It would be like camping except you didn't need to take your own shovel. Don't know how my knees would handle it though as they are definitely feeling their age.

This is Australia, do it our way or bugger off.

I'm over pandering to other cultures.

Merry christmas everyone....





Cheers.

I've travelled and I've lived in several countries, both in Europe and Asia, and I have found that many countries have dual signage to assist visitors. It's obvious to me that Australia is a major tourist attraction, and perhaps one day that will be one of the few remaining things that this country has to offer when one considers the decimation of our manufacturing industries. ISTM that there are one billion Chinese who would appreciate anything that makes them feel welcome.

"Culturally sensitive amenities" for the large foreign student population seems like good business sense to me, although I don't think I would like to see it in the wider community. Maybe I'm xenophobic, or maybe I'm just a realist. Let's face it, the worldwide trend is for countries with large cultural, racial, or political groups to dissolve into independent states, sometimes violently. The only amicable unification I can recall in modern times was the reunification of East and West Germany. Multiculturalism only works when it's non-threatening. ISTM that there is a critical mass below which a mixed society is relatively stable, but as soon as the minority groups exceed this critical mass, then the majority feels under siege. IMO immigration policy needs to take account of xenophobia, even if it may be perceived as discriminatory, because social cohesion is paramount. You'd have to be a clever politician to tread the fine line between the two, though.

BTW, has anyone noticed the "multicultural" signage at the entrances to our towns? You know, the ones that display the town's aboriginal name as well as its white-fella name. I wonder what would happen to a letter that was addressed to Parliament House in Djubuguli, if the postcode were omitted.

-- Edited by dorian on Thursday 26th of December 2013 08:57:23 AM

***This is Australia, and unless you are aboriginal, you are "another culture", and you have been "pandered to".***


A logical fallacy called Ad Hominem. Care to try again?

When we lived in Malaysia in the early 80's, it was a fact that some Aussies did the same thing (commonly called the Kangaroo Squat) over there, so as not come in contact with the seat. But even worse than that, a phenomenom known as the "Phantom Crapper" exists in some work places. Depositing said matter on the floor instead of in the toilet. We had this happen recently at our workplace which is definitely not multicultural, and quite a few years back when I was still in the RAAF at one of the bases, again a non-multicultural situation.

 

Edit: I just noticed the post above mine and want to make it clear that no reference was meant to the poster, just a matter of unfortunate timing on my part. Sorry Phantom I must have been in the process of typing while you posted.

-- Edited by 03_troopy on Thursday 26th of December 2013 10:29:11 AM

It is all part of the 'diversity we have to have' that we never get to vote on.

With the number of science graduates out of work and many having to work as clerks I am surprised that the government allows 457 visas for pathology assistants, or gives citizenship to international students studying the same.

Amazing that the pathologist does not put proactive infection control first and foremost, speaking specifically of the oral-fecal transmission route of many serious diseases, such as dysentery that is a number 1 killer world-wide. In Australia, much of the disease that affects Aborigines could be prevented by a soap and water hygiene routine, for instance.

Engineers have done so much to prevent the transmission of disease. Then along comes some fellow who would send us back to the Dark Age. He is most 'Progressive' to always put immigrants' cultural needs first.

 

edited, spell

-- Edited by johnq on Thursday 26th of December 2013 11:41:05 AM

NeilandRaine wrote:

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Rip and Rosie wrote:

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Cloak wrote:

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This is Australia, do it our way or bugger off.

I'm over pandering to other cultures.

Merry christmas everyone....





Cheers.

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 This is Australia, and unless you are aboriginal, you are "another culture", and you have been "pandered to".

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 Sorry Rip and Rosie I agree with Cloak, but let us put it a different way. People come to Australia because they like our way of life, or to experience our way of life. Why do we have to change to cater to theirs.

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 Ah, your comments show that you do not know Australian history.

the early colonists did not "come because they liked our way of life", our convicts came because they were victims of the british government. Our Scottish settlers very the victims of highland clearances. Our post WW 2 refugees were escaping nazi aggression. Perhaps the ten pound poms came for a better life, but they are one group among many.

Why should we change? We already have and continue to do so. We speak English, we eat Chinese, Italian, Greek and Lebanese food. We happily accept American culture, entertainment and diction. We drive Asian cars and watch Korean televisions.

As Australians we have fought in other countries' wars except for the fight against japan in the latter stages of WW2.

Change is what we do, and have always done.

