Is Australia racist: Let's look at the whole picture
At a time when the Indian media is whipping up a frenzy of 'racism' against Australia, it would be pertinent to look at the full picture. Is it justified to blame the whole country as racist? It's time for some soul searching...
Disclaimer: Whatever I write below is not meant to condone the attacks on Indian students.Those attacks are reprehensible and must be condemned and stopped.The effort is to present the whole picture and not the narrow breast beating of our national channels.
IT IS the season for bashing it seems. While some hoodlums are up to targeted bashing of Indian students in Australia (mainly Melbourne), we in India are up in arms as a nation to bash an entire nation and its population as racist. Our media, that has trouble finding reporters to send to some not-so-remote parts of the country to report on the problems of these regions, seem to have no trouble sending shrill voiced, excited and half-baked young reporters to far away Australia to prowl the streets and send back reports that confirm our 'worst fears' : Australia is a racist country.
In my initial days in the country, I was over whelmed by the number of Aussies, who helped me in ways big and small. (If they sometimes seemed patronising it was because they did not know the difference between a well-off, well educated migrant and those seeking asylum from disadvantaged, war torn countries.)
They explained things at work, helped me find books at the local library, explained to me the labrynthine Australian tax system and helped me find my first job. When I turned up at the interview looking very tense and stressed ( I had lost way while driving to it and had was late) the interviewer held my hand, smiled warmly and told me to relax as, according to her, my CV was enough of an interview. She did not have to do that but she did.
During this same period, I met a large number of fellow Indians, who have made huge economic strides in their new country and who by and large live peacefully and happily in Australia. But I also met a large number of those who remain caught in their 'us Vs them' mindset. In their large, double storied houses (dubbed Mc Mansions by the media) they gather routinely for chai and samosas and for 'Indian dinners' wherefor the entire evening they try and outdo one another in detailing how Australia is not all that great, how Aussies do not accept them, how they are discriminated against, how the 'white' culture pollutes and alienates their children and how 'great' their motherland India is. In their curry aided weepy, sentimentality they forget to mention the eagerness with which they had sought migration to Australia, the haste with which they had discarded Indian nationality for the Aussie one and how when they go to India for vacations they can hardly find anything good or right about the country. Ghettos are dangerous things but mental ghettos are even worse.
If Aussies are upset (as New Zealanders earlier were) about the rapid demographic changes in their country, it is also because of the arrivals failing to integrate fully with the locals. And this applies to all immigrants. In the suburb, where I worked, the large number of Afghan and other Muslim immigrants had forced the local KFC to turn Halal and keep no pork products, the nativity scene celebrations could no longer be held in schools during Christmas season lest they offend the Muslim sensibilties. Mince pies, those most iconic of Aussie treats, were not to be served during school fairs etc (pork/non-halal issues. Electoral considerations make the local politicians also bow to these demands (in some case the demand is assumed and not actually made).
In the local play grounds, the Aussie boys play Footy on the weekends and the people from the sub continent play cricket to loud music from Bollywood films. The Indians (and others) also by and large fail to embrace the concept of volunteering in the community. Voluntary work in the community is the virtual backbone of the Aussie way of life and by focussing only on what they can get from Australia the sub -continent immigrants fail to address the issue of what they can do for the communities they arrive into. This often leads to white Aussies leaving suburbs to move to newer or suburbs further away and the old suburbs gradually turn into 'Asians only' areas. This happens with the Chinese/Vietnamese/ Indian and various other communities.
Then there is the vast student population from India. Where are these large numbers coming from? In areas like Chandigarh, there are virtual assembly line businesses specialising in sending the Punjabi youth to Australia. None of these students have any intention of coming back. Most intend to settle down under. Australia is the new 'Kanaada' for the Punjabi. With the Canadian immigration now taking close to five years to get through they have set their sights on Australia as the country to migrate to.Australian migration rules are more stringent then the Canadian ones and hence the use of the education route to achieve the immigration dream.
They enrol in small TAFE (tertiray educaion system) courses in hair dressing, nursing care and similar with an eye on filling the vacancies in these areas and making Australia their new home. Nothing objectionable in all this except that they arrive in Aussie cities from small towns and cities of India with little or no idea about the culture and value systems of the new country. For them all 'goras' are the same and they carry the baggage of these stereotypes with them. I have personally heard some of these students talking in English (and Indian languages) about how 'loose' white women are, how little the 'white' parents care for their children, how easy it is to trick the benefit system of Australia to claim more dollars...
