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Racism in Australia (1 Viewer)

Honestly, have you ever felt racially prejudiced against whilst you were in Aus?

  • Never

    Votes: 29 23.4%
  • Yes, but it was a one-off thing

    Votes: 28 22.6%
  • Yes, a number of times

    Votes: 44 35.5%
  • Yes, i deal with it somewhat constantly

    Votes: 23 18.5%

  • Total voters
    124
  • Poll closed .

supercharged

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AsyLum said:
But by his very logic, the major channels of China and Asian countries should represent more black and white people on their mainstream TVs :rolleyes:
You're an idiot.

There are significant amounts of asians in Australia. Show me the significant minority groups of black and white people in china or asian countries?

I'm saying tv should represent the wider community. If the community is all white, then all white tv stars. If all black, then all black tv stars. If all asian, then all asian tv stars. If a significant mixture of races, then a mixture of different race tv stars.

If the community comprises a mixture of races yet media portrays only one race to the absense of others, then it is implict racism. You obviously lack the brain cells to understand this simple concept. :rolleyes:

kthxbye
 
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supercharged said:
You're an idiot.

There are significant amounts of asians in Australia. Show me the significant minority groups of black and white people in china or asian countries?

I'm saying tv should represent the wider community. If the community is all white, then all white tv stars. If all black, then all black tv stars. If all asian, then all asian tv stars. If a significant mixture of races, then a mixture of different race tv stars.

If the community comprises a mixture of races yet media portrays only one race to the absense of others, then it is implict racism. You obviously lack the brain cells to understand this simple concept. :rolleyes:

kthxbye
So anyway, does that mean we in Australia are actively discriminating against the disabled, because we don't often see disabled lead characters in tv? I mean hell, there are definitely a lot of people living here with disabilities of one form or another.

Edit: And before you tell me that the disabled are a vast minority:

ABS said:
One in five people in Australia (3,958,300 or 20%) had a reported disability in 2003. A further 4,149,000 (21%) had a long-term health condition that did not restrict their everyday activities. The remaining 11,703,800 (59%) had neither a disability nor a long term health condition.


Of those with a reported disability, 86% (3,387,900) were limited in the core activities of self care, mobility or communication, or restricted in schooling or employment. Most people with a disability (76%) were limited in one or more of these core activities.
 
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supercharged

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ogmzergrush said:
So anyway, does that mean we in Australia are actively discriminating against the disabled, because we don't often see disabled lead characters in tv? I mean hell, there are definitely a lot of people living here with disabilities of one form or another.

Edit: And before you tell me that the disabled are a vast minority:
wtf 1 in 5 disabled! Probably including things such depression as a disability.

The numbers of visibly disabled people ie wheelchair, amputee, walking stick etc are very small. I would not consider them to be a significant minority to the same extent as significant racial minorities like asians in Australia or blacks in America.
 
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supercharged said:
wtf 1 in 5 disabled! Probably including things such depression as a disability.

The numbers of visibly disabled people ie wheelchair, amputee, walking stick etc are very small. I would not consider them to be a significant minority to the same extent as significant racial minorities like asians in Australia or blacks in America.
1 in 5 seems to me to be a more significant percentage than the number of asians living in Australia. Who said anything about visible disabilities? I want to see deaf lead characters, ones with mental problems, hell, depressed leads too! The fact that you don't think it's a valid disability is fairly irrelevant, though ten points for trying.

For the record, here is the definition used for "disability"

In the context of health experience, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. It denotes the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual (with a health condition) and that individual's contextual factors (environment and personal factors).


In this survey a person has a disability if they report that they have a limitation, restriction or impairment, which has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months and restricts everyday activities. This includes:
loss of sight (not corrected by glasses or contact lenses)
loss of hearing where communication is restricted, or an aid to assist with, or substitute for, hearing is used
speech difficulties
shortness of breath or breathing difficulties causing restriction
chronic or recurrent pain or discomfort causing restriction
blackouts, fits, or loss of consciousness
difficulty learning or understanding
incomplete use of arms or fingers
difficulty gripping or holding things
incomplete use of feet or legs
nervous or emotional condition causing restriction
restriction in physical activities or in doing physical work
disfigurement or deformity
mental illness or condition requiring help or supervision
long-term effects of head injury, stroke or other brain damage causing restriction
receiving treatment or medication for any other long-term conditions or ailments and still restricted
any other long-term conditions resulting in a restriction.
Of course, you can argue with them if you want, I'm sure you know much more.
 
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supercharged

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When I look around on the street, I don't see 1 in 5 people limping around, on walking frames or showing any other forms of clear disability.

Which means the overwhelming majority of these people who have a disablity actually 'appear' to be normal and able body. If these disabled people look no different to the average person then how do you know that they are being under-represented by the media?

