NationStates Jolt Archive


Ok, allow me to explain Melbourne, Australia, to you all.

Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 14:30
So many people have come out with "You're not German! You're Australian! You ride on a kangaroo and hunt crocodiles! LOL!" that I really have to explain this.

In Melbourne, Australia, in order to be "Australian", you must be:

A) Descent from English settlers
B) Intergrated really, really, really, really, really, really... well.

If you do not fulfill this criteria, you are not "Australian." You might never be "Australian."

That's why all the Croatians around my area are exactly that: Croatian. Same with the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Ukrainians, the Maltese, etc. And the same with me.

Well, that's how it is in Melbourne. Or, at the very least, it's Eastern Suburbs.

So you'll excuse me for not calling myself Australian.

*waits for Neu Leonstein to come out with "It's not like that at all! Kangaroos everywhere!"*
Skinny87
15-02-2006, 14:31
What is your birthplace?
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 14:33
Essendon, Australia.

And before you say anything, here, birthplace means nothing. Only who you identify with. I have a friend who's Ustasha >_>
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 14:34
Ah crap, I forgot Italians and Filopinos. My friends are going to kill me.
Neu Leonstein
15-02-2006, 14:36
So you'll excuse me for not calling myself Australian.
No, sorry, I won't.
What does your passport say?

*waits for Neu Leonstein to come out with "It's not like that at all! Kangaroos everywhere!"*
There are kangaroos everywhere. I almost ran one over today.
Skinny87
15-02-2006, 14:36
You were born in Australia. Thus, you are Australian. Sorry, but you can't deny your birthplace just because you think you're volkdeutsch or whatever.
Jeruselem
15-02-2006, 14:37
No such problems in Darwin. We're well and truly a mixed lot up here, no suburbs of entire ethnicities.
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 14:39
No such problems in Darwin. We're well and truly a mixed lot up here, no suburbs of entire ethnicities.

My suburb is mainly Viet. I think Sydenham or Keilor is Croatian.
Dictator 1
15-02-2006, 14:41
Nationality is overrated anyway.

Down with those obscene "nations"!
Evil little girls
15-02-2006, 14:44
A) Descent from English settlers


You mean the criminals who were chucked out of England right?
Jeruselem
15-02-2006, 14:49
You mean the criminals who were chucked out of England right?

You could say the same for the USA as well. :)
JuNii
15-02-2006, 14:50
So many people have come out with "You're not German! You're Australian! You ride on a kangaroo and hunt crocodiles! LOL!" that I really have to explain this.

In Melbourne, Australia, in order to be "Australian", you must be:

A) Descent from English settlers
B) Intergrated really, really, really, really, really, really... well.

If you do not fulfill this criteria, you are not "Australian." You might never be "Australian."

That's why all the Croatians around my area are exactly that: Croatian. Same with the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Ukrainians, the Maltese, etc. And the same with me.

Well, that's how it is in Melbourne. Or, at the very least, it's Eastern Suburbs.

So you'll excuse me for not calling myself Australian.

*waits for Neu Leonstein to come out with "It's not like that at all! Kangaroos everywhere!"*Croikey... and here I thought that all you non-abos were 'stralian.
JuNii
15-02-2006, 14:53
You could say the same for the USA as well. :)
Wrong, the People who Founded USA were CHASED from England... not Chucked out.


Big difference. :D
Jeruselem
15-02-2006, 14:56
Wrong, the People who Founded USA were CHASED from England... not Chucked out.


Big difference. :D

Actually, Australia was colonised because those Americans kicked out their British. They needed another dumping ground for their unwanteds.
Kanabia
15-02-2006, 15:24
...so? We're multicultural. Big deal. People identify with whatever they feel like. I don't see how that's a problem.

Which part of the eastern suburbs, btw? I'm in the eastern suburbs too.
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 15:25
...so? We're multicultural. Big deal. People identify with whatever they feel like. I don't see how that's a problem.

Which part of the eastern suburbs, btw? I'm in the eastern suburbs too.

St.Albans.
Kanabia
15-02-2006, 15:30
St.Albans.

Isn't that way in the west or something?

I'm in Narre Warren.
Attalien
15-02-2006, 15:31
Actually things like this are easy. If your passport sais that you're from Australia then you're Australian and if it sais you're Norweigan then you're Norweigan. It's simple as that.
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 15:32
Isn't that way in the west or something?

I'm in Narre Warren.

You know what? I think I got East and West confused. Sorry.
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 15:32
Actually things like this are easy. If your passport sais that you're from Australia then you're Australian and if it sais you're Norweigan then you're Norweigan. It's simple as that.

I don't feel, look or act Australian.
Jeruselem
15-02-2006, 15:34
Actually things like this are easy. If your passport sais that you're from Australia then you're Australian and if it sais you're Norweigan then you're Norweigan. It's simple as that.

So what are you then have a British and Australian passport? ;)
Kanabia
15-02-2006, 15:35
You know what? I think I got East and West confused. Sorry.

lol :p


I don't feel, look or act Australian.

What does an Australian look and act like, though?
Kievan-Prussia
15-02-2006, 15:38
What does an Australian look and act like, though?