Why am I writing all this in an article supposed to discuss the attacks on Indian students? I am sharing this so that people understand how bizarre and one sided is the picture being painted by our jingoistic media. I am sharing all this so that we pause to look inwards towards our own idiosyncracies and inflexibilties, while clamouring for action against the perpetrators of the current attacks. Those guys need to be caught and punished but we too need to soul search a bit about how we treat the 'other'.
Australia on its part needs to crack down on the violence agaisnt overseas students and it also needs to take a long hard look at its immigration policy and its mega efforts to sell Aussie education all over the globe. It spins money ofcourse but by ignoring the concerns of the Australian population and without making a good case for its policies they are going to invite further problems on their head. Australia maybe a large continent but it has a small population of just 21 million and although they need the immigrants to keep their economy chugging along they also need to look far into the future and anticipate how their society may have to change with the arrival of more and more immigrants. Easy education dollars, earned now by roping in students via education fairs held world wide, may be attractive and tempting but may prove too expensive in the long run.
The time to act is now. For both countries. Both countries need to sensitise their young people about the other's cultures and way of life. The media could still redeem itself by focussing on this rather than calling a whole country racist and beaming interviews of students who say they want to leave Australia. Take my word for it. Most won't
It never ceases to amaze me, how as a nation, we are so ready to hang our jingoistic nationalism on to the peg of one arrogant and ill mannered cricketeer but show no desire whatsoever to actually change in ways that would do India proud.
It all has a sense of deja vu... remember when Bhajji and Symonds had that monkey/maa -ki spat and we rose as one to beat our collective breast and shout racist...we got that mercurial sardar off the hook by some fancy testimonies of 'senior' players and flexing the BCCI financial muscles only to have him slapping Sreesanth a few months later. Now these 'seasonal' birds are at it again...walking the streets of Australia sending back lop sided reports without any regard for the long term effect they will have on the Indo-Aussie ties.
Like migratory birds, they are there for the short haul and once their channels and newspapers have something new and equally sensational to report on, they will pack up their microphones and depart the Aussie shores. But what about the people of Indian origin, who have lived there for decades, who will continue to live there after this storm has passed and who for the most parts like the lives they have made for themselves in Australian cities?
And what about the thousands of Indian students (at last count about 90,000), who will be continuing to stay back in Australia to complete their degrees?
And what about the injustice done to million of Australians, who are not racist but have been painted as such?
The media is making a grave mistake and doing a disservice to everyone by whipping up this 'racism' hysteria.
In all my years of living in Australia, I never felt that the nation was racist. What it probably has are some people, who are without a doubt racist.
And those who are blatantly racist are racist probably because of :
1) Their own narrow and xenophobic tendencies and
2) Because they know very little about India and Indians
3) What they do know about Indians comes from the Indians, who are there (so maybe the Indians there are not being very good ambassadors for the country).
The vast majority of Australian population is warm, welcoming and accepting of the huge deluge of immigrants that has been arriving on its shores for almost two decades now.They are keen to put behind them the days of 'whites only' policies and move in tune with the changing global trends and attitudes.
Aussies are the biggest champions of the underdog and the under privileged. They hate the 'tall poppy syndrome' (some being more advantaged and prominent than the others) and go to great lengths to be the ordinary 'bloke' next door, the 'mate' who will chugg a stubbie with you and be there for you when needed.
And what about the thousands of Indian students (at last count about 90,000), who will be continuing to stay back in Australia to complete their degrees?
And what about the injustice done to million of Australians, who are not racist but have been painted as such?
The media is making a grave mistake and doing a disservice to everyone by whipping up this 'racism' hysteria.
In all my years of living in Australia, I never felt that the nation was racist. What it probably has are some people, who are without a doubt racist.
And those who are blatantly racist are racist probably because of :
1) Their own narrow and xenophobic tendencies and
2) Because they know very little about India and Indians
3) What they do know about Indians comes from the Indians, who are there (so maybe the Indians there are not being very good ambassadors for the country).
The vast majority of Australian population is warm, welcoming and accepting of the huge deluge of immigrants that has been arriving on its shores for almost two decades now.They are keen to put behind them the days of 'whites only' policies and move in tune with the changing global trends and attitudes.
