There are only a few more days left until Christmas in Australia. However, this festive season hasn’t been a happy occasion for many people. It has, unfortunately, been marred by a great deal of violence. More violence than in prior years.
In Sydney, a Christmas carols event had to be abandoned after a policeman was punched by an aggressive youth. In Melbourne, vandals smashed one of the Christmas windows of the Myer department store. As a result, the nativity scene had to be completely removed. In Ballarat, a small city north of Melbourne, vandals burned down the city’s large Christmas tree and caused an estimated $60,000 damage. Another family in suburban Melbourne had their blow-up Santa stabbed and reindeer stolen.
The list could go on. My point though is, that Australia has an increasing violence problem. The sad truth is that the violence is so widespread, even Christmas isn’t safe from it!
The Indian media has greatly focused on the violence towards Indians in Australia, giving the misleading impression that Australians hate Indians and are racist. However, a quick hunt through the news shows that it’s not just Indians who are getting attacked in Melbourne. Australians have been bashed too, such as 33 year old Jeffrey Pooler who was left in a coma. A young woman was also found wandering the streets of Melbourne, with a stab wound to her stomach and her face slashed.
I was speaking to my mum about the issue. Her view is that the violence problem has a lot to do with Australia’s immigration. People, including refugees, from more aggressive countries are coming to live in Australia and they are forming gangs and fighting. The wide availability of alcohol and Australia’s teenage drinking problem is also not helping.
My mum said she actually feels that I’m safer in India. It’s true that I can walk around the streets of Mumbai and not feel threatened. The worst thing I have to deal with is men’s stares.
The reason why I’m really writing this though, is to try and encourage people of Indian origin to believe that Australians aren’t focused on singling them out and harming them. Tragically, the terrible issue of violence extends much beyond that.
Related Posts:
- Vindaloo Against Violence in Australia
- Racist Attacks on Indian Students in Australia
- A Not So Merry Christmas in Mumbai
- My Third Christmas in India
- A Welcome Home Meal in Australia
- Visiting My Old Home, Melbourne
- Civilised, Well Mannered Indians?
- Returning to Australia
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“…with no skills but herding mountain goats…”
I think ‘herding mountain goats’ can be considered quit a good skill, at least it can be developed into an amazing skill. But, are we really that bad (or good) as herdsman? (oh, I seriously hope you are not alluding to the two strong bisexual ‘herdsmen’ in the Hollywood movie Broke-back Mountain!!!). Anyway, a valuable history session taught by Indian American (and Nik’s exclusive therapy that turns a ‘traitor’ into a ‘brave warrior’ with out any conventional products invented by the ‘white man’ such as steroids or protein shakes) is that ‘the British’ proved ‘herding mountain goats’ can be developed into a great skill. These herdsmen (the Brits) practiced this skill for nearly 400 years on their rather colorful goats, such that the latter breeds of these goats are as bewildered as the former!!!!
@ Abdullah, “…A few new developments:…”
Could you please also find ‘a bunch of limp-wristed Gujjus’ who have been constantly involved in such ‘masculine’ acts? Or you may also want to find those ’south Indians who are next to Gujjus in their limp-wristedness’. I am not sure of the origins of the ‘limp-wristedness’ in Gujjus. However, the ‘limp-wristedness’ of south Indians lie in their ’strong mathematical abilities’. Among 27 great Indian mathematicians in last 2000+ years, as many as 9 are only from two provinces, Tamilnadu and Kerala. Interestingly, due to their ‘limp-wristedness’, people of these two provinces never invented any of the ‘Indian martial arts’ (such as ‘Kalaripayatu’, Chilambam, Kuttu Varisai, and ‘Varma ati’). Enough of rattling about south Indians, I am going to take lessens in ‘Pehlvani’ only…
I meant ‘lessons’, haha.
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