TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES… AND BOATS

I am constantly surprised by the European response to the current plight of the Syrian refugees. Why are people so eager to help these people? And why does Australia receive such intense hatred for its zero tolerance policy on boat people?

I may be sounding a touch cruel with my feelings on this matter, but let us look at this from a different perspective. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with aiding those seeking asylum. My issue lies within the method they choose to find a ‘Safe Haven’. Syrian refugees have fled, uncontrolled and without documentation, across 5 borders and past nearly a dozen other countries to reach Hungary. What was wrong with any of these places? Why not stop moving after reaching Turkey?

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Such an innocuous question, Where Are You From, but yet one that can be loaded with malice. I’m white and from the UK. Being asked where I am from when overseas is not usually a big deal and is often met with some remark regarding a World Cup event (I am far from sport orientated so usually smile and nod). My wife is also from the UK, but her parents are not, and so the standard response of “I’m from the UK” is not usually enough to satisfy the curiosity of the interrogator.

This question comes in many forms depending on the country you are in. We live now in Perth, WA – and Australians, as with Americans, are often interested to meet someone from the UK. For my wife (who has a British accent that would rival most Toffs) the colour of her skin could not be further from their minds – They are just wooed by the lyrical intonations of her voice.