(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

Have posted a few links over at seeingred about the attacks on Indian overseas students here in Australia, which have included a petrol bomb and a stabbing that has left a student in critical condition. (I'd love to think the violence was just a Melbourne thing, but I'm very worried it's affecting more than one group of visible OS students and more than one city.) Anywho, for me, the most hopeful was The Age's report that the Victorian A-G is pushing for hate crime laws, which would increase sentences for crimes motivated by homophobia, sexism, and religious prejudice, as well as racism.

Comments

[jennyblackford.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly sure that the people who bashed and robbed the Indian students were the same sort of revolting kids who hated, victimised and bashed kids like Russell and me at school for being "different" - wanting to read books, for a start - and also mistreated anyone else they could justify as "different" - anyone with different accents or skin colours, redheads, plumper people, people with any disabilities whatsoever, whatever. Maybe we can say they come from abusive backgrounds, but some people are just horrible. And, in my reading back as far as written records go, they always were. The good thing as that most people NOW think it's a bad thing, and should be stopped.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

You know, that's a really interesting point. IIUC, research shows that school bullies tend to continue their behaviour in their adult life. From police remarks, it may be that the thugs in this case see the Indian students as not only different and therefore fair game, but also as vulnerable, and therefore safe targets. Part of that vulnerability is the failure of the authorities to do anything about it. School bullies do it partly because they can get away with it; and the thugs who've been victimising students have been getting away with it for years.

[jennyblackford.livejournal.com]

Yes - it seems to me very much like an extension of the usual school bullying behaviour, with name calling and similar immature bahaviour. And picking on the vulnerable is, like, so manly and impressive.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Good grief - they're even stealing their lunch money.