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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Condor who wrote (6450)	10/20/2001 5:51:21 PM
From: HG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

On my shoulders....<innocent look> My response about Australians not liking anyone was more from people point of view than from the govt response to the crisis. It was a response to E's surprise at why they had been lukewarm. I wasn't surprised. A lot of people think Australia and Canada are similar in all respects. Well, they aren't. A lot of American spirit of tolerance and multinationalism has rubbed off on Canada. Australia OTOH is isolated. It hasn't been able to assimilate all the immigration which they encourage. And they have never been able to decide if they are part of Western world or whether they are part of Asia. They keep changing their foreign policies every couple of years. I guess their heart belongs to the West, but in their mind they know they have no choice. This struggle makes their neighbors, especially Japan, very upset and eventually works against the Australians. A lot of educated Asians, especially Chinese and japanese immigrate there, get disillusioned and leave....the Chinese are not held in great esteem there. And so Australia is left with only the kind of immigrants they DO NOT want...and its a self reinforcing vicious cycle. Its sad really, for they have such abundance of natural resources, but the've never been able to exploit it. the lack of manufacturing and the high trade tariffs make it a very expensive place and yet the tax slabs kinda break an average man's back. They're not conducive for business at all. The weather is so good and the social security system so perfect for the non working and taxation so high for the working that they would rather be at the beach than be working for a livelihood...and that creates an awful burden on the govt. Thankfully, they went into accelerated phase of tax reform, social security reforms, work for dole programs <which was vehemently opposed -g-> and bank reforms a couple of years ago. It was really needed and overdue. I hope it works for them. I was called a "Wog" <g>. They have a name for American's <they have names for everyone !> They call Americans Seppos. Please don't ask me to explain what that means <g>.

To: Condor who wrote (6450)	10/20/2001 6:45:38 PM
From: HG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Actually I have a theory about why my views are so much in contrast with a lot of people on this thread. I guess it all has to do with my ethicity and how a lot of these countries view someone like me vs a white male/female. Is it possible that my experiences in the ME have something to do with the color of my skin ? Could it be thats what made me more acceptable to them ? And yet, I have never really identified my self with their religious zeal. Someone here raised a big issue on how women were were not allowed to kiss strangers in Saudi. Well, if kissing a stranger means death penalty, it still wouldn't bother me, coz i don't kiss strangers. Its just not part of my culture and mindset, so a prohibition wouldn't really bother me but I can see how that can be an issue with the Europeans for example, for kissing is an integral part of their greetings. About Australia, the racial divide is not felt by the Caucasian males. Could it be the reason that the West is unaware of how a large majority of Asians feel in Australia...? And that being so, could it be why the Weestern World is so forgiving about these issues...... And if it is forgiving indeed, then that means the resentment would keep simmering within the Asian hearts - wouldn't it ? Do people see how countries stop really understanding each other...and how differences keep growing because their concerns are not addressed ? I lived in one of the richest suburbs if Sydney. It was also one of the snobbiest. My and my friends kids were snubbed in school. I remember my daughter spending her lunch time on the steps, watching kids play. Her accent, very un-Australian at the time, was a butt of jokes. Her travels were ridiculed. The color of her eyes was said to be 'funny'. She was 'different' and that somehow ensured her unhappiness. I remember the tears in her eyes, her never wanting to go to school. We changed 3 school for her, but her friend circle remained dismal. Bear in mind Sydney is considered a lot more conservative than places like Melborne and Canberra. I also remember how afraid she was to go to her first school here in CA, and how excited excited she was at the end of the first day. She had tales about how beautiful her friends were, how nice they had been to her, how they had loved her Australian accent and other things about her....She was accepted and assimilated and the "differences", rather than being a butt of jokes, were the cause of envy and respect. She never wanted the schooldays to end. And I wonder, if my statements and my comments about these regions are not understood here by some people, I wonder if there is a similar reason why the world doesn't understand...or even misunderstands US ? Is it a culture thing...is there a pattern to how people and countries and people are accepting of each other ?