EasyTimes
In every country migrants have this problem. The locals ignore or change the names of migrants without to care what it means for the migrants.
My name Antonios indicate that I am Greek, European, Cristian or come from Cristian environment. My name Antonios is FULL of emotional values for me, from my birthday until now. If any one change it because he/she is very lazy and do not like to remember it or EVEN WORST BECAUSE he/she thing that they can do anything on migrants, then they humiliate the migrants, violate their personality, their integrity. THE NAME IS THE VISIBLE DNA FROM A PERSON, HIS EMOTIONAL AND CULTURAL ID. Many countries, many people change the names from migrants because they want to brake migrant's connections with their past, because they want to disappear, to wipe migrant's present in their country.
Many times mass media introduce successful migrants as locals and third generation problematic migrants as foreigners.
While migrants and minorities offer so much in every country, the people know very little about it, because nationalists, wipe migrants offer and change their names-surnames. My warning 'do not change my name" indicates that I am ready to start an open fight to protect migrants names from any unwanted changes and violent.
Can you imagine what mean for a Muslim migrant to call him Cris, or Paul? Every time they call him Cris it is like to put a knife into his heart. It happened, to change the names of migrants, very often in workplaces.

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaid

Antonios Symeonakis - ALl they are doing is treating you as an equal. They dont call you Tony to anoy you its just how we do things in Australia, lazy short cuts its the Australian way. But I know I am wasting my time debating with you as you are set in your ways.

If you want to be different dont complain when you are treated differently!

Hi Foxy, sorry for not responding but I've been in FNQ for a few day's holiday.

You seem to be missing my point. Especially as you wrote that hazing the Poms "was done with a bit of 'tongue-in-cheek,' and affection". Doesn't that prove my point?

If we made comments on other ethnic groups with "a bit of 'tongue-in-cheek,' and affection", we would be screamed at as 'racist'.

BTW, I don't feel that the English (British are not Poms, only the English are) are being discriminated against, I just think that what's good enough for one race is good enough for another.

In case you still don't get it, I mean that if you insult one group without raising the public's hackles, you should be able to do the same to any other ethnic group. Equality in insult.