Racism in Adelaide??

[tean]

I just bumped into a former colleague (we are both mental helath nurses), and shared the news that I am moving to Adeaide in September. To my surprise, she said she was moving to Perth soon!

Well, she then said that Adelaide was her first choice, but 2 different people had told her Adelaide would not be good for her, and she won't get on, as she is black!!

I could not believe what I was hearing!

I thought Australia was a country full of diversity and multi-culturalism, and migrants from everywhere are accepted. Am I wrong?

Very concerning to hear this, if it is correct :-(

[Sallyh]

You better have a read around the board, see if there's any tell tale sign of racism and prejudice here. Only a microcosm of adelaide though, maybe only the "English Quarter".

 

i've found Adelaide to be less discriminatory than the UK but then I lived in a part of the UK where a certain generation would ask my black friend "where are you from". Well, to be fair, she moved from Ipswich to Norwich but I don't think that was what they meant!!

 

And I was born in the Midlands, so I have to say I find racism and prejudice really really really boring and unecessary!

[Guest Guest75]

Hearsay only.

 

It is a very mixed culture here - if ya turn up and earn your way you will be respected!!

 

I sat a first aid course on Monday several nationalities in the 20+ group - there was even someone from Scotland!! We could just about understand him!!!:biglaugh:

[trevorpayne]

I think its a case of when in Rome.

We move out in Sept and intend to fully embrace the Australian culture and way of life.

But there will always be some small element who will be prejudice where ever you live in the world.

Live the dream.

[Guest lastboyscout]

You better have a read around the board, see if there's any tell tale sign of racism and prejudice here. Only a microcosm of adelaide though, maybe only the "English Quarter".

 

No need to look around the board, its in your first sentence

 

Its not just English , its prevalent in all races, and not just in Adelaide either, its all over the world, always has been, and always will be unfortunately .

[Diane]

I certainly don't think Adelaide is any more racist than any other place in Australia - in fact it is probably less so than quite a few other Australian cities - Sydney and Perth amongst them!

 

My son had a birthday sleepover recently - of his 6 friends, every single one was from a different part of the world, different skin colours - all like the same stuff, accept each other no question - it gives me real hope for the future!

 

I find people of my parents' generation seem quite racist a lot of the time, and people who moved to Australia during the 70s seem to occasionally have the same sort of attitude that I hear from my father - however old they are - so anywhere with a large English population might seem racist to someone with more enlightened views nowadays I guess!

[Jessica Berry]

Having come from a HR background in the UK and now dealing with employers on a daily/weekly basis in Adelaide I think racism/discriminatory behaviour does exist, compared to what we are used to in the UK. As I say to people what SHOULD happen and what DOES happen are two different stories. Only this week I had an employer contact me and say they had put an advert in the paper but people that applied all lived too far away and they want a young female, this is common place. I have worked in jobs here where people were made 'redundant' because they complained about racist comments from colleagues and also when somone said they were gay. Of course this does not happen in all sectors of industry, but I have to say I find some of the attitudes like something out of the tv program Life on Mars!!!!

 

Don't get me wrong I love living in Adelaide and have no desire to return to the UK where the PC attitudes are completely out of control. Years ago my friend who worked at a Council had to say coffee with or without mik, they were not allowed to say black or white coffee because it was considered racist!!!

[sandford5050]

Hearsay only.

 

It is a very mixed culture here - if ya turn up and earn your way you will be respected!!

 

I sat a first aid course on Monday several nationalities in the 20+ group - there was even someone from Scotland!! We could just about understand him!!!:biglaugh:

well said russ , as the old saying goes ' dont judge a book' !!!!!!!!!!!!

[RockDr]

I was walking down Adelaide Rundle Mall with my friend who was over from the UK, and about halfway down she turned to me and said how surprised she was to see such a huge variety of different races and cultures walking down the same street, that in Melbourne she'd felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb (She's muslim, wears a headscarf), but she felt quite welcome in Adelaide.

 

I would say that there are racist elements in australia, and they seem to be more vocal than their equivalents in the UK, but like any city, there are places you would and wouldn't want to live... In my workplace at least, there are people from all over the world, and I've not come across any racism whatsoever.

[jim and adel]

Is there racism in Adelaide? Yes, as there is in most (perhaps all) places. Some people go through life not experiencing it or noticing it and others get a hard time because of it (as in most or all places - there's a trend emerging here!)

 

Anyone coming here thinking they'll never hear a racist comment may well get a nasty shock, but anyone choosing against coming here because they suspect they'll be discriminated against might miss out on moving to a very welcoming place. In short, it rather depends on how well you settle in, how sensitive/resilient you are, how observant you are, how lucky you are in the people you meet and how discerning you are in the people you choose to associate with!

 

Jim

[Guest guest5559]

I just bumped into a former colleague (we are both mental helath nurses), and shared the news that I am moving to Adeaide in September. To my surprise, she said she was moving to Perth soon!

