Unfortunately, last week was the final of both the great doco's SBS was screening on Wednesday nights. However, they started a new series tonight titled Living With Illegals. The presenter, Sorious Samura, travels with illegal immigrants on their venture to flee their home countries to a better life. The hardships these people face in an attempt to better their lives is staggering. Tonight was the first episode in the series, starting in the forests of Northern Morocco it followed the flight of immigrants through Spain into France and then into the UK.
I will admit, I've never given much thought to the lives of new immigrants here. Sure, I see them everyday but, like most people, don't pay them much attention. The stories some of these people could tell must be amazing. At the same time, I wonder how they feel after they've arrived in their country of destination and have settled in for a year or so. Do they look at our society and see nothing but a spoilt, whinging, decadent bunch of tossers with no meaning or purpose? Was it worth the effort?
Coming from a poverty stricken country to an overly affluent place like Australia must be a total culture shock and a real eye-opener on the western society. Is this why so many new immigrants choose to segregate themselves and form their own communities? Or is it because we tend to look down on them, provide them with no assistance, pretend that they don't exist? We're a rude bunch of stuck-up pricks who have given up the idea of 'a fair go for all' and instead give off 'do it ya-self ya lazy bastard' attitudes.
On the topic, why is it that an immigrant will go through so much struggle in an effort to leave a country, but carry their cultural baggage into their new home? Exhibit A, the Croats v the Serbs at the Australian Open. Granted, most of the dickheads involved in this incident are 2nd or 3rd generation Australians, but why carry this sort of bullshit over generation after generation? Leave it in Croatia and Serbia, don't bring it here - isn't that part of the reason why your families came here in the first place? Remember and respect your cultural heritage but get over the bullshit. You're Australian now so pick on the Kiwis, the Poms and the Tasmanians instead!
There's still a lot of work to be done before Australia is truely a culturally integrated and harmonious society. I certainly do not think that us skips are beyond reproach either - Cronulla for example. Every culture has its portion of dickheads, but the non-dickheads out number them. It's up to us non-dickheads to lead by example and let the dickheads know that their bullshit is no longer tolerated.
Songs played while writing this entry:
"Face It" Sven Vath
"Mellowship Slinky in B Major" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"If You Have to Ask" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Totmacher" DJ Hell
"Everyone Needs a 303" Fat Boy Slim
"Once" Pearl Jam
"The Chain" Breeder
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