Posted by kosta on May 29, 2002 at 17:49:46:
In Reply to: Greek identity begins with the Illiad posted by Maniates on May 29, 2002 at 16:48:57:
There are two (just theories):
1. There was much more and varied immigration in the early years to the US than to Australia. In the general hodge-podge of ethnicities, Greeks didn't stick out like sore thumbs; there were many other groups who were olive skinned, who were Orthodox Christians, or who used a funny alphabet. There were many more-exotic people around as well, like Chinese, Mexicans, and Negroes, which made Greeks look "white" in comparison and helped direct racism elsewhere. In Australia, in the early years, you just had Greeks and Italians on one side and the Skips on the other, so there were only "Wogs" to lash out against.
2. The first waves of Greek immigration to the US came mainly from the Peleponnisus. Peleponnisians, in general, seem to look and behave more like "Latins" than other Greeks, so it was probably easier for them to get accepted, due to the fact that Americans were already used to seeing Italians, Portugese, etc.
These early times left a permanent mark on the people, and this is probably why Greeks are viewed so differently in the two countries.