Interracial/Intercultural Dating in Australia

[Scaramanga]

Yes, I feel that we need more, more, MORE articles about this issue from the internets just to liven up the forum with Asian-Americans/Aust. favourite topic.

Intercultural daing: Is there any hope? (http://blogs.smh.com.au/lifestyle/asksam/archives/2007/10/ask_sam_friday_intercultural_d.html?page=fullpage# comments)

This week I've received a bunch of emails, all expressing similar sentiment: why is there still an issue for Aussie and Asian couples? You'd think that with our melting pot bubbling away, and more mixed couples becoming prevalent in our multicultural society, there wouldn't be an issue with picking someone from a different background over someone who looks just like you. Yet it seems many singletons are still in a pickle over the intercultural dating thing: will it work? What will everyone think? And worse, what will the folks say?

My mate, who we'll call Harry, doesn't care about any of the above. He's just returned from an extended overseas holiday and has decided that Asian women are the way to go.
"I don't want to date anyone who is Australian," he sniffed while we were out on the town the other night. "I want someone who is exotic; someone from a different culture and background. I definitely think it spices things up." Indeed it does. Especially from the Aussie gents' point of view ...

Aussie blokes are a popular bunch, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting that more than 3000 Asian-born women married Australian-born men in 2005.

But for the Asian men, the story is a little different, with 1000 Asian-born blokes marrying Australian-born women in the same year.


Nearly 650 replies if you wish to read through the entire lot far more than a similar blog from last year (http://blogs.theage.com.au/lifestyle/allmenareliars/archives/2006/10/_back_in_august.html). Enjoy or cringe!

[Candide]

I read some of it on Friday while I was bored at work. A few things I noted:

- Sam, the blog host, seems to think that there's no Asian born in Australia, by the way she words it. She and various others use "Aussie" or Australians for anglo/white Australians, but the rest are: Indians, Asians, Chinese, Greek, etc.

- Few Asian brothers whinging. Good thing.

- Some CCBs and white trolls posted their usual shit but were quickly shut down by some other Asian and non-Asian women. Very good.

- Some white guys bitching about their Asian GF's family not accepting them. People don't like you? Waaaaahhhh. Here's a tissue.

- Some white women going on about how Asian men just can't match some Aussie male beauty ideal (6'2" bronzed blond blue-eyed surfer) - but it was pointed out to them that most Australian men, regardless of background, have no hope of matching that ideal anyway. Not to mention that the surfer bloke is more likely gonna suffer from the obesity pandemic and balding a lot sooner.

- The nosy family is the AM's worst baggage.

- Some white guy posted a very compelling argument to dispel the "mummy's boy" stereotype.

- For many non-Asian women, once they've gone Asian, they don't go back.

[nskripchun]

The stereotypical impression I got when I lived in Japan: Aussies are the Americans of the southern hemisphere, especially the men.

Kiwis (New Zealand) tend to be a slightly more enlightened lot.

[RebelAzn]

The stereotypical impression I got when I lived in Japan: Aussies are the Americans of the southern hemisphere, especially the men.

Kiwis (New Zealand) tend to be a slightly more enlightened lot.

When I was traveling in SE Asia, I met bunch of Aussies vacationing. Chicks were pretty friendly to say the least. The guys were like surfer dudes who are all into smoking dope, lay on the beach and surf. I guess in some ways they are like stereotypical American beach bums with $100 to their names.

[Candide]

Most of the Aussies who spend holidays in SE Asia, particularly Indonesia (Bali) or Thailand (Phuket), are bogans. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan) Hence they're like what you observed. :)

I had a brief look earlier today to check for updates and it seems that the CCBs and trolls are coming out of the woodwork. Ah well. Real life isn't as bad as that blog entry seems to suggest though.

[little mixed girl]

The stereotypical impression I got when I lived in Japan: Aussies are the Americans of the southern hemisphere, especially the men.

Kiwis (New Zealand) tend to be a slightly more enlightened lot.
i don't know why you'd think that...

sorry, but i see aussies and their kiwi neighbors joining hand-in hand on forums and in real life to talk about why they can't get weed in japan/korea, they have no shame in using racial slurs because "me and my friends all joke like that, so what's the problem?", etc etc.

(and just to cover my bases, i have met a few nice guys from that part of the world that weren't tied up in their smoky weed haze. not everyone from down under is a drunken pot head...)

[peterlikesstuff]

Hey guys, I found this site from a google search and decided that it was pretty cool!

Anyway, I'm an Australian born Asian male from Adelaide and am finding it hard to meet a caucasian female partner. Don't get me wrong, I love my Asian heritage, but I've always grown up preferring white girls. I guess I am a bit strange, and well... I could very loosely be classed as a Banana (y'know, white on the inside, yellow on the outside).

Do any of you asian girls have white friends that like asian guys? (no, I'm looking at a quick hook up LOL)

[kwak76]

Hello Peter,
How is it down under? I hear conflicting reports about Aussie. I hear that it is either very friendly for people of color or pretty racist.

[JadeDragon]

Hey guys, I found this site from a google search and decided that it was pretty cool!

Anyway, I'm an Australian born Asian male from Adelaide and am finding it hard to meet a caucasian female partner. Don't get me wrong, I love my Asian heritage, but I've always grown up preferring white girls. I guess I am a bit strange, and well... I could very loosely be classed as a Banana (y'know, white on the inside, yellow on the outside).

