Marriage

[sbagman]

No, not mine.

If someone of, say, Greek heritage, but born and raised in Australia, only wants to marry another Greek, does that mean they're small-minded and insular and I really shouldn't even bother talking to them, or am I just really grumpy?

Would you marry someone outside your race?

 

[Fred]

I'd imagine there's a degree of parental persuasion involved.

Yes, you probably are.

And yes, I did marry someone outside my race - a female.

 

[sbagman]

Parental persuasion when it comes to marriage? There was parental persuasion when I was 8 and my mum was trying to convince me to do my homework... not when I`m 28 and I`m deciding who I want to spend the rest of my life with.

Oh yes, and you`re right, I am grumpy.

 

[sbagman]

Originally posted by Fred

And yes, I did marry someone outside my race - a female.

And a human. Double whammy.

 

[Mobbs]

I married an American.

 

[sbagman]

OK, I asked for opinions, not horror stories.

 

[dreampolice]

Married a Maltese as they are easy to train.

 

[Dogwatcher]

My wife to be is half pom. When I go to her house her parents loooovvveeeee watching The Bill and Parko and Eastenders and they think that Penelope whatserface is a saint!
No wonder they're Centrals supporters.

 

[Docker_Brat]

Originally posted by sbagman
No, not mine.

If someone of, say, Greek heritage, but born and raised in Australia, only wants to marry another Greek, does that mean they're small-minded and insular and I really shouldn't even bother talking to them, or am I just really grumpy?

Would you marry someone outside your race?

Very small minded and insular. I wonder how many generations of living in Aus is it going to take before most people of a particular origin consider themselves 'Australian'. I have a fair few mates in Adelaide who were born there (and some of them have parents born there) yet still refer to themselves as 'Greek'. Go figure.

 

[Syd]

Originally posted by Mobbenfuhrer
I married an American.

So did my wife.

 

[Syd]

Originally posted by sbagman
Would you marry someone outside your race?

My first wife was Australian, my second Lebanese.

 

[carlyp]

Re: Re: Marriage

Originally posted by Docker_Brat
I have a fair few mates in Adelaide who were born there (and some of them have parents born there) yet still refer to themselves as 'Greek'. Go figure.

Although I agree with you to some extent, being of croatian decent I can see why people like me can say where Croat/Greek/Italian rather than Australian. I dont know what its like elsewhere in the country but Ive had people stumbelling over my name since I was in kindergarten. You always get teachers and kids, parents of friends (etc) saying "thats a strange name, where does that originate from?". Then you go into the long story of your family history (for me, my grandparents and my dad and aunt came here in 1960 from Croatia). Then the person will say "Oh so your Croatian, have you still got family there?" or " Do you speak the language?". From that moment on, no matter how hard you try, your always the croat to them in my view. You can go on and on about your love of footy and all things ozzie and they'll still see you as a 'wog' because of your surname and the conversation they had with you.
So imo although I agree we should all say were Australian and be proud of it no matter where our origins are, its bloody hard to do that when your constantly batteling ppl who will never think your anything but a 'wog'.
I guess there is two sides to the story.

 

[Mr X]

Originally posted by dreampolice
Married a Maltese as they are easy to train.

as in a Maltese Terrier?
That is outside your race!

 

[Former]

Originally posted by sbagman
If someone of, say, Greek heritage, but born and raised in Australia, only wants to marry another Greek, does that mean they're small-minded and insular and I really shouldn't even bother talking to them, or am I just really grumpy?

You could still talk to them, but with this insularity comes small-mindedness and a narrow world view, which means you'll probably run out of things to talk about anyway.

As for parental persuasion don't be quick to dismiss the power of an overbearing parent. My wife went out with a Greek bloke many years ago. His mother would always tell her he wasn't at home when she called (she'd hear him in the background saying "Who is it mum? Is it for me?") and she never even met his parents face-to-face let alone received an invitation to dinner.

Luckily for me he didn't have the balls to go against his parents and they broke up

 

[coxon]

Re: Re: Re: Marriage

Originally posted by carlyp
From that moment on, no matter how hard you try, your always the croat to them in my view. You can go on and on about your love of footy and all things ozzie and they'll still see you as a 'wog' because of your surname and the conversation they had with you.
So imo although I agree we should all say were Australian and be proud of it no matter where our origins are, its bloody hard to do that when your constantly batteling ppl who will never think your anything but a 'wog'.
I guess there is two sides to the story.

my thoughts exactly...

tho, i'm asian... but born and raised here...
i dont need to tell them my background or surname,
as its quite clearly obvious...

i look 'asian'... so i'll always be 'asian'
no matter how aussie i am or sound...
i'm still a chink ~

so it just makes it easier....
i refer to myself as 'asian'..

yes there are two sides to the story...

 

[carlyp]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Marriage

Originally posted by coxon
my thoughts exactly...

tho, i'm asian... but born and raised here...
i dont need to tell them my background or surname,
as its quite clearly obvious...

i look 'asian'... so i'll always be 'asian'
no matter how aussie i am or sound...
i'm still a chink ~

so it just makes it easier....
i refer to myself as 'asian'..

yes there are two sides to the story...

Exactly!!!!!!

 

[Captain Sensible]

My wife is Polish although she came out here at a very early age-I think it was 8 or 9. To speak to her you would never pick it, you would think she is your stock standard anglo aussie. Her parents though...I dont know how many more vigilias(???any Poles help me out on spelling here) I can stand, actually they are very nice people.


