Redneck... Mr Ghassan 'gotcha' :)

Dear Ranier,
what you say is partly true. "I want to feel better about who I think I am" yes.. I won't argue with that. But we need to look deeper.

In the sense of Australian Identity, yes, I'd LOVE for all of us to be Christian, but 'white' ? nope... ur quite wrong there. (off-white is nice :)
On the Christian aspect, you have 'projected' there, your own understanding of my understanding of a 'Christian country'.
There is only one kind of true Christian, he or she who has responded with a heartfelt YES to the message of 'Repentance' and 'Belief' in Christ Jesus, Son of God, Messiah, Redeemer. There is no other kind.

So, the most I can hope for and pray for on that level is for the hand of God to work in many hearts. It cannot be legislated, or socialized or enculturated, because it is of the heart, internal which then translates to the external behavior.
If sufficient people are saved, renewed, born again, then their vote will have more impact on the type of laws and spiritual flavor of our culture. No one who believes in democracy can argue with this.

The fact that I am:
a) White
b) Christian
c) Of Anglo/Scottish Heritage

is simply a biological and demographic fact. Demography always must be taken into account in the shaping of a culture and values.

The Australia I long to see, is one where we are more blended, less emphasis on ethnicity, yet upholding the best from the cultural roots of our founding fathers and mothers, which are unquestionably 'English' in language, but 'Australian' in outlook, and including as far as possible the indigenous inhabitants.
I would rather see assimilation than separation. Just as it happened to the Vikings/Celts/Angles/Saxons/Scotts/Jutes who made up Britain. Good for us, good for u. Why r u more special ?

I appreciated this article.
To Coach:
As a non Muslim living in an Islamic country I've been welcomed by local people. I don't fear less here that I will be murdered or raped. I certainly don't feel a pressure to convert to Islam or be killed if I don't. In fact the suggestion sounds very Hollywoodish. Qatar, Dubai, Oman, vast areas of Asia and India are at least as safe as parts of the US and UK and Australia.
Generalisations can cause great harm. Irrationality - the road to insanity - characterises extreme forms of racism and is a companion to more common dinner table racial banter.
We need to check ourselves whenever we say 'all' or 'those'. Stating that all moslems or followers of Islam are terrorists is as irrational as stating that all christians are members of the klu klux klan or soldiers who perform sexual torture.

People have many different roles in life and the good kindly grandfather/mother may be a torturer. Equally they may be the person who claims not to 'see' the trains carrying the shoes and hair of murdered children.
I think the former should be accountable for their crimes. Also, one cognitive technique to prevent insanity is to challenge irrational statements and they need to be countered in every conversaton. Those of us who sit by and let it go because the person seems nice and friendly are contributing to a dangerous continuum.
People who are willing to be immersed in other cultures - who face the fear and take the risks - often have extremely valuable experiences. The divides are not usually as great as we imagine and we may experience some understanding. When we do merge we often find we have the same problems with extremists and the same daily difficulties with intolerance. Our needs are similar. We wash our clothes and our bodies, we pray or not, we weep, we laugh, we win/lose, we grieve, we breed or share in the love of children. Such common ground could bear the fruit of harmony.

"the cultural roots of our founding fathers and mothers, which are unquestionably 'English' in language"

BD, you advocate white supremacy without even knowing that this is exactly what you are advocating.

Question: who invented white people?
Answer: white people
Why? This is what Ghassan in part, is asking you all to consider.

To Rainier

Since when were you ever an “anti racist”, Rainier? You are just as big a racist as I am.

Your oft stated primary goal on this site is to defend and expand the interests of “my people”. When you say “my people” you do not mean the Australian people, or for that matter the Afghan, Iraqi or Chinese people, you mean the aboriginal people.

You see your identity totally in terms of race, yet you have the effrontery to get all pious and superior when you opponents do exactly the same thing. “My people”, Rainier, are the Australian people. By that I mean the North European Protestant people and the aboriginal people. And, because I am less racist than you Rainier, I will also accept as “my people” those people from unrelated foreign cultures who have assimilated into my culture and who know how to behave themselves.

You and I are both racists Rainier, because you and I both believe in racial discrimination. You see nothing wrong with aboriginal people getting special privileges denied other races purely on the basis of their race. And because I understand the reason for this blatant racism, I largely agree with you and condone it myself.

You promote the interests of “your people” Rainier, and I promote the interests of mine.

So, what is the big difference between you and me, Rainier, other than your hypocrisy?

To Ghassan.

I deduced you were a Muslim from your Arab name. Such a deduction is a reasonable assumption. If your name had been O'Flannery, I would not have considered you a Chinese.

I had a few more stereotypes for anti racists, Ghassan, but I only get 350 words. One of them is for those who are the adherents of a multinational religious organisation who's absolute monarch resides in Rome, and who has for centuries attempted to forment rebellion and dissention in those countries ruled by the English Protestant sovereign.

Still at it, I see?

Redneck wrote : "My people”, Rainier, are the Australia people."

Sounds a touch emotional that! You're not getting angy are you?

Do you mean all Australian citizens or just those you choose to recognise?

Hangon - Are you saying that you know every real Australian there is? Wow!

Tell me, what do these real Australians look like, wear, eat? What is his/her profession, vocation, likes and dislikes?

Or do these people look and think just like you?

dinkum,

You seem to be a reasonable person with commendable humanising principles. Ultimately, we all want to live in harmony, safety, and peace. But unfortunately this is possible. As long as there are elements in our world who consider religious ideologies above any other human values; we will continue to witness atrocities in the name of “xyz” religion, god or phylosophy.

Statements like: “Qatar, Dubai, Oman, vast areas of Asia and India are at least as safe as parts of the US and UK and Australia” tell me that

1. you too are conveniently generalising to make your point
2. you are not aware of the real threat caused by global Islam
3. you could well be living in an insulated “hollywoodish” environment
4. you mistake relative “safety” for absence of potential violence
5. you confuse nice people with their true beliefs

Past mistakes should not be an outlet to point the finger (and generalise); instead we must learn from the past and become wiser and more prudent than our fore-parents.

You are absolutely right in saying we have more in common than what divides us. True but soooo dangerous when the small bits that divide us can ultimately wipe us all out too.

Generalisation is deemed “irrational only if it’s not true. I don’t know how much you know about Islamic historical colonialism and actual world Islamisation; but I can assure you it is both dangerous and very “rational” in the islamic psyche. One has only have to read their Qur’an/ Hadith, visit European capitals, or just watch the evening news, … to realise how distorted their views of humanity is and their determination to conquer in the name of Allah.

The multitude of adherents of such a political religion are the victims and captives of this evil phenomenon. They are the nice people you and I interact with daily in the market place and over the backyard fence. The majority of migrants have escaped their oppressive religious countries – but are still umbilically connected to their destructive religion.

I would like to discuss this further – please comment