Not me. I'm different from everyone. If you looked up the demographics of Australia, you'd see large minorities of Croatians and Vietnamese and one Kievan-Prussia.
Kanabia
15-02-2006, 15:40
Not me. I'm different from everyone. If you looked up the demographics of Australia, you'd see large minorities of Croatians and Vietnamese and one Kievan-Prussia.
I see.

And what is your background? Ukrainian? German?
Katganistan
15-02-2006, 15:46
You could say the same for the USA as well. :)

:-p We didn't become criminals until we chucked the English out, get it straight! :D
Jeruselem
15-02-2006, 16:05
:-p We didn't become criminals until we chucked the English out, get it straight! :D

Nothing's changed ... :)
Katganistan
15-02-2006, 16:13
No...

See, the people who came to the US generally came because they could not own land back home but had the opportunity to get it here. And because they wanted religious freedom.

They were citizens in good standing until they stopped paying taxes to King George and decided they wanted freedom of self-determination and to decide how the resources they raised were used....

...and that we shouldn't pay taxes if we weren't going to be represented in Parliament.
Grave_n_idle
15-02-2006, 16:19
No
...and that we shouldn't pay taxes if we weren't going to be represented in Parliament.

Thinking about that... then thinking about the 2000 elections, always brings something of a wry smile to my face....
Whereyouthinkyougoing
15-02-2006, 16:26
That's why all the Croatians around my area are exactly that: Croatian. Same with the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Ukrainians, the Maltese, etc. And the same with me.
But wouldn't that depend on how recently one's family immigrated? I'm not too familiar with the Australian context, but in the US, self-described ethnic affiliation historically changed pretty quickly.
SoWiBi
15-02-2006, 16:39
I don't feel, look or act Australian.

Hate to break it to you, but you don't sound/look German either, and thinking that Germans are so homogenous that you can 'feel' or 'act' "German" makes you look rather oblivious to the German reality, too.

The one thing that connects you with us Germans though is your knack for stereotyping, your nit-pickiness and that bitter "the world conspired against me" feeling. Welcome.
Corruptropolis
15-02-2006, 16:43
Right, now we know that... Happy now? There goes my ability to put numbers together, since I have to make room for that information... Thanks alot!
Psychotic Mongooses
15-02-2006, 16:51
snip

Yeah, and Americans use the very same logic to say:

"Hey, my folks are from Ireland. I'm Irish too!"
"No. You're American."
"No I'm not.
"Where were you born?"
"[Insert US city here]"
"Right, you're American. Not Irish. Maybe Irish-American, but stop calling yourself Irish. You're not."
Preebs
15-02-2006, 23:12
...so? We're multicultural. Big deal. People identify with whatever they feel like. I don't see how that's a problem.

Which part of the eastern suburbs, btw? I'm in the eastern suburbs too.
The problem comes when people insist on asking me "Where I'm from," despite my complete lack of an accent (or rather my Aussie accent).

I'm often tempted to respond in a really ocker accent with "Dubbo, maite." But I don't think anyone would fall for it...

I'm just sick of people assuming I was born overseas (even though I was- I know heaps of non-white people who WERE born here, shock horror!) and treating me subtly differently. Of course not everyone does, and this is just my little rant... *hides*
Iztatepopotla
15-02-2006, 23:18
Does water flow clockwise or counter-clockwise when going down the drain?

That's all I want to know, couldn't care less about the rest.
Anarchuslavia
16-02-2006, 09:17
at my house in sydney, clockwise
but my tap might be too far right
in connecticut, anticlockwise
but maybe the tap was too much to the left
i forgot to test it when i was flying over the equator. that would have been interesting

and it aint just melbournians who define themselves by their family/friends' cultures...it annoys me in syd too
dont get me started on cronulla...
Yathura
16-02-2006, 09:24
I think it might be hard for people from some countries with relatively well-integrated minorities (e.g. the US, where every minority may have -American tacked onto the end, but they are still identified as American nonetheless) to understand the fractured ethnic and cultural identities found in other countries like Australia. To many nations, it *is* all about the passport, but the perception in Australia, from my admittedly limited knowledge from Australians I know, is that "Australians" are culturally considered to be whites who speak and act a certain expected way, while everyone else has a correspondingly different view of their own identity. In short, the accepted view of what constitutes an Australian is limited and subtly racist.
Hyperspatial Travel
16-02-2006, 09:34
So many people have come out with "You're not German! You're Australian! You ride on a kangaroo and hunt crocodiles!

It's true. Every arvo, I saddle up my trusty wallaby, put on my Akubra hat with the corks, grab my billy, and some tea, and ride off to hunt the crocodiles. Note, that, just like Steve Irwin, I wrestle them. But with one hand only, to make it less unfair for the crocs.

Seriously, though. Where I live, which is a small town, which is mostly white, everyone is considered Australian. It's just the way things are. On the other hand, strangely enough, Aboriginals are considered Aboriginal, not Australian. Weird..
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 09:39
The problem comes when people insist on asking me "Where I'm from," despite my complete lack of an accent (or rather my Aussie accent).

I'm often tempted to respond in a really ocker accent with "Dubbo, maite." But I don't think anyone would fall for it...

