Politicians ... just ... why ... ?

[property_girl]

... that the kids who can't handle the numerous ways that other kids will antagonise them...

It wasn't just kids calling names in schoolyards; it was some adults.

Those who can handle it and have a laugh are usually well accepted and often become too cool!The ones who get fired up, get offended and throw a hissy; usually get more of the same treatment.

You say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but hey I'll give it a try. If you were a white male and you were doing the name calling, we can assume that you were in the dominant group, had the majority and the power (the privilege). It's not for you to decide who does and who doesn't get insulted. What matters is how the person/people being called the names feel about it.

I could call all Jews tight**** and think it's an affectionate term. But it doesn't matter what I think about it; it is how the Jew feels about it.

Privilege is invisible to people who have it. People in dominant groups often believe that they have earned the privileges that they enjoy. In fact, privileges are unearned and they are granted to people in the dominant groups whether they want those privileges or not. Unlike the targets, people in dominant groups are frequently unaware that they are members of the dominant group due to the privilege of being able to see themselves as persons rather than stereotypes.

The Greeks and the Italians turned the other cheek when they were called those names because they were too classy to do otherwise. They didn't want to make trouble. The fact that they didn't punch anyone in the nose says a lot about the kind of people they were. They came here, worked hard to make a life for their kids, and did very well for themselves.

 

[Spades]

Considering the top 5 immigrant groups currently coming to this country are the UK, NZ, China, India and Vietnam, which one of the 5 are you referring to? I've found all to generally be pretty friendly.

Not saying

But out of the 5,i rate 4 out of the 5 pretty good.

The 1 out of the 5,that i have came across,some? are friendly and found alot of others stand offish,lazy and find the laziest jobs possible.

 

[sanj]

Not saying

But out of the 5,i rate 4 out of the 5 pretty good.

The 1 out of the 5,that i have came across,some? are friendly and found alot of others stand offish,lazy and find the laziest jobs possible.

Ok so when you posted that you can't say the same for the current lot if immigrants you actually meant just a small % of the current lot? Why not say that?

 

[devank]

lazy and find the laziest jobs possible.

I thought we never met

 

[BayView]

Greeks and Italians spread themselves right across Australia. They lived in the cities in every state, and lived in all the rural areas as well, and now make up some of the most successful farming families in wine, sugar, vegetables, diary. They were probably the perfect immigrants. I don't see that it's good for the current lot of immigrants we have coming here to set themselves up in mainly just one area of Sydney and Melbourne. It's much the same in the UK and Europe, they all congregate in one spot and don't seem to have any intention of integration?


See ya's.

This is my worry too, TC.

Everyone keeps on sprouting how we need more people in Aus.

But, as you say; the current crop of immigrants ain't gunna live out in the boondocks.

They will all be in the cities, and creating more congestion and so forth.

Integration (or lack of) is a concern.

I hear some immigrants complain that they are not/have not been; accepted.

This is not my experience with many, many immigrants over my lifetime - those who make an effort to integrate, interact, assimilate - all those words - are readily accepted by the wider Aus community.

The same goes with many other Countries in reverse. Make an effort and in most cases you will be accepted.

Some folks might not think city congestion as a problem, but the reality is that many will not be able to afford closer in, and will need to live further out.

More sprawl, etc.

Maybe that will be good; create more need for infrastructure such as roads, hopefully rail, schools shopping centres and so forth....more jobs.

 

[BayView]

The 1 out of the 5,that i have came across,some? are friendly and found alot of others stand offish,lazy and find the laziest jobs possible.

I have seen PLENTY of lazy, clock-watching, work dodging, dead-wood "WASP" Aussies in workplaces I have been at over the last 40 years.

My dad once worked for the local council on the maintenance crews...

He once got told to "slow down" by the other rugged and buggered Bronzed Aussie beer-gut types he worked with because he was making them look bad.

 

[MTR]

Definitely a derogatory term in Sydney in the late 60s and 70s. We got away with calling Greek and Italian kids 'wogs' because us Aussies outnumbered them.
I had lunch yesterday with a bloke I went to school with and he confirmed it. He's Greek. Of course, as I was saying to Bill yesterday, the irony is that people who have European heritage are now the 'cool' ones. I like seeing them embrace it after all those years when they were ashamed of it.

Wog was definitely derogatory term in Perth as well in 60s and 70s, I can not even remember the last time I heard this word used. My family immigrated from Northern Italy.

I have fond memories of going to school with salami sandwiches/Italian bread and upset because I wanted a vegemite sandwich like everyone else, practically begging my mother for one of these. I even recall kids thinking how weird I was eating this stuff. How things have changed where we Aussies are all loving the Italian cuisine..... and now our children are going to school with all sorts of wonderful food such as sushi etc.

