From: u907736@postoffice.utas.edu.au (Edmund Chia)
Subject: Re: ******* ASIANS FACE RACE BIAS -an aussie reply-
Organization: University of Tasmania
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 23:50:36 GMT

In article <1992Jul29.140040.1@cc.curtin.edu.au>, sleejy@cc.curtin.edu.au writes:
> 
> In article <detchay.6.711965270@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au>, detchay@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (TONY CHAY) writes:
> > In article <2685@ariel.its.unimelb.EDU.AU> jlam@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (James Lam) writes:
> >>From: jlam@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (James Lam)
> >>Subject: Re: ******* ASIANS FACE RACE BIAS --- STUDENT ********
> >>Date: 10 Jul 92 11:02:53 GMT
> > 
> >>In article <9219220.325@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU>, kaic@mamura.ee.mu.oz.au (David Chan) writes:
> >>|> jlam@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (James Lam) writes:
> >>|> >kaic@mamura.ee.mu.oz.au (David Chan) writes:

(stuff deleted)
 
>   Look at it from another angle, we came here and learn your language i.e.
> English.  What about you?  Did you make an effort to learn our language??
> Understand our culture and customs?? ;)  Probably not, I guess!  So for
> starters, please don't feel _bad_ !  Step in the right direction by learning
> our language and culture and maybe then you'll understand why! ;) Then we
> may all communicate better! ;)  Make a better Australia! :)

(stuff deleted)

> *------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
> *          Johnwee LEE Y.K.        Internet E-mail: SLEEJY@CC.CURTIN.EDU.AU    *
> *       3rd Year I.P. NOVICE ?          School of Information System.          *
> *      Curtin University of Technology, Bently Campus, Western Australia.      *
> *     Address: P.O.BOX 589, Willetton, Western Australia  6155, AUSTRALIA.     *
> *            Tel: 619-310-1440 (Voice)            Fax: 619-310-4986            *
> *------------------------------------------------------------------------------*


   While I am all for better inter-cultural understanding, I tend to feel that
a large number of overseas students AND Australians have unrealistic 
expectations in this respect. Johnwee has made an observation wihch I have
frequently heard from other overseas students - most of whom unlike Johnwee
have not made much effort to get to know/learn about Australia. Think about
the problem this way. The Asian migrants to Australia include Indians, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Cambodians, Lebanese, Malays, Timorese, etc. While the South and
Eastern European migrants are just as diverse. Now consider the sheer 
diversity of overseas students, Fijians, 'Hong Kongnese', Malaysians, Japanese,
Germans, etc, etc. WHICH CULTURE do English-speaking Anglo-Celtic Australians
start to pick up. The suggestion was to learn the language, customs, and 
culture of the overseas student - BUT whose culture, whose language and whose
custom. ENGLISH is the lingua franca of Australia, through the medium of
English, overseas students are able to communicate with English-speaking
Australians AND overseas students from other countries. I try to learn more
about the other overseas students I come across, Germans, Fijians, Indonesians,
Japanese, et al. However, if I did so by learning their language FIRST, I
would never complete my degree.
   As visitors, the onus is on overseas students to make an effort to learn -
afterall, we are STUDENTS and we are OVERSEAS. If we want to create our little
Malaysian kampung or Fijian or Japanese or Chinese village in Australia, 
perhaps it would be a better idea to 'import' their education services, i.e.
pay the lecturers, etc to come to our country of origin armed with a large
supply of paper qualifications to distribute upon payment. David Mills(in
'Another Australian reply) has expressed shame that Australians are 
notoriously uninterested in other people's culture, especially when overseas.
However, looking at it from the perspective of overseas students, we become
the ostriches with our heads buried in the sand oblivious to the cultural
oasis of our host nation around us. Again, IMHO, the onus lies with us as
overseas students to make an effort to bridge any differences, to share our
culture, customs, etc. It would be nice if our Australian hosts responded
positively but it is not for us to tell them how they should behave - A guest
does not tell his host what he/she should or should not do(IMHO).

Edmund
Newsgroups: aus.students.overseas