I'm just sick of people assuming I was born overseas (even though I was- I know heaps of non-white people who WERE born here, shock horror!) and treating me subtly differently. Of course not everyone does, and this is just my little rant... *hides*

lol :p

Well, I get that problem too what with the weird surname and all. No big deal. I'm still Orstrayun.

In short, the accepted view of what constitutes an Australian is limited and subtly racist.

That's only accepted by racists, though. And old people. I don't think most people really think that.
Yathura
16-02-2006, 09:42
That's only accepted by racists, though. And old people. I don't think most people really think that.
I'm not so sure. I hope you're right, though. I like the Australians I know and I don't like to think anything bad about their country :D
Revasser
16-02-2006, 09:45
:rolleyes:

You need to get out of the eastern states cities where all the ethnicities and all their petty little squabbles and petty little purity issues are so predominant.

Come out here to regional WA and we don't give a shit what you look or sound like or even if you were born overseas. If you live here and call it your home, you're Aussie whether you damn well like it or not.

I swear, the eastern states have a lot to answer for. We should have seceded when we had the chance in the 30's.
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 09:48
I'm not so sure. I hope you're right, though. I like the Australians I know and I don't like to think anything bad about their country :D

Sure, we have our rednecks, but overall, most of us are tolerant folk. I mean, I can look at my group of friends and see tons of different cultural backgrounds there - I don't think the majority of the youth in particular are racist. (aside from the aforementioned rednecks)

Eh, nationality is a moot point anyway. We should get rid of the stupid concept. :p
Yathura
16-02-2006, 09:50
Sure, we have our rednecks, but overall, most of us are tolerant folk. I mean, I can look at my group of friends and see tons of different cultural backgrounds there.

Eh, nationality is a moot point anyway. We should get rid of the stupid concept. :p
But if we gave up the concept of nationality, the only thing we'd have to go to war over is religion! Perish the thought!
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 09:51
But if we gave up the concept of nationality, the only thing we'd have to go to war over is religion! Perish the thought!

Well, we should piss that off too.

:p
Whereyouthinkyougoing
16-02-2006, 11:21
:rolleyes:

You need to get out of the eastern states cities where all the ethnicities and all their petty little squabbles and petty little purity issues are so predominant.

Come out here to regional WA and we don't give a shit what you look or sound like or even if you were born overseas. If you live here and call it your home, you're Aussie whether you damn well like it or not.

I swear, the eastern states have a lot to answer for. We should have seceded when we had the chance in the 30's.

Wow, that surprises me. I'd think it's rather unusual that there's more "racial tolerance" in the rural hinterland than in the cities. Huh.
Neu Leonstein
16-02-2006, 11:26
Wow, that surprises me. I'd think it's rather unusual that there's more "racial tolerance" in the rural hinterland than in the cities. Huh.
It's because in the cities, there are many more immigrants, which of course start to form their own little communities. So that increases the seperation, and you end up with all sorts of people identifying with their little communities rather than with the large whole.

Out in the Bush, people couldn't give a shit about anything. The only racism out there is towards the Aboriginals (who, just to spite them all, then proceed to drink and petrol-sniff themselves out of the picture).
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 11:28
Wow, that surprises me. I'd think it's rather unusual that there's more "racial tolerance" in the rural hinterland than in the cities. Huh.

In the west. From what I remember from when I lived there, the West has a somewhat greater "multicultural" feel than the other states...maybe because it's historically been far less populated than the east and migrants have had more of an impact, I guess.

In rural South Australia, it's a little less...relaxed. It varies.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
16-02-2006, 11:53
In the west. From what I remember from when I lived there, the West has a somewhat greater "multicultural" feel than the other states...maybe because it's historically been far less populated than the east and migrants have had more of an impact, I guess.

In rural South Australia, it's a little less...relaxed. It varies.
Oh, I misunderstood that then, obviously. I really should brush up on my Australia knowledge... Although, when we're talking really rural/way out in the outback, I would imagine Neu Leonstein has a point:
Out in the Bush, people couldn't give a shit about anythingAfter all, if there's only one neighbour around for miles, you'd kind of have to be more tolerant, methinks.

This is all really interesting though. I think most Europeans (myself most certainly included) have this really glorified picture of Australia. To witness: I've always only blamed your government for its rightist, populist immigration policy - letting the people, who, well, voted it into power, completely off the hook.
Mariehamn
16-02-2006, 12:01
"Right, you're American. Not Irish. Maybe Irish-American, but stop calling yourself Irish. You're not."
@Psychotic Mongooses: If that conversation occured between two Americans, the need to say Irish-American or American-Irish is unneccesary.

@Whoever: I usually say my forefathers came from Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, Ireland and Scotland. That's mainly due to a bunch of angry Vikings that can be traced back a number of generations. So, its more like saying I'm the bastard offspring of various Viking raiders. I know. I admit it. To top it off, the Polish probably has some Russian, Mongolian, or even more German in it. I accept that.

Despite that, I'll just keep saying that I'm Polish and German. Yes, I'm an American citizen. What, I'm not Polish and German? Well, my friend, you need to define American. Its just as hard to define as European.
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 12:03
This is all really interesting though. I think most Europeans (myself most certainly included) have this really glorified picture of Australia. To witness: I've always only blamed your government for its rightist, populist immigration policy - letting the people, who, well, voted it into power, completely off the hook.

