Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7289187)

I'm not trying to offensive but I honestly believe it only becomes an issue when people make it one. I agree that if it's used in a derogatory manner, then it's not acceptable, but then what's the difference between calling someone a 'Paki, Pomme, Abo or fat? Where do you draw the line and just let it go?

Originally Posted by starsun (Post 7289486)

Certainly the use of the word "Abo" is a derogatory term, absolutely no doubt. I would never ever use that word and would find it offensive if others used it. Growing up in Australia, there is no doubt that it is derogatory and was never used in a casual or endearing manner. However, the word "pomm" or "pommies" is not used in a derogatory manner, and therein lies the difference. Australians may say "blooody pomms" but I believe (and maybe i am wrong) its used in a more endearing manner, whereas "Abo" is just plane hateful. It's like the way we call the Russians "Ruskis" - it's not in hateful way, but just a casual nickname. Like Australians are called "Aussies".

I have no doubt though, that "Abo" in Australia is offensive and is not used that much anymore, at least not around people I hang out with.

And back to my defence of Perth - I would like to know where there are better beaches near a city. Certainly I have not seen them. I was down in Eagle Bay last December and Meelup beach was breathtaking. Absolutely amazing.

And yes, Perth does not have a lot of variety and it is quite small and insular, but to totally write it off as a complete shithole is a bit much. Trust me, I live in a shit hole now. Perth is paradise compared to that.

Originally Posted by starsun (Post 7289486)

Certainly the use of the word "Abo" is a derogatory term, absolutely no doubt. I would never ever use that word and would find it offensive if others used it. Growing up in Australia, there is no doubt that it is derogatory and was never used in a casual or endearing manner. However, the word "pomm" or "pommies" is not used in a derogatory manner, and therein lies the difference. Australians may say "blooody pomms" but I believe (and maybe i am wrong) its used in a more endearing manner, whereas "Abo" is just plane hateful. It's like the way we call the Russians "Ruskis" - it's not in hateful way, but just a casual nickname. Like Australians are called "Aussies".

I have no doubt though, that "Abo" in Australia is offensive and is not used that much anymore, at least not around people I hang out with.

And back to my defence of Perth - I would like to know where there are better beaches near a city. Certainly I have not seen them. I was down in Eagle Bay last December and Meelup beach was breathtaking. Absolutely amazing.

And yes, Perth does not have a lot of variety and it is quite small and insular, but to totally write it off as a complete shithole is a bit much. Trust me, I live in a shit hole now. Perth is paradise compared to that.

Originally Posted by starsun (Post 7284802)

Oh dear! I just read this post about my home town - Perth. Now I am all for pointing out Perth's faults and having lived there for 26 years before moving abroad and having lived away now for 5 years, I believe I am in a good position to comment in an unbiased manner. Since leaving Perth I have lived in New York, Washington DC, Sydney and now Moscow. But I guess I am still one of Perth's uneducated, unwordly, untravelled racist idiots right? Despite my Masters in International Law from one of the top law schools in the US? Yeah, all people from Perth are living in the 80's. My wardrobe is completely all from the 80s, absolutely. I have no fashion sense at all. Either do any of my friends who are from Perth and either still live there or live in London, Paris, Sydney or other parts of the world. Yep, we are all just unfashionable uneducated idiots.

You know what the funniest thing is - all the top law firms from the UK come over and try and recruit us to come and work for them. And then pay us lots of money to move over and do so. Guess they don't think we are all idiots.

I am well aware of Perth's flaws - the trading hours, the isolation, the small-town mentality, the god-awful suburbs. But there are some very very smart, cool people who live in Perth and there are some great suburbs, great restaurants and great cafes, if you know where to go. And I am sorry - the beaches are amazing. There is no denying that.

So obviously this guy has left Perth and I hope he is happy back in the UK - but if you are going to criticise, at least be balanced about it. I love having fish and chips down at Fremantle - on the water. I do it every time I am back. And having breakfast down at Cottesloe - also fantasic. Margaret River - gorgeous wineries, gorgeous beaches.

So knock Perth all you like - but lots of people love it, are happy there and it gave me everything I could hope for as a child growing up there. The universities are excellent (despite your claim people are uneducated idiots) and there are great companies there, offering excellent work opportunities.

I just couldn't let this post sit, without someone coming to Perth's defence.

:cool:

Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7289518)

I think the more you make an issue out of the term 'Abo' the more it will become one. Not that I doubt or disagree with you, I do. But you belong to a generation that has now begun to apologise for it's past just like Britain.
Yet the Aborigine's are guilty of extreme cruelty themselves especially towards their women.
Understanding I believe, is the main issue, not apologising and therefore plastering over a conscience to be suffered by the next generation.

