What is Discrimination?
Discrimination is a negative emotion, feeling and action taken towards someone who is or does something that someone else, dislikes, hates, envies or is jealous of and wishes and wants bad or harm to come to them.
What is Racism?
Under the white, black, mocha, orange and any other skin – colour appearance that I have left out, we all share Red, the colour that flows and keeps us alive – the colour of our blood – Red.
Racism is the lack of cultural and multicultural tolerance and it occurs by people or a person of any skin colour, nationality or cultural background.
They are both evil and taken on by people who lack love for themselves and others, people who are cowards and non life educated.
One does not require a university degree or parental education to work this out.
What is culture?
It can be Aboriginal Australia culture
It can be Greek
It can be British
It can be Bogan
It can be Multiracial e.g. Dad’s Greek, Mum’s Chinese, I was born in Mexico and my Grandmother is Welsh of Italian background but Turkish before then and my Grandfather is Australian, fifth generation of Indian, Lebanese and Serbian background but his brother wasn’t fussed about nationality - culture and pursued the Rev Head Culture and was the President of the Chrysler Australia – Valiant society.
Recently Australia has been branded a Racist nation, however, it is not Australia that is a racist country; it is a minority of ignorant people that are in it.
It is not Canada, The United States of America, Ireland, Greece, or even Antarctica; it is a minority of ignorant people in those and other countries that are.
Television stations that influence people of all ages, need lead by example and not show or glorify racists and racism.
If we are to live in a world of harmony then it would be wise to begin through the media educating people and not hurting or angering them.
Discrimination - Racism does not stop there.
I was born in Australia, I am not a Greek Australian, I am an Australian of Greek ancestry.
My great grandfather was Greek.
My grandfather was Greek who became Australian
My Greek born father is Australian and I am an Australian of Greek heritage.
So here is another question?
Why do Australian born people of Greek descent call themselves Greek Australians and why do Greek language newspapers that are Australian companies refer to people of Greek descent as Greek Australian?
Others do this too.
Yes, I am proud of my ancestry/ heritage, as I am proud of being Australian.
I do not live my life as a Greek in Australia, I live my life with what makes me comfortable in my heart and mind and here’s something else, my childhood was multicultural as my adult life is.
I was not brought up in a traditional Greek environment, I come from a discriminative labelled and categorised ‘broken home’, wear corrective lenses or shall I say ‘glasses’ and speak another language – very basic, however, I have been told that I have a great accent :)
My grandfathers speak English, Greek, Italian and Turkish and my relations are made of Greek, Irish, German, Italian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Dutch, Cypriot, Turkish, American, Canadian, Australian and many other Cultural Diverse Nation heritage and nationalities and I was brought up in an Australian, British, Greek and Italian environment and attended many primary schools and lived in another nation apart from Australia.
My ancestors hail from Eastern Southern Europe – Hellenic Asia Minor, Greece - Samos, Crete, The Peloponnese and Athens and I am a third generation Australian.
Growing up, everyone thought that I was Italian, especially with my Latin, Christian/ given name and as a teenager, in one of my first part time jobs an Italian man who didn’t speak a word of English, started to frustratingly converse with me in Italian and to his extreme disappointment, I couldn’t understand his dialect or a thing he said! Lucky, my co worker could and that was settled.
When I lived overseas, I experienced discrimination and racism. In Australia I have and still do experience discrimination and racism.
Some are envious of my light olive complexion; others are envious of my new shirt.
So where does it end?
Will it ever?
One day I was sitting in a cafe and sipped on a cup of coffee. People were rushing about shopping and regularly came and went ordering take away coffees.
A bunch of acquaintances and some strangers entered, asking the nationality of customers.
When the cafe owner asked me, I replied "Australian" and they thought that I was strange. Meanwhile everyone else said Leb, Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese and so on.
Next they asked, "Yeah, but what?”, so I replied with,
"Australian of mixed race including Greek", then one of them, the Lebanese guy replied with, "So your Greek?" and I replied with "No, I am Australian" and I asked him if he was born in Lebanon, in which he immediately replied that his dad was and his mum is Australian and he is Australian born, but "I am Lebanese" he said
I am still unable to make sense of this.
I always believed and believe that being born in Australia or becoming an Australian citizen made one an Australian.
Australia and its people still need to grasp their identity and to lead by example and a great start would be to again, ban racist television programs/ presenters.
Australia needs to introduce tougher laws against Racism and if only there were/ are people who are willing to learn.
After all, we are already of mixed and multiracial backgrounds and eventually we will interconnect more and mix. (Check out and read the history books and your DNA)
No one is of pure race, we are not racing anywhere and we will all, one day end up in the same direction, six feet under and pushing up lilies!
I am sure that our spirits and souls don’t care to be discriminative or racist.
Racism and Discrimination – is a total waste of precious time, energy and lack of Sophia, Greek word meaning – Wisdom!
Today I resemble a Bogan, as I am dressed as one and tomorrow I will resemble an African Queen as I will be dressed as one.
Will I be discriminated and will someone say or do something racist?
Finally to the scouts of Australian televisions stations who scab and thieve off of my creativity and logic perhaps you may like to change your up and coming racist program and feature more 'Racial Tolerant Educational' shows/ programs or do you find this too boring for your ratings?
RACISM IS NON DEMOCRATIC
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth
Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd
Opposition Leader Mr Tony Abbott
President Barack Obama
Mr Clint Eastwood
Mr Robert DeNiro
Ms Marisa Angelis
My father Mr John Angelis
- Do Not Like Racism.
© 2010 marisaangelis.com
"In Spirit and Soul for Betterment of All" - Marisa H. Angelis
Artist Designer Writer Poet Philanthropist Humanitarian Promoter
Four nominations including “Australian of the Year 2003” Short List
“Celebrate Australia Day – January 26”
© marisaangelis.com
