Post by Kiwi Frontline on Jan 4, 2023 3:11:54 GMT 12
R B writes > RACISM - WHAT IS IT?
We hear the word used so often today, but what is racism? Various dictionaries define it as follows:
“Policies, behaviours, rules etc. that result in a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others, based on race.” - Cambridge Dictionary
“The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.” - Oxford Dictionary
So, thinking about New Zealand, are there any policies or rules that discriminate against different racial groups? I can’t think of any currently that discriminate against Maori…not one! I’m 70 and I can’t think of any policies during my lifetime that explicitly discriminated against Maori.
But I can certainly think of many policies or opportunities that discriminate against non-Maori:
- Only Maori can vote for the special Maori Parliamentary seats
- Only Maori can be appointed to the special Maori Ward seats on local council
- Only Maori can play for the Maori All Blacks
- Only Maori can participate in the “Young Maori Farmer of the Year”, or “Maori Music Awards”.
- Only Maori can participate in the Māori Sports Awards or win a Maori Business Leaders award.
- Recently Govt has established a separate medical system for Maori, and Maori are treated differently in the legal system.
- Maori enjoy special access to sea food and foreshore access.
- We have a special Maori TV channel plus Maori language spoken increasingly on the main channels (that hardly anyone understands).
Hmmm, so where does racism fit into these special treatments?
Do these give “unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others”?
Clearly they do give an advantage to Maori simply because they’re not available to all Kiwis.
Equally important is the message it sends to both Maori and non-Maori.
Maybe the message is that Maori are superior and deserve special treatment…or maybe inferior and need to be treated differently to compensate. Either way it’s hard to argue that such differential treatment is conducive to harmonious relationships!
My cousin was recently very upset when, upon the family receiving the Covid vaccine, his younger daughter who’s married to a part-Maori chap was singled out and had her car boot loaded up with groceries. His older daughter, married to a non-Maori received nothing…
The irony of all this of course is that these are not really racial discriminations because Maori as a race doesn’t exist any longer. The vast majority of people who call themselves Maori have less than 50% Maori ancestry. So the advantages outlined above accrue to a group of part-white people.
Maybe this special treatment should be viewed as a cultural thing. So people who embrace the earlier Stone Age culture of New Zealand get beneficial treatment. Those who identify with the more recent and advanced/developed culture are penalised. Is that rational?
Up until 2-3 years ago I was very proud to be a Kiwi. Proud of my part-Maori mates, neighbours and family. Proud to hear the Maori language spoken, listen to Maori music, and enjoy Maori sports excellence.
I was proud to live in a country of sensible, balanced and kind people.
Now I feel increasingly resentful and angry.
I feel this way because all these positive aspects are being overturned by biased and incorrect interpretation of the Treaty and lies about the history of this country.
This is being driven by a subset of greedy part-Maori/part-White radicals supported by so many wet, wokish, Whitie, w*nkers who are dripping in misplaced post-Colonial guilt!
We hear the word used so often today, but what is racism? Various dictionaries define it as follows:
“Policies, behaviours, rules etc. that result in a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others, based on race.” - Cambridge Dictionary
“The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.” - Oxford Dictionary
So, thinking about New Zealand, are there any policies or rules that discriminate against different racial groups? I can’t think of any currently that discriminate against Maori…not one! I’m 70 and I can’t think of any policies during my lifetime that explicitly discriminated against Maori.
But I can certainly think of many policies or opportunities that discriminate against non-Maori:
- Only Maori can vote for the special Maori Parliamentary seats
- Only Maori can be appointed to the special Maori Ward seats on local council
- Only Maori can play for the Maori All Blacks
- Only Maori can participate in the “Young Maori Farmer of the Year”, or “Maori Music Awards”.
- Only Maori can participate in the Māori Sports Awards or win a Maori Business Leaders award.
- Recently Govt has established a separate medical system for Maori, and Maori are treated differently in the legal system.
- Maori enjoy special access to sea food and foreshore access.
- We have a special Maori TV channel plus Maori language spoken increasingly on the main channels (that hardly anyone understands).
Hmmm, so where does racism fit into these special treatments?
Do these give “unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others”?
Clearly they do give an advantage to Maori simply because they’re not available to all Kiwis.
Equally important is the message it sends to both Maori and non-Maori.
Maybe the message is that Maori are superior and deserve special treatment…or maybe inferior and need to be treated differently to compensate. Either way it’s hard to argue that such differential treatment is conducive to harmonious relationships!
My cousin was recently very upset when, upon the family receiving the Covid vaccine, his younger daughter who’s married to a part-Maori chap was singled out and had her car boot loaded up with groceries. His older daughter, married to a non-Maori received nothing…
The irony of all this of course is that these are not really racial discriminations because Maori as a race doesn’t exist any longer. The vast majority of people who call themselves Maori have less than 50% Maori ancestry. So the advantages outlined above accrue to a group of part-white people.
Maybe this special treatment should be viewed as a cultural thing. So people who embrace the earlier Stone Age culture of New Zealand get beneficial treatment. Those who identify with the more recent and advanced/developed culture are penalised. Is that rational?
Up until 2-3 years ago I was very proud to be a Kiwi. Proud of my part-Maori mates, neighbours and family. Proud to hear the Maori language spoken, listen to Maori music, and enjoy Maori sports excellence.
I was proud to live in a country of sensible, balanced and kind people.
Now I feel increasingly resentful and angry.
I feel this way because all these positive aspects are being overturned by biased and incorrect interpretation of the Treaty and lies about the history of this country.
This is being driven by a subset of greedy part-Maori/part-White radicals supported by so many wet, wokish, Whitie, w*nkers who are dripping in misplaced post-Colonial guilt!