The role of academics in a time of troubles

You've got to be taught
To be afraid
Of people whose eyes
Are differently made
Or people whose skin
Is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who encourage people of a “different shade” or religion to dislike each other. That is not the role of a university. It should not be the role of the media, either.

Bombs in London should not licence a hate campaign against anyone. We have to take steps to preserve the precious tolerance we have in Australia for all kinds of diversity. We need to reflect on the benefits we get from being able to talk openly with friends, to be creative, to make irreverent jokes, to meet people from a wide range of cultures. We can watch a Sudanese dance, an Indonesian festival, or the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We should be proud to say on occasions,  “This is not my culture, or viewpoint, but it’s good to see it out there”. We are proud to be Australian. And every celebration of creativity and diversity makes our Australian cities and towns better places for all of us.

I am normally a strong supporter of academic freedom. But I think reasonable people will agree with me that, in the present circumstances, universities are better off without people who make comments which seem very likely to cause more trouble than we have already.