Eh, there are MPs within the Coalition that disagree with the immigration policies as well. Not everyone that voted for them agrees. Many do, but not everyone.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
16-02-2006, 12:07
Eh, there are MPs within the Coalition that disagree with the immigration policies as well. Not everyone that voted for them agrees. Many do, but not everyone.
I wasn't implying that every Australian loved the immigration policy - after all, even in Australia governments probably don't get elected by even 50% of the vote...
Psychotic Mongooses
16-02-2006, 12:28
@Psychotic Mongooses: If that conversation occured between two Americans, the need to say Irish-American or American-Irish is unneccesary.

Meh. Fair enough if thats the case- whatever floats your boat :p

@Whoever: I usually say my forefathers came from Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, Ireland and Scotland. That's mainly due to a bunch of angry Vikings that can be traced back a number of generations. So, its more like saying I'm the bastard offspring of various Viking raiders. I know. I admit it. To top it off, the Polish probably has some Russian, Mongolian, or even more German in it. I accept that.

Despite that, I'll just keep saying that I'm Polish and German. Yes, I'm an American citizen. What, I'm not Polish and German? Well, my friend, you need to define American. Its just as hard to define as European.

Now you're just delving into 'ethnicity' which is just a minefield! I think this thread was based more on basic nationality- ie first generation or second generation [insert country here]
Mariehamn
16-02-2006, 12:32
Now you're just delving into 'ethnicity' which is just a minefield! I think this thread was based more on basic nationality- ie first generation or second generation [insert country here]
Looks like I did, kind of. But then again, my family's history has been rather well documented, and we came from "Germany" before there was a Germany, and right after Poland had been restored to a country in the aftermath of WWI, so its not like we have whole lot of nationalist sympathy for those countries. Just the peeps. My bad. :p
Haerodonia
16-02-2006, 12:41
You were born in Australia. Thus, you are Australian. Sorry, but you can't deny your birthplace just because you think you're volkdeutsch or whatever.

If only everyone felt that way. There is so much racial prejudice in my area because many people believe that they are only English because they are white and all people of Asian origin are Indians or Pakistanis even if their parents or grandparents were born over here. All this terrorism fear isn't helping either.
Kanabia
16-02-2006, 13:12
I wasn't implying that every Australian loved the immigration policy - after all, even in Australia governments probably don't get elected by even 50% of the vote...

Preferential voting...indirectly, they are... :p

And I know you weren't. But even within the ruling party, there is dissent over the policy...so...
The Infinite Dunes
16-02-2006, 13:32
No...

See, the people who came to the US generally came because they could not own land back home but had the opportunity to get it here. And because they wanted religious freedom.

They were citizens in good standing until they stopped paying taxes to King George and decided they wanted freedom of self-determination and to decide how the resources they raised were used....

...and that we shouldn't pay taxes if we weren't going to be represented in Parliament.*grins and starts thinking about how to be annoying*
They wanted religious freedom? So if that means they must been practicing their religion illegally. So they WERE criminals! :eek:

And if we think about it from the Government's perspective. Lots of land that can be taken from savages and exploited. Hmm... but we need workers... Idea! We export our religious zealots and get them to work for very little. :D ... damn, we seem to be running out of these religious nuts... Africa!... They rebeled?! Ungrateful little sods! Hmm, what next... the Indus seems to be full of lots of resources, and it's even split into handy little castes that we can exploit... But where do we send our criminals? Hey, look at that huge desert island. Excellent!

But anyway, there could seen to other reasons for the American war of independence. The constitution seems to be based heavily on the writing of Locke. I'm not sure Locke recomended a republic, his work was more on the a group of people giving up a little of their freedom to create a neutral arbitrator of men's grievences. And that men have a right to rebellion when the leader breaks the trust of the governed that they have placed in him.

“one of the things against which our forefathers in England and in the American colonies contended was not against oppressive taxation, but against the payment of any taxes at all” - Richard T. Ely

There is only one instance I can find of any tax over 10% on good in the colonies, and that was on alcohol. Further more it was imposed by the colonial government, not the crown, for services such as the fire protection.

The harshest Crown taxes seemed to be the navigation act which required that the colonies only use royal navy ships to export their goods and be subject to a 5% export tax. Basically, the Crown didn't want the colonists exporting food and other goods to the French, whom the English were at war with.

The American colonies were the least taxed of the Empire and received protection from the Indians (who had been provoked by excessive colonialist expansion) and the French colonial possesions. So this whole idea of over taxation and not being represented in parliament seems a bit over emphasised (ok, so they weren't represented directly).

Perhaps, the liberals and other anti-Bush people have reason to rebel against the government, in that they are taxing them 6-fold what the Crown did, and 3-fold what they were 100 years ago.

Besides all that, who wants to live under a mad king any way?

I should really learn when to stop typing... :(
Findecano Calaelen
16-02-2006, 13:59
crazy victorians
Preebs
16-02-2006, 23:03
lol :p

Well, I get that problem too what with the weird surname and all. No big deal. I'm still Orstrayun.


