Integrating into a foreign society

[Hitcher]

This opens a whole can of worms...

It only opens a can of worms for people or groups who resile against societal "norms" of what is or isn't acceptable behaviour. This doesn't involve just new immigrants.

Welcome to New Zealand. Please observe the following:
Drive on the lefthand side of the road and observe the road code.
Don't smoke in confined public spaces or areas designated as non-smoking.
Please don't keep farm animals in your back yard where this is prohibited by local by-laws.
Please declare all food and timber products on your arrival.
Please observe our animal welfare codes -- particularly those involving the keeping and slaughter of animals intended for food.
Do not attempt to bribe public officials.
Do not unfavourably compare New Zealand with Australia.
Do not wear burkas or other full-body-covering garments in public.
Etc.

[Gixxer]

I fitted right in.... they had VB when I got here

I didn't do that badly either... wherever people ride, Im happy!!! Now I just need a Black Label beer from SA!!

An Aussie, a Kiwi and a South African are drinking in a pub.......the South African skulls his beer, tosses his empty glass in the air and shoots it. "In seth afrika, he says, we have so much glass we dont need to drink from the same glass twice.



The Aussie was impressed so he tosses his empty glass into the air and shoots it. "In Austrraalia" he says, "we have so much sand to make glass, we dont need to drink from the same glass twice".......



The Kiwi finished his beer, tosses his glass in the air and shoots the South African and Aussie and says....."In New Zealand, we have so many f#cking Australians and South Africans, we dont need to drink with the same ones twice"

And this from a Kiwi in Australia.
HAHAHAH

[Marmoot]

It only opens a can of worms for people or groups who resile against societal "norms" of what is or isn't acceptable behaviour. This doesn't involve just new immigrants.
....
Do not wear burkas or other full-body-covering garments in public.
Etc.

But it is true both ways, isn't it?

In Arab, the norms are:
- Wear burqas
- If you drink alcohol and get drunk, expect to be put to jail
- If you are female and commit adultery, expect to get stoned (literally)
- Don't practise non state-approved religion openly as only Allah is the true God and the others are worshiping false God
etc

And we cry they are discriminating against Christian? Aren't they just doing what Hitcher is doing (i.e.: conforming people to the so-called "society's norm")?

[rodgerd]

But it is true both ways, isn't it?

In Arab, the norms are:
- Wear burqas
- If you drink alcohol and get drunk, expect to be put to jail
- If you are female and commit adultery, expect to get stoned (literally)
- Don't practise non state-approved religion openly as only Allah is the true God and the others are worshiping false God
etc

That would be some Arab nations, not all. And you'll note I'm not travelling to Saudi Arabia and demanding they change for me.

To be honest, what strikes me as naff in a lot of this is that many of the high-profile cultural clashes are people who've come here, often as refugees, from countries that are shitholes - poor, riven by civil wars. Killing and rape are the norm - think Afganistan or Somalia. New Zealand is a pretty nice place to live. And yet people come here, saying "my home nation is an awful mess; I need sanctuary" and try to import the same cultural elements of their home country. Doesn't it occur to them that the reason New Zealand is a nice country to be may be tied up in the fact we don't have theocratic goverments, or tribal warfare, and that importing them is not a good idea?

[Stinger]

An Aussie, a Kiwi and a South African are drinking in a pub....

I like it !

[Blakamin]

And this from a Kiwi in Australia.
HAHAHAH

Might have to let some of my friends know about that one where you staying????

from an Aussie in NZ

[MikeL]

But it is true both ways, isn't it?

In Arab, the norms are:
- Wear burqas
- If you drink alcohol and get drunk, expect to be put to jail
- If you are female and commit adultery, expect to get stoned (literally)
- Don't practise non state-approved religion openly as only Allah is the true God and the others are worshiping false God
etc

And we cry they are discriminating against Christian? Aren't they just doing what Hitcher is doing (i.e.: conforming people to the so-called "society's norm")?

There's a neat concept called cultural relativism. Might be worth looking into...

[Marmoot]

That would be some Arab nations, not all. And you'll note I'm not travelling to Saudi Arabia and demanding they change for me.

That is not my point. My point is: if we say what's happening over there is discrimination against non-muslim, why do we want to do the same here for the muslims and go down to their level?
Shouldn't we be the better society? The advanced west? The humane people who cherish freedom and equality? Or are we just another conformist society and all I've been hearing about freedom and human rights are just hypocrissy (hyphocrissy? hypocryssi?)?

This is offtopic, but seeing that we are in the mood to rant, sometimes I got fed up with these tree-hugging people too, when they cry out loud about injustice and inhumane treatment of chickens and pigs and goats when they don't really say anything about injustice and poverty happening in our backyard with our homeless and abused. When is a chicken more important than human? And as if they don't eat chicken themselves....oh right, they're vegetarian......
Not that I condone battery chicken coop....but since when do spending millions of dollars for research into chicken happiness took priority over helping hungry people?

[Hitcher]

Interesting to note that New Zealand's largest free-range hen farmer is also the country's largest farmer of battery-hens. Kind of tells you something, doesn't it?

[HanaBelle]

Interesting to note that New Zealand's largest free-range hen farmer is also the country's largest farmer of battery-hens. Kind of tells you something, doesn't it?

Niche marketing?

[Lord Pac]

good stuff

[Hitcher]

Niche marketing?

Amongst other things...

[Ms Piggy]

There's a neat concept called cultural relativism. Might be worth looking into...

Very interesting.

[Gixxer]

Might have to let some of my friends know about that one where you staying????

from an Aussie in NZ

Hahaha, that joke was sent to me by one of my Aussie co-workers, but it ended in the Aussie shooting the other two.

are your friends bikers? have not found anyone to ride with yet.

[Blakamin]

are your friends bikers? have not found anyone to ride with yet.

Bugga... will see if i can talk one into gettin on here for you... the bastard was here on monday/tuesday tooo
(i'm still recovering)
I will endevour to sort something for you when he gets home...next thurs i think.. he lives in boronia
Have you been aroung the great ocean road or up the hill behind warburton yet? (cant remember its name)
some fun roads!