An Australian member of parliament is in the doghouse with the politically correct Australian speech police for suggesting that immigrants to Australia be taught about hygiene and other cultural norms when they arrive in the country.
Here is the story from The Telegraph. Oh, and by the way, I remember hearing similar complaints from refugee hotbeds such as Shelbyville, TN and Emporia, KS. So it must be a worldwide problem (that few are willing to talk about!).
An Australian politician has defended controversial calls for new migrants to be taught to wear deodorant, saying her remarks about cultural awareness of hygiene had been blown out of proportion.
Teresa Gambaro, a conservative MP who speaks about citizenship issues for the opposition, sparked a public backlash for suggesting that immigrants coming to Australia on work visas should be taught about social norms.
Wearing deodorant and standing patiently in queues without pushing in were some of the issues she nominated as important.
“Without trying to be offensive we are talking about hygiene and what is an acceptable norm in this country when you are working closely with other co-workers,” Ms Gambaro told The Australian newspaper.
“Sometimes these things are not talked about because people find them offensive but if people are having difficulty getting a job, for instance, it may relate to their appearance and these things need to be taken into account.”
The remarks were dismissed as “bizarre and silly” by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen who said they “could have been expected in 1952 not in 2012”, and Attorney General Nicola Roxon accused Gambaro of being “patronising”.
“Bizarre and silly”? This woman would not have made up the allegation that some immigrants smell; people surely have brought this problem to her attention, and as their representative, it is her responsibility to address those concerns.
And, I have to laugh about this comment that this “could have been expected in 1952”—YES, OF COURSE, BECAUSE IN 1952 THE POLITICALLY CORRECT SPEECH COPS HAD NOT YET COME INTO EXISTENCE and immigrants were expected to adapt to their new country (and wash)!