Fascinating article.
For my American friends too, I bet they weren't aware of these issues.
The article also adds to my impression that, while Americans do have their own racial problems, they've been unfairly demonized by the World.
And that the real underbelly of White supremacy lies NOT with America but with Britain, Australia and NZ. (add an underbelly of anti-intellectualism to the latter two).
Aren't you sick of being called a WOG?
By Ilias
https://greekreporter.com/2013/02/04/arent-you-sick-of-being-called-a-wog/
"I am sick and tired of a certain group of Anglo-Australians 'kidding' “You’re a dirty wog”. It’s ugly, underhanded racism.
Anything that we or our Greek parents brought to this country which was different was immediately judged as inferior and as “wog-this” or “wog-that.”
What is most sad about this, is that we as Greek-Australians grow up hearing this over and over again and internalize its inference – that we are beneath them, that we are inferior, and that there is something somehow wrong with us.
It was not until I visited Greek-Americans and Greek-Germans that I realized that shame didn’t seem to even occur to them.There was no such thing as the word “wog” or equivalent in either of these countries (the U.S. Democratic party even nominated Greek-American Michael Dukakis to run for President in 1988.)
When I told an Anglo-American friend of mine about the racial slur and the pressure to change our names, he looked at me as if we were some un-evolved white-trash redneck nation stuck in a time-warp of the 1950’s!
He told me that far from being judged in that way, having a Greek background in the US means you are associated with ancient Greek history and the island of Santorini.
I discussed this with a friend of mine who is a therapist and has had clients from all over the world including Greek-Australians, Greek-Americans, and Greek-Germans. She says that by far, the Greek-Australians seem to be the ones who are most rejecting and ashamed of their Greek heritage. Is this a coincidence?
For my American friends too, I bet they weren't aware of these issues.
The article also adds to my impression that, while Americans do have their own racial problems, they've been unfairly demonized by the World.
And that the real underbelly of White supremacy lies NOT with America but with Britain, Australia and NZ. (add an underbelly of anti-intellectualism to the latter two).
Aren't you sick of being called a WOG?
By Ilias
https://greekreporter.com/2013/02/04/arent-you-sick-of-being-called-a-wog/
"I am sick and tired of a certain group of Anglo-Australians 'kidding' “You’re a dirty wog”. It’s ugly, underhanded racism.
Anything that we or our Greek parents brought to this country which was different was immediately judged as inferior and as “wog-this” or “wog-that.”
What is most sad about this, is that we as Greek-Australians grow up hearing this over and over again and internalize its inference – that we are beneath them, that we are inferior, and that there is something somehow wrong with us.
It was not until I visited Greek-Americans and Greek-Germans that I realized that shame didn’t seem to even occur to them.There was no such thing as the word “wog” or equivalent in either of these countries (the U.S. Democratic party even nominated Greek-American Michael Dukakis to run for President in 1988.)
When I told an Anglo-American friend of mine about the racial slur and the pressure to change our names, he looked at me as if we were some un-evolved white-trash redneck nation stuck in a time-warp of the 1950’s!
He told me that far from being judged in that way, having a Greek background in the US means you are associated with ancient Greek history and the island of Santorini.
I discussed this with a friend of mine who is a therapist and has had clients from all over the world including Greek-Australians, Greek-Americans, and Greek-Germans. She says that by far, the Greek-Australians seem to be the ones who are most rejecting and ashamed of their Greek heritage. Is this a coincidence?