Once upon a time, on a social networking site far far away...
A little something that happened ("This is wheeeere the party ends. I can't stand to sit here talking to you and your racist virtual-frieeeeend")
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News Feed
6 of your friends have changed their profile pictures
Cheryl O'Pseudonym is no longer listed as in a relationship
Albus Anonymous has joined the group 'You're in Australia... speak ENGLISH!'
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High-Five Albus
Send Albus a Growing Gift
Nominate Albus for a Superlative!tm
Send Albus a message
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hmmmmmmm.
Send Albus a message
*click*
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To: Albus Anonymous
(From Agnes Protagonist)
Subject: Sorry to be all righteous but...
-----------------------------------------
Hey yo. How you doing? I know this might come across as pushy but, hey, the news feed is public after all so you've got to expect feedback occasionally :-) And just so you know it IS friendly feedback, I don't think you're horrible or anything!
I just wanted to let you know that the 'speak english' group you just joined is likely to upset people. People who DO speak english, but who have friendships with refugees or indigenous australians or are interested and involved in the issues they face.
Please read this even though it got kinda long! It's not mean and it's okay if you don't agree.
My personal reasons for finding it not a funny joke are:
1.) The logic applied could be equally used to urge white australians to speak pitjantjtjara or any other aboriginal language, because after all they were the native tongues when we arrived uninvited. So to imply that it isn't Australian for indigenous Australians (or indeed, anybody) to speak ONLY an indigenous Australian language either makes no sense, or is racist. I'm not saying you're racist; i'm assuming you thought the group was funny and didn't realise it could be taken that way :)
2.) It IS already a condition of citizenship that someone speak a certain level of english. It is NOT a condition of RESIDENCY (i.e. just being here), though, and the group's implication that it SHOULD be is pretty much the opposite of compassionate. Most migrants and refugees are in fact very keen to learn english but come to Australia without having learnt it yet because, in their homeland, they were faced with more pressing daily tasks, like avoiding being shot or starving because of their skin colour or religion, or simply cuz their country is piss-poor. Many of the migrants and refugees who you might overhear speaking other languages with their friends in the street are taking night classes in English, or even have a volunteer tutor (such as myself, actually) who visits them at home once a week because they can't get to regular classes due to having toddlers to look after (like my student, from Afghanistan) or something like that. They've worked hard to get here (harder than some of us have worked in our lives), they're working hard now to learn English and adjust to life here; why shouldn't they speak their original language with their friends in rundle mall or whatever, so that they can gossip or be sarcastic or tell jokes properly? I can tell you now, I can't do ANY of those things in Spanish, which I've been learning for two years and which is a way more logical language than English :-)
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm assuming you didn't take the group too seriously when you joined - yeah it's a facebook group, but it is still declaring a position that is arguably pretty nasty. Obviously i'll be stoked if you agree with my points, But if you don't thanks for reading anyhoo and I'd like to hear what you think. If you do decide to leave the group would you consider cut & pasting this on there first, for a day or so before you leave? I just don't think the people on there have thought much about what it would be like to NOT be lucky enough to be born here in this fucking awesome, generous country.
Wouldn't have bothered writing this if I wasn't some level of friend,
x Robin
-----CHAPTER FIVE...?-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---CHAPTER ONE--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Feed
6 of your friends have changed their profile pictures
Cheryl O'Pseudonym is no longer listed as in a relationship
Albus Anonymous has joined the group 'You're in Australia... speak ENGLISH!'
---CHAPTER TWO--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High-Five Albus
Send Albus a Growing Gift
Nominate Albus for a Superlative!tm
Send Albus a message
---CHAPTER THREE-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
hmmmmmmm.
Send Albus a message
*click*
---CHAPTER FOUR-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Albus Anonymous
(From Agnes Protagonist)
Subject: Sorry to be all righteous but...
-----------------------------------------
Hey yo. How you doing? I know this might come across as pushy but, hey, the news feed is public after all so you've got to expect feedback occasionally :-) And just so you know it IS friendly feedback, I don't think you're horrible or anything!
I just wanted to let you know that the 'speak english' group you just joined is likely to upset people. People who DO speak english, but who have friendships with refugees or indigenous australians or are interested and involved in the issues they face.
Please read this even though it got kinda long! It's not mean and it's okay if you don't agree.
My personal reasons for finding it not a funny joke are:
1.) The logic applied could be equally used to urge white australians to speak pitjantjtjara or any other aboriginal language, because after all they were the native tongues when we arrived uninvited. So to imply that it isn't Australian for indigenous Australians (or indeed, anybody) to speak ONLY an indigenous Australian language either makes no sense, or is racist. I'm not saying you're racist; i'm assuming you thought the group was funny and didn't realise it could be taken that way :)
2.) It IS already a condition of citizenship that someone speak a certain level of english. It is NOT a condition of RESIDENCY (i.e. just being here), though, and the group's implication that it SHOULD be is pretty much the opposite of compassionate. Most migrants and refugees are in fact very keen to learn english but come to Australia without having learnt it yet because, in their homeland, they were faced with more pressing daily tasks, like avoiding being shot or starving because of their skin colour or religion, or simply cuz their country is piss-poor. Many of the migrants and refugees who you might overhear speaking other languages with their friends in the street are taking night classes in English, or even have a volunteer tutor (such as myself, actually) who visits them at home once a week because they can't get to regular classes due to having toddlers to look after (like my student, from Afghanistan) or something like that. They've worked hard to get here (harder than some of us have worked in our lives), they're working hard now to learn English and adjust to life here; why shouldn't they speak their original language with their friends in rundle mall or whatever, so that they can gossip or be sarcastic or tell jokes properly? I can tell you now, I can't do ANY of those things in Spanish, which I've been learning for two years and which is a way more logical language than English :-)
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm assuming you didn't take the group too seriously when you joined - yeah it's a facebook group, but it is still declaring a position that is arguably pretty nasty. Obviously i'll be stoked if you agree with my points, But if you don't thanks for reading anyhoo and I'd like to hear what you think. If you do decide to leave the group would you consider cut & pasting this on there first, for a day or so before you leave? I just don't think the people on there have thought much about what it would be like to NOT be lucky enough to be born here in this fucking awesome, generous country.
Wouldn't have bothered writing this if I wasn't some level of friend,
x Robin
-----CHAPTER FIVE...?-------------------------------------------------------------------------