Let me start today's post by saying that I am an Australian, I have a dual Canadian and Aussie citizenship, while it was only 5 years of my life (so far), I really love Australia and I think Aussies are some of the best people I've ever met, best of all I felt no fingers. You may say to yourself he's just saying this he's not THAT Australian so I will share with you my experiences that make me a true blue dinky die Aussie:
1. I've swallowed flies while riding my bike to school.
2. I've had Fat Cat, Humphrey B Bear and later Kenny Kidna tell me its bedtime.
3. I celebrated "Hey Hey its Saturday" every weekend while eating chicken treat.
4. I watched "neighbours", "Home and away" and "hey dad"
5. I know how awesome John Farnam is in his Whispering Jack era.
6. I remember Rita the Eta Eater and ate cheesies every day at lunch.
7. I watched a Test Match and I've been to Eagles games.
8. I ate lamb at the Subiaco Weekend Market and remember "roster" signs to get petrol.
9. I know that Gardens in Vancouver are ugly cause people in Perth actually garden.
10. I've paid too much for Records and cd's at Dada, 78 records and on occasion Brashes.
11. I've had meat pie drippings run down my arm when eating an aussie meat pie.
12. I had sock tan that look like black on white.
13. I know what a Bogun is and I know what a Dag is.
14. I bought my first soldering iron from Dick Smiths.
15. I've wasted unspeakable amounts of time and money in Time Zone.
Okay so recently I got this email fwd, I don't usually read these but for some reason I read this one. It was in all size 20 Font and every sentence is followed by and Aussie flag and there's a midi playing "Advanced Australia Fair", it went like this:
Fw: It's Our Country! BLOODY OATH, MATE!!!!!!!!!
Australia- The Right to Leave
Our Country - YOU Have the right - the right to leave !
After Sydney not wanting to offend other cultures by putting up Christmas lights.
After hearing that the State of South Australia changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered.
This prompted this editorial written by an Australian citizen. Published in an Australian newspaper.
Quote:
IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It !
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.
However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia.
However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.
This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.
This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.
We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part
of our society, Learn the language!
Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, Because God is part of our culture.
If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like " A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.
We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, And we really don't care how you did things where you came from.
This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this.
But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our National Motto, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,
"THE RIGHT TO LEAVE"
If you aren't happy here then rack off! We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted. Pretty easy really, when you think about it.
I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends (and enemies) it will also, sooner or later get back to the complainers, lets all try, please.
No matter how many times you receive it... please forward it to all you know .
***End Of FWD***
Ok, so I started reading this and I can tell from the large thread of people getting it, its really making the rounds. At first I was like "yeah, you tell them!" then I was like, "Oh shit, I see things are taking a turn for the ignorant". Aussies have a history of getting riled up and doing silly things like burning mosques or boycotting a country because one of their citizens was caught smuggling drugs there and so on.
I just want to go on the record that this fwd is full of shit and if you really feel the way this email does, your have issues with people based on race. Racism is a big deal in Australia (at least to me), when I talk about this, my family and friends kind of make that face like "here we go again" but its writings like these that rile up aussies and bring up old emotions that aren't helping anyone. What is this Christianity thing? The people I knew in Perth weren't particularly religious and hated they way Christians seemed to shove god down their throats.
First of all, there are Pro White political parties in Australia (The ANM, Australian Nationalist Movement, they were called when I was young), and they still have lots of power, years after I left Perth, My mom left and she said that things were worse than when I was there cause of some lady called Pauline Hansen. (please note this had nothing to do with why my mom left, cause the racism never really bothered her) . I don't know Pauline but I remember when I was there there was another gentleman (her predecessor who's name escapes me) from the ANM who had the slogan of "Asians Out" going strong when I was growing up there. There were posters of the Chinaman with the squinty eyes and the buck teeth all over the place, of course with the catchy "Asians Out" slogan. The statement that "immigrants should adapt" is kind of shitty too, cause you would be hard pressed to find an indigenous group more oppressed than the Aboriginals (at least in the city I lived in). In Canada I actually know Natives who do well, I went to school with natives and while I do think they are also oppressed, I can't say I went to school with an aboriginal or knew one to really make it in society in Perth.
