There’s something beautifully ordinary about watching kids have meltdowns at birthday parties. This weekend, someone shared their experience observing three different families - Asian, Caucasian, and Indian - all navigating the chaos of children’s birthday celebrations at a play centre in Heidelberg. What struck them most wasn’t the differences between these families, but the remarkable similarities: tantruming birthday kids, complaints about overpriced venues, parking struggles, allergy concerns, and yes, even AFL discussions (with two families unfortunately backing the Bombers).

There’s a discussion doing the rounds in corporate circles that’s got me thinking about something we’ve all probably encountered but rarely talk about openly: the high-performing employee who also happens to be a bit of a bigot.

The scenario is frustratingly familiar. You’ve got this junior team member who’s technically brilliant, delivers results, and has the seniors singing their praises. The catch? They regularly drop comments like “girls have no dignity these days” and question why there’s “all the rainbow stuff” at company events. The kicker is that this person belongs to a minority group themselves, which somehow makes the whole situation feel even more complex to navigate.