There is racism everywhere in the world. You just have to stay in one spot long enough to experience it.
It was 5.30pm yesterday, I was on East Terrace, just finished watching "Angels and Demons" at Nova Palace Cinema ($6 student tickets for the month of May!). I was contemplating taking my usual route through Rymill Park to get back home. The sun had just gone down. I saw a young Indian couple walking in front of me and they were heading through the park. Figure that it should be safe enough if I walked behind them.... Halfway into the park, I saw this caucasian man standing around on the green. The minute he saw us, he started shouting and cursing God knows what. I could only make out "fucking" and "black". Typical racist stuff. Then he started throwing stuff at us. His paper cup (probably containing alcohol) and rubbish, stones etc.... The Indian couple and I just ignored him and tried to walk faster. To must surprise, the white guy rushed towards us. My panic buttons were going off like crazy already. He went for the Indian guy, grabbed him and started hitting him!!! The poor fella was struggling and his partner and I were just stunned. Seriously I should have screamed or something but I was just stunned. After a while the Indian guy managed to break free and the 3 of us ran out of the park.
Thank goodness he wasn't injured. I called the police when I got back, and was told to go to the station the next day to make a statement. I did exactly that, but lo and behold, when I told my story to the policewoman, I was just dismissed. True, I guess reporting anything must be pretty useless, considering I don't know who was attacker or the victim. Nothing they can do about it right? But I thought I could at least provide a collateral history of sorts should the Indian guy decide to report. No, they didn't even take down anything for records. I felt that they were quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Racial attacks? No worries. That was the vibe I was getting. In this same week, four Indian students in Victoria were brutally assaulted. One of them is in critical condition.. Even if he does survive, he will probably be blind and have brain damage. Check out the article for yourself here and here.
This isn't the first incident I've seen. Saw 2 white old ladies throwing crude remarks at African migrants (calling them animals and whatnot) in the bus. I had a feeling they could be refugees as they travelled in a large group, consisted only of women and children and had a caucasian lady as a 'tour guide' and showing them how to use the bus. Anyway the 2 old ladies didn't stop at jeering, they hollered throughout the entire bus ride bout how "these filthy animals are allowed into our country" and proceeded to fight with the guide and chase them down the street. Old ladies: they still have what it takes to be rabid.
And yes, I've met racist patients too. But then again, as long as there is a majority race, there will be exploitation and undermining of the 'lesser races'. It seems to be the wisdom of the world. Granted, most Aussies are very friendly and open hearted, but the racist minority make such a horrbile, indelible mark. Also, I don't like people giving the excuse that "he's drunk, not racist, he doesn't mean all that!" Come on. Alcohol disinhibits people. It causes people to say and act in ways that they normally wouldn't provided normal social constraints. But surely they must have been thinking it, to actually act on it.
I'm still keen on working in Australia, it's a nice place. For which is worse: being treated as a second-class citizen in a foreign country, or your own?
It was 5.30pm yesterday, I was on East Terrace, just finished watching "Angels and Demons" at Nova Palace Cinema ($6 student tickets for the month of May!). I was contemplating taking my usual route through Rymill Park to get back home. The sun had just gone down. I saw a young Indian couple walking in front of me and they were heading through the park. Figure that it should be safe enough if I walked behind them.... Halfway into the park, I saw this caucasian man standing around on the green. The minute he saw us, he started shouting and cursing God knows what. I could only make out "fucking" and "black". Typical racist stuff. Then he started throwing stuff at us. His paper cup (probably containing alcohol) and rubbish, stones etc.... The Indian couple and I just ignored him and tried to walk faster. To must surprise, the white guy rushed towards us. My panic buttons were going off like crazy already. He went for the Indian guy, grabbed him and started hitting him!!! The poor fella was struggling and his partner and I were just stunned. Seriously I should have screamed or something but I was just stunned. After a while the Indian guy managed to break free and the 3 of us ran out of the park.
Thank goodness he wasn't injured. I called the police when I got back, and was told to go to the station the next day to make a statement. I did exactly that, but lo and behold, when I told my story to the policewoman, I was just dismissed. True, I guess reporting anything must be pretty useless, considering I don't know who was attacker or the victim. Nothing they can do about it right? But I thought I could at least provide a collateral history of sorts should the Indian guy decide to report. No, they didn't even take down anything for records. I felt that they were quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Racial attacks? No worries. That was the vibe I was getting. In this same week, four Indian students in Victoria were brutally assaulted. One of them is in critical condition.. Even if he does survive, he will probably be blind and have brain damage. Check out the article for yourself here and here.
This isn't the first incident I've seen. Saw 2 white old ladies throwing crude remarks at African migrants (calling them animals and whatnot) in the bus. I had a feeling they could be refugees as they travelled in a large group, consisted only of women and children and had a caucasian lady as a 'tour guide' and showing them how to use the bus. Anyway the 2 old ladies didn't stop at jeering, they hollered throughout the entire bus ride bout how "these filthy animals are allowed into our country" and proceeded to fight with the guide and chase them down the street. Old ladies: they still have what it takes to be rabid.
And yes, I've met racist patients too. But then again, as long as there is a majority race, there will be exploitation and undermining of the 'lesser races'. It seems to be the wisdom of the world. Granted, most Aussies are very friendly and open hearted, but the racist minority make such a horrbile, indelible mark. Also, I don't like people giving the excuse that "he's drunk, not racist, he doesn't mean all that!" Come on. Alcohol disinhibits people. It causes people to say and act in ways that they normally wouldn't provided normal social constraints. But surely they must have been thinking it, to actually act on it.
I'm still keen on working in Australia, it's a nice place. For which is worse: being treated as a second-class citizen in a foreign country, or your own?
No comments:
Post a Comment