Aussies are the biggest champions of the underdog and the under privileged. They hate the 'tall poppy syndrome' (some being more advantaged and prominent than the others) and go to great lengths to be the ordinary 'bloke' next door, the 'mate' who will chugg a stubbie with you and be there for you when needed.
In my initial days in the country, I was over whelmed by the number of Aussies, who helped me in ways big and small. (If they sometimes seemed patronising it was because they did not know the difference between a well-off, well educated migrant and those seeking asylum from disadvantaged, war torn countries.)
They explained things at work, helped me find books at the local library, explained to me the labrynthine Australian tax system and helped me find my first job. When I turned up at the interview looking very tense and stressed ( I had lost way while driving to it and had was late) the interviewer held my hand, smiled warmly and told me to relax as, according to her, my CV was enough of an interview. She did not have to do that but she did.
During this same period, I met a large number of fellow Indians, who have made huge economic strides in their new country and who by and large live peacefully and happily in Australia. But I also met a large number of those who remain caught in their 'us Vs them' mindset. In their large, double storied houses (dubbed Mc Mansions by the media) they gather routinely for chai and samosas and for 'Indian dinners' wherefor the entire evening they try and outdo one another in detailing how Australia is not all that great, how Aussies do not accept them, how they are discriminated against, how the 'white' culture pollutes and alienates their children and how 'great' their motherland India is. In their curry aided weepy, sentimentality they forget to mention the eagerness with which they had sought migration to Australia, the haste with which they had discarded Indian nationality for the Aussie one and how when they go to India for vacations they can hardly find anything good or right about the country. Ghettos are dangerous things but mental ghettos are even worse.
If Aussies are upset (as New Zealanders earlier were) about the rapid demographic changes in their country, it is also because of the arrivals failing to integrate fully with the locals. And this applies to all immigrants. In the suburb, where I worked, the large number of Afghan and other Muslim immigrants had forced the local KFC to turn Halal and keep no pork products, the nativity scene celebrations could no longer be held in schools during Christmas season lest they offend the Muslim sensibilties. Mince pies, those most iconic of Aussie treats, were not to be served during school fairs etc (pork/non-halal issues. Electoral considerations make the local politicians also bow to these demands (in some case the demand is assumed and not actually made).
In the local play grounds, the Aussie boys play Footy on the weekends and the people from the sub continent play cricket to loud music from Bollywood films. The Indians (and others) also by and large fail to embrace the concept of volunteering in the community. Voluntary work in the community is the virtual backbone of the Aussie way of life and by focussing only on what they can get from Australia the sub -continent immigrants fail to address the issue of what they can do for the communities they arrive into. This often leads to white Aussies leaving suburbs to move to newer or suburbs further away and the old suburbs gradually turn into 'Asians only' areas. This happens with the Chinese/Vietnamese/ Indian and various other communities.
Then there is the vast student population from India. Where are these large numbers coming from? In areas like Chandigarh, there are virtual assembly line businesses specialising in sending the Punjabi youth to Australia. None of these students have any intention of coming back. Most intend to settle down under. Australia is the new 'Kanaada' for the Punjabi. With the Canadian immigration now taking close to five years to get through they have set their sights on Australia as the country to migrate to.Australian migration rules are more stringent then the Canadian ones and hence the use of the education route to achieve the immigration dream.
They enrol in small TAFE (tertiray educaion system) courses in hair dressing, nursing care and similar with an eye on filling the vacancies in these areas and making Australia their new home. Nothing objectionable in all this except that they arrive in Aussie cities from small towns and cities of India with little or no idea about the culture and value systems of the new country. For them all 'goras' are the same and they carry the baggage of these stereotypes with them. I have personally heard some of these students talking in English (and Indian languages) about how 'loose' white women are, how little the 'white' parents care for their children, how easy it is to trick the benefit system of Australia to claim more dollars...
Why am I writing all this in an article supposed to discuss the attacks on Indian students? I am sharing this so that people understand how bizarre and one sided is the picture being painted by our jingoistic media. I am sharing all this so that we pause to look inwards towards our own idiosyncracies and inflexibilties, while clamouring for action against the perpetrators of the current attacks. Those guys need to be caught and punished but we too need to soul search a bit about how we treat the 'other'.
