This week on Speaking of Social Justice, Dr Julie Macken takes on one of the most overused — and often misunderstood — phrases in our public conversation: “social cohesion.”

What does it really mean to “hold together” as a society when people are hurting, divided, and afraid? And is cohesion even the right word, or does it risk glossing over pain, inequality, and real difference?

Julie reflects on how fragile we all remain, no matter how old we get. From playground cruelty to political provocation, from rising Islamophobia and antisemitism to collective grief in places like Bondi and Gaza, this episode asks a deeper question: What would it look like to meet our differences with care rather than cruelty?

This is not a call for slogans, silence, or “Velcro-style” unity. It’s a plea for lowering the temperature, recognising shared humanity, and treating one another gently, because the stakes are high, and hurt people really do hurt people.