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The local press has been full of “Are Australians racist?” op-eds over the past few weeks, as debate over the country’s treatment of Indian students and workers intensifies.
And the issue of “curry bashing” is just as popular amongst pundits in India. You probably read about the 10-page “Why do Aussies hate us?” feature in Outlook India, but here is what else the country’s commentators have been saying:
Ravi Bajpai, The Hindu Business Line: Calling a truce down under
The Indian wants respect for his/her nation’s new found economic growth and its ancient civilisation while the common Australian begrudges this economic growth of some Third World country and lampoons what is perceived as decayed cultural practices.
Dinesh Kumar, The Tribune, Terror down under
Neither is it uncommon for Indian students to smell, stare at people, to speak loudly, flash gadgets such as cell phones and embark or disembark from public transport with little consideration to their fellow passengers…
Ashutosh Misra, Indian Express: Pause for Oz
I cannot speak for all Indians in Australia, but personally, since I and my family migrated to Australia in 2007 I never faced racism.
Tarun Vijay, Times of India: Failed Gods
Indians are welcome as money providers to their educational industry but not as equally respected humans.
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16 Comments
As an Australian with a long association with India I think the tragedy of the attacks on Indians in Melbourne has descended into name calling and denial.
The Victorian government needs to do more. Statistics are no good when you are assaulted or killed. What are needed are unqualified commitments to fix the problem followed by some exemplary action.
The Victorian and Australian governments also need to think again about the basis on which people are recruited to come here to attend courses of doubtful value.
In sum, stop the denial and the name calling will fade away. As the Indian success stories in Australia continue to multiply, as they do in India itself, we can then all focus on the great and welcome change that is the economic revival of India
One things for sure Indians can sook with the best of them.
Did 4 “Australians” attack Jaspreet Singh or did he stupidly try to commit insurance fraud by setting himself on fire…assisted by hs wife.
Were the “gang of Aussies” that sadly attacked two Indian students in Melbourne two weeks ago Caucasian or Asian?
“…Indians are welcome as money providers to their educational industry but not as equally respected humans…”
This is hilarious considering India perpetuates of one of the foulest and most degrading class/caste systems in the entire world.
Tissue?
I am an Australian of Indian heritage. This whole debate is outrageous.
Every time the Australian government tries to mend its turbulent relationship with India everyone in my family laughs: our leaders just don’t get it. Kevin Rudd and John Brumby’s controversial and unsuccessful visits to India mirrored the government’s approach towards the Indian student community in Australia : ridiculous.
State and federal governments need to consult the established Indian community for some solutions to the problem. There many people of Indian heritage who reside permanently in Australia. In my family, for example, there are now three generations of Indians who call Melbourne “home”. My family, like many migrants, initially faced many cultural and societal barriers upon their arrival in Australia. However, through a strong network of family support they were able to integrate successfully into Australian society. Today many of my family members are now active and well-respected members of their professions and of the community.
No body knows the complex Indian culture better then Indians. To start developing a response to this issue, the government needs to reach out to the Indians who permanently reside in Australia. These people know and have experienced Australian cultural and societal issues from an Indian perspective first hand. Many of these Indians have been able to adapt and integrate into the mainstream Australia successfully: without fearing their safety, racism and outright discrimination.
Lets begin the conversation.
@GAUTAM
OK
Can you explain why australian christian missionarys were murdered in India by burning in their car?
Was this racism ?
Is not the pot calling the kettle black ?
Gautam Raju
Unfortunately, this is criminal activity, and unfortunately all Australians are at risk, some of us
just whinge louder than others.
I think the Indian media are absolutely blowing this whole debate out of proportion. That granted, I think our governments response has not helped put the issue to rest.
We all need to take a step back and have a think about the real issues here.
@Gautam Raju
“…Lets begin the conversation…”
I agree.
Maybe we could start with better policing the wholesale rorting of securing international student visas as a ruse to gain permanant residency (although the practice is not confined to just Indians).
After that we could start investigating (Indian) students who are working more than the allowed 20 hours per week in violation of their student visa conditions, which requires them to be fully financially supported for the duration of their tuition.
Of course we know this is rubbish as many (Indian) students work in convenience stores and drive taxi’s toward building a nest egg for beyond securing a permanent residency here.
Surprisingly, you don’t see many Asian international students driving taxi’s.
I wonder why that is?
I am aware a lot of taxi drivers who earn cash do not pay income tax is this fair ?
Mama, if you are seriously suggesting, which it looks like you are, that student visa allocation is a more serious issue than murder, then your priorities and mine are quite different.
I’m not sure if I’m glad or dismayed to see that India’s tabloid media is wackier than Australia’s.
The comment regarding pots and kettles is spot on, but let’s not let another nation’s racism be an excuse for our own. I could easily list countries that are more “racist” than Australia and provide examples to illustrate that point. Where does that get us?
