By Gary Paramanathan

So I found myself in Portland, the supposed land of the liberal and free, and definitely not Liberal with a capital L (Australians know what I mean). Portland is where you find hippies and hipsters alike, a place where you can be whoever you want to be, you can wear the most extravagant outfit and walk down Broadway or Burnside, and no one would blink an eye lid, they may even smile. There is one condition though; you kinda have to be white and preferably wealthy. Welcome to the world of new liberals, where ethnic food, energy efficient homes, arcade bars and a general sense of ‘I am better than the rest of the whites’ is what makes the world go around, and when it comes to coloured, it’s best saved for the vintage Pendleton sweaters. Continue reading