While I was digging up the correct seating posture picture from an earlier roundup, I was amazed how little has changed. The Australian open was once again marred with violence between ethnic groups.
I’ll let you judge whether I could just recycle this every year at the same time:
(from “Nathan’s random roundup week ending 21st Jan 2007″)
This week had multiculturalism at its finest on display for the tennis. This is what happens when you a policy of encouraging other people to completely retain their culture: warts and all. Serbs vs Croats vs Greeks was the real battle..
Why the fighting? Because there’s a tennis match scheduled between their national teams.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/open-rocked-by-ethnic-brawl/2007/01/15/1168709679372.htmlBall boys ready? Umpire? Police?
To be honest (and I’ll go out on the assumption limb here) I’d almost lay money than none of these people brawling are actual born-there Serbian/Greek or Croatian.
They’re usually second generation Australians who have probably never visited their pseudo-homeland, yet describe themselves as “Greek”, “Serb” or “Croatian” and feel the need to continue on the long tradition of fighting for reasons unknown.Turned up in same outfit to kick the shit out of each other
Although I think the two guys kicking at each other are just having a dispute over wearing the same outfit to the tennis. Look how one has draped himself in a flag to try and make it a bit less obvious that the greeny-grey cargo pants, black t-shirt, white shoes and no brain combination is the same as his.
To give you an example, from the article as to how wars get started elsewhere in the world (Australia doesn’t start wars, we just get dragged into them by everyone else).
“Leaders of Melbourne’s Serbian and Croatian communities accused each other’s compatriots of provoking the fracas.Melbourne’s Serbian Cultural Club president, Toma Banjanin, said while the fight at the tennis was “deplorable”, old enmities could be stoked by overzealous Croatian flag-waving.
“Probably a few of those Serbs they say, ‘OK, you want a fight, let’s have a fight’.”
The Croatian Community Association’s secretary, Tom Starcevic, believed it was the Serbian supporters who were the aggressors. He said his daughter, Emilija, 14, had seen a Serbian supporter strike a Croatian fan on the head.”
Must certainly be some zealous flag waving. Perhaps it was the beating someone over the head with the flag that got things started?
From another article (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/01/15/1168709679555.html):
“But another Serb supporter said the violence was organised days ahead. Text messages saying “come to the tennis and punch on” had been circulating, and would continue.“We hate those Croat c—-, we want to smash their heads in after the game,” he said. “We knew they were coming, tomorrow there will be more. There’ll be 200 Croats, but that doesn’t matter, we’ll bring shanks and stab every one of them.””
Yep, it was *them*.. *They* started it first! Always the other side, but no one can be sure.. Blah blah blah.. Rumours and unverifiable statements (much like the stuff I spout out in the weekly roundups) used as justification to bring the quaint rest-of-the-world charm to Australia. That is: self sustaining tribal wars and disputes based on nothing more than some 1000 year old bickering.
Yep, hooray for multiculturalism’s stupid side..Citizenship test
Can’t we just all get along? Fair enough: you have a background from somewhere else, bring your skin colour, funny customs and tasty foreign food with ya: leave the violent ethnic grudge bullsh*t at the door..:)
Or maybe they should just give the supporters at the tennis game flares. Like with this soccer/football match:
http://www.glumbert.com/media/flare
Scary how applicable it is..
Although my comment about flares at the Australian open was obviously taken on board:
The mob, who were ejected for disruptive behaviour and smuggling flares into Melbourne Park on the first day of play, seemed to have learned nothing from past years.