To whinge or not, that is the question!

AMIT DUTT

few days ago over drinks at a party on a Saturday evening, there came up for discussion various issues relating to living in the great land of Oz and our adaptive behaviour. Prime among these was the issue of teenage pregnancies and the government’s support through the single parent pension.

Are we still outsiders who are so grateful for being accepted, that questioning anything would make us antisocial, if not antinational?

I brought up the issue as the suburb where I run my business is home to an alarming number of teenage pregnancies, and girls as young as 15 or 16 are open about carrying around a 1 or 2-year-old in their pram more as matter of right, than that of a goof up.

Surprisingly in a room full of Indian Australians, a large number of my friends, even the ones with teenage daughters, were accepting of this social norm, terming it as adapting to the changing times and to the place where we have decided to live. While this can be termed as individual opinions on the matter, what hit me was that, I, one of the few opponents of this norm, was told to adapt to the Australian way of life or go back to India! Go back to India??

This raised an interesting question in my mind. Does questioning any Australian social norm or anything prevalent in the society of my adopted country make me un-Australian enough to be asked to go back to my country of origin?

Pointing out the deficiencies or questioning norms or attitudes in any society only indicates that one wants to make a change, if it can be made. Like living in India and questioning the lack of hygiene on roads, public urinating or corruption, does not make anyone un-Indian; similarly, merely expressing disapproval of a certain social norm cannot be termed as un-Australian. While we express our gratitude for being Australian, every day that we live in this great country, questioning some norms only makes us feel like we belong more, and thus, more Australian.

Having lived in Melbourne for the last 14 years, I have become as Australian as is possible. I am no different to a Caucasian Australian who complains about public transport, unsafe streets at night, high taxes, traffic and layers of local bureaucracy when dealing with the local council. So when I stand in a queue with other Australians and complain on how long it is, why tell me to go back and live in India, where the queues are longer?

Till the time we continue to feel indebted for the opportunity of living in this lucky country, we will never be a part of it in the true sense of belonging

What happens if a Caucasian Australian here for a dozen generations, to cite the example of my neighbour, questions or objects to the same norms? To where should he go back? Are we still outsiders who are so grateful for being accepted, that questioning anything would make us anti-social, if not anti-national?

I feel it is now time for us to act more Australian, and accept the good with the bad. If living in the great Oz land is fortunate for us, we need to take the bliss with the small nightmares. There is nothing wrong in calling a spade a spade, and if it does not make a Caucasian less Australian, I am no different.

Till the time we continue to feel indebted for the opportunity of living in this lucky country, we will never be a part of it in the true sense of belonging. I will continue to whine and complain if things go wrong. After all, if living in Australia for 14 years has given me the right to love this country, it has also given me the liberty of free speech without being un-Australian.