You cant help who you fall in love with.

 

[Smokin]

im Italo-Australian, not quite either.

I call myself a wog and I am fairly carefree when it comes to race. I dont care if/when somebody take the pi$$, as I take the pi$$ out of myself more than anyone else. I guess Im very secure it that sense.

Why do i call myself a wog? well, coz everyone else refers to me as one! lol. I guess I will say im "Aussie" when "Aussies" consider me Aussie. Who really cares at the end of the day I say.

I grew up here, and I have lived in Italy. Im not 100% "Australian", however nor am I 100% "Italian" either.

In regards to marriage - doesnt worry me one way or the other. She can be any race she wants, as long as she isnt Greek!

 

[Stevo]

Here's a joke you may or may not know:

A young Greek woman is about to be married to another Greek man. On the day of her wedding her mother says to her "One day your husband will ask you to have sex "the other way". You don't have to if you don't want to. Just tell him you aren't ready." The young woman nods.

A couple of years later the young couple are engaged in foreplay when the man asks his wife to have sex "the other way". The young woman flatly refuses. Her husband shrugs her shoulders and says "Well, I thought you might want to start a family."

 

[sbagman]

Just on the identity thing...

I have an Italian father and a Serbian mother, though the Italian part has always been much more prevelant in my growing up. I moved to Italy when I first started posting here, and despite having always called myself Australian, I was so taken by how much I felt at home in Italy I started calling myself Italian. I´m sure some of my early posts would reflect this view.

So I moved to Italy the second time a year ago... and reality hit. I am not, as it were, Italian. After living in Italy, I have realised that being Italo-Australian is not the same as being Italian... and the Italians thought so to. It was a tough lesson, but a valuable one. I think I wanted to believe I was Italian to explain all the differences between my ¨wog¨ upbringing and that of my Aussie mates.

So I know have given up on defining myself, and no longer see a need to. I am a mixture of all things, Australian, Italian, maybe a smidge of Serbian... but best of all, wherever I go, I pick up a tiny part of the culture... so I´d like to claim I´m 0.1% Israeli, 0.1% Brazilian, 0.1% Turkish...

Interestingly, I was reading how the human race really has very little genetic variation when compared to other species, meaning there really is very little difference in genes between, say, an Englishman and an Italian... or even an African and an Asian.

Cheers,
Sbagman.

 

[TheWackedYak]

Genetic differences between the English and Italians?

Do the English have a gene which allows them to swap sides when they're losing wars? Didn't think so.

Marrying outside the "race" is all academic...although my girlfriend is of whitey stock as well. Just depends on how the cards get dealt.

 

[evertonfc]

Re: Re: Re: Marriage

Originally posted by carlyp
Although I agree with you to some extent, being of croatian decent I can see why people like me can say where Croat/Greek/Italian rather than Australian. I dont know what its like elsewhere in the country but Ive had people stumbelling over my name since I was in kindergarten. You always get teachers and kids, parents of friends (etc) saying "thats a strange name, where does that originate from?". Then you go into the long story of your family history (for me, my grandparents and my dad and aunt came here in 1960 from Croatia). Then the person will say "Oh so your Croatian, have you still got family there?" or " Do you speak the language?". From that moment on, no matter how hard you try, your always the croat to them in my view. You can go on and on about your love of footy and all things ozzie and they'll still see you as a 'wog' because of your surname and the conversation they had with you.
So imo although I agree we should all say were Australian and be proud of it no matter where our origins are, its bloody hard to do that when your constantly batteling ppl who will never think your anything but a 'wog'.
I guess there is two sides to the story.

Due to this type attitude, I'm not an Australian anymore.

I'm officially English, simple as that. I wasn't born there, my parents weren't born there, but hey - all my friends call themselves Greek, Lebonese, Italian and Croatian, so if it's good enough for them to reject being 'Australian' (despite having Aus-born parents), it's good enough for me.

Under that logic nobody is Australian - didn't 'Indigenous' Australians emigrate from S-E Asia many a millenium ago?

A very sad state of affairs.

 

[sbagman]

Originally posted by TheWackedYak
Genetic differences between the English and Italians?

Do the English have a gene which allows them to swap sides when they're losing wars? Didn't think so.

Oh what a magnificent grasp you have on history.

 

[sbagman]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Marriage

Originally posted by evertonfc
Due to this type attitude, I'm not an Australian anymore.

I'm officially English, simple as that. I wasn't born there, my parents weren't born there, but hey - all my friends call themselves Greek, Lebonese, Italian and Croatian, so if it's good enough for them to reject being 'Australian' (despite having Aus-born parents), it's good enough for me.

Under that logic nobody is Australian - didn't 'Indigenous' Australians emigrate from S-E Asia many a millenium ago?

A very sad state of affairs.

I wouldn`t get overexcited. I think the thing is, within an AUSTRALIAN context, Carly counts herself as Croatian. It's a way of explaining to people a different surname, different upbringing, etc. But realistically, if Carly went to the UK and they asked her what nationality she is, she would answer Australian... to say Croatia (or anywhere else) is a bit odd if you were born, raised, educated, and lived all your life in Oz and english is your mother tongue.

I can understand Carly's confusion... if I lived in Tassie, I'd be pretty unwilling to claim to be Australian too.

 

[cairo tiger]

i married an australian and it was a mistake