While i dont condone or agree with violence, beating people up, putting one badly on life support.. and i also dont think we as aussies are all rascist. And i certainly dont think aussies are the only racists on the planet either...
I think its interesting that indians are pointing the finger at us "shame shame australia". When there was a time where indians discriminated against their own kind with the caste system. Altho i have heard that it is still practiced in some regional areas.. (im not saying that other countries didn't have the same kind of thing e.g japan) (weak point i know.... but when it comes down to population in the world, Aussies (as in citizens! Not just the born n bred here peeps) are a minority! (22 million)
I also think its interesting that street voilence isn't getting any better, or is it still the same? I do agree with the police when they say it was a attack of oppurtunity. Not racially motivated. If you look passive, skinny and like you might have some good shoes on, a nice wallet then youre a target whether your a caucasion, european, asian or indian.... My understanding is that a racially motivated attack doesn't mean you have your wallets stolen and that they don't just stop.
I think the whole shame us as a nation, as a whole... does make a few people mad. I can understand that. Im not quite happy with it either. But who else can we get to try to talk to these people?! I mean the police have, the PM has the latest i believe is shane warne?! ( famous for cricket, his hair, his luv life/marriage)
It doesn't help that a political party has gotten into this... fuelled it. So then the government on india has to be seen as doing something bigger than a rival political party! Otherwise they risk the scorn and backlash.
However threatening a 2 billion "industry" of overseas Indian students bring into (victoria or australia?) isn't cool... i mean hey New zealand have said they'd happily have the students.. but if new zealand was a better option for study, wouldn't they have the "2 billion dollar industry" already?! (just a thought)
Not to mention pulling out, cancelling, banning etc of bollywood movies in australia over this?! Sure, hey! Give the racists what they want! Don't come, Don't film, Don't study here.... that's what they'd(rasicsts) want isn't it??!!...
after all not forgiving us for those attacks and keeping it going on... doesn't help or solve the problem...
wishing the guy a God speed recovery!!!
6 comments:
australians and indians... will they eva get along?
excelent post tiff, i believe racism is a decease that (amazingly for the time we live) is gaining more and more power worldwide, lesson history teached seems to be ignored and we all know what happens when we humans dont learn from the past.
might come as a surprise to some (like me, hey i knew it would be a big number..) Indian population estimate done in april 09 was 1.17 BILLION!
Part 1.
Hmm.. shame, shame Australia huh?
5 to 6 weeks ago hubby & I planned to have dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe while my girl was with her Dad. Hubby was working a 12 hr shift (finishing at 7.30pm) - so I was going to meet him in town at the restaurant. Hubby asked me to catch a taxi & meet him at work instead. Why? Because we had "met" each other at a hotel bistro for our anniversary after both of us had finished work for the day (he finished later) - and at the end of a nice evening we got in separate cars and drove home. Like single people.. or like the days reminiscent of our separation. And hubby didn't like that feeling...especially on our anniversary.
So though it would be about a $20 fare on a Saturday evening, hubby was happy to put that on the credit card so we'd end up in one car at the end of the evening and drive home together.
An Indian taxi driver picked me up from home. In his 20's? Music was playing louder than I'm used to in a taxi which kind of amused me. I wasn't sure whether I was going to complain initially. I was thinking about asking him to turn it down -but decided not to let it bother me.. especially since I had a 'flirty' vibe coming from him. The song basically said over and over "I wanna make love right NOW, NOW, NOW. Need to hold you right NOW, NOW, NOW. I wanna make love to you right NOW, NOW NOW. Over and over. Then when the song finished, he replayed it. And when it finished the second time.. he played it again. I also felt uncomfortable as he took me into town along the weirdest route. The darkest back streets and following railroad tracks -with barely any street lights. I had my mobile phone in my hand, ready to dial buttons if that car was going to stop!
I felt like he was trying to come onto me without saying a thing. I felt a bit powerless and scared in the taxi & a bit afraid to mention the direction he was travelling and also the music by then...
Part 2.
I mentioned the experience to hubby who went and told a guy at church who happens to be head of quality control or something for our local taxi company. He was thankful we told him because apparantly they have been having the most trouble with Indian drivers who(he said) come from a culture where women aren't respected & they keep getting complaints about their come-on, flirtatious behaviour and the Indian drivers keep being lectured to about leaving women passengers alone.
Anyway, my drive was apparantly spoken to.. even though I hadn't asked for that to happen, I was ok with it. He was told off for the particular CD he was playing (the lyrics content & volume). The driver said he couldn't recall the trip. Though they had record of it as I was able to give dates, times, places etc. I could find no driver I.D. anywhere in the car either..which is supposed to be displayed.
Two to three weeks after that trip the driver was sacked. He'd apparantly driven home a drunk girl - & got her mobile number and was constantly sending her text messages. She forwarded the messages onto our friend at church after lodging a complaint (to the quality control guy) -and so he's had his taxi licence taken away from him because he's been warned more than once. They also said for every person that reports inappropriate behaviour there are so many that don't.
Apparantly after my taxi driver guy was spoken to...he was told that if he didn't conduct himself professionally and a woman submitted a complaint, in this country she would be seen as credible and apprantly the Indian guy was flabbergasted that this was the case, that a womans testimony would be believed over a mans -as this isn't the case 'back home'. So the Indians (on the back of complaints from women passengers) were being continuously reminded that they weren't going to get away with unprofessional behaviour..but it still keeps on happening.
Anyway.. just thought I'd mention my experience. I do remember watching 'Amazing Race' and in more than one season..if ever the teams were racing in India.. the Western women were constantly being groped on public transport.. and they were being freaked out and hated it.
I'm not saying all Indian men are disrespectful to women..I'd probably never go there.. I still love their food, lol, but yeah.. shame Australia?
being asian ive experienced racism frm all types in aus. thiogh i always consider australia my home its really disapointing to experience racism 1st hand from Polish people, Indians and anglo-saxon australians...ive even experienced racism from other asians towards me...i just narrow it down to ignorance....on the other hand some of my best friends (of which i dont have many) come from all walks of life...
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