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Where I work in Sydney nearly 30 percent of the people are Asian, the statistics say the country is 10 percent Asian but some people say its higher. Australia is not racist and I am not white by the way, have mixed origins. You are so typical of Canadians in Australia, complaining and complaining. Australia is a great place to live and I find people more welcoming than in America. They don't fingerprint people here when they enter the country, and many nationalities of people are in Sydney that you do not find in the US or even in Canada.
Australia is a very laid back country and hence the I could care less attitude but as I said, Australia is less racist than North America, people here love to travel to Asia. As far as Australia never becoming Asian you have shown your ignorance, tell that to Kevin Rudd, who speaks fluent Mandarin, he is the Prime Minister, and wants Australia to be part of Asia for profits obviously but also for its own security because America is going downhill. There was a very big piece on the news in Australia last year about the sharp decline of US influence in the Pacific and how Australia wants to deal with it. Australians are not nationalistic, you hardly see an Australian flag here and people are mostly secular non religious, two habits that contribute to racism. Many Americans are bigoted people, even the bull about Obama doesn't change things. In fact, many of the crazy movements sweeping America, like the tea party movement have proven the US is still a racist society. Most of my friends are Australian and I largely avoid North Americans like the plague here, there are not many to begin with any way. Most of the Westerners here are Europeans/Brits, the Asians are becoming more numerous.
There are many people here in Australia mostly because they could not get through the front door of US or Canadian immigration its an unspoken fact that its easier to immigrate to Australia than to the US/Canada. I think a good number of the population of the suburb of Sydney where I spent my first two years would not be comfortable in post 9-11 America. I am PR here in Australia and now I am going to become a citizen.
I don't know why you feel the need to address my experiences or views as "ignorant" or pick a fight with me. I don't doubt that you aren't "mixed race" or that you don't find Australia to be "more welcoming than America". In my opinion, I feel Australia is more racist when confronted with the same situations as say, the US Southwest. I am simply expressing my opinion like in your post where you said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankDownunder
Some people might have different opinions but I think Australia is very tolerant of different people more than other countries.
I am stating my opinion - I think that Australia is more racist than the US, Canada or Western Europe. I'd have some idea - I'm black, not that it matters.
I do, however, find it odd that you say you find Australians to be more tolerant of different countries and then say you avoid the continent of North America like the plague within the same post. It is also interesting that I strike you as a "typical" Canadian complaining about this and that - I'm from nowhere near Canada. One would presume based upon your assessment of Australians as more "tolerant than other countries" that to become a true Australian you would have to be fairly tolerant.
I agree that Latinos might have it the worst out of all minorities in the US especially the West - but that still doesn't counter the fact that there are many places in the US that are faced with losing the English language altogether due to immigration (sometimes illegal) and none in Australia. Those types of situations are breeding grounds for xenophobia and hate groups. Yet unlike parts of Western Europe which have some faced similar circumstances, there are no viable racist political parties in the US. Jean Marie Le Pen received nearly a tenth of the vote for French president two elections back and the British National Party is the UK's national embarrassment. I know Sydney has lots of different types of people but that's like saying New York does. I really don't know how Australia, a country which is 90% white can realistically be compared as being less racist with the United States, a country that is only 65% white of many more European ancestries, 13% black, 15% "hispanic", and a president of mixed origins and a foreign father. My point is not to make Australia sound like a place where people of color should be afraid to go to, because it is not this sort of place. I am merely making my opinion in beside yours.
When Townsville or towns in the Outback go from 90% white English speaking to majority Asian Chinese speaking, and no xenophobic Australians rear their heads, I will full-heartedly agree with you. Until then, my opinion stand as it is.
When I visited Broome in 1985, I was directed to the 'whites' area of the Roebuck Hotel. Of course, everything is fine now.....
Edit: No seriously, I'd hope that segregation no longer exists. It shouldn't, because I visited prior to Lord McBloodyAlpine turning Broome into a tourist trap. When I visited, it was 'the bad old days'. I'm sure the Aboriginal population is well integrated into the Broome township now.
I can tell you that Australia is a lot more immigrant friendly than the US or Canada. Both suck right now, the US still has nearly 10 percent unemployment and if you by U6 its more like 16 percent. Because of this a lot more xenophobes coming out of the closet, huge hate for Mexicans and Hispanics in the States. Also those Tea Party clowns??!! Ordinary Aussies have it a lot better than ordinary Americans or even Canadians. Canada is a tundra and its ass **** weather. Plenty of Chinese in Australia, I see no real tension in Oz between Asians and Anglos.
Aussies are a lot less politically correct than North Americans, and political correctness is just a way of lying about what you really think or feel. If Canada is so wonderful stay there.
Why don't you visit Sydney, you will see so many kinds of people and a third of the people I see everyday are Asian. Rural areas are more homogeneous but most of the economy is in the cities.
More racist than the US southwest? LOL been to Phoenix?? Heard of Arpaio??!
Also look up Kevin Rudd, his politics are a very different breed from the leader of any Western nation. Australia has its downsides, its expensive to travel overseas, people can be a lot more physical than anywhere else, it was a penal colony and you can easily find out why. Barfights are very common, overall its still pretty safe.
Last edited by YankDownunder; 02-27-2010 at 12:02 PM..
I can tell you that Australia is a lot more immigrant friendly than the US or Canada. Both suck right now, the US still has nearly 10 percent unemployment and if you by U6 its more like 16 percent. Because of this a lot more xenophobes coming out of the closet, huge hate for Mexicans and Hispanics in the States. Also those Tea Party clowns??!! Ordinary Aussies have it a lot better than ordinary Americans or even Canadians. Canada is a tundra and its ass **** weather. Plenty of Chinese in Australia, I see no real tension in Oz between Asians and Anglos.
