Racism in predominantly white countries means students of color are having to seriously watch their backs.
Indian students in AU protest attacks / Photo: will ockenden
Although I’m under no delusions that racism isn’t alive and well in this world, I have to say I’m a bit surprised about the attacks happening lately to students of color in traditionally white countries.
Between Buster’s piece on Matador Abroad asking Should People of Color Go To Russia?, and a recent article in the Times of India about attacks on Indian students in Australia, the fear reverberating from the ruling class of the past is palpable.
It hardly escapes attention that those being targeted, according to both of these pieces, are students, some of which are working on their Ph.D. To me, it seems like the fact that people of color are being educated to a higher degree than most of the rest of the population is triggering some deep insecurities of being ‘less than,’ which are being acted out with vigilantism.
For both Blacks in Russia and Indians in Australia, the need to tell roommates their whereabouts at all times, be on full alert while taking public transportation, and not be out past a certain time at night certainly makes one feel like a second class citizen.
What Is Being Done About It?
The Times of India tried to come up with a more subdued reason for the prevalence of attacks:
Another possible reason for the attacks against the Indian students could be the fact that they work part-time along with pursuing their studies and travel late in the night, which makes them vulnerable to assaults.
Hmmm. Well, the Victorian Police have started “sensitisation programmes” in order to educate the community about the attacks happening in Melbourne. Also, Buster notes in his article, “most people in Russia are not violent racists.”
While in one way, these are attempts to stem the assaults, I feel like a much stronger message needs to be sent to those initiating the attacks. Unfortunately, that may not come from within these countries, so pressure from the outside – by the media, or your blog posts – might be the way to help keep these students safe.
What can we do to help stop attacks on students of color? Share your thoughts below.
Community Connection
The first week of August was International Blog Against Racism Week, and you can find links to blogs leading the revolution here. And if you think that racism isn’t outwardly tolerated in the US anymore, check out the piece, A “Whites-Only” Pool in 2009?
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15 Comments... join the discussion!
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Absolutely. I think it is a hugely important topic, and people need to understand these attacks are happening all over the world, even in “safe” places.
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I am going to have to agree with the Indian times thoughts…. I live in Australia in an area with a high number of international students (Indian and Chinese) and they do work and travel very late into the night right when pubs and clubs are closing… My white son has is also harassed at this time of night from time to time. I think it has as much to do with time and place as nationality or colour.
My daughter and her friends are sometimes harassed to by Indian men later in the evening, as often as they are by any other ethnic groups… I don’t think this is a racist problem.. its just a societal problem that the media has just decided to make a racist one.
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Much of my thoughts on all this are at Buster’s piece. But specifically in response to the Indians in Melbourne issue, it’s my opinion it has been blown way out of proportion. Yes, some Indians have been attacked. At least a couple were blatant racism. And it is also true that they are vulnerable. Many have been attacked after midnight at dodgy train stations while walking alone.
This might be a bit of a surprise to you, but racism aside, Melbourne has quite a violent culture (well, the youth anyway). Weekend after weekend, there are stabbings, beatings and brawls. They grace the front cover of the newspapers every Monday morning. Just this last weekend, a police officer was beaten badly by a group of young men. A female was also stabbed in the stomach and slashed across her face. It’s getting out of hand. Officials appear to be laying much of the blame on the relaxing of liquor licensing laws may years ago which has led to an enormous amount of late night/early morning bars.
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i totally agree with you. Its been blown out of proportion. Ive lived in Perth, Australia all my life and have NEVER feared for my safety because of racism. And it really stirs me up when people in london think Australia has a racism issue.
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Nora, I’m not sure if you were referring to me being from London, but I can assure you, I’m not. I grew up in the sometimes extremely separate and racist southern US. I would never deem to say another place has more of a racism problem than where I grew up.
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No. Not at all. Im living in London at the moment and several people, from the person to the deli to people i meet, have brought it up in conversations. And coming from a Malaysian background living in Australia for 25 years of my life, I have a very soft spot. Nothing intended towards you.
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In addition to those thoughts above…I think there is a general undercurrent of racism in “white” countries There is a sense of privilege, of, if you don’t speak good enough English or conform exactly than you shouldn’t be in the country. I pass this truck every morning with a big sticker on the back window “Australia: Love it or get the hell out” (or something like that). That smacks of ignorance to me.
You hear it in little comments from even friends and colleagues at work. This I think is the bigger issue. It’s education, it’s changing an entire culture.
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I’m liking your rhetoric a bit better in this post, Carlo. I think when you say, “Yes, some Indians have been attacked. At least a couple were blatant racism,” that that is a point in a discussion about racist violence where the comment could end.
While I understand that you have concerns about Melbourne’s problem with violence in general, it’s important not to minimize the danger to people of color or to downplay at the fears that they may have. The fear is wholly legitimate and it is not for us to quantify it.
I think that Christine has a point that blogging and talking about the problem can help, but it seems to me that the attackers are very likely not those reading blogs like this. We must make a point when we see racism in person to speak out, too.
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Thanks for all of your comments. I can’t speak directly of the racism found in Australia, since I’ve only visited, and well, I’m white. I definitely noticed an undercurrent of a racist mentality from SOME of the white people I met there towards the Aboriginal people, but that is hardly a blanket statement.
I’m not sure how much I agree with the idea that the media is trying to run with the racist attacks and blow them way out of proportion, though. I don’t dispute that there is a lot of violence in general (I honestly don’t know, and several of you live there, so I take your word for it), but considering there are protests happening from Indian students to stop the violence (the pic in the story is from one of them), I can’t help but believe it feels very real to THEM. And isn’t that the point in a way?
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I left a thoughtful comment here that was erased. I know it went through because I’m receiving the follow up comments as requested. Interesting.
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Nevermind. Weird computer glitch?
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Since Buster’s piece I’ve thought quite a bit about this. The last thing I wanted to do was insinuate that racism isn’t a problem in this world or to downplay it. And I certainly don’t mean to be insensitive to anyone who’s lived with it as a big part of their lives. As a person of colour I suppose I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t experienced much of it in my life and my travels.
Not to say I don’t notice it. I do. Snide, under the cuff remarks made my friends, colleagues, people within earshot. I often feel as if I’m undercover…maybe it’s the fact that I act “white” (whatever that may mean) many people forget or ignore the fact that I’m not and feel free to say whatever.
In the last comment in Buster’s article, this reader said this: “The main problem is with those who are subtle in their racism.The overt ones you can ignore but it is the subtle treatment that cuts to the bone.” This is exactly right. This is the culture that needs to change. This is what is dangerous. It might seem innocent enough when everything is going well and it’s not an issue, but given the right conditions, this can transform into something more dangerous.
To get more to the point, yes, be wary of your surroundings when traveling or studying abroad and educate yourself. Always. But also try to understand the entire context before you assess the potential danger to yourself, rather than making a knee-jerk reaction.
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This may be a bit off topic, but Melbourne seems to have had a problem with gangs and violence for decades; like most cities in the world I guess.
A band from my youth, Rose Tattoo, whose lead singer, Angry Anderson, appeared in Mad Max 3 and became a bit of a celebrity used to sing all about it back in the ’80s.
If you like slow bluesy rock with amazing slide guitar look up the band and a song called ‘The Butcher and Fast Eddy’ for a story about a Melbourne gang fight.
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