Abo is abbreviated for the term Aborigine, just like 'Brit' and Scot'. If it could only be promoted in this friendlier manner instead of a hostile one, I think the following generations would naturally adopt a kinder attitude. As it is, to make an issue of the expression reminds us of why it's an issue and this, in my opinion, doesn't help to heal. It may not let us forget, but in not forgetting, we don't move forwards either.

I've encountered more hostility and more deception whilst living in Australia by Australians than I have ever encountered anywhere on my travels. I mostly agree with the poster on this thread. I believe that it should be compulsory that every young Australian be made to experience living abroad like a kind of national service so that they learn that there is a life outside of Australia.
My experience of Australia, and I am heading home, is that it's corrupt, shallow, biased and greedy. If Australians like yourself can return after a period of leaving it, and I truly respect your input as an international individual, you will be doing the country a massive favour.
It needs to grow and it can't do this while it pretends to be something it is not and hoping to absolve it's past by jumping on the back of a culture like the Aborigine's pretending to be giving them something back that was never yours to take in the first place is absurd.

I get tired of being in Australia and watching them use the Aboriginal 'host' as their portal into this century. Mostly you're a bunch a lazy bastards who can't think of doing anything for themselves so you nick the plot from someone else?

Like I said, I m going home so I'm sorry if this offends but I've never been known for my cotton wool explanations and I don't believe I ever will be. The UK may not be perfect but at least it's old enough to have had enough good hidings to not be a loud mouth pretending it's something it isn't.
When Australia grows up, it will be a great place, I'm sure.

Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7289518)

I think the more you make an issue out of the term 'Abo' the more it will become one. Not that I doubt or disagree with you, I do. But you belong to a generation that has now begun to apologise for it's past just like Britain.
Yet the Aborigine's are guilty of extreme cruelty themselves especially towards their women.
Understanding I believe, is the main issue, not apologising and therefore plastering over a conscience to be suffered by the next generation.

Abo is abbreviated for the term Aborigine, just like 'Brit' and Scot'. If it could only be promoted in this friendlier manner instead of a hostile one, I think the following generations would naturally adopt a kinder attitude. As it is, to make an issue of the expression reminds us of why it's an issue and this, in my opinion, doesn't help to heal. It may not let us forget, but in not forgetting, we don't move forwards either.

I've encountered more hostility and more deception whilst living in Australia by Australians than I have ever encountered anywhere on my travels. I mostly agree with the poster on this thread. I believe that it should be compulsory that every young Australian be made to experience living abroad like a kind of national service so that they learn that there is a life outside of Australia.
My experience of Australia, and I am heading home, is that it's corrupt, shallow, biased and greedy. If Australians like yourself can return after a period of leaving it, and I truly respect your input as an international individual, you will be doing the country a massive favour.
It needs to grow and it can't do this while it pretends to be something it is not and hoping to absolve it's past by jumping on the back of a culture like the Aborigine's pretending to be giving them something back that was never yours to take in the first place is absurd.

I get tired of being in Australia and watching them use the Aboriginal 'host' as their portal into this century. Mostly you're a bunch a lazy bastards who can't think of doing anything for themselves so you nick the plot from someone else?

Like I said, I m going home so I'm sorry if this offends but I've never been known for my cotton wool explanations and I don't believe I ever will be. The UK may not be perfect but at least it's old enough to have had enough good hidings to not be a loud mouth pretending it's something it isn't.
When Australia grows up, it will be a great place, I'm sure.

Originally Posted by Jumbo_Celcius (Post 6260001)

Did anyone watch the recent BBC series "Life On Mars"?
"My name is Jumbo Celcius. I fell asleep on a plane and woke up in 1973. Was I mad, or in a coma or just in Perth?


Well folks, below is my final rant on Perth, please read the disclaimer first

Disclaimer:
The information below is provided as a guide only and may not be used (TraceyW, I'm looking at you!) or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been posted.
Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is completely intended.......so sue me.
If you feel that you have been offended by any of this, then go call the Samaritans 'cos you won't get any sympathy here.

Come to Perth they said, it's beautiful and the lifestyle is fantastic, it has Australias best beaches (lies), the cost of living's cheaper (more lies), lovely cafe strips (supreme lies), plenty of nightlife (this is just getting completey ridiculous lies, bordering on delusional).

So I packed up my things, waved goodbye to the homeland and set off on the long haul to the planets bottom (literally).

Subiaco - where do I start - I'll tell you where you start. Head West out of the CBD along Hay St, when the building numbers reset to 1, you're in "Subi".
Cool, trendy Subi with it's "cosmopolitan cappuccino strip" and "fashionable boutiques". Were the tourist board smoking crack when they wrote this?
Watch out Paris, Subi is taking over. The Parisians would have a word for "Subi"........that word is "merde".
And now they're going to knock down two of the reasons I used to even bother going there (The Lords Sport centre and the "cinema") to build more sh!tty overpriced cardboard box flats so that those shallow idiots can buy one and say they live in "Subi".