Australia on its part needs to crack down on the violence agaisnt overseas students and it also needs to take a long hard look at its immigration policy and its mega efforts to sell Aussie education all over the globe. It spins money ofcourse but by ignoring the concerns of the Australian population and without making a good case for its policies they are going to invite further problems on their head. Australia maybe a large continent but it has a small population of just 21 million and although they need the immigrants to keep their economy chugging along they also need to look far into the future and anticipate how their society may have to change with the arrival of more and more immigrants. Easy education dollars, earned now by roping in students via education fairs held world wide, may be attractive and tempting but may prove too expensive in the long run.
The time to act is now. For both countries. Both countries need to sensitise their young people about the other's cultures and way of life. The media could still redeem itself by focussing on this rather than calling a whole country racist and beaming interviews of students who say they want to leave Australia. Take my word for it. Most won't
It never ceases to amaze me, how as a nation, we are so ready to hang our jingoistic nationalism on to the peg of one arrogant and ill mannered cricketeer but show no desire whatsoever to actually change in ways that would do India proud.
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.I think whatever has been written in the article provides a very balanced kind of view about the indians who are settled abroad. In a society all these kinds of responses always have two ends to it. One can never clap with a single hand and keep it going. Its all about accepting a new place, people and their culture. Sometimes, we might fail to appreciate their ways of doing things and leading a life.
.The comments are good and I agree for all. The indians were slaves for more than 1000yrs not based on thir skin colour, language, customs or place of birth. We have as on today the reflection of slavery in all indians character. Why so many communual hatred persists still ,since independance in india. Further indians think that their culture is best in the world, if the indins are so culturally above everybody on this earth, why the same culture has not made indians to accept and appreciate others culture. Look at the castesims prevailing in this country. What all these indicators say , that indians are highly backward and they carry backwardness along where ever they go. Indians must learn more to remain a world citizen. Though its not racism in australia, nor australia is a racists country but indiand must do away with their more than 5000yrs old rimitive culture and religion if they want to live peacefully in this world.
.The comments are good and I agree for all. The indians were slaves for more than 1000yrs not based on thir skin colour, language, customs or place of birth. We have as on today the reflection of slavery in all indians character. Why so many communual hatred persists still ,since independance in india. Further indians think that their culture is best in the world, if the indins are so culturally above everybody on this earth, why the same culture has not made indians to accept and appreciate others culture. Look at the castesims prevailing in this country. What all these indicators say , that indians are highly backward and they carry backwardness along where ever they go. Indians must learn more to remain a world citizen. Though its not racism in australia, nor australia is a racists country but indiand must do away with their more than 5000yrs old rimitive culture and religion if they want to live peacefully in this world.
Your sentiments are appreciated but we need not do away with our religion and culture.We only need to correct those aspects that discriminate against some people and to follow our religion in a progressive and all inclusive manner.
.I think this is a balanced approach towards the pivot of the problem faced by Indians in Australia. The role of media is actually very prominent, & if media will be so naive towards such an issue then definitly people will develop such ill-thinking inside their minds that the country is not safe to visit and in future this will harm the relation between two countries.
.I agree with this article, we are solely blaming the Australians for racsim but we Indians are not far behind with regard to caste issues and i think we also forgot our behaviour to fellow North East students when they come for higher studies to other states.
I accept that such attacks are not justified and culprits should be punished so that such incidents sholud not happen in future. But our fellow Indians should also be cautious about their behaviour with the locals and always try to respect the culuture were we stay ,wheather its any other state in India(North and South India) or some other country.
.Who are we Indians to talk about racism and colour Look at any matrimonial advertisment - slim, fair beautiful are the attributes that are in fashion. Woe betide a dark skinned girl or evena boy for that matter) looking for an "arranged" marriage...they will most likely be at the bottom of the list. We also persist with the worst form of discrimination in terms of "caste" and region. How silly for all of us then to shout from the rooftops about "racism" in other countries. Violence is a law and order problem, and should be treated as such. And for all those who flaunt their goodies in the face of deprivation and hardship in a significant percentage of the population, they need to understand and appreciate sensibiities of others. I fully endorse the views expressed here by Vandana.
.I have been shocked by the growing number of attacks on Indian students in Australia. It is more shocking because for me Australia has been the home of much subaltern studies in Indian history and postcolonial studies. If I had been there I would have left it to some very wonderful whites there to sort out the problem. It is time for the Australian intellectuals to speak on the issue and advise, take over.