Half the people you currently see on TV could already be disabled! They could be allergic to peanuts, pollen! :rolleyes:
 
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Could I put it to you that you don't live in ALL OF AUSTRALIA so it's fucking unlikely that what you observe is INDICATIVE OF ALL OF AUSTRALIA? Perhaps if you live in say, a heavily Chinese populated area, it's very possible that to a narrow-minded dickhead, you could mistakenly assume that all of australia is in fact populated by chinese people. Perhaps if you went to live, say, in a nursing home, you'd notice a lot more disabilities.

As before, I don't care if the difference isn't visible, I want to see people on tv who can't grip things properly. I imagine that'd be quite good for a police drama, the person could try to pull their gun, and drop it all the time!

I want lead characters with learning disabilities, that's not something you can see either, but I bet there aren't many people like that on tv. Certainly not a number of them which is proportional to their numbers in our society.

I'd like lead characters with debilitating irritable bowel syndrome, I know LOOOOOADS of people with this, and obviously they're not on tv, so I think they're being victimised!

Allergies don't appear to be something which would make the "disability causing restriction" criteria to me, though I find your endeavours to undermine the ABS' work quite noble, I'd probably try that too rather than admitting that I'm a moron.

The fact that people with such issues might "look" normal doesn't really matter, they're still vastly underrepresented. If I grab a bunch of ordinary whiteys and stick them on tv, wearing traditional asian garb and wearing masks, is that good enough for you? Surely not.
 
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Supercharged, you're just being a pain in the arse. TV isn't about proportional representation, it's about entertainment.

There is an asian, on Scooter, it's a mad show, staring a mad-ass guy called Scooter :) and his side-kick who hates him... is an ASIAN.

If there was an asian who could play a part really well, then they would be hired. hiring people based on the amount they make up a country is a ridiculous thing to suggest.
 

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ogmzergrush said:
Could I put it to you that you don't live in ALL OF AUSTRALIA so it's fucking unlikely that what you observe is INDICATIVE OF ALL OF AUSTRALIA? Perhaps if you live in say, a heavily Chinese populated area, it's very possible that to a narrow-minded dickhead, you could mistakenly assume that all of australia is in fact populated by chinese people. Perhaps if you went to live, say, in a nursing home, you'd notice a lot more disabilities.

As before, I don't care if the difference isn't visible, I want to see people on tv who can't grip things properly. I imagine that'd be quite good for a police drama, the person could try to pull their gun, and drop it all the time!

I want lead characters with learning disabilities, that's not something you can see either, but I bet there aren't many people like that on tv. Certainly not a number of them which is proportional to their numbers in our society.

I'd like lead characters with debilitating irritable bowel syndrome, I know LOOOOOADS of people with this, and obviously they're not on tv, so I think they're being victimised!

Allergies don't appear to be something which would make the "disability causing restriction" criteria to me, though I find your endeavours to undermine the ABS' work quite noble, I'd probably try that too rather than admitting that I'm a moron.

The fact that people with such issues might "look" normal doesn't really matter, they're still vastly underrepresented. If I grab a bunch of ordinary whiteys and stick them on tv, wearing traditional asian garb and wearing masks, is that good enough for you? Surely not.
And do tell me if the majority of disabled people 'appear' no different to the rest of the population, how do you know they are under-represented? The actor could have a learning difficulty, he might of had to read the script ten times before memorising it. The actress on TV might very well have some mental problems, who knows?

There is no comparison between these two issues, since disablities are for the most part hidden and not noticible while racial background is not.
 

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TerrbleSpellor said:
Supercharged, you're just being a pain in the arse. TV isn't about proportional representation, it's about entertainment.

There is an asian, on Scooter, it's a mad show, staring a mad-ass guy called Scooter :) and his side-kick who hates him... is an ASIAN.

If there was an asian who could play a part really well, then they would be hired. hiring people based on the amount they make up a country is a ridiculous thing to suggest.
I'm not suggesting compulsory affirmative action like a quota in the TV industry by the government. I'm saying the media itself should have some fairness in casting.

If there are significant populations of people from a minority group then commercial TV scripts should not be written to pretend they don't exist. Heck sexual orientation minorities like gays have representation why shouldn't racial groups have representation too?
 
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supercharged said:
And do tell me if the majority of disabled people 'appear' no different to the rest of the population, how do you know they are under-represented? The actor could have a learning difficulty, he might of had to read the script ten times before memorising it. The actress on TV might very well have some mental problems, who knows?
Mental problems significant enough to cause "restriction" are often visible. You're being a grade A fuckwit about this chief. Even if we ignore those which you dispute as being worth a mention, what about people with prominent cerebral palsy, etc? These are exceptionally visible, and quite prominent, though are rarely featured in mainstream TV. You don't have to look very hard to see this, and I suspect that you're aware of this and are simply being difficult. If that's not the case, then you seriously need help.

supercharged said:
There is no comparison between these two issues, since disablities are for the most part hidden and not noticible while racial background is not.
Here's a lesson for you champ, differences are not always superficial, though your reducing them to that is probably to be expected given how much importance you place on the differences arising from skin colour.

