MD09

This is very disturbing indeed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/n...t_attack.shtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...re/6353409.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...on/6088568.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/6314197.stm

Just to post a few.

No racism in the UK? ...As the english would say - you're haven a larf!

Princess Leia

I don't think anyone has claimed there was no racism in the UK.

themerlin

Your OK as long as your "race" dosn't beat them at any sport

MD09

I'll pay that.

Pomster

I am not sure the OP should be worried about racist comments for being Welsh...someone has to be! (I am Welsh and no-one has ever commented apart from a Welsh colleague as my accent is no longer linked to the valleys.

H is Asian/English and has never experienced racism here although he used to get it at school in UK.

dade

Hi there

I am black and having lived in Australia before I have to say I have found them to be the most racially tolerant people generally (as long as you're not aboriginal). My experience is that there is definitely more racism in the UK that in Australia. We're moving to Melbourne in June and one of the reasons we like OZ is because of the racial tolerance. In the five years that I lived in Perth I only experienced what I thought was a racist attitude once, and that was from a big burly ignorant redneck and I certainly didn't think it was worth taking seriously. You will always get a few ignorant people who may have racist attitudes but that is life, just like you get some who'll make comments about larger people, thin people, poms, etc. But genrally I'd say your wife will be fine.

Sani

thebears

Oh

Kiwi Cricket any one?

Maybe we should learn more from our kids

Everyone is a friend first too my daughter - isnt there something in that?

wmoore

You, Wikipedia and I will have to agree to disagree on this one.
I agree with the first part. See my previous answer for the rest So you're saying that if somebody uses one of those words, then they must be trying to belittle somebody? You know better than they do?

I'll re-iterate my points again (because they appear to have been missed).
* I don't agree with racist intent
* but I don't believe that when Australians use words like thos mentioned that they are intended to be racist - and more importantly they are not taken as racist by the various ethnics that have grown up here. See the comments about 'wogs' from other posters.

PS a 'wog' in Australian terms isn't a Carribean, it is an Italian or a Greek.

Teabag

Interesting read:

http://www.italydownunder.com.au/issuetwo/fusillo.html

Deadmeat

I'll back-up wmoore's views (albeit I am white and have never been a likely target for racism in the UK ... unless you count gingerism or being-a-smart-alec-twot-ism).

I made the mistake of 'thinking UK' and coming to the conclusion that Australia was a more racist society than the UK when I first got here but I realise now that the way things are said and the language used is different.

It is difficult to hear words that were used in a degoratory way in the UK said as a matter of course but in my experience I will back-up wmoore's views that the intent is no more racist than in the UK.

If anything I find Aussies to be more up-front and honest about differences, this does not mean they are racists it just means they do not feel bound by the same 'rules' as a typical Brit. Is it worse to be up-front and say what you feel or hide behind some words and still feel the same way (e.g. the classic "I'm not a racist but...").

A case in point being the use of the word 'Spazzy' and similar ... which I find difficult to hear but I realise that I cannot pass judgement on a whole society when I have no appreciation of that word's history within that society.

Racism should be probably judged by actions, not by words whose meanings differ between countries (yup, easy for me to say having never been the subject of a racial taunt) and in my experience Aussies more inclusive than most.

Gibbo

I have tried very hard not to respond to this thread but have found it too difficult to resist. NSK's post about the English being superior to the average Aussie got under my skin but didn't bite. It appears that it is mostly English posters who consider terms used in Australia are racist. May I suggest that they leave their preconceptions in England as they are now in Australia. Thankfully, there are some who "get it", namely wmoore and Deadmeat. By the way wmoore, Greeks are wogs and Italians are dagos. I was informed of this many years ago by an elderly Maltese gentleman. Apparently, in the early days the Italian immigrants were always saying, "One day, go home" which was shortened to dago!
I would suggest that the use of the terms objected to in this thread are no different to the use of the term "bastard". I was horrified at this when I first came here but soon learned that it was not necessarily a derogatary term.

MD09

That's the attitude of most poms I've come across, especially those in Sydney.

I put it down to their low self esteem, where money and status makes them feel better.

Obviously there are exceptions. Usually those from northern england are more grounded and worth having a beer with.

NKSK version 2

Not at all - I'm saying the exact opposite - that they probably had no intention of belittling them at all. They were, in their eyes, being complimentary. My point is that I would doubt that the receivers of these compliments would think that they weren't racist comments. i.e. they would think that the terms were racist and would probably feel offended.

I think that the arrogance comes from the speaker of the term - because they were "only joking" or "didn't mean anything by it" or that "she knows that I'm only kidding". How do they know whether the person is offended or not? And if the person is offended then it's because they are "overly sensitive" or "don't understand our Australian ways". I think that at times we can excuse offensive individual actions through societal "norms".


My point is that I disagree with you. It isn't necessarily about intent. In these cases the intent was to be complimentary but the receiver would not feel complimented (because of their personal experiences, perceived status, background).
I never said, or I hope implied, that you did.
See my comments above about intent. I'm sure that a lot of people are not offended by the terms. But I reckon a lot people - perhaps of different races to those you are thinking of - are.


I know - I was using it in the context of the British slang not the Aussie.

NKSK version 2

Since my last posting, I've read the comments from posters (Deadmeat and Gibbo) who came after me - I don't think I can battle on three fronts so I'll gamely back out of the discussion - slightly bruised.

Vin 'n Bin

I am a 'baby boomer'. I came to Australia in 1972 so I have lived much longer in Australia than I did in England. I am most definately not, nor have ever been, racist. I take all people for who they are...not by where they come from or what colour they are. I am from the northwest of England and I have been back visiting friends and family many times. I am a moderator on my English hometown's forum site...and we have a 'filter' which filters out any racism words yet some members get around this to get the offensive word(s) across. We do not tolerate this and the offending members are banned if they continue....just thought I'd put my two pennorth in