Sanjoy Saksena
Allahabad
.I agree with the writer's sentiments. I'm Sri Lankan and there is a large number of people of Lankan descent in both Melbourne and Sydney. But we hardly hear about anyone being attacked. Why is it that only Indians are being attacked. Indians must mend their ways to integrate with the Australian society. Every day I see Indians talking so loudly in their own language in trains, playing loud Bollywood music and eating curry with their hands in buses. They have no respect for other people. Australians are, in large, gregarious and friendly people. It seems that most Indians who come here are from rural towns in Punjab and South India who can hardly even speak English and have very little understanding of the Western culture. These people simply should not be allowed to come to Australia and get residency by doing TAFE courses. Only decent Indians who study in proper universities should be allowed. Why am I angry at Indians? Because us Sri Lankans get affected by (well justified) Australian frustration with these Indian students. This country was so good for us before Indians started coming in droves since 2005 or so.
Mal Dayaratne,I fully understand your sentiments.Yes,things have gone steadily downhill since 2005.It is so unfair to call a whole nation of friendly people racist.The fault is Australian governments also for putting profit before social cohesion of the society.
.Racist attacks on Indian students are the result of their success. Most Australians for some odd reason are not well educated nor they have any desire to pursue higher education. Lack of education makes such whites inferior as a result they create problems for themselves. Jealously makes them look for soft targets. Things have become worse after the recession and they have been on the look for immigrants, many of whom are there because they were invited by the Australian government as a matter of policy.
Those Australians who are into violence are small in number and can be easily handles by the government and the police. The point is whether the police and many of them in government are racists? One attack should have been enough to wake up the police but the number of violent incidents is growing. I have little faith left in the Australian police. Otherwise, they should identify the culprits and bring them to book.
Indians and people of other nationalities were invited for economic reasons to Australia and the people there must learn to respect that globalized societies are multi-cultural, that people from other countries contribute to the prosperity of their own society and sooner rather later they identity with the country of their adoption.
Sooraj Saksena
.Very thought provoking article, but one needs to consider is the behaviour of Indians in Australia not normal? I live in one of those rare enclaves in India where the expat population has started moving in in droves and Indians are now in minority. We have all the problems you mentioned, people from one country sticking together, people complaing about India and its systems if the pets they didnt keep in restraint runs away, and for the first time this year we celebrated Halloween and not Holi. Some people are upset, others are renting out their houses and makng money. The cause and effect are similar. So far no one has beaten up anyone of the other community, though some close shaves did happen. This is glabalization for you, its happening all around, except in places which have much bigger problems. So there is no difference in how the Indians are behaving in Oz when you consider how the Aussies would behave if they came to India, and I agree with you that a majority in either case would deplore this kind of reaction.
Point is at the Govt level the Aussies have to do a lot more to catch and punish these people, and no the behaviour of Indians even from the Tier 2/3 cities (and I know it can cause frustration) is any justification for this kind of behaviour, and the authorities do need to take responsibility and fix this.
Absolutely.Gundagardi se to kaam aur bigad jayega.Already one Aussie student has been stabbed in retaliation.That is not the way to go.Gandhigiri would certainly turn aound the tide of ill will that is there on both sides at the moment.
."I condemn the attacks on Indian Students but,
I also think we (Indians are Australians) are different !" ...
blah .. blah ... blah... blah!
Huh?
What the heck is this talk about ? I am an Indian Educated, Indian Citizen, Staying in India and working in an Indian firm.
Once a person leaves his Self-Respect he can even end up
licking someone's footsoles. Indians are second or third class citizens anywhere in the world except in India. So, Indian Students who go abroad for settling down all deserve kicks on their butts! Period. Because they are a bunch of losers who have abandoned self-respect and adopted cowardice.
Study in India, if you dont like the Indian System strive to
change it, take active part in politics and society. That would be one's true duty. If we today take initiatives to change our constitution, to change our System or the Government, atleast our future generations will see a prosperous India.
But dont leave the battlefield like a coward and expect to be treated like a first class citizen in an alien country with alien culture.
Dear Anant, u r absolutely right.
Once a person leaves his or her self respect, .... footsoles. U hit the bull's eye.
