gh_be_aussie

Forgive me to discuss this topic. but this is something really serious and point of view of many millions ..

Most of the people i told that i am moving to OZ, they reacted with feeling that i am moving to a racist country (against Asians in particular). I do not know the basis of this image and how i can remove it but i know people opinion always has some solid background.

Can you please share opinions what kind of racism issues an asian (indian, pakistani) in particular can face at the work and family life. I think probability of racism incidents should be less in sydney though than suburbs....

Weebie

Considering Australia has the biggest Asian population in the world per capita for a western country bit hard to label the country racist.

Few things

Australia doesn't subscribe to the political correctness crazyness that the UK is involved with.
You need to speak fluent english and adapt to Australian customs here or you'll get no where.
Many brits move to undesirable areas full of bogan racist counsil housing and this is there view of Australians.

Gypsy.

From your question, I presume that you are an Indian. Or May not be.

Racism does not exist as it is projected in Indian Media. As long as you speak and behave like native Australians with adaptive ability you will not feel any racism.

Sorry to say that Indians blame their culture for not mingling with people around here whereas other Asians are good in picking up the Ozzie accent and mingling well with the Ozzie culture. I have never heard anybody except Indians using the word Racism. Bloody Indian Media...

I am an Indian as well and I hate the Indian Media's attitude.

(Note : This is purely my personal opinion)

JackTheLad

It is a bit of a myth I think. You get racists in every country. I worked in Brisbane CBD and honestly it sometimes it feels like Hong Kong because everyone is asian. Which is no problem, some of my best wives have been asian.

I think the 'racist' label comes from not being able to understand the asian accents. It's not racist. What if I said to a Glaswegian I have no idea what you just said, your accent is unintelligable? Is that racist?

JTL

ProudVIC

For some reason, Australia seems to be held up to a much higher standard than other countries when it comes to race issues.

As mentioned in a previous post, Australians are not as caught up in political correctness as other western nations seem to be.

As an extremely multicultural country concentrated in urban areas, white Australians are used to living alongside and interacting with people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. You will find over here that Asians and Indians (as well as hundreds of other nationalities) are prominent in everyday life. Many of them are behind the counter of shops, especially in the inner urban areas and are very prominent in the streets. They drive the trains and taxis and man the railway stations, etc. etc.

Cultural festivals exist in many areas that celebrate multiculturalism.

It is a great injustice that Australians are perceived to be racist as in my opinion we have embraced other cultures more than most nations on earth. We have shown great tolerance and allowed cultures very different to our own to have a strong input into how our country functions. Imagine the reverse happening and Australian culture being embraced and integrated into Indian or Asian society. It just doesn't happen.

Sure, many people are resentful that the Australian culture (which is derived mostly from British and European culture) has been eroded to some extent by the large influx of migrants from other areas. Many people would prefer to have Australians serving them or making announcements on platforms etc. because they speak the language and share the same heritage, culture and social norms. People of other races and ethnic heritage can make Australians feel a bit uneasy at times due to the wide gap between the cultures. Xenophobia does exist here.

This is the same everywhere though. In Britain and European countries you hear the same resentment and complaints. In Asian countries, Australians and westerners are viewed with great suspicion and resentment by many people. I have been to Indonesia and experienced this first hand, I know how westerners are perceived in these countries. Asians and Indians in particular are very concerned about cultural issues and their culture being eroded away by western influences after years of colonialism and imperialist rule by western countries.

Overall though, if you act in a pleasant way, make some sort of effort to fit in with the local culture, attempt to learn the language etc. you will be widely accepted. Even if you don't, you are no more likely to be a victim of crime, bullying or hostile behaviour than anyone else. Australia is a civilised and highly progressive society. We don't go around picking on migrants as a daily pastime.

We have our criminal classes and low class people who do but they are just as likely to pick on fellow Aussies and are well and truly in the minority like in most countries.

moneypenny20

Agreed. Yes there's racism in fits and starts but from Australian residents as a whole to other nations? Nah. To many different nationals living here for that.

IvanM

It is here it happens but it happens anywhere. One difference here is the ocker Aussie does not hold back on their opinions. They probably give the appearance this is a redkneck nation when they are just spewing out what other more reserved cultures do not say in public.

ProudVIC

The 'ocker' Aussie though is not really that prominent, certainly not as much as the stereotypes fed to other countries would imply.

In my opinion, it is a good thing that many Australians say what they think (and what they mean) a lot of the time. It is better to get concerns out in the open rather than thinking things in private and then acting behind people's back. Openness eventually leads to better relations amongst people and a better level of understanding.

Australians can't do anything without being perceived as racist. Some examples are the KFC cricket ad that featured the West Indians in the crowd, and the black face skit on 'Hey, Hey it's Saturday'. OK, sometimes Australians may come out with something that is in poor taste or irreverent but there are rarely racist motivations behind it.

Australians aren't the only people in the world who can be irreverent or in poor taste some of the time.

IvanM

Their noise makes up for their numbers. Then Cronulla came. All the talk back idiots whipped up the crowds and we had an anti migrant riot. It was at that period I wondered if there was something in the racist nation notion. This is a country which had a whites only policy until the seventies.

ponyrama

Australia does not discriminate - it is racist towards everyone. Including its own indigenous people and also its english/european cousins (dont get me started!!!). The thing that annoys me about it is that most Australians wont accept that they are racist - which is also known as ignorance.

I agree that Australia has a fantastic multicultural society, that embraces people from all over the world, but for every person that is accepting of anyone from anywhere, the person standing next to them will be making a judgement.

I'm not dissing Australia, I think all First World Economies are the same. The covert nature of discrimination in this country makes it all the more difficult to oust - if you can ever oust racism totally from anywhere.

At the end of the day, Australia is a country of more than 20 million people, some are racist, some are not. Its not really Australia's fault is it?

Bix

I see no racist.

ProudVIC

The USA had segregation and South Africa had apartheid.

You're right. The ockers make a lot of noise, but do not make up the majority of the population. In the USA there are the same sort of people, the 'rednecks' or 'white trash' as they are referred to. Again, they make a lot of noise but do not represent the country or its people. The stereotypes fed to other countries however would imply that the USA is mostly made up of ignorant rednecks.

ProudVIC

Australia does not discriminate - it is racist towards everyone. ....and also its english/european cousins (dont get me started!!!).


I don't really see how you can be racist to a race of people you are directly related to. How can Australians of European or Anglo Celtic ancestry be racist against the same race of people.

If I don't like a group of people, say homosexuals or people who vote for a particular political party, does that make me racist towards them? I may be considered bigoted if i were to think that but it's only racist if you don't like a group of people of a different ethnic background, and more specifically if you discriminate towards them in any way.

A lot of people from other countries won't be happy until most Australians all line up and admit they are racist whilst they all gloat. I do not see why Australians get singled out for this whilst other countries that think the same thing seem to get off practically scot-free.

Bix

If only you could bottle it.
Worth a small fortune.

ponyrama

I did say that I think all first world countries are the same. I dont think this is something exclusive to Australia.

But being a new immigrant of English and Irish descent, I regularly experience racism. Your regular Aussie would say that they are just be friendly, having a laugh, or that they love the English etc etc. And that is why I make reference to their ignorance as they dont realise that when the first thing they notice about me is my accent, proceed to call me a POME for the next two years, presume that I am crap at all sports, presumably come from London (cos London is the only place in England) - and tell me that if I dont like the weather, tea, flies, beer, barbies etc etc - it is obviously because I am a whinging POM - they are being racist. And it ****** pisses me off!