Yeah, it's more of a petty annoyance. You know, I was at the cricket with my boy, trying to buy a student concession ticket. He went up, flashed his card really quickly and paid (you know, he's anglo, with an anglo last name :p ) but when I went up, the woman demanded to look closely at my student card, and asked me "Are you a student?:

Me: "Yeah"

Her: "In Orstaya?" (she looks sceptical at this point)

Me: "Yes. That's a Melbourne Uni student card..."

What. The. Fuck.? Where the fuck else did I pick up this accent? Why the fuck else would I have a MELBOURNE UNI student card.

:p
But yeah, I think young people generally are a lot better than older people. That said, young people seem to be going to the extremes, either pretty accepting and good about race or like the Patriotic Youth League and the wankers at Cronulla. :(
Hyperspatial Travel
17-02-2006, 03:59
:rolleyes:

You need to get out of the eastern states cities where all the ethnicities and all their petty little squabbles and petty little purity issues are so predominant.

Come out here to regional WA and we don't give a shit what you look or sound like or even if you were born overseas. If you live here and call it your home, you're Aussie whether you damn well like it or not.

I swear, the eastern states have a lot to answer for. We should have seceded when we had the chance in the 30's.

Damn straight. If we could get rid of WA, Australia could truly prosper! :D. The amount of roads WA has.. too many, we should make you drive through the desert. :D

Seriously, though. I didn't like Perth, when I went there, I didn't like Sydney, I didn't like Brisbane, Newcastle, or Melbourne (Haven't been to Darwin or Hobart). Conclusion? Big cities suck. We just have more of them. I mean, out here in the smaller towns, we don't care what you look or sound like, either.
Argesia
17-02-2006, 04:05
I don't even know why you people spent so much time answering to someone who advertised that his buddy is an Ustaša - a person "(s)he identifies with".

I'm from the Balkans, so I know what that means.

On another thread, (s)he has also claimed that all the real Germans have died out in 1945.

I say ban this idiot.

-EDIT:Forget the link: a macabre image at the bottom. In any case, it's on Wikipedia-
Svalbardania
17-02-2006, 04:57
There is a few things that I feel the need to point out here:

1) The racial stuff isnt nearly as bad as its made out to be. To every non-Australian, you can't judge us by Cronulla, that was just a few whackos, most of them on the white side although the retaliation certainly wasnt acceptable. To the Aussies, I have the greatest faith that you are using personal experience here and not believing Today Tonight. If you DO believe the Today Tonight stuff, you might as well just jump now.

2) There are always gonna be racist whackos everywhere. It's the price we pay for our awesome multiculturalism-ness.

3) People who are first or second generation immigrants are generally going to form their own communities (to an extent), but again, this happens everywhere. How many cities have a Chinatown?

4) I think the standard for young people (I'm thinking High School here) is that we like having different races. All the curries bag the whites, the azns bag the curries, the whites bag the azns, and after that its a total free for all. But WE ALL ENJOY IT. Its all in good fun, no serious bagging. If something like Today Tonight got wind of how life goes on (in my school at least) they would blow it all out of proportion and run the story for weeks. But I can assure you that everyone at our school, EVERY SINGLE ONE, doesnt want the way things go to change. And yes, I have asked around. I did an essay on this last year and asked every single person in our year level (thats 336 people), one-on-one, whether they liked it and they all said yes.

If you're still reading, good on ya.


On another note, there seems to be a lot of Australian-ness on general at the moment. I just made a thread about Aussie musicians and when I looked to see what page it was on I found two other ones.
Lacadaemon
17-02-2006, 05:06
Wow. It's like the OP is the slightly whiny re-incarnation of Doug Jardine.
Kievan-Prussia
17-02-2006, 06:21
I don't even know why you people spent so much time answering to someone who advertised that his buddy is an Ustaša - a person "(s)he identifies with".

I'm from the Balkans, so I know what that means.

Well, my friend is proud of the Ustasha, and draws the Ustasha symbol on his arm. And the scary thing is, he's a moderate, he doesn't really mind Serbs.

The ones that still hate Serbs are the ones you gotta be worried about.
Revasser
17-02-2006, 09:29
Damn straight. If we could get rid of WA, Australia could truly prosper! :D. The amount of roads WA has.. too many, we should make you drive through the desert. :D

Seriously, though. I didn't like Perth, when I went there, I didn't like Sydney, I didn't like Brisbane, Newcastle, or Melbourne (Haven't been to Darwin or Hobart). Conclusion? Big cities suck. We just have more of them. I mean, out here in the smaller towns, we don't care what you look or sound like, either.

Hah! Without our resources, the Australian economy would bottom out like bootleg tupperware. If we seceded, we'd trade-barrier the rest of the continent into oblivion and you'd be begging us to come back. :p

Yeah, I understand your point about big cities. I didn't much like Perth either when I lived there, though I did like it better than the big eastern cities. You're right, though, big cities do suck.

