Howard's migration plan (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LynH1326
- Start date
I wonder if u've met many migrants (not tourists) in australia without the ability to speak basic english. Chances are that they'll be pensioners with family members that can speak english and complete paperwork on their behalf. This whole plan relies on the prejudice one-languaged aussies feel against those who speak english with an accent, and who speak a foreign language in public premises. In reality both these groups of people can speak english, albeit not at natural language levels.P_Dilemma said:
Captain Gh3y
Rhinorhondothackasaurus
Sheikh Hilali, on Howard's Muslim Advisory whatever, has been in Australia for 30 years and hasn't learnt English yet.HotShot said:
JaredR
Save Sderot
Captain Gh3y,
That would be a lack of tolerance, not assimilation and certainly not intergration which Prime Minister Howard wishes to see in effect in Australia!
That would be a lack of tolerance, not assimilation and certainly not intergration which Prime Minister Howard wishes to see in effect in Australia!
JaredR
Save Sderot
I am well aware of the difference between Assimilation and Intergration.
I was basically saying:
1) That's not Assimilation (It's worse)
2) That's not integration
3) That's absolute lack of tolerance.
I did Year 10 Civics & Citizenship course.
lol.
I was basically saying:
1) That's not Assimilation (It's worse)
2) That's not integration
3) That's absolute lack of tolerance.
I did Year 10 Civics & Citizenship course.
lol.Heres an article in the SMH today. It says some Muslims want to segregate their daughters from western culture due to the sexualisation of young girls.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/...o-cause-a-clash/2006/09/06/1157222198361.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/...o-cause-a-clash/2006/09/06/1157222198361.html
JaredR
Save Sderot
ZabZu,
Probably the same minority of Muslims that Prime Minister Howard was referring to; unfortunately that's the way it is - a select few extremists create a stereotype for a vast majority.
Our deputy principal constantly reiterates:
'You can have 100 doing the right thing and it only takes 1"
I can't believe I'd quote him.
Probably the same minority of Muslims that Prime Minister Howard was referring to; unfortunately that's the way it is - a select few extremists create a stereotype for a vast majority.
Our deputy principal constantly reiterates:
'You can have 100 doing the right thing and it only takes 1"
I can't believe I'd quote him.
P_Dilemma
Extraordinary Entertainer
Yes i have met ppl who get their friends and relatives to fill out paperwork on their behalf because they don't know english. the trouble is that those people will have an overreliance on others with the skills. At some point they should cease their reliance and become a little more independant in these matters_dhj_ said:
And some things don't require paperwork. Imagine walking into the wrong bathroom just because you can't read the door labels. Thank goodness for non-verbal signs, but then again, they aren't COMPLETELY universal.
Hey, and i'm not asking for anymore than that. Like i said in a earlier post, i enjoy watching people speak english with funni accents. Just lights up my day_dhj_ said:
of course, it does become annoying in the event of an emergency...
-P_D
HotShot
-_-
... that gud go and do biography on him...Captain Gh3y said:
u will more and more people come to aUStralia for its education oppuritinities..
I agree with Howard about the English bit--if you're gonna be here, you might as well make yours and everyone else's life easier by learning English. If you want to be a guest at someone's party, you have to abide by their rules (including learning English). If you don't want to abide by their rules and the way the party is run, just don't come. Same principle.
Maybe not full-blown English, but they should be able to know their way around, and if they don't, take up some English classes. And it's not as though Howard is forcing everyone to speak English at home. That would be lingual totalitarism.
Maybe not full-blown English, but they should be able to know their way around, and if they don't, take up some English classes. And it's not as though Howard is forcing everyone to speak English at home. That would be lingual totalitarism.
HotShot
-_-
um no.. they are not 'guests'.. lol. Firstly think it from a hosts perspective. u want them to come.. and u want to them to enjoy and forcing silly rules - then they are not going to be happy.lala2 said:
The idea is, they should learn by themselves. some people come at a really old age and u cant expect them to learn anything. others come here to learn. whilst just want to get away from other country.
If they dont learn english - then they will be left behind. its really up to them to learn.
And bloody hell - there australians born here - white and have parents born here as well that can barely speak gud english? (its the same in any country). so i dont think it should be forced- but maybe incentives.
Ok, I don't remember if i posted this when i started this thread, but whilst my parents and my father's parents were born here and my father's liniage in Australia can be traced back to the First Fleet, my mother's parents were born in Latvia.
For those who do not know where Lativa is or that it is actually a country, it boarders on the Baltic Sea (west), Estonia (north), Russia (east) and Lithuania (south).
During WWII they were forced into Germany in work camps. My grandmother, who was 15 at the time, had learnt Russian and German in school and a tiny bit of English. In the camps, she picked up other European languages. This was because this was the only way she could survive as Latvian speakers are an extreme minority (the country only has 2 million people, half of them from Russian backgrounds).
When she and my grandfather came to Australia, they were taught more English in the migrant camps. She's been here 60 years and can speak and write English although not entirely fluently. My mother was top in English at her school when she completed the HSC as am I.
From my perspective with Migrant backgrounds, having to learn the language of the country you are to be living in makes life easier for everyone. Knowing many languages like my grandmother makes life even more easier if you are in contact with a large migrant community like there is where I live.
It is easy to make assumptions about minority groups. As Latvians, my grandmother is many times more a minority group than those discussing the "racism" between two quite prominent religions who are considered minority groups here.
