I am thinking about paranoia and what happens to a persecuted people when they understand everything, frame every experience in terms of persecution.
The other day I had a conversation with a Carribean Black guy who proudly told me that he doesn't worry about the future of the "black race" [his words] because "in every white woman there is a black gene". At the time I wondered why he was worried about the future of black people - well at least the future of black African people or black people of African descent.
I know that previous Australian governments tried very hard to annihilate the Aboriginal populations, that it was an actively promoted policy, but I didn't think that people of African descent would see that 'smoothing the death bed' policy that the Australian government had as something similar across all black experience...
But I also remember an accusation I heard that the "white authorities" are taking away black children to put with white couples. That seemed wierd at the time as well - though I guess if you look at the statistics, I can see why you might come to that conclusion.
I remember the other day watching a show on tv with the friend of Stephen Lawrence. He said it was easier for a dead dog to get justice than a dead black man. When I heard that, it rang true.