dotty

I have to put this on here, its really a shocker and brings home the yes OZ is a world away theme.

Friends boy is in a mixed class of 28 kids, teacher seems to be fine with the girls but not a real fan of the boy variety. Anyway the class has two american students over here for a year both well dark skinned, great little basket ball players. Today the teacher, lovely chap who calls the not so bright kids "stuffed mullets", decided to nickname the 2 new basketballers "The Ethopians".

Cringe or what. I'll tell ya its a long way off some days.

Jack The Lad

Does he still work there?

jayr

A senior person in my firm when reading through a list of items had to keep flicking back and forth through the paper and said:

"Sorry for going a bit Chinesey"

in front of a chinaman.

ANA123

Is this because its acceptable here or because people arent exposed so much to other cultures/nationalities (except poms) as much??? (I know there are other cultures/nationalities here, I'm talking about mixing) I've no idea but was just expressing amazement today that I havnt seen a single non-white child at my daughters school which concerns me a bit, we're from Birmingham where there is a huge diversity of people and that is something I liked about the place.

No I'm not starting to moan already I promise, just intrigued

dotty

Sadly it is acceptable here. Not to me I stress. In 2 schools of a total of 3000 kids there would be maybe 10! with dark skin. This is a white area. The native people generally live outback. It is not a benefit, its pretty ignorant.

I would doubt this would be found acceptable in say Melbourne or Western Sydney, due to a higher % of races.

I find calling the kids having problems "stuffed mullets" equally unacceptable but nobodies complaining.

I've been here a long time, but somedays it still hits me how different it is here. Its a very long way from 2004.

JaneandJim

I had a friend back in the UK who referred to another mother in our class as "the negress". My native North-East England is full of bigots (rural Northumberland, I have to add), but I never expected to hear that term in horsey-set Berkshire. Some things are the same the world over, sadly.

Jane

dotty

Yep all races throw out all sorts, but a teacher I would have thought should be professional enough to rise above his own ignorance. I cannot imagine for one second a teacher using racist comments in the classroom in front of 28 kids in any other 'western' country. I bet they would be stood down immediately.

JaneandJim

It would be nice to think so, but unfortunately, some teachers can be so cruel, in lots of ways. What rocks the playground, rules the world.

Jane

Badge

The Sunshine Coast IS a world away. On my way into the City (in Melbourne) I am the only white bloke on the train for a whole segment of the journey - from Dandedong up until Caulfield then it goes more white. So Australia is multi-cultural in some places.

Badge

bondipom

I work in Auburn where the butchers are halal and live in Bondi where there are Kosher supermarkets.

MikeStanton

You try and find an aborigine in Manly! Two days ago, I saw the first aborigine I have ever seen here - ie one in the past 12 years.

It's a pathetic joke, since the name comes from the description the 1788 Brit arrivals gave to the local aboriginal males.

NickyC

Agree.

I have never seen a bigger mixing pot of colours and creeds than here. My kids have grown up surrounded by every race and colour you can imagine at school and I have never seen or heard of any one of them being treated any differently from anyone else.

The Sunshine Coast would be the last place you'd find a multi-cultural utopia. How many migrants from Asia or Africa can sell a little house back home and afford to live in a nice place like Moolooloba with the proceeds - not very many. Most of them head for the cities, find the cheapest area to live in and work hard to make a future for their kids.

Queensland's nickname is the 'redneck' state and Queensland is not typical of Australia as a whole - which has been extremely successful in integrating millions of migrants from countless countries with very few problems.

MeganEkno

It's not normal in Australia either, it is completely unacceptable where ever you go. The teacher should be reported. When the teacher ripped the headscarf of an Islamic student in England no one started asking questions about English teachers in general - because as was the case it was a freak occurrence by a rude misinformed nutter.

I need not remind you Australia is a massive multi-cultural society and at times are more successful at successful racial integration than many other countries.

Badge

amazing as the story seems, the only pointer is, is the guy just outrageously naive/stupid/trying to be clever, or is it deliberately malicious? If he is malicious then someone needs to take action,
otherwise someone more enlightened needs to have a word, then business as usual. Can't think of a recent parallel anywhere in the UK.

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Megalania

Mullet = Fish, Stuffed = Dead; Stuffed Mullet = Dead Fish. Sounds good to me. Alternatively, bring back the Dagok = Slap to the back of the head.

Err, the phrase used was probably Stunned Mullet.

Ethiopians = champion long distance runners, a compliment. Good creative use of the lingo.

Abyssinia PC lingo.