MartinLuther

Love the irony Vash. Got a couple there I reckon

Broad Shoulders

Unless you are referring to the chips on his shoulder then I fail to see the irony in his post.....unless of course you subscribe to the Alanis Morrisette definition of Ironic, in which case everything can be defined as such??????

MartinLuther

Sounded ironic to me. Not in the Alanis Morrisette mode either 'cause none of that is really ironic. What would be ironic is a car full of town planners getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to a convention.

Lord_Farquar

It's strange that someone who has lived in the UK can have such little knowledge of its history.

MartinLuther

Or maybe he was being ironic. How's your knowledge of Aussie history?

Allegedly you need a licence for everything and can't change your own plugs.

Lord_Farquar

Maybe, irony doesn't really come across very well on t'internet. Just though it was a strange comment to make.

My knowledge of Australian history is pretty good. It's an interest of mine.

Lord_Farquar

Yes, they should be travelling by public transport or by bike.

BadgeIsBack

It's fascinating addressing the perceived difference in multi-culturalism and the way it has been implemented (or worked out) in UK/Australia.

I think it is much of a muchness.

But some Australians seem to think it has worked better in Australia - (some might say because migrants have been to an extent Australianised) whilst GB commentators - (a little bitter from personal experience perhaps) say it's been a nightmare.

BadgeIsBack

Sorry more thoughts. Quite a few Australian forum commentators have talked about the differences between racism, ethnicity, nationalism - I forget the examples and terms now - they do appear to think there is a difference and that UK definitions are even odd. This may of course be borne of a different approach/understanding (after all).

I for one just hope everyone gets on with everyone else - end of.

Broad Shoulders

unless you give up your religion or your previous culture I don't believe Australia is that accepting.
Take the issues around building Islamic schools, the uproar from the communities around this across Australia was huge and completely unreasonable. Victimisation of Indian people. I agree, it is much of muchness.

What I do see is Britain embracing other cultures more openly (Diwali, Notting Hill Carnival), while Australia expects those foreign cultures to fully integrate and renounce any of their previous culture. That's not multi-culturalism at all, that's just multiple cultures being assimilated into a single culture

BadgeIsBack

Agree in part. But some of this will be literally show. But I've noticed in Australia that incoming nationalities still keep all their traditions - they don't give them up too quickly.

The most bizarre Australians are often ones who have fully embraced ridgy-didge Australian culture - 'you beauty' yet still have all their food, their ways and tastes - enough for people to notice and in some cases, make fun of in turn. Case in point in Melbourne - some Greek, South American people. Now that's very Australian - (not uniquely).

Look at the private schools in Melbourne - there are hundreds of boys and girls from ethnic minorities - that's a word I haven't heard in years....

Broad Shoulders

but that is also the case in many UK schools too.

I just think that if Aus can be called truely multicultural then the UK is even more so and has more of a history of it. To use today's displeasure at the influx of Eastern European people in Britain is wrong as it is nothing new. The same was felt in the 50s and 60s with people coming from India and the Carribean. It is pretty fair to say that Britain has now become comfortable with people of those nationalities and their cultures that they keep.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Surely you're joking?

Britain is "comfortable" with its Indian/Pakistani communities. You're pulling my leg...

MartinLuther

Funny you should say that. I posted some of my Holi pictures on facebook and my mate Reshma said it was sad that they don't celebrate it in the UK.

The Holi festival is run by the same people who run the Diwali festival.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

In your view. Obviously not in the view of the local populous

Seems to work better than the British model.