Well, she then said that Adelaide was her first choice, but 2 different people had told her Adelaide would not be good for her, and she won't get on, as she is black!!

I could not believe what I was hearing!

I thought Australia was a country full of diversity and multi-culturalism, and migrants from everywhere are accepted. Am I wrong?

Very concerning to hear this, if it is correct :-(

 

I've asked this question as I often work with black & asian people from UK, from what I get back I would say tell your friend to come to Adelaide if that's her preference, Perth is very expensive. Whenever I've asked if they miss UK, I haven't come across a single 'yes' reply. They just laugh and say, what's there to miss!!! I guess that says it all! Like some earlier threads point out there is a generational thing with racism for sure.

[Sallyh]

No need to look around the board, its in your first sentence

 

Its not just English , its prevalent in all races, and not just in Adelaide either, its all over the world, always has been, and always will be unfortunately .

 

First? Or Second?

 

Only racism I have personally come across since I moved here has been in certain threads and discussions on this forum. Which is what I meant. Maybe you didn't understand what I wrote? Or maybe you did and have just called me racist????? I can assure you I am far from that.

[Guest Guest5035]

Or maybe you did and have just called me racist????? I can assure you I am far from that.

 

that sounds familiar to something i just read and said, everything i said on another thread was black and white, the way i always speak.

 

stevo

[Sallyh]

Sorry Stevo I don't quite understand your post...!!

[Sallyh]

Ah ok I just read your other post...

 

Yes I think namecalling is pretty much something we could all stay away from. Maybe if we start with tolerance of each other, we'll be half way there?!

[Guest Guest5035]

as i've stated before, i tolerate ANYONE, ANY COLOUR, the ones i don't tolerate are the ones that come to this country and DEMAND THIS AND THAT, if they don't like what they get here, its located at the back of Ikea. The OH and i are actually friends with some Somalians who live a couple of streets away, beautiful people.

 

stevo

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

I had a chat with my boss at work a while ago about some applicants they have for technical jobs....and they do get heaps and heaps of Asian applicants....who dnt get the final job....he says the big reason is that they have the papers to say they are say a toolmaker but when they sit down at the interview they applicant ends up knowing nothing about the job he is applying for.

 

 

This then could look like an argument for the race card whe fact it comes down to ability.....i worked at one company where the guy on arvo shift could hardly speak a word of english and was constantly making stuff wrong....the company had a real problem as it was real hard to get rid of him and it not be brought as a race issue...

 

Racism does go on everywhere around the world as does bullying etc etc....i wish there was a place where we could all live in peace but it would be awfully crowded.

 

Agee with when in Rome...as thats the way forward in my opinion....

 

HG

[tean]

Thanks for all the posts, they have given an idea of how things really are. Always good to base major decisions on more than the opinion of two peole, and obviously everyones individual experience differs.

I shall tell my friend to have a good read on PIA and not give up on South Australia!

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

I work with Aussies, indian, pakistani, russian, somalian, sudaneese, chinese, scots, welsh, greeks, dutch, germans, french, spanish, italians, iranians, filipino, people from all different religions and if you heard us in work the way we all take the mic out of each other you would probally think we were all rasist when infact were all just having a laugh.

I think some people can be far to sensitive and you mustnt say this or that.

It comes down to the way things are said and how they are recieved.

But raisism unfortunaltly does exist and does happen, thats just life.

[Guest Aussie pat]

I grew up in Adelaide as Australia was emerging from the 'White Australia Policy'. Things were very different then and it may be that some older people can still remember what things were like before the immigration rules changed. It doesn't necessarily make them racist just more set in the old ways. Unfortunately racism does exist in most places if you look for it. I don't think Adelaide is any worse than most places I visited in the UK.

 

On a lighter note a friend of mine refused to see a GP I recommended because she had an Indian name and also said she wasn't too sure about me introducing her to a new Chinese mum at school. Her rationale was that she might not be able to understand them if their English wasn't good. The funny thing is my friend arrived in Australia as a non English speaking 15 yo Cambodian refugee 30 years ago!

[chrisfen46]

Is there racism in Adelaide? Yes, as there is in most (perhaps all) places. Some people go through life not experiencing it or noticing it and others get a hard time because of it (as in most or all places - there's a trend emerging here!)

 

Anyone coming here thinking they'll never hear a racist comment may well get a nasty shock, but anyone choosing against coming here because they suspect they'll be discriminated against might miss out on moving to a very welcoming place. In short, it rather depends on how well you settle in, how sensitive/resilient you are, how observant you are, how lucky you are in the people you meet and how discerning you are in the people you choose to associate with!

 

Jim

I am half maltese i did live there for 2 yrs 2001/ 2003 i was born inthe uk experianced a little name calling at school and thats about it really never experianced anything in work places and i have worked in the mining industry and transport industry, places where you would expect a little bit . Whilst living in malta i found it hard to get work as i dont speak fluent maltese so i learnt maltese, This i felt was a form of discrimination as all maltese speak english as a second language. I totally agree with your post.