Don't be Dick from Third Rock from the Sun

Nearly every day newspapers carry details of yet another attack on an Indian and not just in Australia but in several other parts of the world. The Police in Victoria suggested that Indians should maintain a low profile not talking too loudly in public in their native languages.

This set me wondering if this was the correct response to what could be race related violence rather than a simple law and order issue. I am still unsure.

Loudness from anyone regardless of ethnicity is an irritant because it violates other people's space and privacy. Travel in public transport is often made unbearable by loud inconsiderate people. The decision by authorities to control this menace in WA and Queensland is a welcome step. Melbourne should follow suit.

From personal experience I know Aussies, Chinese, and Sub continentals are all guilty of inconsiderate behaviour. Sub continentals who could be anyone from a vast area stretching from the Middle East to Myanmar for want of a better definition get labelled collectively as Indians. They stick out like a sore thumb primarily because there are so few of them and they all bring attention on themselves by their loud behaviour. The loud ones from other demographic groups may be the exception, among Indians every one appears to enjoy intruding on other commuters' private space. Most commuters tend to be catching up on work on their laptops or PDAs, students trying to study for an exam and some just getting into a sleepy, dreamy world. The quiet peaceful travel experience is rudely disturbed by loud cacophony from inconsiderate people who are blissfully unaware of the boiling rage they provoke. And it is not just in public transport. Visitors from India tend to be so loud that neighbours often wonder what was going on, if everything was ok.

To some extent the sub continent has been like another planet disconnected from the rest of the world. With software industry and export education led boom in overseas travel, people from this region are increasingly visible. They need to understand how to behave in conformance to local expectations. Even a simple "do in Rome as Romans do" approach would help. Don't be Dick from "third rock from the sun".


.."Dayajot Singh, who helped organise a protest last year over attacks on Indians, said Indian students should be taught crime prevention as part of their university induction course. "They should be taught that if you go on public transport in this country, people don't talk loudly, they talk in a low voice. If you talk loudly it could be taken as violent behaviour. It's different cultural behaviour — speaking loudly to each other is not taken offence to in India."
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/indians-warned-to-keep-low-profile-in-melbourne/2009/02/19/1234632935216.html