Fremantle - See the bit above about "cosmopolitan cappuccino strip" it's like "Subi" but on the water. Try the "famous fish & chips" at the harbour....famous for being over priced crap. While you eat them you can gaze upon the pen!s extensions in the harbour.

Leederville - "Subi" wanna be, and if that's what it's aspiring to be I'm not even gonna waste my time writing about it.

Joondalup - There's passport control at the start of Grand Boulevard - if you don't have a British one you're not allowed in.

Rockingham - I felt like I needed a shower when I left there and there's been enough previous post about this already.

Mandurah - Did anyone go to the Crab Fest? What a complete and utter over rated steaming pile of cow's shee-ite.

Perth In General:
I have never had so many people trying to rip me off since I was in Nigeria, in a final insult, that fcuckers at Optus charged me a $170 disconnection fee for my phone!! Also pretending to be friendly when they're trying to screw you over, "don't call me mate, I'm not ur ****ing mate, if you don't stop patronising me we are going to become mortal enemies".

People getting annoyed when you tell them you're leaving and calling the UK a sh!thole. "The lifestyle" they cry in unison in an almost brainwashed like fashion. Trying to convince you that leaving a perfectly happy
life for less money, a worse house, more expensive, lower quality food and clothes in a isolated hick town will make you happy. I seriously fell out with one person over this before leaving and nearly lost if with a few more. My "leaving night" was hell, everybody went on the whole night about how I was making a mistake and "how could you not love this", another thing, why do people always hold their hands up gesturing at the surroundings when saying
"Look at it, how could you not love this".
All I see is tacky, dated buildings and graffitti, "Look at the weather though" they say.....screw the unbearable heat, Afghanistan is sunny, do you want to move there?
"Rachim, why do you want to go to the UK, it's a sh!thole, look at it here , it's sunny!"

The abbreviations and slang they use..bikie, workie, garbo, servo, using it in the media and on the news too, could you imagine Trevor McDonald saying the some famous person was unable to attend an event because he's "crook"!!

Abo's asking for money all the time. Yes, they did get ****ed over but if they had their head screwed on they could seriously push for land & mineral rights etc and make some cash, then I could start asking them for $5 since they say it's their country therefore that's who I'm asking for a refund from.

Australia Day - I particularly liked it when they flew the big swastika...whoops, sorry I mean FLAG over the river from a helicoptor before the fireworks. I'm surprised there wasn't an announcement ordering everyone to bow in front of it!!

Over rated, over priced, over hyped restaurants. Every dish is "famous" when it's just a cheap, lower quality imitation from somewhere else in the world.

Kangaroos, at first I thought they were cool, after a while I just look at them hopping around and think, **** sake why are you jumping around in this heat, take a gentle stroll instead, it's not as if you're in a rush to get anywhere!!

In summary, it's the most socially & culturally backward, boring, over hyped dump with tacky buildings, grafitti and false internationally unaware racist idiots on the planet and all the sunshine and beaches in the world isn't going to make a difference


Thank you and goodnight.

Jimbo - Pioneer of truth and citizen of the world.

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK (Post 7291537)

I think that the bottom line is this:

http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/cham...Mozilla-search

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abo
(see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disparaging)

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/abo?view=uk

These are definitive descriptions for the word 'abo' and let's be honest can a dictionary of English language (words) be any more seminal than that of the Oxford Dictionary? I think this proves that the definition of the word goes well beyond that of an implicit social interpretation.

The word was created to be offensive and hasn't been 'lent' for the purpose of being derogatory towards Aboriginals.

Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7291591)

The Aborigine's have been a persecuted race of people but so have most races at certain points in history. While it's wrong to continue to persecute anyone today, be they black, white, fat, thin, whatever, as soon as it's made an issue, it doesn't go away.
It's like accusing whites of supremacy. I can't think of a single period in UK history when the average Joe lorded it over anyone else yet we are still frequently accused of doing so.
I am fed up of being blamed for my ancestors and their empire building status across the globe and then being forced to wear their debt today by being so PC, it ends up as racism in reverse!

I am especially pissed off when we're not allowed to describe ourselves as British or mention Christmas. What was the bloody point of going to war and bashing the Germans if it's all come to how we describe someone's ethnic origins when we still refer to the French as Frogs and the Welsh as gits???

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK (Post 7291602)

Quite a digression....

Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7291755)

For this reason I'm not convinced on the current PC radicals stance.

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK (Post 7291774)

Ok, I'm listening. Can you back up that assumption with something concrete?

Originally Posted by cricket1 (Post 7291783)

Like what?