• Wrench@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The zero tolerance thing came from a taxi driver, so definitely taken with a grain of salt. I think he implied that run ins with the police had a high likelihood of resulting in deportation, which I think was via termination of a work visa. He was an immigrant himself, so I don’t know if that’s just his consumption of some iffy media.

      But I will push back that it’s not just an “American racism is well known” thing. Maybe their comfort in bringing it up to a stranger, but I had many conversations with the overarching theme of “there’s a job crisis in Australia, and immigrants are causing problems, both because they’re taking jobs, and because they’re causing tensions”

      I remember one claim that Kiwis were frequently rough and rowdy, which I found hilarious given their representation in media. But I guess blue collar migrant workers anywhere can be a little rough around the edges.

      • rhythmnova@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I would question if Australians are so racist why we would need to seek comfort in discussing our racism with strangers. Surely we’d just all be discussing it openly amongst ourselves.

        We don’t have a job crisis here: our unemployment rate is lower than the US and UK and significantly lower than Canada and the EU. You may well have heard those claims, but there are racists who will make those unwarranted claims in every country.

        I’ve never heard kiwis being described as rough and rowdy (or rough and ready, as we say here). We do give them a bit of shit because they talk funny but that goes both ways.

        • Wrench@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I’ve never heard kiwis being described as rough and rowdy (or rough and ready, as we say here). We do give them a bit of shit because they talk funny but that goes both ways.

          Yeah, all I could picture was Jermaine and Bret trying to act like street toughs.