MTR

 

[MTR]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGEuTyyHC8

I just loved Effie, what a card, so much fun

 

[BayView]

You say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but hey I'll give it a try. If you were a white male and you were doing the name calling, we can assume that you were in the dominant group, had the majority and the power (the privilege).

It's not about teaching me a new trick.

I am simply passing on the observations and experiences. How you process all of it is up to you.

It is not my ignorant opinion on the matter without any prior knowledge.

Some wogs were called that with evil intent. Some out of harmless conversation - think; that scene with Jay and his Italian barber in "Modern Family".

My (school) experience was as a kid in a group of friends of maybe 6 boys. We were certainly not "alpha males" looking to be tough and be heros or pick fights. Quite the opposite; my friends and I were mostly observers...of both camps.

In a school of maybe 1000 kids (Chadstone High School in 1973 and 74).

Loads and loads of both WASPS and other ethnicities, and god knows how many little groups of friends across all 6 Year levels.

You have no idea about the scenario at my school.

Speaking of picking fights and trying to project the persona of tough guy and smart @rse; as a Teacher of Golf for almost 30 years, I had a number of years teaching golf to Year 9 and 10 students.

Have a guess which group were consistently the worst to deal with?

Lebanese, Yugoslav, Greek, and Italian heritage boys. Sorry if that offends; but it's fact based on my experience.

Always trying to out do each other - and me; disrespectful, and generally a pain in the @rse. Followed closely by Aussie boys of course - but not as bad as a general.

The best students for behaviour, respect and attentiveness in the classes?...the Asians.

So, while you lament at how badly the wogs were supposedly treated; from my experience the aggression and generally bad behaviour and name calling came from both sides of the argument.

 

[Harro]

In the not too distant future our politicians are going to face a major stumbling block with "Immigration".
In years gone by, Italian, Greek and Chinese people have assimilated to the "Aussie" way of life, and many have gone on to become success stories in their own right.
However, today we are facing a different scenario. We are now finding pockets of our main cities overrun with certain nationalities,who, don't wish to assimilate and adopt the Australian "Way".
We are now starting to see Radicals within certain religious sects impose their beliefs within "Our" culture. This can only be to our detriment!

 

[Beanie Girl]

The original meaning as used by Aussies in the 1930s and 1940s of 'wog' is a 'disease, sickness, influenza, bug or germ. Even parasite'.

"Wog was originally used in Australia as a slang term for illnesses such as colds, the flu or malaria. This usage has been in existence since at least the early 1940s. It is recorded in the 1941 Popular Dictionary of Australian Slang by S. J. Baker as meaning a germ or parasite"

http://www.american-buddha.com/cult.wogwiki.htm

Ever heard the phrase 'got to get this wog off my back'?
It's still used by elderly Australians.

I heard it for the first time, going back 10+ years by an elderly Aussie of Irish descent.
He exclaimed in public loudly, 'got to get this wog off my back!'
I stared at him absolutely horrified, my mouth agape, wondering 'what did I just hear?'
I looked around cautiously and timidly to see if any person of Mediterranean or South-east Asian descent was bothering him, 'on his back' so to speak.

I was relieved to find out later that he meant "got to get this 'flu' off my back"

But if you link 'wog' to its original meaning of 'illness, germ or parasite', the continued and subsequent usage to refer to persons of Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, South-Asian, East Asian or African descent can only be deemed as 'derogatory' .

 

[Spades]

Ok so when you posted that you can't say the same for the current lot if immigrants you actually meant just a small % of the current lot? Why not say that?

Ok sanj,out of only 5 you posted,19% are duds imo.

Thankyou.

I thought we never met

If your name is Jack.Daniels,i've met you plenty of times

I have seen PLENTY of lazy, clock-watching, work dodging, dead-wood "WASP" Aussies in workplaces I have been at over the last 40 years.

My dad once worked for the local council on the maintenance crews...

He once got told to "slow down" by the other rugged and buggered Bronzed Aussie beer-gut types he worked with because he was making them look bad.

Got me there and i laugh when i see these guys on council road crews.

I saw 5 guys the other day and 1 working?...2 holding road signs,2 on walkie talkies,the other guy watching the guy cut limbs from a tree.

 

[Fifth]

I know my Italian mother in her early 60s finds the term wog insulting, but she's also very critical of what she considers the overly demanding nature of newer immigrants.

