A fascinating, if predictable, discussion over the long weekend.

However, I note that nobody's taken up my point about the economic implications of these attacks on Indian students in Australia. In addition to the quality of the education that Australian schools and universities offer to fee-paying overseas students, part of our "brand" is that Australia has hitherto been seen to be a safe, hospitable cultural environment, and has therefore been attractive when compared to say, Britain or the USA as somewhere for middle-class Asian families to send their kids.

Tertiary education earns Australia serious export dollars, which effectively subsidise Australian students. It seems that few, if any, who have engaged in this discussion are at all concerned about the economic implications of Australia acquiring an international reputation for thuggery.

Australia may not be a racist country, but it is demonstrably a country where racism thrives and manifests in all sorts of ugly ways. This is by no means restricted to the dominant Anglo ethnic majority, but I think that the widespread denialism about Australian racism - such as we see in this thread - actually fosters ethnic racism among alienated immigrant minorities.

In the case of Indian students, they are not immigrants, but tell that to a bunch of young thugs of any other ethnicity travelling on the benighted Melbourne or Sydney railways. What's truly depressing is that history tells us that this kind of ignorant, bigoted thuggery is only likely to get worse as the GFC starts to bite and people start to hurt.

They'll look for someone to blame, and who better than the well-heeled Asian student?

Dear CJ,

Eloquently put!

My summary is more or less along your line
of thought - but in much simpler terms.

Indian students could be seen by some:

1)As taking up places at our universities -
(away from the locals) -
even though they do so at great expense,
thus supporting the universities.

2) They take on part-time work - this also
could be viewed as taking jobs away from
the locals.

3) Australian companies are moving their
call-centres to India. Again, jobs could
be seen to be lost here.

4) Indian students live in working-class
neighbourhoods - (for cheaper accommodation) -
thus making them easy targets for malcontents.

There are many factors that could be at play
here. And as you point out CJ - things are
probably only going to get worse.

Something needs to be done.

Antonios if you are not the target (or a friend of a target) of a prejudice then you don’t see it as clearly.

There’s been like 5 different threads lately with the same comments.

There seems to be a lack of understanding in all of them. The victims of violence, racism, sexism, ageism, (and if there is an “ism’ for not liking another religion) feel it, it compounds any crime or any unkind act.

Being bullied is one thing but being bullied because of any of the above is so damaging. People telling you that against everything you have experienced that you were given a “fair go” and chose not to make a go of it is like rubbing salt in the wound.

Please know Antonios that so many people can see what you can and do not think it is okay. People do know that no country truly treats all people as equals no matter what the claims. Well, anyone over five years old knows this.

PS: P & P… Obama was cute, why else would he be elected in such a stupid country. Doesn’t make USA non-racist just means they finally got jiggy with it. Now if they had elected an Arab I would have been truly impressed.

PPS: CJ... I didn’t really get that it had affected education majorly. Less Indians would be on their way due to the GFC anyway wouldn’t they? Yes that was a guess.

Asian students in NZ have a horrible time, other Asians keep kidnapping them, some cultural debt recovery scheme they have. The Asians will be okay, they normally travel in fast cars... they are hard to keep alive on the roads though.

Jewely
The reality is miles from the books and newspapers.
In big companies where there is no employer but sub, sub managers the critiria which used for any kind of training or improving the position have nothing to do with hard work, productivity etc
This kind of worries is for the employer or the top managers, not for supervisors and their assists.
Supervisors critiria is their friends, relatives, friends of relatives, their dogs (informants), etc
FOXY CAN ASK A UNION OFFICCER TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN WORK PLACES, NOT THE BOOKS, THESE ARE FOR THE KINDERGARTENS!
I supposed she work for the system, may be this is her job and try to protect it althouht she has deep darkness from the reality in workplaces.
THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIGRANTS, OR PEOPLE FROM NON PRIVILAGED RACES IS A BIG JOKE, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WHO FINISHED AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

It might be more productive to talk about stopping the thugs and leave the emotive discussions about racism to where they are relevant. It was widely agreed quite early in this thread that the Indians were not targeted because of a dislike of their cultural group, but because they are often soft targets.
At the moment, it is pathetically easy for the attackers. In many fights, the loser doesn't even hit back. The soluion is for all of us to accept that knowing how to defend yourself is an important life skill for everyone.

All foreign students have the right to work 20 hours per week, they are not only students but also workers, cheap, very cheap workers as no one is interested for their rights as employees.
Locals hate foreign students and migrants because they work for low wages and under bad conditions, and emloyers prefer them than the locals.
In Australia many people work part time, we are first or second country in the world in part time employees.
These people already have problems of cause their part time work, if they lose their job of cause the foreign students or migrants, they have even bigger problems.
The locals try to stop the invasion from more foreigners, to protect their standards, their jobs and they try it not as individuals but as a group of people. In this case THE RACE IS THE GLUE which connect them as a group.
Every group fight against foreigners has race glue in it. It is less or more a racist attack.
The racist Parties in last week's European Elections had big success in all European Countries, Including UK and Greece.
I am sure the same thing will happen in Australia too.
For me the attacks against foreign Students was expected, what I did not expect was that some persons who call their self progresive to close their eyes. I am sure we will see even more strange things!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide