To answer your first question, no. As I think I made quite clear in the story, a similar encounter in the US most likely would have gone quite differently. I am fully aware of the fact that Oz is no land of, well, Oz. But as a Black American, I felt a lot safer there than I ever have in the US, and I know a number of Black expats in Australia who agree. I lived there for several years and I’m married to an Australian, so I have had time to form an informed opinion that’s a lot more complex than simply “wonderful.”

Thanks for the heads up about Cape Town. It’s a beautiful city, and I enjoyed the year I lived there, but even then, I found the racial politics, which were distinct from in the US, a challenge to negotiate.