A disability meaning that someone shits intestines fifteen times a day differentiates them just as much from a "normal" person as having different coloured skin. As does dementia, the aforementioned cerebral palsy, and so on. By definition, a "restrictive" disability sets someone aside from "normal" people, otherwise it wouldn't be classified as a disability.

Step outside what you think is ideal and perfect for TV and you'll realise that society is full of people who just aren't represented, it's a fact of life, and you can either deal with the fact that tv isn't all about equality and proportional representation, or you can sit here and campaign on the Internet about how hard done by Asians are in Australia. I know which one sounds more sensible to me.

I'm not going to waste any more time with you, you're either a fucking retard or being fucking retarded. I don't care which, because I've got better things to do than waste my time reasoning with either.
 

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Supercharged, tell us, what is the percentage of people who audition for parts are asian?

Could it be that simply asians are less likely to go for the positions? Maybe the percentages line up? (Null hypothesis)
 

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ogmzergrush said:
Thanks boss, will the answers for last week's revision exercises be made available?
They're in the back of the book

But you'll never learn that way sonny!
 

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Xayma said:
Supercharged, tell us, what is the percentage of people who audition for parts are asian?

Could it be that simply asians are less likely to go for the positions? Maybe the percentages line up? (Null hypothesis)
Considering the tv and entertainment industry is alive and well in asian countries, I think it's highly unlikely that asians in Australia don't want to be on commercial tv.

I reckon it's because the commercial media is racist. It's very common to switch on the tv in the US and see a black person hosting it.

If you switch on mainstream commercial tv in Australia you won't find an asian person hosting the program.

Almost unimaginable. Why? Because the media bosses probably think 'if we put an asian person on as the host, no-one will watch it and the ratings will drop dead'. If that ain't racism, then what is?

And don't try to divert this into media representation of disabled people because this thread is about 'Racism in Australia'. Disabled people are probably discriminated too but that belongs in another thread.
 
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The farming industry is alive and well in Asia as well. Of course you can't just translate it to over here.
 

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I'd say that at least 3 people have mentioned the ABC and SBS, but it seems as though Supercharged is more than willing to ignore the obvious whenever it stands against a point that he is trying to make.
 

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No but they show more australian shows then the mainstream channels do.
 

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supercharged said:
The SBS and ABC are not commercial 'mainstream' channels.
Following on from what Xayma said, they are still a major part of Australia's media landscape (tv and radio), no matter their status as government funded entities.
 

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I kind of laughed when you mention Oprah representing Black people in the US. I actually see Oprah representing middle class, middle aged white women. She seems to live that sort of culture and try to reach to that audience. Just because someone is of a certain ethnicity does not mean they represent that group. That's like assuming Condoleeza Rice is representing and is loved by all Black people.



I find this thread actually showing of the real affect of racism in Australia, as no body mentions the affect of racism on the Aboriginal community. This is quite common today, espically when we talk about how "segregated" muslims and asians are from mainstream society. It takes the spot light away of the real segregated people who are segregated politicaly, economical and socially.

This affect of racism is of white people not being able to deal or comprehend the racism and the long lasting affects of racism on the Aboriginal people and building of real solutions to liberate these people. So we are more inclined to talk about trival matters such as Asians not be represented on tv, or claims of Mulsim conspiracies to attack white people.
 

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supercharged said:
Considering the tv and entertainment industry is alive and well in asian countries, I think it's highly unlikely that asians in Australia don't want to be on commercial tv.

I reckon it's because the commercial media is racist. It's very common to switch on the tv in the US and see a black person hosting it.
In response to the original question that was asked prior to it being changed, well it's been a long time since i've felt discrimminated/prejudice against. However, there are times that i've felt stereotyped.

Moving on, something that's been annoying me about this thread is all this discussion about media and tv.

Supercharge, media is a broader term. I think you'll find that there's a range of ethnic backgrounds represented in print media advertisements. In fact, try doing a content analysisd of a magazine its adertisements (something i have done on a similar topic to this) and you'll find that in comparison to say 20 yrs ago, there'll be a broader representation of what being Australian means. You only have to turn on the news or current affairs shows to see representations of various ethnic groups in the media. Not all stories are of a positive nature

And you know, tv representation of different ethnities such a good thing? It could prove to be a double edge sword when stereotypes are used. Like Monday's episode of Grey's Anatomy which had that story of the Asian chick. They drew on the whole Asian protective parent thing. Likewise the Soprano's, well i doubt all Italians are in the mafia or that they identify with them either.

And the way i see it, most Cop/Law shows from the US depict black people as being on the wrong side of the law or being of a lower 'social class' than white people. Not many shows that i've watched show them in successful positions with the exception of (and i cringe to say this) but The Young and the Restless.

Edit: I'm sure there are other shows out there but either i haven't seen them or i can't think of them at the moment
 
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