Do any of you asian girls have white friends that like asian guys? (no, I'm looking at a quick hook up LOL)

Please go to Craigslist for your baser needs. For everything else, there's always Safeway and Home Brand.

[SamuraiJack]

Hey guys, I found this site from a google search and decided that it was pretty cool!

Anyway, I'm an Australian born Asian male from Adelaide and am finding it hard to meet a caucasian female partner. Don't get me wrong, I love my Asian heritage, but I've always grown up preferring white girls. I guess I am a bit strange, and well... I could very loosely be classed as a Banana (y'know, white on the inside, yellow on the outside).

Do any of you asian girls have white friends that like asian guys? (no, I'm looking at a quick hook up LOL)

Is this guy for real?

Unfortunately, his type of thinking is becoming more the norm for Asian females these days.

Pete, ever wonder why you grew up with a preference for a certain race over another, despite having hundreds of generations of ancestors of Asian descent? (which coincidentally must have found each other attractive, otherwise you wouldn't exist)

[kimtae]

Please go to Craigslist for your baser needs. For everything else, there's always Safeway and Home Brand.
Ahaha, Great read first thing in the morning :)

[Heyyu]

Hello Peter,
How is it down under? I hear conflicting reports about Aussie. I hear that it is either very friendly for people of color or pretty racist.

As someone who's been to Australia before, I'd say Aussies are generally more down-to-earth and chill compared to Americans. However, racial attitudes are a bit behind. The "White Australia" policy was still in effect until the 1970's and there's never been a lot of blacks or Latinos in Australia (although there are Aboriginals... and Aboriginals skin-color wise look black, not Native American).

Like in Canada, Asians make up the largest minority group in Australia. And again, due to the influence of the American media, the images & stereotypes of Asians in Australia are somewhat similar to the States, although slightly more open & not as ingrained. I'd say if you were an Asian-American going to Australia, you'd find the environment a little more accepting and just more laid-back compared to the States. Not to say you won't find close-minded Aussies in those small towns outside of the big cities (especially Sydney & Melbourne which are by far the most liberal & cosmopolitan... with Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth being the next largest cities in Australia). Although there were some race riots like in Cronulla beach between White Australians and Lebanese/Middle-Easterners.

[peterlikesstuff]

I've tried online personals and feel that I get overlooked because I am Asian. In fact, most profiles DON'T select Asians as one of their choices for ideal ethnicities.

I want to find a nice white girl to love. :(

[Scowl]

I've tried online personals and feel that I get overlooked because I am Asian. In fact, most profiles DON'T select Asians as one of their choices for ideal ethnicities.

I want to find a nice white girl to love. :(

Perhaps you should look into attending a pickup artist boot camp.

[Lum]

I want to find a nice white girl to love. :(

Hoooboy...looks like somebody took a wrong turn on the interwebs.

/cue banjo music

[nightshade]

I want to find a nice white girl to love. :(

You're wasting your time here.

[AmAznGuy]

I want to find a nice white girl to love. :(

Why limit yourself to just WG? :(
There are so many different beautiful girls out there including many many great Asian females. ;)

[ChÈ]

Kiwis (New Zealand) tend to be a slightly more enlightened lot.

Sorry, but that is complete bullshit.

That is like saying natives of Idaho are more enlightened than, say, Californians.

Every Kiwi with a uni degree or a willingness to work moves to Sydney or Brisbane (where the sun shines, employment is available and taxes are relatively low) as soon as they can.

[ChÈ]

It's not unusual for expatriate Kiwis who have an inferiority complex towards Australia to try and hoodwink gullible Americans/Canadians by telling them, eg, that NZ is to Australia what Canada is to the United States.

This is complete bullshit and should be laughed off immediately.

A more appropriate analogy would be to say that NZ is to Australia what Puerto Rico is to the U.S. LOL

[nskripchun]

It's not unusual for expatriate Kiwis who have an inferiority complex towards Australia to try and hoodwink gullible Americans/Canadians by telling them, eg, that NZ is to Australia what Canada is to the United States.

This is complete bullshit and should be laughed off immediately.

A more appropriate analogy would be to say that NZ is to Australia what Puerto Rico is to the U.S. LOL

Hahaha.

OK. But I have to say my NZ/Maori expat friend was much more kick-ass than any Aussies I met.

The guy had started working on a full tattoo body suit when I met him in Japan, and he could sing any 80s metal band song during a session of drunken karaoke. And he was a great kids' teacher.

[ChÈ]

Hahaha.

OK. But I have to say my NZ/Maori expat friend was much more kick-ass than any Aussies I met.

The guy had started working on a full tattoo body suit when I met him in Japan, and he could sing any 80s metal band song during a session of drunken karaoke. And he was a great kids' teacher.

Hahaha!

He sounds like a top bloke.

But the best/nicest Kiwis tend not to be found back in Kiwiland - what does that tell you about the place? ;)

[nskripchun]

Hahaha!

He sounds like a top bloke.

But the best/nicest Kiwis tend not to be found back in Kiwiland - what does that tell you about the place? ;)

That Kiwiland = THE SHIRE?

Mmm, good point.