Discrimination

My friend from Hong Kong commented: "Nobody has ever written about discrimination the way you did, so direct and unreserved." She was referring to the barrage of emails I sent when I first touched down in the land of Oz. Thankfully the ill feelings have evaporated as I happily settled down and learned to deal with life's upheavals.

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".

Sounds remotely familiar? I enjoyed reading and studying 'Animal Farm' in those innocent and simplistic days but nothing in this world would have prepared me for its stark reality in this shark-infested society in later years. The author had skilfully conveyed the true reality via this popular and entertaining satire.

My first encounter with subtle discrimination occurred in New York 3 years ago, a year post September-11. My friend and I asked for directions in the hotel lobby. The receptionist who was speaking amicably to a Caucasian couple just before us wiped her smile off her face and sternly directed us to our destination, like a mother scolding her misbehaving child. I thought the salesgirls in the boutiques were unfriendly and loud as well. I was told that New Yorkers had mellowed down significantly since the Twin Towers tragedy. I could hardly imagine what they were like previously.

My major fibrillations came when I stepped onto the land of Oz. I always thought Australians were one of the friendliest species of mankind, as the era of modernisation eroded into our values and integrity. I would ignore my friends' recounts of racism they faced, thinking that they would never happen to me. How wrong I was. I walked into the conference room for a lecture in my first week and was ignored completely by the entire bunch of colleagues whom I would work with closely later on. No "hi", not even a bat of their eyelids or any eye contact. I felt a chill streaming down my spine. I didn't want to think what worse or awkward situations I would face in the days to come. This was a stark contrast when my Canadian colleague joined the department few months later. She was accosted and introduced by another British consultant. I'd like to think that perhaps I appeared too young to them at that point of time, until I proved my prowess in the course of my work.

The patients were equally hostile and sceptical. A small handful didn't even bother to look at me when I spoke. They reacted dramatically when I missed a cannulation and whispered among themselves. Was I being schizophrenic or over-sensitive? Things have improved tremendously for me now, as I gained mountains of confidence and flashed my cheerful smiles more frequently. Maybe it was transference, as my psychology contemporary analysed.

The unpleasant experience I had with my first landlord was unexpected and hurting. The young punks whom I bumped into at Kotara shopping mall, shouting:" Go back to your own country!" added to my misery and disappointment. My encounter with the lecherous car finance manager provided a tint of dark humour to my skewed impression of the Aussies.

My friend who had been a nursing student on attachment in Melbourne offered differing views and experiences, as she reminisced about nice helpful colleagues and polite patients whom she had contact with. Maybe I was just plain unlucky. Being a working adult, I have responsilibities to fulfill and hence expectations of me are higher and more demanding, compared to if I am just a learning apprentice. My sincere advice to my friend: develop your skills well and have faith in yourself.

Discrimination exists all around the world. Muslims or Malays were associated with terrorism, even though it was mainly the extremists who tarnished the image. I just learned from a fellow blogger that Eurasians and PRs hold ICs of a different colour code from our usual pink, thus segregating them in areas of privileges (or lack of them) and distinction. The Chinese population in Malaysia are persecuted for admission to the ivy league courses in universities, even if they outperformed the Malays by leaps and bounds.

Perhaps we would see the beacon of hope for equality and fairness in the distant lighthouse to come.