AT YOUR OWN PERIL

THE LOCKDOWN MONOLOGUES

AT YOUR OWN PERIL

BY / JEAN TONG

The STUDENT is ethnically Chinese – probably Chinese-Malaysian/ChineseSingaporean. The STUDENT is video-chatting with someone from back home. They know what they’re saying is just a tad spicy.

Everyone’s asking this question now, the question of whether Australia is racist.

Beat.

Look, before you get scammed into hand over 100K for an Arts degree, which is more than double what they charge locals, you should probably know that Australians do not like Asians. My parents had to take out a loan to send me here and like, was it worth it?

Shrug.

Anyway, it’s a bit like in Malaysia with the Malays taking over the Orang Asli – white Australians are technically Malays. They went into the country, made it for themselves, and anyone who tried to enter after them, like the Chinese – good luck!

Which is like, whatever, there’s a lot of us, I get it.

But yeah, it’s been three years and I haven’t been able to make local friends other than Asians. And I’ve tried. But in class, white people will sit with white people, and then the Chinese, international students like me, basically all other people from Southeast Asia will sit together. It’s like high school.

I think it’s because they see us like a special category – ‘international student’. It’s like they think we don’t have the full range of thinking and communication skills they have, so why bother trying to talk to us.

Still, if you had asked me before COVID if Australia’s racist, I probably would’ve said no. Now…

Beat.

It was very early on during COVID. Maybe February? Australia put the lockdown on people travelling from China, so people were suddenly really aware of anyone with an East Asian, Southeast Asian face. Suddenly we’re all freaking ChinaChinese.

Which I guess isn’t that different from what they thought before.

Anyway. I was on the train, I think it was 10am so not that crowded. This middleaged white dude came up to me and he was like, ‘why aren’t you wearing a mask’?

In my head, I thought, ‘what the fuck’?

Of course, my mouth just went, ‘What?’. And he said, ‘The virus is spreading.’

My hands start sweating, and I’m like, ‘Uh, no one here is wearing a mask.’

And he goes, ‘I think you should, didn’t the virus come from your people?’

I’m like, ‘hello, the virus doesn’t discriminate, unlike you, racist asshole’. I didn’t actually say that last bit. I just walked away.

Beat.

You know, I did used to wear masks. Especially on the plane. I feel like after bird flu and shit, Asians are just like yep, slap that mask on. But white people freak out. Like people stare at you all the time and when COVID started, I wasn’t wearing one cause I didn’t want to make myself a target.

Guess Train Guy felt my face was enough of a target.

Beat.

Anyway that didn’t exactly inspire me to put a mask on again. I’d rather get COVID than give people another reason to look at me.

Beat.

Generally, people did try to hide it. There’s a lot of ‘woke’ people who were like ‘I’m not racist, but dot dot dot’. And it’s like hello, you’re racist. I’m racist. We’re all racist.

I mean, even the freakin’ Prime Minister of Australia basically said we should all just go home.

He’s definitely a racist.

I did think it was really funny when this minister was like, we’re such a successful multicultural country, look at Masterchef!

Someone collected like 400 reports of racist harassment against Asians between April and May. But look! Poh’s making another pie on Masterchef!

Beat.

I didn’t tell my dad what happened to me. He’s already freaking out about the Singaporean and Malaysian students who were attacked. The other day, he sent me these articles about Indian students being targeted and I’m like that’s from 2009, dad...

I actually forgot that happened though. No one talks about it here. It’s like everyone forgot it happened, or decided it didn’t matter because it’s in the past.

Sorry if this is freaking you out.

Beat.

Like ultimately… it’s fine. If you do decide to come over, just know that there’s way more international students who are political now, and personally it makes me a feel safer because it means you’re not alone.

Like for example, a group of us went to the Black Lives Matter rally together and previously I would’ve avoided it out of fear of being arrested or fear of getting corona, but now I’m like. No, I know my rights, everyone’s distancing, and if we can’t get out there and convince Australians to even treat their own Orang Asli properly, there’s no way they’re gonna give a shit about Asians either.

Plus I was just feeling like, fuck you Train Guy.

It was nice to see so many other people like, care?, that racism exists.

Maybe those people will be in your tutorials and they’ll treat you like a normal human being. As long as this doesn’t end up like the 2009 Indian student attacks and people forget again.

Beat.

You know what’s funny? That was the first time in months that I actually felt like it was safe to wear a mask to go out.