Racism

This topic was created by chelsea
[Tue 25 May, 8:43 Tasmanian Standard Time]

Hello all. I'm canadian of Indian background and am
planning a trip to Australia/NZ this summer (June/July) and
I am a little concerned about racism in these countries. I
guess b/c I've grown up in Canada I've been relatively
immune to this and have heard bits and pieces of this going
on down there. However I have also heard that the people
in Aust./NZ are also very friendly. I guess I'm asking if
any other non-white travellers had any problems or if I'm
just worrying about nothing. I'd also like to hear any
thoughts from Aussie's. Thanks!

[There are 18 posts - the latest was added on Wed 26 May, 11:08]

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  1. Racism Added by: Bron
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 8:56 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Despite what you may sometimes read on the ThornTree,
    Australians as a whole are not racist. We have a very
    multi-cultural society and everyone who's anyone is
    welcome...as long as you don't rape, pillage or murder!!
    So come and have fun!



  2. . Added by: farmboy
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 9:06 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Come here with an open mind and a sense of adventure and
    you'll do just fine. Enjoy your time in our wonderful
    country. You are most welcome.



  3. I don't know where the stories come from Added by: Rose
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 11:07 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Now that South Africa is pure, I sometimes think Australia
    is being set up to become the evil nation. Because we are
    so out of the way, it is easy for misinformation to become
    entrenched in the northern hemisphere.
    While it is still basically an Anglo-Saxon nation, that is
    our history after all for at least the last two hundred
    years, it is quite homogeneous and people seem to be
    accepted for what they are so long as they don't patronise
    us or tell us how we could do it better as soon as they get
    off the boat. There is a lot of intermarriage, especially
    in the second generation and people seem to enjoy their
    stunning grandchildren. It is the most kindly, truly
    tolerant nation I have ever been in. Canada is pretty good
    but not as kind as Australia. I think you will be quite
    relaxed and happy here if you just take it as it comes.



  4. I don't know where the stories come from Added by: Rose
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 11:08 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Now that South Africa is pure, I sometimes think Australia
    is being set up to become the evil nation. Because we are
    so out of the way, it is easy for misinformation to become
    entrenched in the northern hemisphere.
    While it is still basically an Anglo-Saxon nation, that is
    our history after all for at least the last two hundred
    years, it is quite homogeneous and people seem to be
    accepted for what they are so long as they don't patronise
    us or tell us how we could do it better as soon as they get
    off the boat. There is a lot of intermarriage, especially
    in the second generation and people seem to enjoy their
    stunning grandchildren. It is the most kindly, truly
    tolerant nation I have ever been in. Canada is pretty good
    but not as kind as Australia. I think you will be quite
    relaxed and happy here if you just take it as it comes.



  5. If you're an Indian you've got problems Added by: rhod
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 13:40 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    only joking...I don't know what you've heard, but you
    needn't worry. I'm an Indian living in Melbourne and it's
    not a problem.



  6. Will be Ok Added by: sputnik
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 14:27 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Australia does suffer from a fair ammount of institutional
    racism and the occasional racial based verbal attack. I
    have heard reports of Indians (Sub continent)being given a
    hard time generally because they had been mistaken for
    Murris (aboriginals).
    I can reassure you though that your personal safety will
    not be at risk and your chance of encountering racism will
    be slim, particularly in the "tourist" areas.
    As far as tolerance and multiculuralism you will find
    Australia alot like Canada



  7. Will be Ok Added by: sputnik
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 14:29 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Australia does suffer from a fair ammount of institutional
    racism and the occasional racial based verbal attack. I
    have heard reports of Indians (Sub continent)being given a
    hard time generally because they had been mistaken for
    Murris (aboriginals).
    I can reassure you though that your personal safety will
    not be at risk and your chance of encountering racism will
    be slim, particularly in the "tourist" areas.
    As far as tolerance and multiculuralism you will find
    Australia alot like Canada



  8. New Zealand Added by: Kiwigirl
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 16:53 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    New Zealand is just fine. Racist? No way. There would be
    more people here who would stick up for you before you even
    had time to reply to any racist person you met. Don't worry.



  9. agency Added by: walter (valleyt@effect.net.au)
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 17:22 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    I am an Australian Travel agent from Italian birth and I can
    tell you that despite a couple of morons whose hat size is
    larger than their IQ we are a tolerant race. The mix of
    cultures is very good but we still have the odd person who
    though ethnic themselves, point accusing fingers at other
    migrant groups.
    Unless you are a complete putz, you will find many Aussies
    will stand up for you if some idiot tries to get to smart.
    Having tie sto NZ I can tell you they are pretty much the
    same as Aussies (sorry to upset all you Kiwi's) NZers and
    ourselves are a little like a family - we argue between
    ourselves, call each other names and denigrate each other
    BUT let any other interloper stick his bib in and we both
    turn on HIM.
    I mean Aussie always tell NZ sheep jokes, and Kiwi's always
    produce sporting upsets against us just to spite us. When
    you have nations so used to taking hte mickey out of each
    other and themselves, how could we be that bad??



