Don't look back in anger

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life in a lot of ways. Its impact on a lot of people's lives has been enormous. 

A lot of people are in distress. A lot of people are angry - angry about the pandemic's effects on their lives, and the restrictions that have been imposed. 

And some of it is, seemingly, being channeled into aggression against random strangers in public places. 

While it's neither particularly important, given all that's happening right now, nor something that can be quantified, there is some palpable aggression in the air and this is sometimes manifesting as racially-charged aggression. 

There was some media coverage of racist incidents in various places, including Melbourne, early on in the pandemic. Since then, there hasn't been much information about such incidents. 

However, I have seen some (what I suppose is) racially-charged aggression. 

I've come across racist graffiti and vandalism. 

I've come across some road rage that may potentially have been racially-charged. I can't be sure but I think that it was. 

The fact that there are fewer cars on the road might make it easier for speed demons and old-school racists to target other drivers and pedestrians randomly for harassment - driving into pedestrians crossing at zebra crossings when it's their turn to cross, unwarranted honking, etc. 

When the harassers look like the kind of people we've experienced racism from before, and the targets of the harassing behaviour are people of colour, it can be easy to assume that there is a racial dimension to the harassment. 

Of course, none of this behaviour, which can occur in a split second, can be specifically identified as racial harassment. 

So it disappears into the ether, later pushed to the back of our mind when we've calmed down, never to be discussed again, because nothing can be conclusively proved and there is nothing tangible left from the incident, unless you've been injured or you've had racist graffiti sprayed outside your house. 

Even then, the perpetrators vanish into thin air, leaving no trace of their aggression and their actions, although the marks of their rage (and, possibly, their racism) remain imprinted on your psyche.  

I've experienced some seemingly racially-charged aggression on the streets from other pedestrians and people doing their exercise. 

The pandemic has weaponised previously innocuous behaviours; for example, 'carelessly' coughing at others can now be a way of showing aggression. 

Some people who harbour racial animus might enjoy pulling stupid, 'harmless' stunts to make people of colour uncomfortable in public places. 

Again, none of this is definitive. Are people who are behaving in this way randomly targeting unsuspecting others, irrespective of race? 

Who knows? 

But heuristics exist for a reason. Past experience can be informative. Negative past experiences can continue to determine your perceptions about present and future encounters. 

All of this is very tame. These are examples of 'micro' aggression - unless of course you've been physically harmed - for example, by a car threatening to drive into you at a pedestrian crossing. 

Nevertheless, it can be disconcerting. 

The only thing that you can do, if you're a target of such behaviour, is to walk on and not look back in anger. 

Yes, there is that momentary anger and discomfort that arises immediately after you've experienced road rage or unexpected harassing behaviour on the streets from random passers-by. But it's better to not let that linger too long in your mind. 

You have to clear your head and go about your exercise and your day as calmly as possible. 

There may be aggression and frustration in the air. But there is no reason to add to it. Walk on. Don't look back in anger.