Like in Canada, aboriginal kids were taken from their families back in the day. Unlike Canada, they aboriginals with fairer skin were separated cause they had to have been smarter than the aboriginals with darker skin.
I've been told by a very wise Aussie, that multiculturalism promotes segregation and that's the problem in Australia and even in Canada. Also that minorities want to be treated better than everyone else. While I don't completely disagree with the segregation statement, cause we have neighbourhoods that seem to be dense with certain cultures (East Indian neighbourhood, Kitsilano used to be the Greek Area, don't even get me started on Richmond), We don't have the same racial issues as Australia at least not to that extreme.
I think I would know this even better than most cause being an asian growing up in Perth in an area that had very few Asians, I received the attention that only an Asian (or other VISIBLE Minority) could receive. (I say visible cause my German friend received not even a hitler reference, even with his thick accent)
What kind of of attention you ask? here are some real life examples that happened to me.
0. First of all I had people name call me all the time, students, strangers, they didn't even bother with getting the race right, they called me Gook and Nip in addition to Chink(y) and slant eyes. I can gladly say I was never beaten up, but I was always kind of a big kid. Below are some of my most memorable ones.
1. My friends who were good people, still at times had streaks of racism shine through, they would say something like "Yeah I don't like Chinese people" and I would say "Uh, I'm Chinese" and they would say something like "No, your Canadian" or "your not like them".
2. One of my friends had a dad who likes the drinky drinky, and in all the years he knew me he only spoke to me once and made this excellent joke: Hey, your from Canada right. So you must be an Eskimo, cause.. (I don't remember the rest but it doesn't matter)
3. Once at a Queue at a major department store, a young boy was in front of me in line with his mom.. it went like this.. "chinky chinky chinky".."Uhh, Maam, do you hear what your son is saying"...(silence and eye contact with mother)... boy-"chinky, chinky, chinky".. "you know, I don't blame your son for your ignorance".. I walked away to go admire an Asians Out poster.
4. I was at a bus loop waiting to take the bus downtown, there was hardly anyone around, but I did see, some boguns in one area and a chinese kid by himself in another area. Fast forward 2 minutes and I see 3 Boguns beating up this kid and was praying to so many gods they didn't foreign almond shape of my eyes.
5. When my sister Graduated from high school, they printed out this book of cartoon drawings of all the grads with a couple nick names, they drew her with eyes closed and gave her the nickname "
Cat-Eater" yes its the same syllable count and even rhymes with our last name, but honestly..
6. here's my favourite, Once I was in Myers with my friends and I accidentally, lightly bumped into this older lady. I said "Sorry, excuse me" and while I walked away the husband said out loud "sometimes those kind of people can't see". My friends and I were in such shocked that nice nice old man said this that we almost didn't even realize it happened.
I know the message of the editorial/fwd is that immigrants need to integrate so that aussies don't have animosity but, they don't really promote the integration all too well from my standpoint and I had the advantage to speaking the language.
I have to stop cause look how long this is.. no lyrics today just this excellent guest chat:
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:HI
Dr. Robotanist says:hello
Dr. Robotanist says:who are you?
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:IM SAM U ?
Dr. Robotanist says:why did you add me to your list, sam?
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:PLAESE JUST WHAT YOUR NAME
Dr. Robotanist says:you can't read it?
Dr. Robotanist says:why did you add me to your list, sam?
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:I GET YOUR EMAIL IN HI5
Dr. Robotanist says:I don;t use hifive.
Dr. Robotanist says:someone gave you a wrong email address
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:DO YOU SPIKE ARABICK
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:U R BOYS OR GIRL
Dr. Robotanist says:boy
Dr. Robotanist says:no arabic
Dr. Robotanist says:only english
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:WHERE ARE U FROME
Dr. Robotanist says:canada
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:DO YOU ADD ME
Dr. Robotanist says:hey, that's my picture!
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:NOP
Dr. Robotanist says:I did not add you. you added me.
Dr. Robotanist says:I gues sI should block you now.
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:OK
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:NO BROBLEM DO YOU HAVE EMAILS GIR L
Dr. Robotanist says:nope.
Dr. Robotanist says:bye bye
#GaMe OvEr#...>>>sam...<<< says:IF DO YOU GIVE ME EMAILS GIRL I WANNA TO GIVE EMAIL GIRL OK
Dr. Robotanist says:good luck in the future.
