Peter Chin does his best Fonzie impressionI'd be interested in Di's response to this tirade - and I hope she bothers to tag on a comment.
Basically, as outlined in the comments previously, I believe in one law for all New Zealander's. The sooner the "perceived" differences in the law are dealt with, the better (or worse off) we ALL will be.
It's unfortunate that stereotypes abound, but in my mind, when you decide to move to another country, you should look to integrate your culture into that country. I should perhaps put a caveat in to exclude foreign spouses of locals, but on the most part I believe you should at least try to be a part of the community around you.
Dunedin is a good example of the merging of cultures, at least as far as the Chinese community are concerned. Anyone who has been to the Chinese New Year celebrations in Dunedin can attest to the amazing atmosphere in this otherwise stoic "Scottish" town.
Our Mayor is Peter Chin, and his bio reads something like this;
Peter (Wing Ho) Chin is a lawyer and former Dunedin city councillor who in 2004 was elected mayor of Dunedin. A descendant of one of New Zealand’s earliest Chinese families, he is a member of the national Chinese Poll Tax Trust which was set up with government funding in 2004. The trust aims to raise awareness of the early Chinese community in New Zealand and its history, language and culture.
The Chinese in Otago have endured. Their language and culture are still alive and well, even though their introduction into New Zealands' culture was nothing to be proud of. Many methods were employed to halt their immigration, including the Chinese Poll Tax in 1881.
Maybe it's not PC, but I cant help but smile when someone of a different ethnic origin walks up to me, and says "Gidday Mate" or something like that in a Kiwi accent. And No - It's not just because they sound like "us", or are finally one of "us" colonials. It's just that I no longer see him or her as Chinese, or Maori, or anything else anymore - I just see another Kiwi.
I'm not a Christian, but I hate seeing Christmas being downgraded because of the possibility of offending cultures that don't believe in Christ. I don't like seeing crosses removed from clock towers, so as not to upset others; The traditional "Lords Prayer" in private schools being removed.... the list goes on.
New Zealand was a country founded on Christianity, and it is, for better or worse, our heritage. If we refuse to acknowledge our past, and not cherish what has come before, pandering to a multitude of minorities will leave us nothing to celebrate; and what a bland lot we will become.
6 comments:
How can I argue with you ... I've tried living in other countries and therefore have an entirely different perspective on how it feels to come up against people fearful of change, unable to apply the word 'evolution' to their own life.
My observations, for what they're worth ...
Try being a Moroccan integrating into Belgian society. A common complaint made by white Belgians is that Moroccans import their brides. I can only raise an eyebrow and control a desire to tear out my hair while politely asking, 'How many 'native' Belgians would marry a Moroccan. An acquaintence recently said to me something along the lines that she'd kill her daughter before she would allow her to marry a Morrocan.
The letter you are agreeing with is written with a remarkable degree of innocence regarding NZ history, overlooking the time before pre-European settlement.
Countries with their concretised societies are more at risk of becoming bland by continuing to insist on traditions like the 'Lord's Prayer' in school. Don't you see it?
One moment you celebrate the one time per year the Chinese community breaks out in Dunedin with its new year celebrations and the next moment you're saying we must hold onto our Christian tradition.
I'm not sure I know any christians back home in NZ anyway, we're one of the most secular countries in the world ... by all means, continue to insist tomorrow's business leaders recite the Lord's Prayer.
Have you ever heard the stunning beauty of a Muslim call to prayer go out over a city ...? A little bit of everything is kind of stunning.
Diversity, evolution, change, embracing difference, open-mindness, freedom to be ... these are the things we need to attempt in the 21st century ... not belabouring our ancestors christian past and NZ's need to retain its European identity, holding onto our past ...
Narrow-mindness, the idea that God gave us countries with boundaries, borders and rules ... where does it all come from, clearly it didn't work out for the Palestinians, the Maori, the native American Indians ... even India, then the divided Pakistan had to embrace colonial change.
NZ has the opportunity to embrace difference and absorb and learn from all ... it's a pity to see the pioneering courage of kiwis being turned into an 'integrate or leave' mentality.
Interesting comments as always - thanks Di. If traditions are to die, let it be because we no longer have a use for them, NOT because we are worried they offend others. If another culture has somthing to celebrate, by all means let us all be able to be a part of it - but lets not forget that if we continue to segregate ourselves from each other we will only succeed in alienating each other. Recent clashes in France and Australia show that a lack of understanding brought about by "exclusive" enclaves communities can cut to the core of a culture. This prompted Australian leader John Howard to state that as a minimum all immigrants had to believe in the core ideals of Australia before moving there. What those ideals are, would be a source of debate i think.
Regarding the email in this post, I agree with your statements on history, however that doesnt mean the writer isnt trying to say something important. This issue at least must be discussed by all New Zealanders - if an accord is ever to be reached.
The clash in France was created by immigrants not being able to lead an equal life as a French person ... no matter how many generations they had been in France.
As for Australia, it was still legal to shoot an Aboringal in the 60s and last look they were still 'dying' in police custody in the 80s, I now regret not updating my knowledge of Australia but Johnie is a well-known hardnose, as are all popular politicians who bow to public popularity.
Wake up ... skin colour is the perfect segregator. Don't you understand the importance of the Maori Renaisssance?
Mark ... come live in another culture so that you understand the reality beyond the construction of a society of people who stay home.
Then we can talk ...
Core ideas of Australians ... have you thought that one through????
Hi Mark Hi Di.. its obvious that the world and all its cultures are more available to us than they have ever been - all hail the internet etc. I think as we continue to expand and travel we all need to consider and show respect for each other and the cultures that we are running into.. we could sit here and argue the complexities of each others culture going around and around in circles until we end up with a hopeless war where nobody wins everybody is losing.. I think we are just going to have to get over ourselves and learn to respect each other and the others beliefs - we dont have to give up being who we are.. if I die tomorrow Im not taking the patch of turf Im living on with me.. - for the record Im part Maori part European
Thanks Tanya ... for reminding us about what is important.
Maybe travelling is a great thing - but for the majority of people in NZ overseas travel is almost always within a "comfort zone". Sure - More and more NZ'ers are travelling to more exotic locations than the Gold Coast, but for many people travel is not an option due to the cost involved. There has to be a better way to solve this problem. This email has been doing the rounds, and has a lot of support out there. I'm not interested in who's right or wrong - I'm just interested in reaching some sort of middle ground - sadly i think we will be dealing with this problem for many generations to come.
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