I am an Indian, studied and worked in diff. parts of India and abroad and dictate my life with my own rules. Not only I'm accepted by outsidesrs within India but also outside India but sadly this was not true for all my counterparts within and outside India.
.
U are again right about bunch of loosers, even they study in India, a north Indian 'll be bullied by south Indian and vice versa but again this is not true for those who are not loosers.
.
Last but not the least, u r absolutely right, we need fresh blood in politics but what I feel a fresh outlook make sense here too. What u say about it...
Thanks for such a meaning writing ...
And to you too Vandana...
Anant,
Your commentary is a very narrowminded perspective on humanity. More important than being an Indian is being a human with an expansive view of mankind. It is only our natural curiosity and desire to experience the world and not to be so fearful or self constraining as to conclude that ones ethnic origins ties him to one place for life.
.Cross cultural differences and problem related with these are one of the biggest worry in corporate all over the world. So do among people lives outside their country or with the people where a big no. of outsiders are living.
I study in a school outside India which offers most diverse MBA degree across world and one of the best school across world by FT and Economist. India contribute a large chunk of the student force who all are experienced working in global environment. But surprise, how easily they make their own comfort circle (ha ha, no no, not Indian Team, its north indian v/s south indian and.... so)
No doubt, there are a few racist Australian exists, but I think sometime it make sence try to mix with the cultures u r living right now(if outside ur own) and respect others viewpoint; it is never u r right and whole the world is wrong, it is we are different.
I condemn the attack on Indian student community on Australia and anything against Indians on any other parts of the world. At the same time, I think we too should try to mix with other communities, learn from them, which I can say from my own experience, is absent from my Indian counterparts (except a few and they harvest the reach benifit from it). Because if Australia is that bad, why tens of thousands of students go there every year?
It is not a one time quick fix I'm talking about, but a long term, long lasting solution based on mutual relationship and with self respect and integrity for all Indians across the world.
JAY HIND
Thank you Vandana.
I believe self respect is what construct from within and our upbringing is a major factor which dictates our mindset, behaviour, how we commnicate with outer world. I hope, if we can lever the said, we can conquer the outside world, whether in Australia or whereevere else, dare anybody thump us.
This issue will be sorted out sooner or later but as an Indian we have started our journey and we have to be a true global citizen. Excuse can't take u further, or else u shoul'd be outside ur cocoon. All I expect, an Indian should be respected outside, either in Australia or elsewhere in the world, not to be hit or hate, but to be looked as an winner.
Yes,Sandipan meaningful solutions need to be found and we must approach this issue without hysteria.
.australia is not only racist but daren right wing to the core.they have treated aborigines like crapm and tend to do the same with indians.it is in their digger blood.And people whoa re of the view thatindians are also racist so australians have the right to be racist is absurd and filled with prejudice.ACTUALLY THAT IS THE THOUGHT PROMOTED BY RIGHT WING INDIANS WHO ARE FUNDED BY AUSTRALIAN CHURCHES.
.I agree that some points of the attack have been exagerrated in the Indian media. But hey, during the first Symonds incident in India. it was Australian media who painted all Indians as racist - because of some stupid/drunk/ignorant person making some gestures in the stand. They are getting a payback and have to accept that. Also you talk about Harbhajan's behaviour after the incident....as opposed to Symond's "prestine" behvaiour. How can you beleive the words of Symonds, a drunkard and known trouble-maker as opposed to words of Sachin Tendulkar.
Australian media made a big deal about "racist" Indians. They have to look in the mirror to see who is the real racist here. Australian tennis team boycotted a tour to India sighting safety of the players. India too should withdraw from Australia, because of the attacks of so many Indians in Australia.
Ramesh its very comfortable to fall into this they vs. us thought pattern and comparing Bhajji/Symonds etcetc...in the end it solves nothing.......but hey if that makes you feel great and absolved of all responsibilty towards seeking a solution then go ahead and carry on thinking along those pattrens.