Back to my grandparents, my grandfather burnt all passports that my grandmother, uncle and himself held from their passage here once they gained citizenship. My grandfather basically assimilated into the population, but still spoke Latvian to my grandmother. My mother and my uncles spoke English all the time once they began school.
I am all for holding onto your heritage, nothing says that anyone has to give up their native tongue or religious teachings unless you want to. I wish that I could have learnt Latvian properly, even though I can pick up a few words when my grandmother is having a conversation with her friends. It is a difficult language to learn and the Board of Studies has dropped the Latvian language course from the HSC (as of 2005).
All Howard wants to achieve is a little more harmony and understanding between migrants and Australians, and it is our generation who can see this happen. We're the ones who have to stand up against "religion/ethnic bashing" and promote tolerance and understanding. It is unfortunate that he used Muslim-Australians as an example.
Now, on ABC program "Compass" last Sunday night there was a program about an Australian convert to Islam who is the headmaster of one of the schools in Sydney. He attempts to promote that Australian values and Islam traditions can go hand-in-hand, and the school is actually located in and around an old Methodist church which still bears the Christian mottos.
When the Cronulla riots happened, some of his male pupils came and showed him the text messages about the pay-back riots. He advised them to not go and show their resistance by staying at home. His advice was taken and these boys advocated with their mothers that the pay-back riots aren't the way to go.
I say good on those boys! They're showing that they can be men, show tolerance, uphold Aussie values and adhere to their religion and native tongue.
Another example is my school. There are a large body of Macedonian decendents, due to the large community there is here. What I have noticed is that the girls do try to break the barriers whilst the boys will stay within their own "group". There are also groups of aboriginal decendents, African decendents, Asian decendents and European decendents. Sure there are some clashes, but the majority of the school gets along and tolerates everyone.
Now that i've cleared some things up with some irrelevent topics to the thread, I hope this stays a thread about MIGRATION and not about conflicts between ethnic groups.
Why do you think i hate watching the news?
For those who do not know where Lativa is or that it is actually a country, it boarders on the Baltic Sea (west), Estonia (north), Russia (east) and Lithuania (south).
During WWII they were forced into Germany in work camps. My grandmother, who was 15 at the time, had learnt Russian and German in school and a tiny bit of English. In the camps, she picked up other European languages. This was because this was the only way she could survive as Latvian speakers are an extreme minority (the country only has 2 million people, half of them from Russian backgrounds).
When she and my grandfather came to Australia, they were taught more English in the migrant camps. She's been here 60 years and can speak and write English although not entirely fluently. My mother was top in English at her school when she completed the HSC as am I.
From my perspective with Migrant backgrounds, having to learn the language of the country you are to be living in makes life easier for everyone. Knowing many languages like my grandmother makes life even more easier if you are in contact with a large migrant community like there is where I live.
It is easy to make assumptions about minority groups. As Latvians, my grandmother is many times more a minority group than those discussing the "racism" between two quite prominent religions who are considered minority groups here.
Back to my grandparents, my grandfather burnt all passports that my grandmother, uncle and himself held from their passage here once they gained citizenship. My grandfather basically assimilated into the population, but still spoke Latvian to my grandmother. My mother and my uncles spoke English all the time once they began school.
I am all for holding onto your heritage, nothing says that anyone has to give up their native tongue or religious teachings unless you want to. I wish that I could have learnt Latvian properly, even though I can pick up a few words when my grandmother is having a conversation with her friends. It is a difficult language to learn and the Board of Studies has dropped the Latvian language course from the HSC (as of 2005).
All Howard wants to achieve is a little more harmony and understanding between migrants and Australians, and it is our generation who can see this happen. We're the ones who have to stand up against "religion/ethnic bashing" and promote tolerance and understanding. It is unfortunate that he used Muslim-Australians as an example.
Now, on ABC program "Compass" last Sunday night there was a program about an Australian convert to Islam who is the headmaster of one of the schools in Sydney. He attempts to promote that Australian values and Islam traditions can go hand-in-hand, and the school is actually located in and around an old Methodist church which still bears the Christian mottos.
When the Cronulla riots happened, some of his male pupils came and showed him the text messages about the pay-back riots. He advised them to not go and show their resistance by staying at home. His advice was taken and these boys advocated with their mothers that the pay-back riots aren't the way to go.
I say good on those boys! They're showing that they can be men, show tolerance, uphold Aussie values and adhere to their religion and native tongue.
Another example is my school. There are a large body of Macedonian decendents, due to the large community there is here. What I have noticed is that the girls do try to break the barriers whilst the boys will stay within their own "group". There are also groups of aboriginal decendents, African decendents, Asian decendents and European decendents. Sure there are some clashes, but the majority of the school gets along and tolerates everyone.
Now that i've cleared some things up with some irrelevent topics to the thread, I hope this stays a thread about MIGRATION and not about conflicts between ethnic groups.
Why do you think i hate watching the news?
Captain Gh3y
Rhinorhondothackasaurus
HotShot
-_-
Captain Gh3y said:
Balls with no dick = USELESS ....
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Not really. In some ways 'yes' with some groups refusing to intergrate, but that can be seen outside of the minority of Muslims that Howard refers to.banco55 said:
'No' because there are more ethnic and religious groups in the world that migrate here that cannot speak English and to be comparable to other countries, it would be wise to create a stronger migration policy now rather than later. Compared to other counties such as Japan and the US, our citizenship criteria is lax.
Me too.LynH1326 said:
I still remember the voices on the trams, especially the deep, firm, familiar voice announcing the names of each station.
Sigh
At least you still have a chance of properly learning it,
just learn it from your grandparents.