Is Australia Racist?

Well the discussion started on another thread which was not related to racism at all, so Instead of taking that thread offtopic, I created this thread to continue the discussion. And I just want to make clear beforehand that I'm not Anti- Australia or anything, I think its a great country in most aspects, its just that I have heard a lot about Racism over there which some of my Oceanian friends disagree with, so I'm just looking for opinions and POV's.

You are right, my opinions are based on what I have read and heard, but what I have heard makes me reluctant to travel down there. When I was looking for colleges to apply at, Aus. was the first country I striked out, again based only on what I have read and heard. So I'll tell you what I have read and heard and you can tell me if its true or not.

There's racism in every country but usually it doesn't get political backing or take violent forms in "developed" countries atleast. For 70 years Australia followed a "White Australia Policy" and a sudden flood of Asians/Africans is not being welcomed by most. I'm sure most people in Australia might be more tolerant but we can't deny the fact that many people do give a violent outlet to their hatred against immigrants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Australia#Contemporary_Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Hanson#Allegations_of_racism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Andrews_(Australian_politician)

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/former-telstra-chief-says-australia-is-raci/466061/

http://www.antar.org.au/node/221 (Australian site)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/26/2801435.htm

http://www.disinfo.com/2010/01/let’s-not-deny-the-evidence-that-australia-has-a-problem-with-racism/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_attacks_on_Indians_in_Australia

Phew...Long post, I know!

 

Ok, yeah - that is very long - lol - if I skip over answering certain parts you'd like responses to let me know, as it is late here and I'm pretty sure I'll get a little lost in that sea of white bubbles. ^-^;

1) Pauline Hanson
How she got into parliament was completely different to what she did once there; the entire country (more or less) hates her; we sent her to jail some years back and had a very popular song in the 90s based on degrading her. Pauline Hanson is as despised by Australians as anyone else, and she is by no means a spokesperson for this country. (You will note that she was critical of "Australia's immigration policy and of multiculturalism" - a policy that still stands strongly today despite her attempts at negative change.)

2) Kevin Andrews was not so much racist as realistic; while he couldn't provide recognized statistics, at that time we DID have great difficulty with both Africans and the Sudanese - Australia has always opened its arms to immigrants provided they want to come to Australia to enjoy the Australian way of life - if they do not mix with others and refuse to do so it is extremely problematic, above all else a multicultural society cannot be congregated and successful, these are mutually exclusive in terms of being multicultural. (To keep Australia Australian while incorporating and including other cultures does require that both sides mix and integrate themselves.)
As to the Sudanese - it was a big, BIG problem. Australia is the kind of place where it is very safe in most areas to walk alone at night - almost anywhere - regardless of age, gender and race. The Sudanese had formed something resembling gangs in many areas and were starting fights with various others, including other immigrants. They threatened the safety of others - while this is not an issue any more it was a big concern at the time - and while people might not like the comments it was, IMHO, justified.

Immigrants, like locals, are very much children of Australia - you do not have more children when you cannot care for and keep the ones you have safe.

3) Sol Trujillo
If you review our immigration policies they are CONSIDERABLY more lenient than many other countries, including America. I'm actually opposed to this. I believe our immigration policy, currently, is too all-accepting. Something similar to the green card system would be better. This is one guy making comments about a system I don't think he even understands - I appreciate his right to disagree with it but it seems to me he is calling it racist simply because it wont blindly accept 100% of everyone who comes in. Again, this is about safety above all else - I'm sure you'd understand why a stricter policy, as with green cards, would be more suitable and would still NOT be racist.

4) Indigenous Australians of Aboriginals
Sadly the fact is that these people, also Australians, are very much what the stereotype would have you believe. This isn't racism, but fact. The issue is not based on race or class - you dislike Muslims because of Islams issues; child abuse, abuse of women, violence, etc. - this is very much what Aboriginal communities are like. Aboriginals are fine, but those living in strictly Aboriginal communities are generally very, very unwell. The child abuse is horrific and heart breathtakingly common while alcoholism is rampant. These are very much small, makeshift societies that are living in a violent and dark age. Please do some more reading on it before assuming it is racist to speak badly of them - it's a sad, sad situation but a very real one. (Think generations of brainwashed Muslims - this is what Aboriginals are like in many senses. Not in being expansionistic, but in believing certain things are OK that we would never support, including the rape of children and beating of women.)

The children dying faster is the result of the refusal to take the children to hospitals; either out of hatred for the "white man" or in order to hide the fact the child has died from abuse - this is sad but remains a fact.

