A friend of mine at work is Ethiopian. According to wikipedia, Ethiopian means "the people with burnt faces." My friend from work is a tailor by trade. Even though he is ten years younger than me. In Ethiopia, that means he had what is called here, or, was once called here, "a job for life." In Ethiopia, my friend was a skilled craftsman. An Artisan. A valued professional. Here, he is but an unskilled nusiance who cant speak English. At best he is a quaint and polite person who you must talk loudly to and dont realise you are condescending and possibly insulting.
According to my friend there is no need for tailors here. Though I did try to express to him that I have seen a few tailors shops around. Where? That, I cant answer. I saw one some where... Once. Its probably not there now. Where ever it was. I dont remember. I only remember that I saw one somewhere...Once. Once. Like we will one day talk about how we once read a book. How we once saw a tree. How we once went to the shop instead of ordering our food on line. How we once used to make things like clothing.
Anyway, my friend is now employed in the lucky country to clean toilets, transport sick people and make beds in a hospital for a bit more than minimum wage. He is well liked, yet must be insulted or condescended at least once a day for his obvious difference. This he accepts with grace and good humor. Despite rhetoric about Australians being a laid back and benevolent lot willing to give anyone a fair go, I'm afraid that this is merely lip service. It might be understood by the average person of the lower classes, who is used to not getting a fair go, and therefore has the clarity of experience to guide him. But the reality is, we are actuality quite a racist lot. I think its instilled in us by osmosis through our origins as a dumping ground and outpost of the British Empire.
While in isolation, the Australian man or woman may be able to find common ground and be able to accept someone different from him, be able to listen and understand, and empathize, collectively we have since our birth been instilled with distrust, distaste and disdain for people that come here seeking...well, anything really.
5 comments:
"... we have since our birth been instilled with distrust, distaste and disdain for people that come here seeking...well, anything really."
Did you watch Immigrant Nation on SBS the other night? That was disturbing and rather depressing. And now we're installing some US troops up in Darwin to bolster the US's military-industrial complex ... oh, hang on a minute. That's not right. According to Obama, "We are going to make sure that we are able to fulfil our leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region."
What the fuck is that all about? Leadership role? By building a military base? Is that the only way we can think, in terms of dominance and competition?
My partner had a conversation with a work colleague yesterday about the well-known fact that this country was stolen off the people who had been occupying it for thousands of years beforehand. Right out from under their noses. But this work colleague couldn't even admit that they were occupying the land. He flat-out refused to say that they were living on this land when invaded. He insisted on defining it as "using" the land. Oh, well then, that's very convenient. If you're only "using" the land - rather than having developed a sophisticated depth and knowledge and love of it - then it doesn't matter if it gets taken off you by people who will be able to "use" it better.
Sheesh. That's the type of thing your Ethiopian friend is up against. Spoilt brats with identity problems.
Sorry for rambling. Your post hit a nerve :)
yeah I did see immigration nation which is in part what inspired this little drunken rant. In my minimum wage profession we get ALOT of african, indian, and central american people who work in the environmental roles in hospitals. The attitude to "foreign" workers in the early 20th Century is no different to what it is today.
Your comment: "My partner had a conversation with a work colleague yesterday about the well-known fact that this country was stolen off the people who had been occupying it for thousands of years beforehand. Right out from under their noses. But this work colleague couldn't even admit that they were occupying the land."
I know an orderly at Sunshine hospital who thinks its disgusting that the Aboriginal flag is flying at the same height as the Australian one at the hospital entrance.
That's depressing.
Rich white privileged entitled people are very scary. That privilege allows you to hide your prejudices and call them something else. I just wish people would have the guts to admit how bloody racist they are, and how scared they are. It's better! It will open the world up if they admit those things! Maybe they'll even stop being so scared if they first face it.
Living in the outer east now, even while loving it here (it's beautiful) I really miss the different cultures that I came to enjoy living with in the West. I love how multicultural we are. I'm even a little jealous. Because it feels to me like us ole white anglos don't even really *have* much of a culture. Out of all of the groups that compose this country, I think we are the ones with the identity crises. Combine that with a stealthy diet of Channel 9 watching and watch the necks redden even further.
Pah.
I love the west:)
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