Racism and The Indian

[app_engine]

The article that NOV posted seems to give some balanced information (as opposed to what Indian media highlights).

For e.g. look at this :
http://www.dinamalar.com/worldnewsde...p?news_id=3095

This talks about a new car while parallel reports talk about a $2500 car (which has to be an used one that students typically buy). Again, this may not necessarily target the victim because of his country of origin but more of a drug-induced crime. Often car thieves target specific models that are "easy-prey" (without much security features) and typically older models suffer more than brand new ones. Most students can only afford very old cars and this could possibly be such a case. The media that's hungering for something big (as the elections are just over and big scandals are at least a year away) may be targeting such things to make a huge issue out of "routine crimes".

It also appears that the Indian / Indian student population in these cities is quite high (and thus more numbers affected by the crime-ridden cities). Statistics like - no. of crimes against Indians in general v/s Indian students, crimes against all groups of people v/s crimes against Indians alone etc need to be looked at before one conclusively tells these are handiwork of racist organizations.

In any case, as long as the gov's official stand is not supporting such criminals, there's still hope that this should go away from front pages in course of time.

[Badri]

The situation is really mysterious to say the least! Indians who've lived here 20 years are surprised! Without being an "ingratiating underdog" I have to admit the mistakes lie on both sides.

You can spot an Indian student in Melbourne from a mile away! I am sorry, but that is the truth!

Unshaved, illkempt, glaze-eyed. Talking loudly on trams and trains in their mother tongue.

Is any of it a crime? Not at all! They are probably unshaved, ill kempt and glazed because of working the whole night! They attend University during the day, then work as janitors or assistant chefs or a call centre shift or driving cabs late into the night, tiredly trudging back home for a few hours respite. What is known in Aussie slang as a typical "battler"

But while that is the truth, the perception is so diffferent. And Indians do not help their own cause. I stepped into a cab driven by an Indian student from Punjab the other day. God, I had to open the windows to escape the stink in the car! I don't know if it was the individual or the cab, and I don't care to hazard a guess.

An Indian myself, I'd rather get into a cab driven by a non-Indian, because for the money I am paying, at least I can get a comfortable ride!

There are huge cultural differences in the mix too! Aussies are known for their irreverent humour. Half the time, they would make fun of themlseves just as easily as they would make fun of you. Political correctness is often observed in the breach! Watch the Chasers War on Everything on ABC and you get some understanding of how the Aussie mind works. Now, you put a sensitive Indian into the mix, a Indian student who is already feeling lost in a different country, hampered by his poor command over English, acutely conscious of his financial position - you are bound to get a percieved racist insult or threat. I am not saying there is no racism at all, there is plenty here.

After all, Australia once had an infamous "White Australia Policy" which restricted non-White immigration into the country. And you have political figures (albeit failed) such as Pauline Hanson who once actually made it to the Parliament simply on the platform of promoting a white Australia!

In the end, if India flexes her financial muscle (the only muscle she has) Australia has to listen! The Australian Educational Industry is the country's 3rd largest export to the tune of A$15 billion! And Indian students pay a lot into those coffers. If nothing else, India's threat to impose sanctions on Australia would improve the situation.

[MazhaiKuruvi]

app_engine, irir123, Badri, very nicely said! Is the type of data suggested app_engine available?

Badri, I like your sig. Who said it?

Hulkster, I would add insecurity to the mix. IMHO, the more insecure and unfulfilled a section of the population is, the more prejudiced they are. Racism and ego give such folks a kind of self-worth along the lines of ...ok, I am good for nothing, but my ancestors were great people, so I too am great.

Look at all those first generation Indians in the US - those who achieve, don't pereceive racism, those who don't, blame their lack of success on perceived racism.

Economics is the other factor that drives racism. I believe, even Indian casteism probably morphed into its ugliest shape during some period of lack, when those who could, manipulated the system to suit their best economic interests.

[Badri]

Mazhai kuruvi, I suppose I have to attribute that quote to myself!!! Why should we always hijack someone else's quotes? Why not create our own?

[rajraj]

Mazhai kuruvi, I suppose I have to attribute that quote to myself!!! Why should we always hijack someone else's quotes? Why not create our own?

Early signs of a great man ?

[raagadevan]

Racist Australians? No, Indians students are blamed

Indian students in Australia are to be blamed for getting attacked - this seems to be the belief of many Indians prospering in Australia. In a flurry of e-mails from Down Under, it is made out that the Indian students invite these vicious attacks upon themselves.

The Australia-Indian community leaders and their religious/social welfare organisations have hardly issued any strong statements against these racist attacks.

During the recent Melbourne protest, hardly any older Australian-Indians turned up to show their solidarity with the Indian students even as the students cried themselves hoarse demanding justice. In fact, some white Australians were seen carrying placards to support them. Reports in the Indian media stated that these well-settled Australian-Indians do not want these events to affect their cushy life or tarnish their relations with whites.

These racial attacks have continued for the last two or three years with a growing number of them now directed at Indian students whose numbers have swelled to about 97,000.

Did the local Indians take any individual or community action to prevent these ugly attacks? On the contrary, when the recent spate of brutal assaults by Australian hooligans hit the headlines, they were quick to point out the reasons emanating from the students.