.There is no such thing as bashing going on in India against Australia. And if there were any, it would be very justified. And for God's sake, do not compare the United States with Australia, just go to both the countries and you will see the difference. Ask the non-whites, especially Indian/Pakistanis/Bangladeshis about their experience in Australia, and compare them with those in the United States and you will be shocked. To get even more transparent analysis, do ask the kids in Australia, they will tell you what happens. Or just anybody who has just been back from Australia. But I guess you will take my words as part of some insignificant rant. I have nothing against Australia. Then again, my words are words of an individual. So please, do us a favor, and do some research before writing anything as you have above. Read about the laws of Australia, and see if they can find a parallel. Do read the cultural history of Australia, not a very long topic, and then come out and tell us why the psyche there is the way it is. People generally say when you meet a foreigner, you are the ambassador of your country. If you behave bad, it won't be the foreigner's fault to think bad of your country. People tend to generalize, and one should keep that in mind. Over there in Australia, it is not one, but many people, and even organizations are busy creating xenophobia. Their mere existence tells us what the Australian government has done to curb such things. And Australia is a democratic country, what a government does, doesn't happen without the approval of the people. Please keep all this in mind before you begin to doubt the claims of victims of hate crimes. In the United States, even an accusation of hate crime could put a person out of job and away from family. This is not so in Australia. In the United States people lose their political seats at the slightest hint of racism, in Australia they are condoned, hailed, and re-elected. I hope you are not too naive to ask me for the readily available proofs of these 'allegations'. So before going on to something as unjust as you have written here, please do some research and write what you should, and not what you simply can.
.ho hum nothing new, this could be a story in the USA as well. As for assimilation. What kind of assimilation are we talking about both Australia and USA comprise of immigrants from different countries. What surprises me is the nonchalant attitude of the police and the top officials in Australia. It should be safe for the sudents and if the students speak out when they feel discriminated against, what is wrong with it? Plus your experience is not the same as somebody else's. I have lived in the US for 12 years and could easily have written what you have written, as I have not felt discriminated against. But a taxi driver in New York or Melborne is definately a victim of hate, so are some university students who have paid for this hate with their lives. If they feel discriminated against racially it is their experience and perspective who is anybody to say they are right or wrong. Clearly I haven't experienced what they are experiencing..they have a right to protest and ask the authorities to keep them safe.
Yes Ishi you are right but one has to see the one sided and inciting way in which the electronic media has been reporting on this issue.It is that which is wrong and I have raised that issue.....the good and the bad co exist in all societies.Why present just one side.Are all the Indians going to leave Aus and come back? Not likely so why sour things further.
No one is saying that the students should not be protected and no one is questioning their right to ask for protection and justice but there should be a way of doing so......not blind lashing out at a whole country that is host to a huge Indian population.
.dont agree with u. due to scarcity of place here posted my comments as article. Kindly go thru it
.great article. Whatever you have said..I also say to my frnds..I have applied for AUS immigration under skilled quota and about to get my visa. My frnds warn me to go there..then I explain them why its happening.. Same thing happened in USA also. I was in USA for few months and the township where we were staying, u will see hardly few white people...reason behind was that indian used to play cricket till 3 AM under street lights and make a lot of noise. also few guys used to learn how to drive there...
I am sure same thing is happening all over the world. Before you go to any country, please make sure you respect their culture and be a part of that cultre..don't sing the songs of your homecountry..if you don't like that country just leave it and come back...
Absolutely correct.Have a great time and life in Australia Aman.To get respect one must respect the others and also one must deserve respect before one expects it..........
.hi vandana...thanks for this writeup....you have jotted down what i have been feeling every time i read 'australia is racist' theories either in print media or on television....it pains me when i see or hear indians settled in australia blaming the very country they live in....it is so ungrateful.....and specially, we indians, have no right to say about racism to anyone.....we are so much racist...we have hindus and muslims and christians and siks etc etc...but even in hindus we have brahmins and baniyas and dalits and rajputs.....even in brahmins we have differet sub-sub castes......in muslims there are shiyas and sunnis....when shiyas and sunnis fight in pakistan it is normal violence...no one says pakistan is racist...when communal violence takes place in india are we too not racist.....i just feel that we should make peace humanity as our religion or caste...and be racist on that....a person shd be judged on being good or bad...peaceful or violent rather than indian or australian.....
Thanks Meghna.You are right in ur analysis and may more sane voices like yours be heard in forums like merinews.
You are absolutely corect in ur analysis Meghna.may more sane people like you come out with their viewpoint.
.The word 'homophobic' should be read as 'xenophobic' in this article.The editing error(on my part) is regretted.
.A brilliant effort and non-linear viewpoint of the problem. I heartily congratulate the author for raising serious questions about our biased media.
