It is a statistical fact that most people marry within their socio-economic group. It’s actually also a commonly observed one.
It’s a fact also that societies are not uniform groups of people being commonsense that in any society, including ours, there are many social groups based on income, education, type of job, style of dressing, manners, traditions and so on.
It’s also an observable fact that most people seem to have an idea where, socially, they belong, be it at work or on leisure. So, not surprisingly, most people join their peers.
What always seems to conjure some questions in me is the fact that there are in our society many subterfuges to sort out in some places the high classes from the low classes. These are things that are legal and commonly accepted.
Take as an example the Jackson’s on George. Without wearing shoes, not sports shoes, and a collar shirt the doorman does not let you in. The message is clear to me: this is a place for high class people. If you wear dirty clothes and boots, go elsewhere.
I suppose that most of the people frequenting the Jackson’s on George like it that way and I have nothing against that, but this example gives me a taste of what is discrimination in Australia today.
Take another example: The Ramada Renaissance Hotel, a five or more star hotel. Every Friday night there are several luxury cars parked in front of it whose brands go from Ferrari to Porsche and the like. How much do you think a Scotch costs there? Most people wouldn’t even think of getting in. The price of the place and its amenities filters the client type. Do you get the feeling that this is also a form of discrimination?
I visited Apartheid South Africa in 1968 and 1974 and loved the country. Except that, one day I wanted to buy fish and chips and, in the shop, I had to line up in the area marked “European” while my fellow African black men had to line up in another area marked “Coloured”. I was a kid and it gave me a bad feeling. A feeling of gilt and a feeling of something terribly wrong.
Do you think that a dress code or a five star hotel is a disguised form of racism?
