Comments on: The ugly, very ugly, Australian

By: Heathdon McGregor

Heathdon McGregor — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:21:07 +0000

I travel on the sydenham line everyday and am surrounded by people whose backgrounds include I imagine all races and we travel together. Every time the bloke at the age wants to push his barrow I travel home in a more nasty environment. Somebody at the age has blown this up to suit their own purposes. Where did the 70 incidents over the last year part come in? And if so that turns out to be one and a third per week. In the western suburbs they are not the worst odds. For the last few days we have heard of two incidents, a house party crashed violently(not something exclusive to indian students) and the boy in hoppers crossing who was robbed(and the culprits were arrested).

I would say to the students that they had 500 people to a quiet rally and couldn’t stop the moronic element of their group from doing the wrong thing but they want to tar all australians with the actions of a few low lifes. Racist? Moi? What would they like the police to do, lock up all those that the indian students dont like the look of (untouchables anybody?). We have no class system indentured in this country and some of us dont want it.

Judith: This comment is racist if you are looking for racism. It is good advice to anybody travelling on the western suburbs transport at night. Dont show your wealth and keep your head down. Last year another policeman said that the indian students cause themselves trouble by talking in their native tongue. I put it to you that that is as racist and ill educated as can be.

Frank: There are a lot more unreported. Evidence please this isnt 3aw

Stephen: The problem is the student association dont want the problem fixed. Who are they blaming? Do they have solutions or are they simply using the tactics that the vic government crumbled in to a couple of hundred cab drivers against the wishes of other cabbies. They want publicity and nothing more.

So now every time an indian group of people have a ptroblem are they going to shut down the cbd?

The last time the age did this we had the video of the men bashing the man at sunshine station three days later. What will be the results of this beat up?

I know im wrong

Please explain how

By: stephen martin

stephen martin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:52:44 +0000

Why only students? There are lots of immigrants in this country from the sub-continent and Sri Lanka, I haven’t heard of them being subject to attack, and certainly not here in the NT. Most are very respected members of the community, such as doctors and other professionals.
Possibly it reflects resentment at their perceived taking of Australian places at universities, but it doesn’t appear rational, there are plenty of other asian students in this country.
There are all sorts of nuts, racists etc in every country unfortunately, including India; we haven’t resorted to burning foreign religious and their families alive. If these racists can’t be educated to be more tolerant, severe punishment for those transgressing is the order of the day, as was the fate of van Dongeren and his crew in WA.

By: Frank Campbell

Frank Campbell — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:38:33 +0000

Imagine if 70 Australians had been attacked in India in the past year. The media here would have frothed a lot sooner than the Indian media has. The true number of attacks is far greater than 70 as many go unreported.
The police have a lot to answer for. Shades of British police in the 60s and 70s- an institutionalised culture of denial. Can Overland see this?

By: Judith James

Judith James — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:02:23 +0000

Police deputy commissioner Kieran Walshe described Indian students as vulnerable and soft targets that often travelled alone, rather than racial targets.

“They are very quiet-natured, passive sort of people … They tend to travel late at night because of work or study and carry valuable items: i-pods, mobile phones, and lap-top computers … making them vulnerable.”

Does anyone else find the above statement offensive? First, surely we should all be safe to travel late at night with or without valuable items. Second, is it not a form of racism to make generalisations based on race: statements such as Germans don’t have a sense of humour, Indians are passive and peaceful, Australians believe in a fair go (clearly not), Americans are insular, etc etc.

It makes it sound as though it’s their fault. Just as many years ago it was often thought to be the woman’s fault if she were raped.

I’m not surprised the Indian media are taking this to heart.