As to not being able to vote or get a drivers license - no, if they have no proof of identity then they most certainly may NOT. I can't either. It isn't racist. They can obtain a proof of identity card for FREE at various government locations. This is simply a security measure and one that makes ABSOLUTE sense. Can you vote in your country, or obtain a license, without proof of who you are? (Aboriginals here do NOT need a birth certificate to be provided with proof of identity, although the only reason not to have one or be able to get one is not being born in a hospital, registered in any school, etc. This is the PARENTS' responsibility; something sadly many Aboriginal parents still fall short of.)

5) The Indian attacks - I have strong feelings on this as the facts are not being reported. Here we go;

*Racist cabbie attack ‘was yobbo madness’ (News Limited, 13 Nov 2009)
The cabbie had indecently assaulted a married Australia woman. He happened to be Indian.

*Sydney Indian attacks: ‘police burying heads in sand’: “A Parramatta councillor says police are naive if they believe a spate of attacks on Indians in Sydney’s west have nothing to do with racism.” (The Age, 15 June 2009)
There was no reason to believe that these attacks were because of race. No racial comments were made. People are attacked every day, for different reasons. Indians can be part of gangs too. Etc. Blindly believing because a person of a difference race is attacked BECAUSE of racism is idiotic. I once had to (in self defense) stab a man in his leg. I've also beaten up some guy trying to take my bag. One was Indian, one was Lebanese. Does that make me racist?

*Indian woman’s body found in Brisbane canal (Time of India, 11 Jan 2010)
Tragic but it happens; it is suspected that two men were responsible - both Muslim immigrants to Australia. (This isn't about bashing Islam, however a good number of the attacks here, on anyone, Australians included, are in fact carried out by immigrants.)

*Indian set on fire in Melbourne (Time of India, 9 Jan 2010)
This one is a TOTAL fucking joke. He set himself on fire in order to get insurance money. Please look it up - I've commented on this earlier today and in the past. It was a horrible thing to do, some asshat trying to make money.

You forgot to mention the two Indians killed earlier this year by another Indian. They lived together and had an argument. Did that make the papers in India? Attacks aren't always racist - shit happens.

That's all for now - I love Australia, it has MANY faults, but racism is not one of them.

 

Hmm....Are you by any chance a descendant of an immigrant? I ask because your surname (like all others ending with "ROV") seems Russian.

You definitely made some interesting points there. Though I'd assume you have always lived in the better off areas of Sydney, which is not the case with most immigrants specially students. They live in cheaper locals, work night shift, travel in public transport which makes them vulnerable to urban crimes. From what I have heard from victims, they don't claim to be victims of hate crimes but do say that they were abused racially and dark skinned people are usually targeted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO8Zm7fOGII (Read the comments too!)

Australian Government report Admits Racism in Sport (even by spectators)

Australia Admits to racism (I don't agree with some comments in the video)

Article by Australian Columnist

I'm sure that you may not be racist but many Australians say they are, this is not a biased report but a study by the University of New South Wales.

I don't know much about state of the indigenous population but I'd like to hear about the U.N. Report on Racism In Australia which claimed that indigenous people are racially profiled by law enforcement and sentenced for small crimes which is the reason for most of them ending up in jails. It also claimed that there are discriminating laws against them. Also some claims from a judge regarding the same:

And you stabbed a man and beat two of them up? Not exactly girly, are you?

 

I'm quite drunk at the second, so if I skip over things it isn't intentional, I'm just lacking the attention span - and as per usual if there is any point you'd specifically like addressed let me know and I'll hit back on it.

1) Technically every Australian is a descendant of an immigrant; like others I have more than a few kinds of blood running through my veins As a matter of fact, although you might not be able to tell it from my picture (yes, my avatar is my real picture) I've actually got a little black-black blood. (South African.) However, my parents were not Russian, my father was born in Australia and my mother came here from England when she was a kid - I suppose I see myself as being primarily English-Australian - however naturally there is Russian blood in there too. I'm a mix of SO many cultures; so naturally I am not going to be racist; however I also consider myself objective to those around me and their views on race as I am personally offended my racism. I wont associate with racists, bar the odd vital circumstance. (My partner has some racists in his family, he is not, but they are - I make an effort to be tolerant given the issues it would cause otherwise.)

That was rambling-like - I hope you got my meaning however. (I'll say too that with all of my mixed blood, I am proud to save I have ZERO islam in me - and we've traced the tree back hundreds upon hundreds of years - apparently my bloodline is descended from one of the English Kings!)

2) As a matter of fact I have not always lived in the well off areas of Sydney - I grew up spending 1/3 of my time in a lower middle class area which was about 80% immigrants, although around 50% of those were British immigrants. The other 2/3 was spent in what I suppose might be called a ghetto - a lot of poor Australian families, gangs, etc. I wont get that now though, it is a whole other story.