In smaller towns, there just isn't enough of any one group for anyone to just 'stick to their own kind' and form insular, little ethnic communities. We mix and interact or nothing gets done, and because of that contact, most people become more accepting and used to it. I grew up with a circle of friends that was (and is) a mottled collection of lots different ethnicities, so I just never knew anything else.
Mariehamn
17-02-2006, 09:49
I've thought about it. All of the Aussie's I know, except one, is from Melbourne. I don't want to have Melbourne explained to me! Ahh! :p
Commie Catholics
17-02-2006, 09:57
You were born in Australia. Thus, you are Australian. Sorry, but you can't deny your birthplace just because you think you're volkdeutsch or whatever.

I agree. Birthplace decides your nationality. Also in the definition of 'nationality' is a persons citizenship. If you are a citizen of australia, then you are an australian. Whether you fulfil the stereotype of the typical Aussie or not is irrelevant. All this crap about the 'ausrtalian identity' and 'what it means to be australian' is a load of tripe. It comes down to a matter of opinion and that only leads to trouble. Then we start getting the "I'm right and you're wrong, and that's that" wankers who are extremely irritating. So it's probably best to avoid these types of threads.
Laerod
17-02-2006, 10:33
You could say the same for the USA as well. :)
Wrong, the People who Founded USA were CHASED from England... not Chucked out.


Big difference. :D
Actually, Australia was colonised because those Americans kicked out their British. They needed another dumping ground for their unwanteds.
We didn't become criminals until we chucked the English out, get it straight! :D
Hm...
The US was never a British Penal colony. Only Georgia was. :p
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 11:18
3) People who are first or second generation immigrants are generally going to form their own communities (to an extent), but again, this happens everywhere. How many cities have a Chinatown?

Seeing how this was actually my first question in this thread and nobody answered *sniff* I'll just ask it again: Is this problem actually mostly limited to first and second generation immigrants? Because, like you say, that would be "normal". Or are even those whose families have been living in Australia for, I don't know, a hundred years or so, still referring to themselves (or/and being referred to by others) as [insert nationality of origin]?

(As you can see, I know nothing about Australian immigration patterns - I know that there have been e.g. many Greek and Lebanese immigrants, but I have no idea how recent these immigrations were).
Argesia
17-02-2006, 11:19
Well, my friend is proud of the Ustasha, and draws the Ustasha symbol on his arm. And the scary thing is, he's a moderate, he doesn't really mind Serbs.

The ones that still hate Serbs are the ones you gotta be worried about.

Oh. And I'm an Iron Guardsman, but a moderate one. I support an organization that killed some thousands of Jews, but I have nothing against Jews now.
I'm waiting forward to the day when the world realizes that it can open itself to moderate Nazi government, to a well-established Salo Republic, to well-reputed Holocaust deniers, to a hip National-Bolshevism, and to the cosmopolitan Ustaše.
In fact, "Ustaše that do not hate the Serbs" is an absolutely insane statement. The only other things in "Ustaše ideology" that they would have left are murdereous sprees against Jews, Gypsies, and Muslims. Or is it that he does not hate the Serbs, he only hates Montenegrins now? Or is it "he does not hate Serbs anymore, and believes a movement should not engage in beheadings of Serbs - it should engage in random beheadings"?

All of this to avoid the basic truth: how many Serbs are left to be hated in the Croatian "homeland" after the Ustaše and then Tuđman?!
Harlesburg
17-02-2006, 11:27
Melbourne is full of Greeks.
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:34
Oh. And I'm an Iron Guardsman, but a moderate one. I support an organization that killed some thousands of Jews, but I have nothing against Jews now.
I'm waiting forward to the day when the world realizes that it can open itself to moderate Nazi government, to a well-established Salo Republic, to well-reputed Holocaust deniers, to a hip National-Bolshevism, and to the cosmopolitan Ustaše.
WTF? are you saying we should allow people to deny the fact that the holocaust never happend? even austria and germany aren't that stupid.
and is there such a thing as moderate nazism?
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:35
Melbourne is full of Greeks.
there's also alot of jews and russians there, i'd know about those.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 11:36
WTF? are you saying we should allow people to deny the fact that the holocaust never happend? even austria and germany aren't that stupid.
and is there such a thing as moderate nazism?
Um, did you even read his (whole) post??
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:43
Um, did you even read his (whole) post??
yes, though none of it seemed to go against what i responded to
Skinny87
17-02-2006, 11:49
yes, though none of it seemed to go against what i responded to

