New Zealand is not free of racism and bigotry


The shocking murder of Muslims in two mosques in New Zealand by an Australian enabled the country’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern to make a claim that is familiar to us in the US whenever some ghastly act occurs, that ‘this is not us’. It is undoubtedly true that the gracious and warm and inclusive way that she responded to this tragedy reflects very creditably on her and on a country where the leader can say such things, especially when compared to the crass way that the US president responds to similar events

But New Zealand is not free from bigotry. While I have had many enjoyable visits to that country, I do recall one day where I was on the sidewalk with relatives when a passing car with some young white men in it yelled out “Pakis!” at us, accompanied by remarks that definitely were not friendly or welcoming. (‘Paki’ is the derogatory term used against Pakistani people.)

Cartoonist Toby Morris says that this event should be an occasion for New Zealanders to reflect on their own unsavory history and attitudes and not smugly take refuge in the fact that the killer was not one of their own. Here is one panel from the long strip that is worth checking out.

Morris’s sentiments actually apply to all of us, not just New Zealanders. While it is very creditable for Ardern to appeal to the better nature of the New Zealand people, no country is free of bigotry and hate against ‘the other’ and these kinds of events should be occasions not only for positive exhortations but also for us to reflect upon our own culpability and how we can do better, rather than just feeling superior and patting ourselves on the back.

Comments

  1. says

    There’s a potential difficulty for this comic in connecting internationally in that the font and color scheme evoke erika moen’s much ridiculed comic “oh joy sex toy.”

  2. mnb0 says

    “no country is free of bigotry and hate against ‘the other’ ”
    Ha, tell me something new. Dutch crypto-fascists of Forum for Demagogy have won 12 seats (1 out of 6) in Dutch senate. They deny climate change and are worried of “homeopathic dilution” (of white supremacy).

  3. file thirteen says

    Yes, Adern’s “this is not who we are” comes across as naive denial. She should have said “we cannot let the hatred spread in our country” or something like that, but I still wince whenever I hear or read it.

  4. auntbenjy says

    file thirteen @ 4

    Naive? Yeah, probably. Many of us have chosen to interpret it as aspirational, and have made a commitment to do better.

  5. fentex says

    New Zealand’s history includes racist colonial violence, but it is not “built” on it -- if it were we would never have been able to do as much good addressing our past as we have.

    But people do harbour bigotries so racism and tribalism is ever a problem for all.

    Having written that -- it is not naive to observe this attack was by a foreigner who came here because Australia denied him the weapons he wanted. It wasn’t a New Zealander who abused our laws but someone who came here deliberately to do so.

    One thing our law change hasn’t done which I would be happy with is forbid firearm licenses to any recent immigrants and non-citizens.

  6. file thirteen says

    @auntbenjy

    If you can take it as aspirational, more power to you.

    @fentex

    it is not naive to observe this attack was by a foreigner

    But it’s wrong. The war is not between different nationalities, different religions, different races or different colours of the skin. The war is between decency and indecency, compassion and murder, truth and denial, wisdom and ignorance, and if you haven’t understood that then try scrolling up and reading the title of the post again.

  7. fentex says

    The war is not between different nationalities, different religions, different races or different colours of the skin.

    War? Yeah, you’re not buying into other people’s aggression at all.

    It is a simple fact that this violence came to New Zealand, and it did so because Australia blocked the avenue taken to evil.

    NZ will be policing it’s like more closely (and a lot of people are asking hard questions of our security apparatus) -- no one is pretending similar bigotry is absent but because we don’t get distracted away from the facts we are able to pass laws directly addressing the events and the possibility of repeating them.

    That’s not naivety -- that’s paying attention to the facts.

  8. file thirteen says

    War? Yeah, you’re not buying into other people’s aggression at all.

    That is about the most stupidly disingenuous reply you could make. Have you ever thought about becoming a politician?

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