Black Man Visits Australia; Nation in Turmoil

Australia, a peaceful country known for it's warm climate, beautiful beaches and majestic wildlife, is bustling over Nathan Jones, a Certified Public Accountant, who happens to be black. Mr. Jones, his wife Noreen and their daughter Janna also happen to be the first blacks to ever visit the shores of Australia. Their appearance at Sydney airport resulted in numerous, frantic calls to airport security and a number of premature store closings.

Mr. Jones, who chose the long trip after a co-worker raved about his vacation in Australia, is amazed at all the commotion. "I'm originally from Atlanta, so I've been to stores in the States where salespeople would follow you around thinking you might steal something. In Sydney, the entire sales staff of Woolworth's followed me into the dressing room. I gotta admit, it was a little creepy. When the security guard asked me to leave a deposit to try on shorts, I'd had enough," said Mr. Jones. "It took me 10 minutes to storm out of there because of the huge crowd."

Noreen Jones, like her husband, is amused by all the attention. "They're really nice people. They just don't always say the right things. When we checked into the Marriott, the clerk kept asking if there are are any more like us coming." Mrs. Jones continued, "It's been fun exploring all the differences in our two cultures. I've never seen so many white people working in a McDonald's. I must have watched them for 45 minutes before the novelty wore off."

While the Jones family is enjoying its visit, the Australian military and immigration officials are bracing the country for a possible onslaught of minority visitors and immigrants. General Arthur Harbaugh of the immigration authority highlighted some of the early preparations. "First, I think we're going to learn to dance. We are, after all, of English descent - very, very white. We're also adding more teachers fluent in hip-hop lingo, so that our cultures can truly communicate." Mr. Harbaugh chuckled, "are you down wit dat?"

Still the country has a long way to go before it's citizens are sensitized to the needs of black visitors. Mr. Jones recalls coming out of a men's room during a dinner with an Australian host. As Mr. Jones sat down, his host turned to him and said, "you were in there a while. Did you take the Cosby Kids out for a swim?" Mr. Jones just smiled. "He just didn't know any better," said Mr. Jones. "No hard feelings."

Another group is troubled by all the commotion. Aboriginals, a tiny minority in Australia, fear losing their unique status. "We thought we were special, but seeing how easily we can be forgotten when a newer, hipper minority shows up, has really made us reflect," said David Foster, a member of the Aboriginal Rights Council. He conceded, "we're just going to have to dance harder, throw our boomerangs farther and if all else fails, challenge our black friends to a winner-take-all Fear Factor."


by faktorial.com - where where the humour is as infectious as ebola


BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Australia's new 'black pride'