When It Becomes Normal

In the rehearsal room we mark the floor with tape. It tells actors where to stand. Over time nobody notices the marks anymore. They just become part of the stage.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about as Victorians head to vote next month. Around one in five of us now back a message that used to sit on the edges. What people once said quietly is now said on national TV. The mark has been laid down and we’re starting to stand on it without thinking.

I get why people want change. The same government has been in a long time. Wanting something new is fair. It’s healthy in a democracy. I hope we can find that change without turning on each other.

I keep hearing that we should move on. That the old talk about migrants taking over is in the past. Maybe some people have changed. But I’ve been here since the eighties. I remember. So do a lot of migrants who arrived around the same time.

Honestly, what hurts most is seeing migrants now backing that same message. Some are even running for election on it. People who were welcomed here and helped along the way. Now they want to kick away the ladder they climbed.

I get part of it. In any scene, it can feel safer to stand with the louder group. But the line keeps moving. Right now it’s students and temporary visa holders.

I run theatre workshops with international students. I see how hard they work to find their place here. Many are far from home, studying and working at the same time. They are not the main reason rent is high. But right now they’re the easiest ones to blame. Next time it could be someone else.

The worry about rent and housing is real. I feel it too. The blaming game is what gets me. People being blamed for where they come from or how they look.

In Forum Theatre, when a scene feels unfair, anyone in the room can step in and try something different. There’s no single right answer. Everyone sees the scene through their own eyes. But at least it opens the space to listen, and to try a kinder way through.

So this election, I’m asking all of us to remember what it feels like to be blamed for something that isn’t your fault. And to make sure no one else has to feel it.

Padayon.
Kuya Roman