What I’d like to see/hear from the sensible sections of the Indian media (as well as ours) is some suggestions on how we can move towards some kind of harmony.
For example, what can Australian governments do to counter racial discrimination towards Indian nationals (and other Asians, and Sudanese refugees, etc) that is not in itself discriminatory?
I am an Australian with an Asian wife, I have witnessed racism directed at my wife and (Australian born) son. It is fashionable for certain sections of the Australian public (hello, Van Thanh Rudd) to exercise their self-loathing in an extreme way. Wow, how mature and intelligent of them. What does this achieve for Australian culture? For foreign nationals? For my family?
And why is this treated as if the education industry has the most at stake? The real issue is that it is people, not industry, that is hurt by racism.
Let’s have some sensible dialogue and some real solutions, please!
Oh for christ’s sake. There isn’t an issue. The whole thing is concocted outrage. If you read through the comments on the Outlook India article you get a pretty clear indication of how out of proportion the whole thing is. The majority of comments on all sides are civil with a handful of tabloid mentality dropkicks here and there. It can be broken into:
A: Indian nationals that have never been to Australia, so are inclined to believe the media hype.
B: Indian Australians who overwhelmingly reject the notion that Australia is racist and that the attacks are racially motivated.
C: Better educated/travelled Indian nationals that see through the sensationalism and seem more inclined to introspection (are students making themselves targets, etc).
D: Anglo Australians keen to dispel misconceptions of Indians’ image in Australia.
The fact is that Indians aren’t singled out for violent attacks. That many work late hours in dangerous jobs makes them more susceptible to opportunistic crime, but that unfortunately is the way of the world. Something tells me driving a taxi in Melbourne is still going to be safer than driving a taxi in Mumbai.
Indian students have been bashed? So what? Chinese students have been bashed, but you don’t see the Chinese government having a hissy fit over it. Violence exists. Deal with it.
@Evan Beaver
“…Mama, if you are seriously suggesting, which it looks like you are, that student visa allocation is a more serious issue than murder, then your priorities and mine are quite different…”
Who was murdered because they were Indian?
People are murdered in Australia every day Evan.
What’s your point?
How self entitled we white Australians are…
This comment thread unequivocally proves the element of racism in Australian society, and to think that Crikey is one of the *better* sources of media critique. I’d hate to think what the Today Tonight message boards look like, where even this mediocre level of education wouldn’t be present.
To the indians reading this, wondering whether they should study in Australia I would suggest not. I didn’t even want to, and I’m a white “first fleet” male.
I’d love to say that the trend is changing, but to be honest it seems like conservatism and xenophobia is making a vibrant comeback, must to the dismay of the shrinking minority of Australians who still view this country as the worlds second chance. Not just our treasure to protect viciously.
my view is that this whole ‘racism’ episode has received more media attention than it deserves.
all I have to do is remember back to when the whole crowd (not sure which indian cricket ground it was) made monkey gestures to Andrew Symonds, and the indian medias failure to condemn the crowd, to realise that they do not have enough credit in the bank to cry “racist”.
but I do believe there is an undercurrent of racism in Australia however I think it is more “shooting from the hip” racism with no substance nor hate rather than hard core racism with intent. They are probably mutually inclusive however there are countries, such as india and the UK, which have far more things to worry about than Australia.
Ben
I’m glad you are gone if you view this country as the world’s second chance.
What a load of codswallop !
Why are we still asking the “Are Australains Racist?” question. The answer is YES people! How it could even be open to debate is beyond me. Whether other countries are ‘more racist’ or whether the recent attacks on Indian students were racially-motivated is beyond the point. Your average Anglo-Aussie is racist. Anyone keen to argue against it doesn’t get out much. Racism is as much a part of white Australian culture than any of the other often mentioned markers of Australian national identity: mateship, the fair-go, larrikinism (in the Australian context, these are all in fact quite racially-exclusive). Every Governemnt post-Federation (surely we dont need to measure racism in the colonies!?!) has at one time or another espoused the superiority of white Aussies over others through their Immigiration and Indigenous Affairs policies. These governemnts represent the people and two of the longest serving (ie the most popular) in Howard and Menzies were perhaps the two biggest offenders. I know racist teachers, builders, cops, cleaners, nurses, bouncers, students, retirees etc etc. It is an engrained aspect of our society. We have a national holiday that all but celebrates the origin of racism in Australia; we’ve had politicians elected on the back of racist campaigns; we’ve debated whether or not 500 white males rioting on a beach lookin to bash non-whites (male or female!!) is racist or not. How about we all just face up to admitting our faults and show some conviction to change…..debating the bleedingly obvious is just a waste of time……on the world stage its becoming increasingly embarrassing