The way she sees it, the post-war European immigrants never complained if they received rude comments or unfair treatment, they just got on with it. They earned respect rather than demanded it. If they were called a wog on the playground or the workplace, even if they were offended, it would never have occurred to them to kick up a stink. They never went to the media with their stories of woe, demanded the resignation of officials who made a faux pas or complained about the lack of continental European representation in parliament or on the telly.

She thinks the newer immigrants are too quick to complain and expect to be accommodated too much.

Of course these are sweeping generalisations and my mother does like to talk a lot of sh*te, but I think there is some truth to it.

I once worked in a place where a subcontinental (Indian or Sri Lankan) guy with an incredibly long and difficult to pronounce name complained on his very first day to the boss about a nickname he was given by another man who was a bit of an ocker but a decent guy. I can't remember the nickname, but it wasn't intended to be offensive. I think it may have been the name of a character in a children's movie or some such. Anyway, fair enough he complained. But then he went and told anyone who would listen how he was discriminated against, how using nicknames is a form of intimidation and how the guy who said it (he'd been there for 10 years) was a bully etc..

I don't condone racism or think it's right that people should be expected to 'suck it up' when they are truly harassed, but we've almost swung too far in the opposite direction now to the point of well-meaning people being labelled racists because they didn't consult their PC handbook before they spoke.

The whole Islam thing is another pickle. You basically can't criticise Islam without being called a racist even though Islam is not race but a religion which should be open to criticism. And every other week in the Guardian or Age there is an article about how ignorant Australians should make more of an effort to understand Islam and Muslim culture. I'm sorry, but why the hell should non-Muslims be expected to know about Islam? Do Christians demand that Iranians should learn about Christianity? So you must learn about Islam but never, ever criticise it. Great!

Language is another issue that you're not really allowed to discuss. I've had to work with people who have such limited English skills that having a basic work-related conversation was difficult. You can never, ever question the logic in hiring people with poor English skills. Only racist bogans do that, you see.

 

[The Fence]

But if you link 'wog' to its original meaning of 'illness, germ or parasite', the continued and subsequent usage to refer to persons of Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, South-Asian, East Asian or African descent can only be deemed as 'derogatory' .

Never ever have I linked like you describe above.

Only ever refered to wogs as a term of endearment.

Therefore, it is not a derogatory term.
It's used by themselves FFS...!

You are just begging to be offended, you are going out looking for it so you can cast your silly cartoons all over the place.

PC crowd gone mad.

 

[devank]

Time for a lock Sims?

 

[sanj]

Ok sanj,out of only 5 you posted,19% are duds imo.

Thankyou.




If your name is Jack.Daniels,i've met you plenty of times





Got me there and i laugh when i see these guys on council road crews.

I saw 5 guys the other day and 1 working?...2 holding road signs,2 on walkie talkies,the other guy watching the guy cut limbs from a tree.

Actually you said some of the race you refuse to name are duds, so we're talking say 10 to 15% of the immigration population and that is a hell of a long way away from your original comment. Why the need to be sensationalist? Is accuracy not important to you?

 

[Spades]

Is accuracy not important to you?

Accuracy?You referring to fancy charts,stats?I go by what i see and that's my opinion.

Don't like it,move on.

Have a nice day sanj

Thankyou.

 

[property_girl]

So, while you lament at how badly the wogs were supposedly treated ...

No, I didn't lament at how badly the Italians and Greeks were treated; I said that 'wogs' was used as a derogatory term in Melbourne in the 1960s. That is a fact.

To the couple of crotchety old farts who say that it's perfectly okay to call people 'wogs': thank goodness we have evolved and there aren't too many like you around any more.

The Fence: people are not 'begging to be offended'; you are finding an excuse to be offensive.

 

[sanj]

Accuracy?You referring to fancy charts,stats?I go by what i see and that's my opinion.

Don't like it,move on.

Have a nice day sanj

Thankyou.

You are spreading nonsense about entire groups of people, don't get upset if someone pulls you up on it.

You chose to say that immigrants nowadays are somewhat inferior to the in the past, when I pointed out the makeup of said immigrants you suddenly claim oh actually it's only 1 out of the 5 groups. Why not do a bit of research to see if what you're saying is even mildly accurate effort choosing to slander entire groups of people?

 

[Harro]

No, I didn't lament at how badly the Italians and Greeks were treated; I said that 'wogs' was used as a derogatory term in Melbourne in the 1960s. That is a fact.

To the couple of crotchety old farts who say that it's perfectly okay to call people 'wogs': thank goodness we have evolved and there aren't too many like you around any more.

The Fence: people are not 'begging to be offended'; you are finding an excuse to be offensive.

We have people who claim to be "Australian Citizens" for the benefits, who have returned to their homelands to engage in war and murder. Somehow, I don't see this as evolving!