I believe he was mocking the OP's post on his Utase friend. Either that or he's nuttier than a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut.
Laerod
17-02-2006, 11:49
yes, though none of it seemed to go against what i responded toThe post dripped so much sarcasm I could fill buckets with it and cure my hangover by drinking it.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 11:49
yes, though none of it seemed to go against what i responded to
But, but, he's obviously being sarcastic. I mean, look at the context with the Ustaše.
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:50
I believe he was mocking the OP's post on his Utase friend. Either that or he's nuttier than a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut.
which doesn't really make him that nutty :p
though i do get your point
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:51
But, but, he's obviously being sarcastic. I mean, look at the context with the Ustaše.
sorry, at the moment i'm having alot of problems dealing with anything emotional, so i didn't notice it
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:52
The post dripped so much sarcasm I could fill buckets with it and cure my hangover by drinking it.
if you could do that, then why didn't you? most people wouldn't choose to keep a hangover.
Laerod
17-02-2006, 11:55
if you could do that, then why didn't you? most people wouldn't choose to keep a hangover.I feel much better already :D
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 11:55
sorry, at the moment i'm having alot of problems dealing with anything emotional, so i didn't notice it
Eh, no problem. Just trying to prevent an unnecessary argument. ;)
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 11:58
Eh, no problem. Just trying to prevent an unnecessary argument. ;)
don't worry about that, i don't have the strength to argue
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 12:00
don't worry about that, i don't have the strength to argue
Aw, you're sounding all sad. Hey, cheer up. Things could be, um, worse. (I hope :eek:)
Argesia
17-02-2006, 12:01
I leave for a bit to take a shower, and I'm a war criminal on my way back.
To clear it:
I WAS BEING SARCASTIC. SO SARCASTIC THAT I COULD CURE A HANGOVER (apparently). CAN YOU SEE HOW I AM CONTRADICTING MY "STATEMENTS" RIGHT HERE, SINCE YOU COULD NOT SEE IT MY EARLIER POST (for one: I "would open the world" to Holocaust deniers for real, but them I'm aknowledging genocide against Jews and Serbs)?
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:06
Aw, you're sounding all sad. Hey, cheer up. Things could be, um, worse. (I hope :eek:)
yeah, i'll be alright, methinks. for those who care: my dog who's been sick for a month or so was so irreversibly sick this week that it was necessary to take her to the vet for "medicine" :(
Laerod
17-02-2006, 12:08
yeah, i'll be alright, methinks. for those who care: my dog who's been sick for a month or so was so irreversibly sick this week that it was necessary to take her to the vet for "medicine" :(
My condolences. :(
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:08
<snip>
i'm sorry, it wasn't as obvious to me that you were being sarcastic so only a few words stuck, which happened to be the wrong ones, apparently. i promise not to blow you up, if that makes you feel better
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:10
My condolences. :(
thanks, the only reason i'm taking it this well is because i saw it coming, what with her being practically a zombie and not eating or drinking for the past few days. makes it alot less sudden.
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:12
Sorry for being thick - that means they had to put her to sleep?
yeah, that's exactly what it means. it's alot more peaceful than i thought it'd be. it only took a couple of minutes, during which she seemed "fine" compared to how she was beforehand
EDIT: and thanks for deleting your post, making this one redundant
Whereyouthinkyougoing
17-02-2006, 12:20
yeah, that's exactly what it means. it's alot more peaceful than i thought it'd be. it only took a couple of minutes, during which she seemed "fine" compared to how she was beforehand
EDIT: and thanks for deleting your post, making this one redundant
Goodness, are you mad at me now? :( I asked because I wasn't sure what you meant and didn't want to go ahead and assume she's dead if she wasn't. But then I saw that Laerod obviously understood it right away, and you had already answered him, and I thought maybe my being thick & asking had come across as insensitive & rude. Argh. Maybe we're both thinking a little bit too much along the wrong lines today?

What I really only meant to say is that I'm really very sorry that your dog died. It's horrible, even if they "go peacefully".
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:21
and suddenly i realise: i completely forgot to air my thoughts on melbourne.
it is a completely useless place that is uninteresting and is even worse than sydney.
sorry, i couldn't think of any more appropriate insults :(
Murderous maniacs
17-02-2006, 12:23
What I really only meant to say is that I'm really very sorry that your dog died. It's horrible, even if they "go peacefully".
thanks. and no, i'm not mad or annoyed at you, just too lazy to delete my post :p
Harlesburg
24-02-2006, 11:20
there's also alot of jews and russians there, i'd know about those.
Sure Jews have annoying voices but the Greeks are everywhere and make the rest of Melbourne speak funny and smell.
Eynonistan
24-02-2006, 11:34
I'm going to Croatian wedding in Melbourne later this year. Is there a huge ethnic Croatian population or something?
Mariehamn
24-02-2006, 11:37
I'm going to Croatian wedding in Melbourne later this year. Is there a huge ethnic Croatian population or something?
Possibly, a Croatian a wanna-be wedding.
Its cheaper than an Italian one after all.
Harlesburg
24-02-2006, 11:52
I'm going to Croatian wedding in Melbourne later this year. Is there a huge ethnic Croatian population or something?
Yes and if it is hijacked by Serbs get out of there quick they don't like each other much.
Eynonistan
24-02-2006, 11:58
Possibly, a Croatian a wanna-be wedding.
Its cheaper than an Italian one after all.

No, they're definitely Croatian :-/
Mariehamn
24-02-2006, 12:00
No, they're definitely Croatian :-/
Good. Posers are bad.
Back in the USA, people always go to Croatia saying, "Its Italy, only cheaper!"
Thus, my previous post.
Eynonistan
24-02-2006, 12:07
Good. Posers are bad.
Back in the USA, people always go to Croatia saying, "Its Italy, only cheaper!"
Thus, my previous post.

Ah, I see! You confused me for a moment.
Lord Sauron Reborn
24-02-2006, 14:52
You mean the criminals who were chucked out of England right?

For such crimes as "stealing a yard of lace" and being homeless.
Infinite Revolution
24-02-2006, 15:27
So many people have come out with "You're not German! You're Australian! You ride on a kangaroo and hunt crocodiles! LOL!" that I really have to explain this.

