This is quite a long blog but it includes many different views on Racism in Australia compared to the UK and the USA...good to browse through.
Sue Ellson, Founder, Newcomers Network
http://www.newcomersnetwork.com
Saturday, August 12, 2006
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6 comments:
I like your blog Sue. I am a Melburnian living in London but toon to return home. Every day in the UK we are bombarded with examples of why multiculturalism doesn't work so it is great when you see and hear of sitations where it does. I taught in London schools and there is a lot that is very, very worrying at the moment in the UK but there are always exceptions and great examples of newcomers to countries making a faor go of it. My husband is British so he will be in effect emigrating to Australia as will our 3-month-old baby who was born in London.
Thanks two passports for your comments. As the saying goes, there is always at least 'two sides' to a story - no matter what you do, a pancake still has a top and a bottom! I certainly wish you well in your move - you may like to read this piece http://www.newcomersnetwork.com/mel/oursay/ouradvice/btm.php
Cheers, Sue Ellson, Newcomers Network http://www.newcomersnetwork.com
I'm an Englishman in a multi-cultural marriage happily living in Sydney.
I find most Australians are more friendly than the Brits (in the South of England at least) and tend to have a 'can do' attitude. I like living here.
I haven't seen much more overt rasism than the UK - apart from the nationally approved 'let's all tonk a bloody Pom' racist abuse of course!
What interests me is the political class dropping of the term 'multi-cultural' in favour of 'racial integration'. I can't believe how many smart Aussies I've talked to who actually buy this intellectually unsustainable argument!!!
Don't agree? Okay, 'what Aboriginal customs did your forebears adopt when they landed in Australia'?
Not convinced? Okay. say you were relocating from Sydney to Melbourne. At what point exactly in the flight would you suddenly become a St Kilda fan?
People don't need to have identical values. They merely need to respect the values of others.
Still don't get it? You're on your own...
Oh, and please don't tell me America has the answer. The moment I have to introduce myself as a 'White English Australian' at parties I'm going to relocate to Wales.
Hi Sue,
enjoyed reading the blog.
Thanks.
I'm an Englishman in a multi-cultural marriage living in Sydney.
I find most Australians are more friendly than the Brits (in the South of England at least) and tend to have a 'can do' attitude. I like living here.
I haven't seen more overt rasism over here than the UK - apart from the nationally approved 'let's all tonk a bloody Pom' racist abuse of course. (Yes, we did deserve to lose the Ashes)!
What cocerns me is the political class dropping of the term 'multi-cultural' in favour of 'racial integration', and the number of smart Asutralians who buy the argument. The premise of the argument is that immigrants should adopt 'Australian values'.
I see the argument as so clearly unsustainable I can't quite believe the politicians get away with it.
If you don't agree, try asking yourself these questions:
1) All but the Aborigines are immigrants, so shouldn't we all have adopted Aboriginal values?
2) What Aboriginal customs did your forebears adopt when they landed in Australia'?
3) Say you were relocating from Sydney to Melbourne. At what point exactly in the flight would you suddenly become a St Kilda fan?
People don't need to have identical values. They merely need to respect the values of others.
Oh, and please don't tell me America is a paragon of racial indifference. The moment I have to introduce myself as a 'White middle class English Australian' at parties I'm going to relocate to Wales.
Australia is a pretty racist nation. Abbos, Indonesians and of course Poms, amongst others, are all considered less worthy than white Australians. Naturally, there are plenty of excuses to explain why these aspects of racism are OK but they're all just racism at the end of the day.
Thanks anonymous. I agree, there is a lot of discrimination around us, not just because of race, but also ability, gender, financial status and so on.
I believe that in the last 10 years, thanks to so much debate and advocacy work, there have been many important developments, even if some of the political correctness appears 'trite' at the time.
As far as I am concerned, so long as we are talking about these issues, raising awareness, debating solutions, we stand a chance at living in a happier community.
It will never happen overnight, but I do believe, like the relationships we have within our own families, that there is always room for improvement!
Sue Ellson
Founder
Newcomers Network
http://www.newcomersnetwork.com
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