  10. Rose does not know shit... Added by: Jo
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 18:56 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Come on Rose - what the hell do you think you're talking about. Now that SA is pure... hello - have you actually been to SA? No country is pure - SA is on the way up, but its a long way from being pure. I think America is the most racist country in the world. That case not so long ago when they dragged that black guy along behind a vehicle... and he was still alive when his head came off. Don't you dear talk about Australia being evil - when America is the one to watch.



  11. Racism in Australia Added by: Ally
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 19:22 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    It seems that racism in Australia is considered an evil
    that only Anglos do eg Pauline Hanson, John Howard etc but
    as Australia is a multicultural and ethnicaly diverse
    nation racism is not limited to just Anglos against
    everyone else. There is a fair amount of institionalised
    and state sanctioned racism but there is also a fair amount
    of racism within the community itself and it does not
    matter which ethnic group you come from.
    I disagree with Rose's assertion that Australia is a
    homogenised society. This concept goes against what
    multiculturalism is about. To me homogenisation =
    assimiltaion and that policy went out in the 70's.(although
    some remnants still exist) Australia in the late 90's seems
    to be more tolerant and accepting of people of different
    backgrounds, race, sexual orientation etc. You may get the
    odd comment from ignorant people from any ethnic group in
    Australia. You will probably also notice we use the words
    "wog", "skip", "wong fu", "curry muncher", "pom" etc in
    gerneral conversation. In the wrong context they can be
    considered derogatory but a lot of these words have been
    reclaimed by the ethnic groups they refer to. eg the group
    that did the shows "Wogs out of Work", "Wog Boys",
    "Acropolis Now" are all men/women from greek descent. The d
    generation also did skits like "healthy, wealthy and woggy"
    on their Late Show program where Santo Cilauro was the
    presenter. To slag one another and ourselves off is an
    Australian tradition as #9 said and it is done by everyone.



  12. like post #9 Added by: voja
    [Timestamp: Tue 25 May, 23:33 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Walter does have a point regarding people standing up for
    you. I know that where I live (WA), that alot of people
    will stand up for you. If people do call you names, that
    would only be in a heated arguement, and they do that
    simply to annoy or stir you up, but i doubt that they
    really mean it. I think that australians have more of a
    problem with asians. Not a big problem (only because they
    are a little jealous and a tiny bit invaded). Otherwise (i
    know it sounds like i've discribed australia as real
    racist) australia is pretty good. You shouldn't worry.



  13. AUSTRALIA IS COOL Added by: Robin
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 1:44 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    If you're not white then you're not welcome in Australia. JUST KIDDING! In fact I think it would be the opposite bevcause as has already been stressed, we're a highly tolerant multicultural society. As #11 said, Aussies like to take the piss out iof each other and nobody gets too offended too easily, generally. Unlike a lot of people (Londoners South of the Watford Gap?) Aussies don't take themselves too seriously. Having said all that, you may hear the occasional disparaging comment about Asians or Aborigines but it's never racism of a malevolent (i.e. KKK) kind, although racism of any kind is no good. In my opinion a lot of Australians perpetuate negative stereotypes of Aboriginals or Asians but aren't really racist as such. So, for example, you might hear someone complain about Aborigines being drunkards or lazy but in reality if that person met an Aborigine who they liked then their skin colour wouldn't prevent them from befriending that person.



  14. No problemo Added by: Lisa
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 2:30 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    I am also a Canuck with an Indian background who visited Oz
    for the first time this April. I had a great time while
    visiting Sydney, Cairns, Alice Springs, Uluru and
    Melbourne. We never encountered any racial problems at all.
    Most people were very friendly and went out of their way to
    help us. Before leaving, I had also heard rumours that non-
    whites might be treated differently but that is unfounded,
    at least for tourists. Have fun.



  15. Another one? Added by: Chelsea
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 3:46 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Hey Chelsea, I've never heard of anyone else with the same
    name as me!



  16. Racism Added by: Chelsea
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 8:46 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    Hi everyone. Thanks so much for everyone's responses to my
    worries. I had a feeling that previous descriptions of
    Aussie/Nz were exaggerated or unfounded. But you all
    definately have made me feel better about travelling over
    there! (and Chelsea, you are the 2nd chelsea I have had the
    pleasure of hearing about!) Cheers everyone!



  17. i know Added by: wog
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 11:04 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    the so called australians are the bigest racist , they hate
    everybody who were not born in this country, they forget
    one thing they are nothing but a son of a convict. the so
    called tolerance is only on the surfice but inside they
    are[ so called real fairdinkum aussies Iwas born here types]
    THE WORST.....the hatred is here for ever. old blokes from
    ww2 still hate the JAPS.and that hate is handed down from
    generation to generation. In USA the whites and the blacks
    and the others are openly abuse each other, here i got to
    admit no so openly [yet].
    if you open your mouth and they herea a foreign accent , you
    are a wog and they treat you like shit. there are two laws
    here one for the so called AUSTRALIAN and one for the
    newcomers.
    i could tell you more about it but you have to come here
    , see it hear it yourself from other INDIANS, they [the
    australians ] will not do anything openly against the
    tourist ...............they are not game enough to start a
    fight only if there are 12 of them against you.
    So do come over the country is great , open spaces, room
    to move . but mix only with your own kind you'll be right
    mate.



  18. not 100% Added by: wog2
    [Timestamp: Wed 26 May, 11:08 Tasmanian Standard Time]

    not that bad yet.. only 99%




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