In Melbourne, Australia, in order to be "Australian", you must be:

A) Descent from English settlers
B) Intergrated really, really, really, really, really, really... well.

If you do not fulfill this criteria, you are not "Australian." You might never be "Australian."

That's why all the Croatians around my area are exactly that: Croatian. Same with the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Ukrainians, the Maltese, etc. And the same with me.

Well, that's how it is in Melbourne. Or, at the very least, it's Eastern Suburbs.

So you'll excuse me for not calling myself Australian.

*waits for Neu Leonstein to come out with "It's not like that at all! Kangaroos everywhere!"*

interesting. i wonder how you would describe me: born in scotland of a half scottish half jersey mother and and an english father but lived in jersey from the age of 7 months. NB jersey is not part of the UK merely a protectorate so 'british' won't do. am i scottish (i find it impossible to persuade other scots that i am since i lack the accent), jersey or some sort of hybrid?

i'm not really bothered about national identity (world citizen, thats me :p) but lots of people clearly are and it holds a lot of significance for them so i was wondering how such people would catagorise someone like me.
Demented Hamsters
24-02-2006, 16:43
To Kievan-Prussia,
Yes you're right. You're special and different from everyone else, and no-one understands you. You just far too intelligent and different to them.
Happy, now? That's what you want to hear, isn't it?
Svalbardania
25-02-2006, 03:15
To Kievan-Prussia,
Yes you're right. You're special and different from everyone else, and no-one understands you. You just far too intelligent and different to them.
Happy, now? That's what you want to hear, isn't it?

I know its what I wanted to hear.
Boonytopia
25-02-2006, 07:08
To Kievan-Prussia,
Yes you're right. You're special and different from everyone else, and no-one understands you. You just far too intelligent and different to them.
Happy, now? That's what you want to hear, isn't it?

I think "complete wanker" is the definition you're looking for.
Boonytopia
25-02-2006, 07:12
I agree. Birthplace decides your nationality. Also in the definition of 'nationality' is a persons citizenship. If you are a citizen of australia, then you are an australian. Whether you fulfil the stereotype of the typical Aussie or not is irrelevant. All this crap about the 'ausrtalian identity' and 'what it means to be australian' is a load of tripe. It comes down to a matter of opinion and that only leads to trouble. Then we start getting the "I'm right and you're wrong, and that's that" wankers who are extremely irritating. So it's probably best to avoid these types of threads.

I disagree with this. I was born in Canada, of English parents, who then migrated to Australia. By your definition, I am Canadian. However, we came to Australia when I was 18 months old. I grew up here & consider myself to be of Australian nationality. I hold a number of passports, mainly for convenience, but if anyone asks me my nationality, it's Australian.
Lashie
25-02-2006, 07:48
I'm Australian.

My Mum was born in England. She's Australian. My Dad's parents are from Latvia. They're Australian. My Dad's Australian.

Does that convey my opinion clearly enough?
Cabra West
25-02-2006, 09:25
So many people have come out with "You're not German! You're Australian! You ride on a kangaroo and hunt crocodiles! LOL!" that I really have to explain this.

In Melbourne, Australia, in order to be "Australian", you must be:

A) Descent from English settlers
B) Intergrated really, really, really, really, really, really... well.

If you do not fulfill this criteria, you are not "Australian." You might never be "Australian."

That's why all the Croatians around my area are exactly that: Croatian. Same with the Vietnamese, the Greeks, the Ukrainians, the Maltese, etc. And the same with me.

Well, that's how it is in Melbourne. Or, at the very least, it's Eastern Suburbs.

So you'll excuse me for not calling myself Australian.

*waits for Neu Leonstein to come out with "It's not like that at all! Kangaroos everywhere!"*

Well, let me explain something about being German in return. To be German

1) Your parents need to be German, at least one of them
2) You have to have been born in Germany and/or
3) You have to have spent a considerable time of your life there. There are no specific numbers, but I'd say at least 1/3 of you life, 1/2 if it was your childhood.

I don't know what you are, and I denfinitely could care less, but German you're not.
Commie Catholics
25-02-2006, 09:29
I disagree with this. I was born in Canada, of English parents, who then migrated to Australia. By your definition, I am Canadian. However, we came to Australia when I was 18 months old. I grew up here & consider myself to be of Australian nationality. I hold a number of passports, mainly for convenience, but if anyone asks me my nationality, it's Australian.

What's your point? You can't be australian and canadian at the same time? I don't see how people have to be confined to one nationality.
Demented Hamsters
25-02-2006, 09:51
I think "complete wanker" is the definition you're looking for.
Hmmm...I wouldn't go that far. I'd probably use the phrase 'absolute tosser' instead.
Boonytopia
25-02-2006, 09:52
What's your point? You can't be australian and canadian at the same time? I don't see how people have to be confined to one nationality.

Sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant someone could only be the nationality of their birthplace.
Boonytopia
25-02-2006, 09:54
Hmmm...I wouldn't go that far. I'd probably use the phrase 'absolute tosser' instead.

Well, pretty much of a muchness really.
Demented Hamsters
25-02-2006, 11:04
Well, pretty much of a muchness really.
There are subtle differences. nuances really.