Although you might think I've likely had a good life the reality is that I haven't - I grew up in Adelaide - not the posh areas - then I left home the day I was legally able to, at 16, and moved to Melbourne - where I was in a middle class suburb - that was where I stabbed the dude; he was trying to attack my partner's daughter and went for me with a knife for blocking the door - I disarmed him, stabbed him with his own knife (he was a wannabe bikie, thinking he's tough) and he got back on his bike and rode off - never saw him again. It was in Melbourne too that I had to bash a mugger - I'd had a few too many and he wanted to take advantage - this was in an upper class area; my pub was located in Port Melbourne, a relatively expensive area.

I moved to Sydney just before my 18th birthday; and even now, I live on what is known as "the wrong side of the tracks" - I make alright money now, but I also support my partner - it is no easy task. I can't afford to live any where better right now.

I just mean - I've never lived in a "nice" area really, I've lived in our "ghettos" (we don't call them that) and I've even spent time in Aboriginal areas. I assure you, I'm not from a well off family. We weren't poor, but my father hid all his money leaving my mother to support us all, including him, alone - it made for a bumpy childhood, financially speaking.

3) Many Australians have been guilted into believing we are racist. This is because of something that happened long before our time, the "stolen generation" - this is where a generation of Aboriginal children were taken away from their parents. There were reasons for this - it was many years ago when the situation was, unbelievably, even worse here - 2/3 girls were sexually abused and 1/3 boys. It was atrocious. We have a national day of apology now, but honestly I don't feel mistakes were made. I'd have done the same thing - but then I believe a hardline on sexual abuse is the only way to go - I'm pretty black and white, really.
This is called "white guilt".
I believe SOME Aussies are racist, but no more so than anyone else - in fact less than in many places. As I said we encourage multiculturalism more than any other country. (As of the time of writing this, it's liable to change.)

4) Aboriginals aren't discriminated against; they are given EVERY advantage. If they want their kids to go to school, bang, done. If they want to go to uni they have a guaranteed place and a FULL scholarship. They get preferential treatment over white Australians. They might make up 26% of the folks in jail and only 2% of the population, but if every Aborigine who committed a crime went to jail that number would be a lot greater. This is sad, but it isn't racist - Aboriginal communities have been raised over generations to break the law - undoubtedly there are one or two officials who will discriminate, there always are - but they get off for more crimes than they are charged with - I've spent time in Alice Springs, a place now that is no longer safe to be in alone because of rape and muggings. They hunt in packs - like animals. There are GREAT Aboriginal people, however they are the people who take advantage of schooling and obey the laws - not the ones who rape, mug, drink, abuse kiddies and sniff petrol - which sadly the MAJORITY of them do (one of the lesser mentioned) - it's a very bad cycle but as a country we are at a loss as to how to fix it and protect the kids - they wont let social workers or doctors in most of the time, they beat them up - it's bad. Let's leave that as it is as there isn't much more to say on the subject, not being dismissive, just that without seeing it, it might SEEM racist - but once you've been there you have a sudden urge to take all the kids away all over again, that is how bad it is - and it really is that bad, still.

5)

(It left out the smilies, sorry.)

HAHA, I dunno - I'm one of a kind

I am someone who is equally happy in cargoes and a tank as a leather mini, boots, fishnets and a tiny top - in fact the latter is what I had on during bashing up that wannabe mugger.

The truth is, I suppose, that while I am a bit of a tomboy while remaining relatively girly, I am also incredibly defensive - if someone goes for me or someone I care about I'm the kind of girl who'll have my boot on their neck before they've got close enough to do any real harm.

I'm not violent by nature, I just recognize pretty damn fast when it is the only way to prevent the situation from escalating - and I'm not afraid to act.

I'm a 3rd degree black belt in karate (the highest one could achieve here back where/when I trained) and I can break a stack of bricks with either hand - so I'm not a girly girl afraid to break a nail - but I'm not exactly manly either; I like to think of it as the best of both worlds

*EDIT:
For clarity's sake let me just say that I have never, EVER hit a girl. I've only ever attacked when provoked; a mugger, a dude trying to stab my partner's kid (ex partner now) and most recently a guy trying to beat up on his chick - I'm a lover/protector, not a fighter

 

I've meet a lot of Australian in Hawaii and they are fun to be with, very multi-cultured, more so than Americans, If the Australians I've meet are most like them, then they would be my favorite people in the world, then again I have not visited Australia, one day I will just to see what they are about.

 

@wisdom - I'm digging it! Glad you appreciate it for what it is.

