On Tue, 26 Jan 2021 16:11:39 -0800 (PST), James Christophers
Post by James ChristophersPost by TonyPost by Rich80105On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:07:42 -0600, Tony <lizandtony at orcon dot net
Post by Tonyhttps://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/new-zealand-s-modern-cultural-cringe?fbclid=IwAR3pMZaHFKa9yL7KPDCo-BC9cxTIxivr7MsHRn8-cMK37zzjG05EgGUvI-o
A plea to the bigotted, read the content not the publisher.
"All things derived from Europe except our creature comforts must be
set aside as we are expected to embrace all things Maori. "
That certainly sounds bizarre, but thankfully not at all consistent
with my experience. Most of my family tree goes back to England,
Ireland and Scotland in times when these were definitely not regarded
as being part of "Europe," but I see cultural changes including
greater recognition of our shared heritage now from Asia, Pacific
Islands and elsewhere as well as a return to the closer relationship
with Maori than I suspect we had in the early part of last century,
before the migration of many Maori to the cities.
"Several newspapers are falling into line" - into line with what?
There have been no changes to laws that have triggered any changes in
names used - it is possible that Bassett regrets we no longer use the
term "Mother Country", but this is not clear.
"We are expected to acquiesce." Really? Who by? What statements
support this?
And so we could go on - yet another rambling protest at change from
aging "used to be" New Zealanders who would once have had theor
opinions published in newspapers concerned about an audience - running
their own website is appropriate, don't you think?
The comments cover a wide gamut of opinion and are pleasingly polite.
As they should be, not unexpected.
You picked a tiny number of points from the website post, and ignored
everything else.
The thrust of the article is clear, it is about racism; racism that exists
today in this country.
I prefer to call it self-serving race-based preferment which in this case amounts to cultural exceptionalism.
Certainly self serving is a description which can be applied widely,
to both the author and to those who he opposes. We can also see
elements of preservaton of power, privilege, Conservatism, even
perhaps a little of an author seeking self-affirmation and an attempt
at relevance. Certainly there have been examples of systemic racism in
ou past, but in recent times it has been the economic impact of the
totality of our joint actions that have been issues of national
interest. From the time when New Zealand was recognised around the
world for the benefits of egalitarianism, we have seen the destructive
influence of the ideological zealots some of whom eventually ended up
supporting ACT.
New Zealand's early history was filled with racism, legislative
discrimination, and legal decisions that favoured English settlers and
ignored the Treaty, yet the days of early Maori politicians such as
Ngata, Carroll and Pamare showed that there was some recognition of
the needs of Maori, and that. despite prejudices, Maori were capable
of electing strong politicians who could hold their own well in a
predominantly pakeha assembly.
Some of those early wrongs have been recognised, but the clear
relative poverty of Maori is a reminder that injustices have not been
reversed.
Some years ago National adopted a slogan of "equal opportunity" - I
suspect while in opposition, as their policies certainly never
supported it. Then Labour had "closing the gap", with limited success
that was then promptly discarded by the next National Government, in
favour of economic apartheid which resulted in for example :
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124046498/graeme-hart-nzs-richest-man-makes-34b-during-covid19-pandemic
It is not surprising then that those who can see the injustices have
adopted some of the tactics of business in seeking concessions /
subsidies and at times bribes from government. For all the mock horror
at using the system as others do from the likes of Michael Bassett,
and for the determination from some to at least recognise that there
is a need to be more inclusive to those who have been most damaged by
the system introduced by the government of which he was a part, shows
the lengths to which some will go to find something trivial with which
to attack the victims he failed to help.
That the problems persist is a demonstration that those looking for
government support have been far less successful than the wealthy,
including Graeme Hart, in avoiding any return to truly egalitarian
policies, or even basic fairness in our distorted investment market
Those who Bassett attacks will I am sure agree however with Basset's
statement:
". . . too much power has been allowed to slip into the hands of
crusaders who for too long seem to have been able to commandeer the
resources of others for their own political ends."
Post by James ChristophersWhat is being promoted and practised by exceptionalist activists and condoned by their political fellow-travellers speaks of an exceptionalism and exclusivity claimed as if by Devine Right by those who see themselves as "first nation". Indeed, according to the late Sir Ranganui Walker[1], they will milk this exceptionalism for all it's worth, in fact to the point where the overall cost and disruption caused economically and societally becomes unnaturally and inequitably disproportionate to the minority - and dare I say it, merit - of those who would impose their far- too-often hokum ways on others.
Further, cultural activism by a minority of the kind under discussion will always win out over a taken-for-granted cultural apathy among New Zealand's characteristically fretful majority. So it is, I think, down to the latter to just stop whining fruitlessly to each other, get off their apathetic butts and actually get down to devising whatever is required to stem the unchecked insinuation of a wholly self-serving minority exceptionalism they, the fretful majority, perceive as a threat to their own cultural values. Moreover, if you think or even actually believe this government, or any government come to that, has become your master, then ask yourselves, in a voter-based democracy whose fault is that?
[1] "The Maori will always have his hand in the white man's pocket". He also meant this metaphorically.