacked the expertise and resources to negotiate for fair arrangements, and/or fight cases in the World Trade Organisation. 

In reality it was alike a movie where a wealthy individual or corporation, with a huge legal team of Ivy league-trained lawyers, crushes the opposition that can only afford a pro-bono lawyer. Then we had around 80 policy analysts working on risk analyses for a broad range of animal and plants and their products, but in all actuality these analyses moved at snail’s pace (look at the Biosecurity Australia website some time to see the incredibly  long timelines for these analyses).

It was often discussed casually in-house that other similar nations, such as Canada for example, had far fewer staff and a much more streamlined process. Of course, the objective was not really to perform these analyses promptly, unless, of course, under duress of the threat of WTO-sanctioned penalties as a consequence of an adverse finding through their process (such as the Canadian Salmon case which was a major issue while I worked there – of 8 of us then in the aquatic animal unit, I was the only analyst not working on the response to the Salmon finding).

I have spoken about my experiences working for Biosecurity Australia in a number of posts including “Politics And Biosecurity“.

Australia did work at assisting our near neighbours to improve their biosecurity resources, including by running workshops and funding research as a part of foreign aid programs. 

During the prawn import risk analysis (IRA) I recall that in discussions with scientists and officials from a newly industrialised nation, one of the main exporters of prawns to Australia, they stated that they had grown suspicious of our motivation to fund research on biosecurity through foreign aid projects. Specifically they felt that by researching the health status of their aquaculture industry, and being open with their findings including in reports to our foreign aid funding agencies, that they had left themselves vulnerable to this information being used to restrict trade in those products.

They had some justification for thinking that way because, as I have made clear when talking about challenges that I faced in maintaining a career in research science in Australia, in my experience industry-aligned fish pathologists in Australia always challenged the more independent university researchers being clear that they had concerns over trade impacts from disease findings. And that concern was a continual challenge to obtaining research funding on the general health status of Australian wildlife and farmed stocks.

The truth is that all countries have their own favoured areas where they attempt to dodge and delay trade obligations from international agreements. 

I am in little doubt that one of China’s aims in these trade disputes is to expose Australia’s weaknesses that were being ignored when relations were more cordial and forgiving.

Be in no doubt, this growing trade spat is as much about our own failings as it is about China’s.

Unless we come clean ourselves, then there is little hope of the relationship improving.

I suspect that the relationship was much more redeemable before PM Morrison decided to add innuendo to President Trump’s crass assertions on COVID-19’s origins. Without some sincere statements from Australia around COVID-19 and it’s origins, which China will be able to parade domestically as a backdown or apology, and no doubt providing succour to my friend Zhengli, I believe that the relationship will remain troubled for a prolonged period.

Frankly, I would have little problem in doing just that because it was wrong of us to head down this path in the first place, and when so much is to be gained from closer relations. Then again, toxic masculinity is not an affliction that challenges my own reasoning.

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© Copyright Brett Edgerton 2021