According to e-mails from Australia, Indian students allegedly do not know English, they display their expensive gadgets like mobiles, laptops and iPods; play loud music, talk loudly in their native tongues, live up to 15 in rooms rented for four persons, make their accommodation filthy, come out to their compounds in their underwear to urinate in the open and display innumerable other uncouth habits loathed by Australians. No wonder they are attacked, say the e-mails.

Many students are frustrated when they find that their colleges are run by Australian-Indian 'crooks'. "When they go to their class, they find that all the students are from India, and the teacher teaches them in Hindi/Punjabi. They realise that they could have received a better education at a fraction of the cost and without the problems and pains (in India). Many of our people have opened educational institutions as on-line licensing was so easy here. These people cheated the system by supplying false information. Now many of such colleges face closure, further putting strain on students who have paid so much money to study there," said one such e-mail.

If the well-settled Australian-Indians have known all these problems for the last few years, what have they done to alleviate the situation? Did they launch any orientation courses in their places of worship to 'welcome' the new Indian students every year and explain to them the norms of the Australian way of life? Did they approach their elected representatives to press for starting these orientation courses in India or Australia? Or, urge them to enforce additional measures at the Australian high commission in India, like an oral English test, before granting them a student visa? Did they seek the closing down of these sub-standard 'teaching shops' run by unscrupulous Australian-Indians as they attract unsuspecting students through their recruiting agents in India?

"Many students have committed suicide due to pressure from India and their inability to study without tuition as they fail to follow classroom lectures," says an Indian professional in an e-mail. "They cannot get more funds from India; on the contrary, every relative from India phones them asking: 'When will you get a job and remit money to repay your loan?' Students have been committing suicides here and the Indian high commission would not even listen to anything nor acknowledge that there was a problem. Local Indians and students have been arranging for the dead bodies to be sent to India."

Then the Indian media is to be blamed for highlighting these attacks and giving an unbalanced picture - never mind the fact that most print media have published articles by Indian university professors in Australia or established leaders on this situation and TV channels aired reports by local and 'citizen' journalists. They are pained at the reaction from India: film legend Amitabh Bachchan declining an honorary degree from an Australian university; Indian tourists cancelling their Aussie holidays in large numbers; Indian film producers boycotting film shootings; Indian student numbers declining this year; and perhaps, bilateral trade going down as India is the seventh biggest trade partner of Australia.

The established Australian-Indians are unwilling to accept the violent attacks by the Aussie lumpens who demand cigarettes, money and their gadgets and then slash them with knives or pierce their skulls with screwdrivers. They would not comment until the courts decide them. How many convictions have been reported in the last few years? They don't know. It's to do with their clothes smelling of curry, so they get 'curry-bashing', the local Indians say.

From: manoramaonline.com (Tuesday,9 June 2009 12:45 hrs IST)

[app_engine]

http://dailythanthi.com/article.asp?...date=6/10/2009

This report states there're retaliations as well!

http://dailythanthi.com/article.asp?...date=6/10/2009

States police admission of "some" attacks being racist.

At least the official policy support / police protection etc are not there for racists.

[jaiganes]

aiyyo thiruppi adikkaradhu LTTE style aache.
Nalla pal odaya odaya vangikaradhu dhaan ovvoru indhianin gandhiya kadamai!!!

That joke apart, the article NOV posted is good enough to convince me that the attacks are not racist, we are racists and perceive any attack on us to be an attack on our race - idhu vote bank politicsum jaadhi sangangalum namakku katru koduththa paadam.

[Ramona]

"According to e-mails from Australia, Indian students allegedly do not know English, they display their expensive gadgets like mobiles, laptops and iPods; play loud music, talk loudly in their native tongues, live up to 15 in rooms rented for four persons, make their accommodation filthy, come out to their compounds in their underwear to urinate in the open and display innumerable other uncouth habits loathed by Australians. No wonder they are attacked, say the e-mails. "

Lord!

[Badri]

"According to e-mails from Australia, Indian students allegedly do not know English, they display their expensive gadgets like mobiles, laptops and iPods; play loud music, talk loudly in their native tongues, live up to 15 in rooms rented for four persons, make their accommodation filthy, come out to their compounds in their underwear to urinate in the open and display innumerable other uncouth habits loathed by Australians. No wonder they are attacked, say the e-mails. "

Lord!

Well, as an Indian living in Australia, I can vouchsafe for most of the comments above, though there are definite exaggerations!

a) They do know English, but just passably, with a heavy accent, especially a number of students who come from Punjab & Haryana

b) Yes most of them have mobiles and ipods, but then who doesnt?

c) Yes, they do play loud music, but then so do many others

d) They defintely do talk very loudly in their native tongue, and laugh in groups. Those who dont know the language have no way of knowing that they are not being laughed at

e) I don't know about 15 to a 4 BR house, but they most certainly violate the rental laws around how many people are allowed to live in a house

f) Yes, they exhibit a typical Indian bachelor attitude to maintaining a house; while bachelors worldwide share a certain basic reluctance to clean up, Indian student homes are often smelly and generally more poorly maintained than average

g) That is atrocious! I have never heard of any Indian coming out in their underwear to urinate in the open! For starters, Melbourne is too cold most of the time to step our in your undies!

Now, most of these are generalisations, and there are any number of decent Indians, students and otherwise, who have done a wonderful job of assimilating with the Australian culture, such as it is!

But unfortunatley, as always, it is the odd ones out that capture everyone's attention!