I always felt an Indian bashed in Melbourne hogs limelight in our prime time media. The hypocrisy of broadcast media is well known and are equally corrupt and more venomous than the vipers.
Thank you srinivas.I am glad that so many of us Indians are able to keep a rational head and not be lured into the hate filled world of the media.
.Hi Vandana,
What would you call the minor riots that keep breaking out in the name of sons of the soil theory in Maharashtra against the north indians? What would on call the sponsored riots or 1993 or the recent ones in Gujurat pitting community against community? Is it just because the color of our skin is more or less the same that they are not called race riots? Is it because indians are being violent against indians that they are not called race riots? We give these kind of things many names but ultimately it is just intolerance of one human being towards another.
This is generalization to an unacceptable level. If you speak about Intolerance, you are talking about every act under the sun. Racism is an intolerance of one kind & the article focuses on that. please keep the purview of article before giving comments & also before acknoledging the comment too.
These unfortunate incidents in India are often labelled as 'communal riots' but violence is violence whatever label you give it.
.I agree fully. Racism has been there and will remain in all parts of the world including our own country. We are probably more racist in our thinking that we realize. The caste/community divide for one. The language divide is another. And there are probably a hundred other divides within our own communities. It's the same with terrorism. We behave like the majority of muslims are terrorists. When in reality, it is a tiny minority that actually are so fanatical that they are able to take innocent lives for some so called cause.
Again Hiten... u have no idea what Racism is. pls get ur definitions correct. Vandana, while acknowldging what Hiten has told, u shud hav told that his comments were irrelevant to the article. Media sensetionalizing is different & I agree to that, but, a self disrespecting comment like "We are Racists" & an approval by a respectable CJ is astonishing!!! many times we go overboard in making our point & it happened again HERE.
Absolutely Hiten.The media has lost all sense of balance and proportion.They sensationalise thaings and inject pison into our minds and society.We must self introspect twice before we rush to label others as terrorists or racist.
.There are anti-social elements in every society. They prey on what is called soft targets. The Chinese community were once targeted. India's record is not that praiseworthy. The Tamilians are not that liked in Delhi. We who were racially discriminated took refuge in Australia and do not have any reasons to complain about recism. The Australians empathise with our plight and offer protection for our lives.
Yes,Subramaniam.The Australian laws offer a greater degree of protection than some of our own back in India.This Australia baiting by the media must stop.
.What an interesting article. When one feels left out of the majority, it is easy to seclude oneself and find his/her place outside it. You make a good point...maybe it's better for everyone to compromise and just try to be good, understanding, compassionate neighbors.
Just as a family considers how others feel - is my music keeping my sister awake? Was I mean when I was tired? Is my insecurity making me rude? We need to consider how we treat others - and not just how we feel we treat others, but how they perceive the treatment.
You felt condescended to, the Aussies feel their traditions are being disrespected. None of it is intended at it is perceived, but the end result is negative whatever the intention.
Thank you to all the readers for their comments.My effort has been to try and present the other side of the picture that has sadly escaped the attention of the electronic media.
.Thank you for your article. I am actually a French Asian living in Australia. The debate needs to be wider than what it is, you are right. Australia is at a cross road, either they choose the path of France where 30 years of bad immigration politics brought up disaster and they will end up with racial riots in their suburbs where second generation immigrants are bashing white people, and rejecting France or the choose a better path like Canada and the US where a second generation asian immigrant can be governor...
kim you are absolutely right.Australia indeed is at the crossroads and which way it goes will decide the future of race relations Down Under.
.Jai Ram zi ki madam ji! Aap itna badhiya kaise likh leti hain? Bahut badiya! humko ihh bahut badiya laga! app bahut acchha likhtin hain..
...and i was thinking..whr's Vandana gone? back with yet another thoughtful write up. Kudos!
I am very much here, Priyanka.Its just that I post more on my blog these days.U can check out my articles at : simply61.wordpress.com
Thanks Arshi.Will try and contribute more.In the meantime you can read my blog: simply61.wordpress.com
.What a fantastic article agree with you whole heartedly. Most Australians are very welcoming and not racist
Thank you.....from an ex-Melbournian to another Melbournian.I hope people like you will continue to present a rational and constructive image of Indians to the Aussies and vice versa
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