@wwws - I hope you do visit You will find us just like those you've met in Hawaii - we are incredibly welcoming and warm; you will find the odd moron, for sure; but the majority of us are thrilled to welcome new people If I move in the near future (and I likely will) I'll have a guest room for ya, and a pub around the corner

 

You can't judge a whole country by saying it's "Racist" or it's "Not racist" because you can't apply that label to every single person in the country, and there's no possible way of finding out what every single citizen thinks about race.

Since the Indians getting attacked are studying they are generally lacking in money, so they have to move to poor neighborhoods. Poorer neighborhoods are always rough especially with different cultures, races and religions and the conflicts that exist e.g. between Indians and Muslims that you see on this forum every day.

They also generally work at night which means they need to walk around and/or catch trains at night. Walking at night to and from work. is never really a good idea in any cities.

Both of those things coupled with the naivety of coming from another completely different country I think could contribute to these attacks.

And Indians aren't the only ones who get attacked on the street.. it happens to asians/whites/blacks etc.

By the way:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste-related_violence_in_India

 

Caste system is a thing of the past, some people may make it look that they are oppressed but in reality they are only after more reservations and quotas. Economically and socially backwards have had 50% reservation since the last 60 years and now we are talking of giving an additional 33% to women, you can imagine what its like for the general "non oppressed" community.

India is one country which gives maximum rights and protection to women and backwards, now if they don't come forward and take advantage of the benefits..well no one can help them.

 

Right on,when I hit it big, I might just do that. Australia looks fun and inviting and very modern, it's kinda like what the U.S should have been, but froze somewhere a long George Bush regime.

Those Ausi's get a little excited about American football and Ausi style. They claim that American style are much more wimps because they have all of those padding's on them, while the Aus don't have any. I try to tell tell them that the U.S style are capable of hitting much harder with the pads, while Aus are less likely to try tackling that hard due to the impact, but they insist that they are tougher and invited me to a game,..No way, I had to decline, this people are nuts. lol

I learned they love Ausi football and beer, I ask if Foster beer, they said it's not their favorite, kinda like a Mexican saying that Corona's are piss water that only non-Mexican likes, goes the same for Budweiser that only foreigners like, but not so much for Americans,..I kinda like Bud, though it is no longer owned by an American Corp though.(sad)

 

Many people here actually like American football too - although more like Australian, obviously, hehe.

It's good you declined - I think padding makes sense. It is football, not wrestling or boxing.

Here Bud is pretty popular, however Coopers and VB (Victorian Bitter) are probably more common - Heineken is also popular these days as they have released a new funny mini keg thing. It's cool.

We are, I think, very similar to America - like if you were wandering around the city in Adelaide you could easily think it was any American city, I think

I hope to visit American eventually, it seems like a bigger Australia with a little more variety in many areas.

 

One of my British friends told me a joke:

What's the difference between Australia and a glass of milk?


What you leave a glass of milk alone for 100 years, it develops a culture

 

Yes, the Brits and Aussies have an interesting relationship

 

denial...




Police in Australia investigated over 'racist' e-mail

UN condemns Aboriginal treatment

Racism in Australia

it easy to calm dawn the black people isn't it? just give them one fried chicken, and they will be happy
[video=youtube;yKbmXG5t5cQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKbmXG5t5cQ[/video]
.

 

ausy i dont think so that racist country and it has racism people who make racision , its only done by some unpeaceful person , so keep away from this all things,, its nice country for live from all over the world......

 

Sigh. bfebrian - you really should take more time rather than Googling "racist Australia" and pasting whatever the hell comes up.

Learning about Australia's history will explain the first images; also you will appreciate that 100 years ago the US was also racist - I'm not going to ramble on about something that happened back when it was still acceptable to OWN black people >.<'

The email thing; yup - totally racist. There are racists everywhere. Those involved were sacked - we don't tolerate racism.

The KFC commercial was meant to be a dude at the cricket overseas sitting in the opposing team's section; there are another 4 of those ads that are the EXACT same thing but with more white people. >.<'

Black people like chicken. White people like chicken. Deal with it.

 

With 60-70% caste based reservation in govt jobs and higher education
Undoubtedly India is number one racist country in the world . .

 

Is a country racist? Sorry but this must be the most pointless thread I've come across tonight.

Why do people concern themselves so much with other peoples' beliefs or attitudes? Focus on your own man!

 

I think your rite dear , that in the past many of countries were racist , but they came out from the situation and done well to grow up their people's lives in the side......

 

Exactly Brad, thanks. I'd like to think that almost EVERY country has come a long way since the 1920s.