Originally posted by Simone82
Not coincidence.
I think Jane, Mike, Dotty, have all had mostly/a lot of bad experiences with Oz, and that's why they are not staying in Oz.
And some of those experiences have been with racism.

Originally posted by janeyray
look I'am not getting into tit for tat about a sandwich. You weren't there. The comment 'sounded' rasist (hard to put over on here) and I was embaressed to be in the company of the lady that said it.

To 'me' she might as well have asked if she used her fingers to eat or had she ever seen a knife and fork. I'am suprised she didn't ask if they used plates at home to put thier food on or ate of the floor. The comment was mean as that and you had to hear the way it was said to appreciate how rasisit it sounded. the end.

Originally posted by MikeStanton
Simone82, I can't speak for the others, but I haven't had any "bad experiences" as you delicately put it. I won't bore people by relisting the reasons I am leaving Oz.

On the race front, Aussies are more racialist than the UK (and the UK is not exactly a beacon!) - whatever measure you like to choose:

- the hysterical xenophobic behaviour towards the Oz asylum seekers (including taking away legal representation)

- the treatment of its indigenous people.

White middle-class Oz will sign books and shake their heads at John Howard's inability to say 'sorry.' And what good does that do, when the aborigines have rates of blindness that are worse than most third-world countries? And the government has taken away many of their legal rights and systematically dismantled Native Title ? That is racialism - big time. The Oz government is racialist. And it is elected by Australians.

You figure out the connection.

To paraphrase a great line:

"You shall never be a perpetrator. You shall never be a victim. You shall never be a bystander"

Aussies are some of the greatest bystanders - just like many whites during the African apartheid era.

Originally posted by Megalania
And the victims of Aus racialism have no input to the causes of their plight right?

The "asylum seekers" seem quite xenophobic when passing through Indonesia etc.

The "indigenous people" seem quite careless of their own health.

Restoring Native Title seems likely to be beneficial to "indigenous people", even enormously beneficial to some, but the process has discouraged some development, especially mining and mineral discovery on which most Australians depend for their wealth.

As one who is leaving, some pearls of wisdom on how those who stay should balance the needs of the few against the many?

Originally posted by badgersmount
thanks people. I'm not sure why you are joking, maybe it is a defence mechanism. And I'm not having a knock.

I don't mind the jokes - because the people who haven't done it, and (maybe always want to have it done it) like to have a knock or a joke. Often its the same people who worked in dead end jobs or hide behind their degrees. Especially blokes who resent their middle class existences and their 36+ waistlines and the fact I have had a lot of fun in life - and as a result got the things they all wanted ;-) They could have done the same jobs if they had wanted to. Hey those people who fought in the 2WW for you, and trained in similar jobs to mine, do you acuse them of having mentors and dreams? My brother went off to the Gulf last year - and trained as something - I don't call him a gareth.

If you haven't done it, or tried it, then don't knock it.

You either have done it , trained for it, respect it, or are capable of doing it,or you haven't done it or never wanted to try. I have never been a formula one driver, ballet dancer, a fighter pilot, a politician, rock star, or a porn star which sound like 'nice' jobs lol (!) but I don't knock those who have, or have tried it.

That is why life is there for the taking. What you learn in life enriches you. The reality is that most of us live in suburban lives and have never pushed the boundaries and seem to find people who have puzzling and amusing. It's their loss.

Me - I am now semi-suburban and you know what - I have years of happy memories!! Know what position I would rather be in. It's why I have so much self-confidence. Every day you overcome obstacles that are trifling compared to others before. Life gets easier and easier, experiences get more and more enricher, because you try everything.

Oh - this is not a knocking post or a criticism -its just a 'hang on" -why knock someone who had a good job and a good life!'

Badgers "Life is good" Mount

PS I edited my post. don't want to get in to trouble.

Originally posted by MikeStanton
Sounds like another bystander...

Originally posted by Megalania
Sound like another motorcyclist...

Originally posted by MikeStanton
Leaving a backwater and riding back to a more civilised world.

Yee ha!

Originally posted by badgersmount

You either have done it , trained for it, respect it, or are capable of doing it,or you haven't done it or never wanted to try. I have never been a formula one driver, ballet dancer, a fighter pilot, a politician, rock star, or a porn star which sound like 'nice' jobs lol (!) but I don't knock those who have, or have tried it.

That is why life is there for the taking. What you learn in life enriches you. The reality is that most of us live in suburban lives and have never pushed the boundaries and seem to find people who have puzzling and amusing. It's their loss.

Originally posted by Megalania
So that's your pearls...

Originally posted by MikeStanton
...before swine?...

Originally posted by MikeStanton
Simone82, I can't speak for the others, but I haven't had any "bad experiences" as you delicately put it. I won't bore people by relisting the reasons I am leaving Oz.

Originally posted by dotty
But it was not a bad experience, just one I would not wish to do forever because ment too many compromises had to be made.
Now if we can replace Johnny H with Ernie Dingo we will really be getting somewhere. Cheers

I understood what janey said too, yes it does show ignorance of other cultures. Remember that show "Love thy Neighbour" its probably 30 years old but still shown here, its the sort of comment I would expect to see on there You know, "hey chalkey have ya ever seen a sandwich before" Scary.

I am from Kenya too and have lived in UK for 15 years and this is tame - people at university used to ask me if i lived in a mud hut and had lions in my back garden!!!!! and believed me while I told them that we had lions as pets and lived in a homestead of mud huts!

Originally posted by Simone82
I know that my parents were 'discriminated' there, and I of course also came across a lot of people who didn't even know where the Netherlands was, let alone know anything about it! I don't think they should either, not everybody can know everything.... And always the ideas about Holland being the land of Amsterdam (some think that's a country ), clogs, windmills and maruhana (sp). I don't care, I just explain that I hardly ever go to Ams, only some farmers still where clogs, there aren't any windmills where I live, and more people smoked weed in my class in Australia than here.

Oh, and the thread about the differences between the UK and Oz was very interesting, I hadn't realised there were so many differences, I've only been to London twice, on very short trips.

Originally posted by Megalania
I hope Aus fully appreciates you.