Corona Karma & The Backpacking Spirit
Peering daily through a dizzying kaleidoscope of changing information, opinions and data – it’s been impossible to keep pace with this crisis. Errors of judgement are always inevitable when situations unravel so quickly. Some of the finger pointing and calls for investigation have been warranted. However for me, the ongoing backpacker blame game has been a low point.
A drama is always more gripping when you throw in a villain. The rule breakers have amplified the story with invaluable tension and created rant material for the righteous. Conducting themselves with the sort of behaviour the rest of us are warned to avoid (or god help us!) – the mistake makers have sparked clicks, angry comments and shares.
The ferocity though, with which some Sydneysiders have attributed blame towards our backpacking guests, has been disheartening. While calling for big fines and immediate deportations, a scent of nastiness has emerged.
The deep irony here, of course, is that this same backpacker ethos under attack is the very same travelling spirit that has been embraced by swathes of the Australian community for generations. We all have a wonderful story of local hospitality or goodwill received in far away lands. So why is it so hard for us to give a teaspoon of that good stuff back?
To work hard in order to buy that plane ticket, in order to visit foreign lands as a backpacker is a right of passage in this country. It runs right through our DNA. To criss-cross continents on a shoestring, to bunk down in the dorms of the international hostel network, to congregate with people from all walks of life – many of us have experienced it and are strong advocates.
And it’s this word “congregate” that is fundamental to the issue. To come together, to meet and greet – to congregate – has always been the modus operandi of the backpacking world. So, the lack of empathy about the unlucky circumstances our visitors have found themselves in – and the race to paint them as a scapegoat – has been surprisingly disappointing.
On the other side of the world from their families, close friends, native languages, cultures and homes – over half of all backpackers travel alone. To meet, chat, flirt, travel, party and explore with other backpackers is not only one of the funnest and richest lessons of the experience; it’s also the most natural and comforting.
But this whole way of life has been swept aside in a heartbeat. We all felt the change and the speed of events as the Corona virus tsunami hit our shoreline. For the backpackers, this integral culture of congregation not only suddenly became dangerous – it was banned almost overnight. Yet, rather than sympathising with these unexpected changes in conditions, we attacked their difficulty in letting go.
On top of that, their close-quarter travelling residences in hostels along the coast transformed into incubator-like virus spreaders in a matter of days. Again, rather than sitting down and trying to work out sensible solutions to this challenge, many preferred to discuss how to punish it.
Comments at the bottom of some articles I read called for backpackers to be immediately thrown out of the country or deported to the Christmas Island detention centre. One Waverley Councillor, Sally Betts even stated “We are begging and pleading for the government to give our rangers the power to go into these places and close them down or fine them."
Yes, mistakes were made. Yes, some parties happened that shouldn’t have – but no one wants to get sick with a life-threatening virus on the other side of the world from those they’re closest to, or spread it within the community where they’re a guest. Caught on the backfoot when the drawbridge went up, many can no longer even get home.
Strong leadership, both in our community and in the media, needs to be wise and considered enough to understand the multiple dimension of things rather than giving in to knee jerk reactions or sinking to behave like a pit bull.
We should reflect on the lessons learnt and remember all of that goodwill and hospitality that has been passed to Australians over the years. For if there was ever a time to show gratitude and repay some of that, then surely it is now.