 

Regardless of how you identify "Australian"... we are all citizens of planet Earth, and because we are separated by oceans (mostly) from the other Earth Citizens, some of us have chosen to ignore them and their "foreign" (read "different from us") ways. With more travel in both directions Australians are now starting to become less isolated, and the learning curve isn't pleasant to some.
Change is inevitable here as everywhere, whether you complain about it or not.

I find it strange that Prof Zola hasn't mentioned the bidet. It seems that Asian countries are transitioning from squat toilets to Western style flush toilets, particularly bidets, so perhaps the Prof has been away from his birthplace for too long.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan

"Toilets in Japan are generally more sophisticated than toilets in other developed nations. There are two styles of toilets commonly found in Japan; the oldest type is a simple squat toilet, which is still somewhat common in public conveniences. After World War II, modern Western-type flush toilets and urinals became common. The current state of the art for Western-style toilets is the bidet toilet, which, as of March 2010, is installed in 72% of Japanese households."

BTW, I found the following historical note in Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet

"1980: Bruce Thompson, working for Caroma in Australia, developed the Duoset cistern with two buttons and two flush volumes as a water-saving measure. Modern versions of the Duoset are now available worldwide, and save the average household 67% of their normal water usage."

And here's an odd one. Apparently a clean bum can be dangerous.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan

The repetitive use of a "type water jet on a high-pressure setting for an enema, can weaken the capability for self-evacuation of the Washlet [bidet] user, which can lead to more serious constipation." If a Washlet high-pressure water jet is used on the anus repeatedly, it may cause excessive cleanliness, prompting other bacteria to adhere around the anus, causing skin disease (inflammation) around the anus. Some proctologists in Japan have named this "Washlet Syndrome" or "Warm-water toilet seat Syndrome".

Vic41 wrote:

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 I wonder if his missus/s would agree with him though?

Cloak wrote:

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This is Australia, do it our way or bugger off.

I'm over pandering to other cultures.

Merry christmas everyone....





Cheers.

---

 Agree 100% we won't have any identity left soon,,,,,,,,meat pies and a beer at the footy are the next to go,,,,,,,,,,,,,no huggin and kissin in the back row of the pictures,, no drinking from the garden hose,,,,, etc etc.

 

Baz421 wrote:

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Cloak wrote:

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This is Australia, do it our way or bugger off.

I'm over pandering to other cultures.

Merry christmas everyone....





Cheers.

---

 Agree 100% we won't have any identity left soon,,,,,,,,meat pies and a beer at the footy are the next to go,,,,,,,,,,,,,no huggin and kissin in the back row of the pictures,, no drinking from the garden hose,,,,, etc etc.

 

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 These are ridiculous statements that only have validity only if:

1.   Australia was a mono-cultural society which it clearly isn't;

2.   accommodating other cultural expectations can only be done at the expense of existing cultural norms (whatever they are); and

3.   cultural identity is static and unchanging.

I doubt that providing squat toilets as an alternative (not replacement) to the sitting style dominant across the country poses any real threat to Australian identity.

 

Dave

 

There's hundreds of "squat toilets" all over Australia... mostly SA and WA... at rest-stops and free-camps. People squat, do their business, use paper and leave. Absolutely disgusting. It would seem the purpose-built ones are just as disgusting.

I wonder if Prof Zola has actually conducted any kind of survey to assess the demand, otherwise he may be asking the community to cater for a non-existent need. In fact the best people to ask would be the immigrants themselves. How many immigrants who have built their own homes in this country have chosen a squat toilet over a sit-down? Or perhaps a more appropriate question would be, how many of these immigrants would have chosen a squat had one been available, and at an affordable price? Remember, these people would have been brought up using squat toilets, so they would have had a natural preference for them.

Perhaps another question might be, should we treat immigrants the same as tourists and students? The former come to Australia to live, so they should perhaps be prepared to accept the status quo, at least until they've been here a while. OTOH, tourists and students are paying visitors, so it would be good business sense to make them feel welcome. That said, my research leads me to believe that affluent people in Asian societies (eg India) are opting for sit-down toilets, and since most paying visitors would probably come from wealthy backgrounds, then it stands to reason that squats wouldn't be too popular amongst them. But that's something that a survey could easily determine.

As for the "accidents" alluded to by Prof Zola, they raise two questions. The first is, what kind of student would be so stupid as to be unable to work out how to use our toilets? The second is, if these disgusting acts were deliberate, then why should we even allow these kind of people into the country, let alone cater for their special needs?