The following appeared in Melbourne's The Age Newspaper, on 17 December, 2005: Young men behaving badly span all races By Carole Nader When terrorists hijacked planes and sent them crashing through the World Trade Centre, a small group of Australians decided abusing Muslim schoolgirls was an appropriate way to respond. When a group of young Lebanese Muslim men gang-raped Australian girls in Sydney some years ago, calling them "Aussie pigs" and promising to "f--- you Leb-style", the ethnicity of the perpetrators was given as much emphasis as their crime. When police recently swooped on alleged terrorist plotters - mostly Lebanese Muslim - in Sydney and Melbourne, Islamic leaders were forced to defend their religion. And when a lifeguard was bashed by youths who were apparently Lebanese last weekend, a group of "Australian" thugs decided anyone who happened to be Lebanese and dared to venture onto Cronulla beach would pay. These tensions have been simmering for years, but the above events have led to the inevitable questions about why "Lebos" can't simply integrate and be like everyone else. The focus always seems to be on the problem with young, aggressive hot-headed Lebanese men, with giant chips on their shoulders, rather than the social factors that may lead them to behave the way they do. Every time a small number of Lebanese men make the news for all the wrong reasons, the entire Lebanese community feel the repercussions. But bad behaviour and race are not necessarily linked. The attack on the lifeguard almost certainly had nothing to do with race. But the Lebo-bashing frenzy a week later - spurred on by an irresponsible shock jock who has demonstrated breathtaking stupidity - had everything to do with race. If the lifeguard had been attacked by Italians or Greeks, or even Anglo white boys, would it have inspired a revenge mass bashing? Perhaps it would have simply been put down to a case of young men behaving badly, and the race card would not have been played. Similarly, when prominent AFL footballers are accused of raping young women, the usual social commentators are trotted out and bang on about a crisis in masculinity. But when Lebanese Muslim men rape Anglo women, the issue ceases to be about the trouble with young men in general and once again the finger is pointed solely at Lebanese men. Never mind the fact that men of all races have historically been charged with sexual assault. Being a young Lebanese Australian is a tricky business and amid all the Lebo-bashing, as a Christian Lebanese Australian, I feel compelled to mount a defence. Just like any other race, the Lebanese are a diverse lot. Some are Muslim. Some are Christian. Believe it or not, the vast majority are not terrorists, gang rapists or Anglo-haters. Many young Lebanese men and women are intelligent and articulate, well-educated and have professional jobs. Some have struggled to find the balance between a conservative and sheltered upbringing and having "Anglo" aspirations. A Lebanese girl will still cause a scandal in the community if she moves out of the family home without a ring on her finger. She will also get the gossips going if she decides to go backpacking around Europe - horrified gasp - ON HER OWN. And some Lebanese women will break their parents' hearts and choose a pasty Anglo white boy over a Lebo. But, like any other race, there are others who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and haven't had the privilege of an education. They've probably grown up feeling disillusioned and harassed by a dominant white Anglo culture. Perhaps it's easy to have disdain for this small group of Lebanese men that continually come under fire. Yes, there are some who live with their mothers when they're well into their 30s and fantasise about deflowering virgins. Yes, there are some who behave like randy bogans at the sight of a woman in a bikini. Some do make derogatory remarks directed at women. But can't the same be said for a minority of men from all races? And yes, some are irresistibly drawn to a fight and behave like yobbos - a bit like the "Australian" yobbos who wreaked havoc on Cronulla beach last weekend.
Being an Aussie, what are your views? Me, I think humanity is just screwed. Always has been, always will be. What's new, huh?
Well, I agree with the article, for one thing. Though it doesn't just apply to young men. Some young men never develop any maturity as they grow older. Racists are immature in lots of ways. They are invariably self-centred and fearful of difference.
So true. In fact, I would say that most don't. I don't really think that maturity is the issue though. I don't think racists have a monopoly on those qualities. Humans sure do, though. Well, maybe some animals as well. What am I saying. Humans are animals. Maybe I should say that animals, in general, have a monopoly on those qualities. Not all animals, of course, but a lot of them. Regardless, I think that being fearful of differences is a result of the preaching that engenders these fears. Stop teaching kids that they are "special" because they believe in jesus, allah or whoever, and you might see this fear of others decline. Stop teaching kids that they are "special" because they are "americans" or "aussies" or "lebanese," and you might see this fear of others decline. Of course, I don't think we are capable of this miraculous feat, so c'est la vie, humans.
Shouldn't that muslim supremecist article be deleted? sciforums is not a forum for racists. Perhaps you should find another forum.
i am a man and i can tell you plenty about testosterone related activity. has nothing to do with race or country dr. lou where can i get my penis enlarged? i thought you would know
the only thing a young man is good for is to hunt down the nearest available female and impregnate her
Yeah I get that alot, but it's all natural. Maybe someone will love you for you... oh right, the complete fuckhead thing, oh well I think they might have some pills these days.
But hey, since when James R ever been able to understand the arguments of the opposition? Because we all know that us 'racists' don't give a shit about rapes committed by 'us whites', right? Or that us 'racists' are claiming that all the Middle-Easterners are extremist raping machines?
An initiation ritual is a psychological tool to shape the mind of the young animal into a member of the particular society. Through the language of myth and ritual the young subject's psyche is altered to place his society at his or her ego centre and not his own whims. That's how successive societies and cultures developed. With the abandonce of the myth as a psyche shaper many grown-ups remain immature and psychologically weak individuals, locked in the classical mother-father-child cycle until they die, or the mythic images are supplied from within through archetypes enclosed in dreams. Traditionally it was the society that was the most advanced and sophisticated form of cultural advancement and "grace" so to say, but since the rituals are no longer applied the society (which is == many individuals) has become the weak one itself, growing yet more weak individuals among it. Funny it seems to me, because the shaman days are returning. The shamans were the first individualists who shaped the people around them, made the society (traditionally - warchief and shaman worked in tandem), then the society as a group with the priests and temples took over as the most advanced cultural manifestation, now it's all but disintegrated, so it's the job for the poets, filmmakers and writers of today as modern day shamans to yet again shape individuals into psychologically mature and powerful members of society. One quick quote on the subject: (Joseph Campbell "The hero with a thousand faces")
I can't digest that, avatar. Not my bag, baby. I'll read it again later when I'm not so tired. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Aren't anti-racists afraid of difference, e.g. that racists are different than they? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I guess. I consider myself non-racist, in that I don't think race is particularly important, but I'm not against race, so I can't speak for anti-racists.
