They're un-Australian!

If you've caught up on [international] news, you'll have heard that there were 'race riots' in Cronulla, a beachside suburb in southern Sydney yesterday.

Locals at the beach went about beating up anyone of Lebanese descent, or anyone who looked vaguely like they might be of Lebanese descent. Of course, the Australian newspapers were full of copious denials by various politicians [including PM John Howard] that racism could have been involved. Apparently sms text messages that circulated before the disturbance called for 'aussies' to join 'Leb and wog bashing day' - i'll leave you to formulate your own opinion as to possible racism.

However the funniest report was of the reaction of the NSW police commissioner's view that the activities of the hooligans/rioters was 'un-Australian' - a meaningless, but much bandied-about term.

Mr [Ken] Moroney condemned the violence as 'un-australian' according to The Australian. He said: ' by any test, by any measure, that which we have seen here is clearly un-Australian. It's not Australian to adopt a mob mentality and assault [lebanese] women. I have never in all my working days seenanything as un-Australian' .

Well thanks Ken for the socio political commentary, but you offer no definition of what it is, or is not to be 'Un-Australian' or for that matter 'Australian'. Except that given the violence was perpetrated by typical residents of these beachside suburbs - white, anglo-saxon - in a demonstration that is quite typical of Australian behaviour (as observed by many visitors to this country and immigrants), the indignant Mr Moron was clearly wrong - the behaviour of the rioters was aggressive, macho and racist & quite clearly 'Australian' .