(Untitled)

[seeingred]

I'm watching a doco right now called Ten Pound Poms, about immigration from Britain to Australia. After World War II, Australia needed workers, and accepted large numbers of refugees and immigrants; but, with the White Australia Policy in full swing, European migrants were preferred, and in the case of British subjects, encouraged by subsidised

Comments

[hiraethin]

Not sure it counts as racism exactly when prejudice is held on the basis of country of origin. It is prejudice, clearly.

My father, who arrived with his family 4in Australia in 1949 at the age of 16 and settled in rural Western Australia, told me about this experience. He was branded a "Pommy Bastard" and remained so for decades despite naturalising.

I suspect this experience - this behaviour - says more about people than it does about Australians. For example, I think you will find that very, very white eastern Europeans settling in Britain in recent years have had similar experiences. It is, I think, the nature of immature persons to disparage the weak, and minorities of any kind are weak in a social context. A claim that such a thing is particularly Australian is not supported by the data.

[mrteufel]

My then-13yo mother and her parents came over in the 10-pound Pom scheme. I should ask her about it.