Comments on: Your unpronounceable surname could cost you that job

By: Moira Smith

Moira Smith — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:03:47 +0000

This is not ‘another racist amateur unresearched article’. It’s a brief journalistic comment (somewhat bitterly tongue-in-cheek in places, from a person who has undoubtedly come up against some of the discrimination the paper describes) about the serious and fairly lengthy research report of a study conducted by Alison Booth, Andrew Leigh and Elena Varganova from the Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian National University. The researchers used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey which is funded by the Australian Government and collects longitudinal data on many aspects of Australian life. The research was also reported on last night’s TV news, and in today’s newspapers.

The ANU’s media release is here: http://news.anu.edu.au/?p=1317, and a copy of the research report is here: http://econrsss.anu.edu.au/~aleigh/pdf/AuditDiscrimination.pdf

I, too, found these results (as reported) surprising, given the multicultural nature of my own workplace. But I’m fortunate in my employer.

It’s always best to read the whole of any research report before you comment on the findings as represented in the press. I have no doubt, however, that the report contains plenty of ‘hard facts’ given the data source. A quick glance (all I’ve had time for) shows that the authors explain what information they used, how they crunched the numbers, and how they reached the conclusions they did. They also openly discuss the limitations of their findings. This is standard practice. It’s science, not opinion.

And, if you disagree, then rational, reasoned, refutation of the real authors’ (the ANU researchers’) argument is better than an antagonistic spray against the messenger (Irfan Yusuf).

By: Robert Garnett

Robert Garnett — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:49:52 +0000

Everyone is suspicious of things they don’t understand. When this suspicion is applied to a person of another race this is considered racism. This reaction to the unknown is universal amongst all races and as such racism is also universal. Usually if there is goodwill on both sides lines of communications can be opened, common ground can be discovered, trust developed and lo and behold a new and productive relationship will flourish. This has on many occasions led to children! Sometimes, however one of the “co-respondents” will have irreconcilable differences with the other that result in significant and sometimes dangerous conflict. So is this fear of the unknown racism, or is it simply an understandable and sometimes, although most probably rarely, sensible risk avoidance behaviour.

Being an “Anglo” I do not know how to pronounce “Irfan Yusuf” and I would suffer embarrassment in not being able to do so in some social situations. This embarrassment would possibly lead to avoidance behaviour on my part. Does this make me a racist?. I think not. For “What’s His Name” to take the ANU study and immediately say that Australians (whoever they are) are racist is a long bow to draw and not a particularly usefull one.

Not all Australian Nationals are tolerant of differences in race or for that matter a lot of other people such as “Greenies”, homosexuals or social comentators, however on whole Australians do not inflict institutionalised violence in the name of religion, race or sex like well publicised minorities do in other parts of the world.

The only people who do suffer from such insitutionalised violence by Australians are our indigenous people who have been the subject of the most appalling injustice since European immigration. This is out real shame and sadly one that will haunt us for many years to come.

By: Heathdon McGregor

Heathdon McGregor — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:51:27 +0000

Please if you are going to base your article on statistics perhaps you could check how the same applications were treated if you came from certain suburbs, certain age groups, certain schools etc. Also how many jobs are available each day, how many applicants per job. Who was actually successful fior those positions, I imagine the article would fail if somebody else with an ethnic sounding name won the position.

When I hear about a survey with a specific target I am not surprised when the surveyor finds exactly what they were looking for. You didn’t mention the part where the researchers mentioned that their speed test indicated(note just as the above figures nothing proven just indicated) that it was subconcious

“In another experiment testing reaction speed, we found implicit discrimination against ethnic minority names, suggesting that part of the effect in the hiring experiment is likely to be subconscious.”

So what is the author trying to say? Do they believe that anything would change? It has been my experience that your name can affect your employment possibilities, so can your age, your home address and other factors.

Has the author inquired into how many discrimination cases were actioned last year, last five years etc. I keep hearing what a racist country I am a part of but never any proof or hard facts to back up the authors accusations.

Seeing as though the author mentioned Lebanon I wonder how a person with an anglo name would go getting employment in the towns there? What would be the percentage chance there? We are a disgrace because we dont discriminate when you get into the country, we have laws against discrimination, so why is my country continually called racist by people who dont do research or any type of investigation. The author even got some anti-semitism in there in disguise(click on the genetic defect link)

Is crikey now the stage for any racist to air their views as long as they are attackin australians? They represent vox pops as facts. One example, my god get canberra to adjourn a special sitting to amend the law. Oh wait the law protects Ragda Ali, all they have to do is contact the authorities and the person who discriminated against them will be investigated on evidence, not statistics or hearsay. Not good enough for the law, good enough for crikey.

When are you going to learn that globalisation died last October. It was not an advanced state of being, just a way for the elite to rip off more people more easily.

Another racist amatuer unresearched article.