Dear examinator,

In Australia - prejudice has existed from
the first days of colonisation. Prejudice
against convicts, the military, the Aborigines,
the Irish, the Chinese in the goldfields,
the Catholics and the Protestants. Anything and
anyone that didn't look the same, spoke the same,
dressed the same, believed the same - was grounds
for prejudice. And progressively, new people,
new cultures, new politics, proliferates prejudice.

This is true in any culture, in any land, on any
continent.

People who are prejudiced against one minority,
tend to be prejudiced against others. The source of
prejudice appears to be mainly psychological.
However, people's personalities - including their
thoughts and feelings develop in, and are shaped by,
their social context. That is, if there is
inequality, competition, and minimal contact between
groups, prejudice can develop unchecked.

The mistake people make is to react to prejudice,
instead of being secure in their own self and
setting their own course through life.

Are Aussies - narrow minded, prejudiced and intolerant?
Hell Yes!
The last few days have definitely confirmed that to me.
Can't even invent a new punctuation mark without everyone complaining.
What a shower of control freaks!

Australians are no more narrow minded, prejudiced and intolerent than any other nation. We are better than many and worse than some. Better than some probably due to a self deprecating humour, she'll be right mate and laid back attitude.

I think all human beings tend to group people or stereotype people whether consciously or unconsciously - the trick is to recongise that and try not to judge according to the stereotype.

One-to-one people are far less prejudiced, in my experience most people take others as they are regardless of colour, race or creed. Having been to places in Asia I understood for the first time what it must feel like to stand out and be different. I remember being the only white person in a department store food court in Japan and the object of much interest and in some cases I am sure I detected a bit of scorn or resentment - not sure which.

Multi-culturalism, advances in information technology and sharing of that information are relatively new and technological advance always takes off faster than human awareness on how to deal with the impact of change. Perhaps its part of our survival biology and we feel more secure with those we perceive as like-minded including the way we look. Racism may be a way of saying that 'we' are okay it is not us but 'them' and until we become more secure (as Foxy put it) in our individual identities this cultural awareness may take some time.

Will we ever see a time when it really doesn't matter what race or colour we are? And if so will we just find another thing to differentiate us. In old England with a total white population the issue was class and position.

There always seems to be a differentiator even it changes over a period of time.

PART ONE FROM MANY PARTS.
Are working conditions for migrants OK? NO!
There is a huge problem with migrant's training in workplaces.
The companies do not like to spend money for migrant's training even if they born here but they do not belong to the privilaged race.
For example for about 6 years I was operating a Hidelberg Platen machine, varnishing wine labels, BUT never, NO one trained me how to operate the machine, or what is the good varnish! From the law they had to train me first and after to put me to operate the machine. As I was cleaning the floor or the machine I saw what the printers did and I learned. In a seminar for the varnish, they left me varnishing and send for the seminar two other employees, (non migrants) one of them in few weeks lost his job (redudancy) and the other moved to an other section!
When later I moved in other better machine, in my first week on this machine the supervisor said me that I put the blade wrong and that the machine cost more than 4 millions of dollars. I said to him that I did not put the blade but my trainer, (an other assist Printer) when Supervisor asked him why he put the plate wrong he answered ,that NO ONE said him about the blade.
People did wrongly their job for many years but he blame me for what I did not do and I did not know as I was in my first week on this kind of machines.
The company used two kind of trainings internal from an other person from the company or with professional trainers. The training from professionals is valid for other companies as professionals know their job, what and how to train employees.
One time when I was "training" I cut the streeps of paper with an other way than my trainer said me. When he saw it he was angry and he started pushing me out from the premises, yelding that he suck me!

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide
Continue

PART TWO FROM MANY PARTS.
I asked the leader of the sift what is this? and he answerd me that printers ALWAYS have right, but he was not printer and NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT FOR PHYSICAL ABUSE.
I am there more than 15 years but I never had any kind of training by professional trainer BUT I do not know if there is any one from the privilaged race withouht training from professional trainer.I was surprized when the company changed the Scandinavian women from the quality control, she was there for many years and put an other woman (from the privilaged race) who had no idea from the job. The managment said that they prefered the other women because she knew EXCEL the position was about typing but controling the quality of the labels, THEY COULD TRAIN THE SACANDINAVIAN WOMAN, THEY TRAINED OTHER PEOPLE WHY NOT THE MIGRANT? Soon the new one suck and the woman now did not know excel or anything about labels.
When Scandinavian woman learned that the other women replaced her she had mental problems and never returned back.
In an other section where are working women most if not all of them, women from the privilaged race was trained by professionals, I do not know if any women from the non privilaged race if had this kind of training
Withouht training migrants do the worst jobs, have no change to improve their position, they can not find an other job as they are withouht training, withouht skills and of cause they come first in redudancy. I remember some years before, when many employee lost their job, while the non privilaged race employees was about 14% of all employees, more than 30% of the employees who lost their job was from them.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide
CONTINUE

PART THREE FROM MANY PARTS.
One time I was sick for one day I took the certificate from the doctor, I gave to supervisor to signe it, as he did, but the company did not pay me. I had to ask the union for the sick leave payment. I do not take sick leave often, last year year I did not take any!
An other time, about 15 years before phoned me my brother, they said that I was busy and they closed the phone. Every day many people are on the phone, an assist printer was busy! I was sole parent with three children, I leaved my children alone at home and in my workplace blocked a phone for but not for eny one else. I said my children to phone me in my workplace only in extrem cases, and in more than 15 years they phoned me not more than 5 times.
BUT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED IN MY CHILDREN AND THEY TRY TO PHONE ME WITHOUHT SUXXESS, THEN ONLY ALL NATO's TANKS COULD STOPED ME NOT TO RETALIATE!
Some years before I was surprized when I saw a Jew printer crying. I asked him why was crying and he said me that the supervisor pressed him he saw me something on his machine and said me that if he put it with one or the other way the supervisor shouted him.
Althouht I weas a bastard ofsider migrant from an other section I went to supervisor and asked him why press the jews man. He was angry with me and said me "if you was in my position you would worst to him."
The jews printer was there for many years withought problems and I asked him what he thought was the reason for supervisors behave.
He said me that he has this problem because his mother was jews (his father was from hungary).
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide
CONTINUE,