"I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians." - Pauline Hanson.
When I saw Pauline Hanson on The Apprentice Australia, I believe she is a good person despite her anti-Multiculturalism stand. She has her support and that reflects some Australians' sentiments of migrants at that point of time. How can we say we have a politician of the same fierceness, who dares represent Singaporeans' sentiments of migrants these days? Everyone is so politically correct...
Recently, a long time SG friend visited me and she told me about the PRC who stated Singapore has more dogs than people. I thought it's really funny but my friend is clearly upset. This Singapore-PRC tension has been going on for a while I guess.
Sometimes, I wonder if people could see the big picture. Migration is inherent in human nature. There are a few tribes or societies that don't, but most of us are born to migrate. If you trace your family history, there will be a migration somehow in 2-3 generations. Maybe it's just between state, or between countries. Then again countries are just lines drawn out on a map, the earth is round and everything is interconnected. Respect the survivors as we all are trying to ride on the tide of change. And there is nothing to jeer about if someone fails because everyone fails at some point of time.
Back home, friends and family always ask if I experience any racism in Brisbane, the homeground of Pauline Hanson. My sister used to study here back in those days and she thought it was unbearable. I have no idea on the basis that I deal with a few hundred Australians a week. But I could recount one or two incidents of seemingingly racist attempts for as long as I am here. One was an old lady driver swearing at me with her third finger up at a junction during a traffic jam. I had done nothing wrong but she was trying to embarress me at the junction...which I thought it backfired on her. I would say it's an isolated incident. And to be honest I don't even know if she's Australian. Most Australian Australians I have met, are very warm, bearing in mind there are many migrant white races who show racism against Asians than the Aussies. Similar to Singapore, foreigners don't differentiate us between the Singaporeans and the PRs...So what's with Australian's Australians and Singaporean's Singaporean as we were all migrants from the beginning...
I think it's also human nature to protect your own race and group in the environment. And for myself, I would say I tend to trust some races over a few others not just of their skins but the circumstances where they were brought up. There will also be some black sheep in the nicest groups while a few angels in the flock of magpies. I guess it's down to the individuals.
My previous life in Singapore, I had too many nasty incidents to state while being in my own soil considering I was overseas most of time. The moment from landing at Changi Airport to sharing a lift. I felt I was in a hamster cage so populated, everyone is just bickering with one another. The brown hamster fighting with the beige hamster, but they are all hamsters. For the umpteen time, I still hear those racist jokes against Indians, Malays or Chinese amongst Singaporeans. So if you really ask me if Brisbane is full of racist people, I would say in turn, Singapore is full of discriminatory people, albeit Singaporeans, PR and other migration workers. Elite schools against neighborhood schools. Private home owners vs. HDB dwellers. But they are still hamsters. As my hubby puts it, there is more important things to worry in life. So why this tension? One stops being nasty, the other will follow (I know a few will not) but just best of luck to these people in their future endeavours...We are not hamsters, so stop thinking like one!
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