I had an interesting introduction to the darker aspect of 'Aussie" culture. I'd only been in the country a few weeks when i and a housemate were given  lift into town by the two blokes from the next door flat. As we drove along one of these blokes happened to notice two young men of "Mediterranean appearance" standing on the street corner having a chat and minding their own business. As we drove past them this hero wound down his window and yelled out "Effing Wogs." To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly.

Fast forward  45 years: I now live in WA but am holidaying in Sydney with relatives of OH. We are taking a walk along a footpath by Parramatta River when we see a family coming towards us - wife/mother wearing a hijab and abaya. Both parties have to move slightly  to the left to let each othe pass and before we are out of earshot one relative says "Blardy Muslims - think they own the place." No longer shocked - just very sad.

My local manicure shop is owned by a lady who is of Vietnamese origin, her staff are as well. She speaks English to her customers and often conversations are between 5 people, all conducted in English.

If she needs to give instructions to her staff, it is in Vietnamese because obviously, that is much easier for them.

I don't mind at all.

Same as me finding my native language easier. I don't listen to private conversations that I am not part of...........

an exception would be when at a family dinner, where my BIL is of Spanish origin and his family/friends resort to Spanish, knowing full well that the rest of us only have limited Spanish skills. They are soon

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

Have vietnamese, pho.  Rice noodle soup with beef and meatballs mmm.

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Yes, that is very nice. The Vietnamese stall wasn't there on Wed. though. I like their rice paper rolls also.

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

I had an interesting introduction to the darker aspect of 'Aussie" culture. I'd only been in the country a few weeks when i and a housemate were given  lift into town by the two blokes from the next door flat. As we drove along one of these blokes happened to notice two young men of "Mediterranean appearance" standing on the street corner having a chat and minding their own business. As we drove past them this hero wound down his window and yelled out "Effing Wogs." To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly.

 

Fast forward  45 years: I now live in WA but am holidaying in Sydney with relatives of OH. We are taking a walk along a footpath by Parramatta River when we see a family coming towards us - wife/mother wearing a hijab and abaya. Both parties have to move slightly  to the left to let each othe pass and before we are out of earshot one relative says "Blardy Muslims - think they own the place." No longer shocked - just very sad.

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Sadly not much has changed; the "funny" thing being that it was often people from the Italian and Greek background who are most resentful of the Asians - a Greek friend once mentioned quite angrily  that a shopping centre that once was full of Greek shops is now all Asian.  I wonder if now the Vietnamese are also anti Muslim?

Not replying to anyone, just a comment.

I was walking down a main street in the city with my wife  a couple of days ago, and in the distance were two women coming towards us. One had a hat on and the other a hajib. These women were in their mid twenties, I guess.

Anyway, about five  metres or so before they passed us, the one in the hat reached up with both hands and pulled the sides of her hat down over the sides of her face, using one hand also to cover her face. The one wearing the hijab just put one hand up to her face to cover it .

How did I feel? I felt insulted that they would cover their faces as though they were fearful that I would look upon them with lustful thoughts.

I really did feel insulted and couldn't help but mutter, "Oh, really!" in exasperation as they passed. Not in a loud voice but quietly.

It affected me that much.

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

I had an interesting introduction to the darker aspect of 'Aussie" culture. I'd only been in the country a few weeks when i and a housemate were given  lift into town by the two blokes from the next door flat. As we drove along one of these blokes happened to notice two young men of "Mediterranean appearance" standing on the street corner having a chat and minding their own business. As we drove past them this hero wound down his window and yelled out "Effing Wogs." To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly.

 

Fast forward  45 years: I now live in WA but am holidaying in Sydney with relatives of OH. We are taking a walk along a footpath by Parramatta River when we see a family coming towards us - wife/mother wearing a hijab and abaya. Both parties have to move slightly  to the left to let each othe pass and before we are out of earshot one relative says "Blardy Muslims - think they own the place." No longer shocked - just very sad.

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You a totally correct, elephant. The Greeks of the 50s/60s/70s were treated so much worse than the immigrants today. Just imagine if someone shouted out a window "Effing Muslims!" and see what happens. The Muslims and Asians are lucky that the racism they receive is only a muttered comment under someone's breath instead of full-on, in-your-face attacks the Greeks had to endure.

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@**dirty.girl** wrote:

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

I had an interesting introduction to the darker aspect of 'Aussie" culture. I'd only been in the country a few weeks when i and a housemate were given  lift into town by the two blokes from the next door flat. As we drove along one of these blokes happened to notice two young men of "Mediterranean appearance" standing on the street corner having a chat and minding their own business. As we drove past them this hero wound down his window and yelled out "Effing Wogs." To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly.

 

Fast forward  45 years: I now live in WA but am holidaying in Sydney with relatives of OH. We are taking a walk along a footpath by Parramatta River when we see a family coming towards us - wife/mother wearing a hijab and abaya. Both parties have to move slightly  to the left to let each othe pass and before we are out of earshot one relative says "Blardy Muslims - think they own the place." No longer shocked - just very sad.

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You a totally correct, elephant. The Greeks of the 50s/60s/70s were treated so much worse than the immigrants today. Just imagine if someone shouted out a window "Effing Muslims!" and see what happens. The Muslims and Asians are lucky that the racism they receive is only a muttered comment under someone's breath instead of full-on, in-your-face attacks the Greeks had to endure.

 

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Lucky??

I think muttered or shouted, neither is acceptable and nothing lucky about it.

It makes me cringe when people do that for no good reason.

Yes, Karen, lucky. The Asians and Muslims should count their lucky stars they weren't a Greek living in Australia in the 1950''s. That's all.

 Muslim woman are being shouted at in the streets and being physically assaulted by cowardly idiots, is that "lucky"? 

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@boris1gary wrote:

 Muslim woman are being shouted at in the streets and being physically assaulted by cowardly idiots, is that "lucky"? 

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Still a step-up from Greek children being given kerosene to drink and/or nearly drowned in rivers in the 1950's. Yes, Muslim woman are very lucky compared to the Greeks back then.