My two cents:
Australia is NOT a rascist country. What happened in Sydney occurred in a VERY bogan area of town (cronulla) where there was basically a long built up clash of two 'hoon' cultures... the reasons for the rioting is very specific regarding the actions of the Lebanese youth gangs and also these particular bogan Aussies who got pissed off with the Lebanese (sorry for the politically incorrect labelling of the "other" gang - I know I can't just call them all Lebanese but its all I can think of right now) bashing those Lifeguards (almost a sacred Aussie symbol - a real low blow that pretty much was an attack on Australian culture). Those riots aren't indicative of what the majority of Aussies are like, its only a small area affected and two small groups being violent here. The ACTIONS of these groups have been more important regarding the rising tension and violence than each group's religion or cultural background.
Now after a small disclaimer I'd like to make a point...
Disclaimer: I, in no way endorse violence as a way to solve anything or how the "Aussies" reacted to the Lebanese gangs... Also, the "Aussies" most surely blew the bashing of the Lifeguards WAAY out of proportion in their anger... they saw it as "ALL LEBANESE HATE AND HAVE ATTACKED THE AUSTRALIAN CULTURE OUR GRANDFATHER FOUGHT TWO WORLD WARS TO PROTECT!", when in reality I see the Lifeguard bashings as probably a pretty stupid, but isolated incident, and those who did the bashing wouldn't have realised the implications of what they had done...
But...
I do think they (the bogan Aussies) have a point - the Lebanese gangs do torment, abuse and generally harrass a lot of folk (even me when I was ten years old! TEN! While holidaying with my family, we were just having fish and chips on the beach and some Lebanese boys came over and told us to **** off their spot! We were aghast and totally affronted - we left cause we were genuinely scared at what they would do... not what Australia should be at all - and NO other cultural groups in Australia behave this way)... These Lebanese gangs ARE very angry generally, rude and disrespectful of what it means to be Australian (be relaxed, law abiding, respect other people etc). They've had way too much testosterone for years, picking fights, yelling abuse at random people - a real gang mentality - for a long time and the local 'Aussies' finally cracked. Because the local Aussies weren't too smart and were pretty much total bogans, the only way they knew how to react was with anger misdirected at innocent people... Crowds rioting DO behave very differently than how any one individual would behave like in a less crazy atmosphere... Crowds like that make people do things they really wouldn't normally do (I know NOT an excuse, but important to note). It certainly was VERY stupid and VERY unproductive and totally wrong, but it wasn't done unprovoked IMO. I believe it takes quite a bit to get Aussies to really get annoyed like that... these bogans didn't do anything for years and years. Every other culture (Italians, Asian, Irish, Anglo, Indian, etc) have successfully mingled into the pot of relaxed Aussie multiculturalism EXCEPT these rude, violent gangs of Lebanese and other hot-headed guys that hang with them...
NOW, I do not think there is ANYTHING wrong with Lebanese people whatsoever (I have several friends who are Lebanese - my music teacher from school - who I respect very much - was Lebanese) I'm just using the word "Lebanese" as an easy label to put on those who are in that specific hoony, scary gang culture. As I understand it from the news, most of the gang members that instigated this riot happen to be Lebanese, MANY apologies to any normal, non-violent Lebanese folk! Its not even a race issue IMO, just a conflict between two groups, specifically regarding the ACTIONS and BEHAVIOUR of both sides, which have been totally unexceptable.
I do think that if you came to Australia, you shouldn't go around being rude, aggressive and threatening to everyone! Obviously you're gonna get a reaction sooner of later... then you make it look like its a race thing when its not really - you've just disrespected how Aussie society has been built to be peaceful and respectful for years... its your actions that are unexceptable, not the colour of your skin. I stress again, there has NEVER been any tension from Aussies directed towards any other culture in my lifetime... we've all got along very well so far. I believe you have to behave in a pretty rude, obnoxious, and generally unexceptable way for Aussies to get off the couch, get off the surfboard and become "rascists"! They're catagorising these people into a "race", and acting rascist, but really I think these bogans just want to be able to go to the beach without being told to "**** off our spot!" like I was!
. Australia isnt racist, granted we have our racist jokes and we make fun of Americians and NZ, but when it comes to the crunch. Who is helping out USA in Iraq, veitnam, WW1 and 2. Who was along side NZ in WWI & II etc etc. I think if your another race and you come to Australia, pretty slim chance you will have much racisim thrown your way simply because our culture is so diverse and made up of many people the same as you.
