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I'm Asian (Cambodian and Chinese heritage) who was born and raised in Australia. I was born in the 90's and most of my childhood years was in the 00's, and I've honestly never experienced racism. I'm also from Melbourne, but I grew up in the south-east suburbs where there is a huge Asian population so that could be it. Even now, going to a majority white private school in the rich white eastern suburbs, I've still never experienced any racism. The closest thing I've experienced regarding racism is probably funny looks from country folk on the few trips I took to the country, and it seemed more of a curiosity thing rather than a "GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY!!1111" kind of thing. I've had a few stereotypical remarks directed at me, of course but nothing too serious. The only real racism I've encountered are from trolls on the internet.
My parents who immigrated to Australia in the early 1980's say that Australia was a really racist country back then. My mother told me stories about how she spent her teen years in the inner city and she experienced racism from mostly Italians and Greeks (who funnily enough were subjected to racism before the Asians came along) who said stuff like, "You c&%#k, ching chong chang!" and all that cr*p and would pull their eyes to make it more slanted etc. You get the drift.
Melbourne seems less racist than other cities, and you're quite a bit younger than me I assume. I'm from Perth, moved here recently. Much of the racism also occurs in the lower socio-economic areas, but in Melbourne these tend to be pretty multicultural. Nonetheless, just the other week I saw some road-rage racism where a bloke yelled, 'what are you doing, you black c*nt! Go back to Africa!' out of a window.
I think Italians and Greeks are a bit like African Americans in the US. They're more extroverted and say what they think, less PC than Anglos and 'skips'. But yeah, they can be just as or even more racist, to Asians and others. Asians themselves can be racist to Africans etc. Here (Footscray) you see the interesting mix of people, Asians, mostly Vietnamese, and now Africans. It seems whites are in the minority here lol.
Nonetheless, just the other week I saw some road-rage racism where a bloke yelled, 'what are you doing, you black c*nt! Go back to Africa!' out of a window.
I don't view that as racism, sure there is a racist epithet but this is in the course of road rage. Racism is where it is unprovoked or just clearly a prejudice based upon racial stereotypes. Racism like that is everywhere if you want to look for it. By that definition calling someone a pommy bastard is racism.
I don't view that as racism, sure there is a racist epithet but this is in the course of road rage. Racism is where it is unprovoked or just clearly a prejudice based upon racial stereotypes. Racism like that is everywhere if you want to look for it. By that definition calling someone a pommy bastard is racism.
In America is you yell that to a black person, you will be screwed.
I don't view that as racism, sure there is a racist epithet but this is in the course of road rage. Racism is where it is unprovoked or just clearly a prejudice based upon racial stereotypes. Racism like that is everywhere if you want to look for it. By that definition calling someone a pommy bastard is racism.
I think it still is racism, albeit might not reflect any deep-seated prejudice, but the fact one brings up race shows that it merely adds to the hostility one feels for that person. If it wasn't racist, the bloke would have just said, 'what are you doing, you c*nt? Or you bloody idiot' without needing to bring race into it.
Not long ago in Perth a guy who looked a bit off his face said to be 'I'll smash you you **** c*nt.' It was pretty hostile. Even if he was a bit off his face, I still think it reflects some deep-seated prejudice on his part.
It's of course different from outright discrimination, but it's still a racial insult and thus racism.
I'm 27 years old, have lived in Australia 26 years of those, and am of Asian ancestry. I've experienced racial insults probably at least a dozen times in my life over that time, but nothing too serious I suppose...anyway, it always seemed to be that racism was more prevalent in the recent past, I suppose due to more conservative attitudes, but I'm wondering if that's really the case? In some ways might racism actually be getting worse, as more people resent immigrants coming in? I suppose most whites don't have much experience with racism unless they're on the giving end (aside from maybe some aborigines) but if you have experience or are non-white, I'm curious as to what your experience has been.
I live in Footscray, and about 20 years ago the film 'Romper Stomper' came out. It was set here and showed the conflict between racist skinheads and the Vietnamese community. I'm wondering how much the racist skinheads had decreased by since the early 90s, and if anyone remembers them.
Sorry to hear you have received insults. I feel as though racism is less acceptable now and thus it's less common. I'm sure there still are many people who have racial tendencies or are outright racist, but it's not so bad, there are a lot of very accepting people here. Skinheads, to my knowledge, died out a lot in the mid 1990s.
Sorry to hear you have received insults. I feel as though racism is less acceptable now and thus it's less common. I'm sure there still are many people who have racial tendencies or are outright racist, but it's not so bad, there are a lot of very accepting people here. Skinheads, to my knowledge, died out a lot in the mid 1990s.
It's less acceptable in the mainstream, but you have quite a few people who fling out racial epithets either out of genuine resentment/to get a rise out of you/boredom or all three. In Perth city a group of young punks (in terms of their dress style/they were skinheads or had mohawks and wore leather and chains lol) made a comment about my shirt and told me to 'go back to Asia.' On another occasion a guy said 'I'll smash you you g**k c*nt' as I walked passed him.
That kind of racist inbred behaviour is so disgusting and probably kind of typical of Perth. It's just embarrassing to act and talk like that.
Yeah I don't wanna give Perth a bad rep, but go out on a weekend night, or even spend enough time in certain parts of town (heck anywhere) and you'll see it. I mean it's not like it happens all the time, but it happens once in awhile. I've seen a lot of racism towards other people as well. Apart from one incident where a driver was saying something to an African i've never experienced or witnessed racism in Melbourne...so far. I'm sure it happens, but it just seems less common than in Perth.
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