Aussies are a lot less politically correct than North Americans, and political correctness is just a way of lying about what you really think or feel. If Canada is so wonderful stay there.
Why don't you visit Sydney, you will see so many kinds of people and a third of the people I see everyday are Asian. Rural areas are more homogeneous but most of the economy is in the cities.
More racist than the US southwest? LOL been to Phoenix?? Heard of Arpaio??!
Also look up Kevin Rudd, his politics are a very different breed from the leader of any Western nation. Australia has its downsides, its expensive to travel overseas, people can be a lot more physical than anywhere else, it was a penal colony and you can easily find out why. Barfights are very common, overall its still pretty safe.
I truly hate to say it because I really like Australia, but I surely think Australia is more racist than either the US, Canada or Western Europe with ease. Like a guy posted earlier, he encountered "whites only" bathrooms as recent as 1985. Other people might not aren't even aware that this kind of stuff happened! The US and Canada have had their dark moments, but the number of Australians who hold an "I could care less" attitude", "Why should I feel guilty about that", attitude towards aboriginals and to a lesser extent new immigrants is simply astounding. And that's not even getting into the people who aren't even aware of Australia's past or learned nothing about it in school. Australians are great people but this subject of race in relation to Australia has always amazed me.
I truly hate to say it but your assessment is very far removed from the lived experience of many Australians and/or those who have experienced Australia.
Admittedly, we do have a past but you judge a society by how well it provides for its citizens (and others). Whilst some of us often complain about high tax rates, we do understand that the funds get
re- distributed into society for health care facilities, public education, housing and to look after those who are less fortunate, particularly our newly arrived immigrants, the elderly and members of our Aboriginal community. You don't find hordes of Australians changing citizenships just to get away from high tax rates to escape their social responsibilties.
The people who "aren't even aware of Australia's past or learned nothing about it in school" are NOT Australians. Where were they educated? Definitely, not in Australia.
It never ceases to amaze me the type of assessment people make of Australia but their assessment holds no water without any lived experience. Then again, "finger-pointing" is a sport in some cultures.
My fiancee was very upset during our recent trip to the US, she wanted to go, and she was fingerpinted and photographed just like every Australian on my flight. I was not because I am a US citizen, she was angry at me for several days. Australia is not a xenophobic society, its one of the more open countries at the moment. Do not even compare Australia to Europe, Europe is far more xenophobic, I actually know several holocaust survivors in Sydney.
Australians eat thing and travel to places most North Americans would not dare venture.
Racism exists in Australia like any other country but compared to most places they want immigrants in Australia. And many ethnic groups who I know have big stigma in North America, particularly Middle Eastern people are generally tolerated over here. There was one Arab guy at my job in Sydney who was talking about Islam with white Aussie workers and they were listening and looked fascinated. If he said that even in liberal California, some Americans might think he is a terrorist. Everyone has a different feeling but Australia is very accepting.
There was some big thing recently about international students getting attacked in Melbourne and the media tried to spin it into a racism thing and not the fact that there is a crime wave in Melbourne and these students were hanging around alone in some areas at the wrong time of day.
I don't know why you feel the need to address my experiences or views as "ignorant" or pick a fight with me. I don't doubt that you aren't "mixed race" or that you don't find Australia to be "more welcoming than America"..
I do not know why your opinion is less valid. When I expressed mine, I got a nasty DM with expletives and threats; fortunately the OP told me they would deal with it. And as a dual Aussie-US national who has Canadian residency I can tell you that Australia is no more or less racist than the US or Canada. People are people. I can tell you the one city that impressed me was Toronto. Not as a place to live (I am not a big fan of Toronto), but the fact that 50% of the residents of the largest city in Canada is an immigrant -- you will never find this in Oz (trust me, Canadian residency was much easier to obtain than Australian). Fortunately Canada or Australia never had to deal with terrorism like 9/11. If either did, I'm sure immigration would be tightened and tourists would be fingerprinted upon arrival and I wouldn't blame them for doing this.
Racism exists in Australia like any other country but compared to most places they want immigrants in Australia. And many ethnic groups who I know have big stigma in North America, particularly Middle Eastern people are generally tolerated over here. There was one Arab guy at my job in Sydney who was talking about Islam with white Aussie workers and they were listening and looked fascinated. If he said that even in liberal California, some Americans might think he is a terrorist. Everyone has a different feeling but Australia is very accepting.
There was some big thing recently about international students getting attacked in Melbourne and the media tried to spin it into a racism thing and not the fact that there is a crime wave in Melbourne and these students were hanging around alone in some areas at the wrong time of day.
Well I have worked with muslims and have no problem with them and even became friends with a few of them. However one day in the lunch room when the TV was on and there was a movie showing with a woman that showed a woman that appeared to be near naked, but of course there was no nudity. Some people were watching that movie and even a few females as well. The muslim woman turned the channel and some others that were watching that movie they complained to her that they were watching it and turn back the channel and she said no, as she finds it offensive.
In addition there was a muslim guy that complianed to me at work who saw a woman in a bikini walking by the hotel corridor there since its a hotel, as it has a pool located there, and he said he found it offensive.
But of course some muslims are quite liberal. When I came out as gay to some people at work, it was a muslim woman that was the first person there to say there is nothing wrong with that and said thats ok on being gay.
Anyway I know a lady that does not like Indians. Of course I certainlly agree the attacks on Indians are not racial.
Australia is not an racial tolerant utopia, as there are bigots here and always will be, but it is better than the USA.
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