The NZ media isn't racist
Two stories from the NZ Herald today:
Paedophile who filmed victim gets 13 1/2 years
and
'Hypocrisy' to talk of aroha, whanau, says police commander
Ethnicity seems to be the central theme in the Kahui case. It's a Maori problem you see. The Herald says so. But when a Pakeha: "filmed himself raping and sexually violating a girl from the age of three [...] pleading guilty to 51 charges of sexual violation, 24 charges of rape and 16 charges of making objectionable material," and then said he "blamed the girl's mother who left her in his care while she worked. and then "It was her 'harassment and mind games'" as an excuse they don't mention the ethnicity of the offender and the family or ascribe any problem whatsoever to a culture that would allow that to happen "between September 1998 and January last year". Why is that. Why is it when Pakeha do something it is never blamed on their race? Why is that?
posted by Bomber @ 1:17 pm
8 comments
8 Comments:
Hindu Wisdom
What wondrous greatness this world possesses-
That yesterday a man was, and today he is not.
Thirukkural
It is unfair for all Maori to be tainted by events such as the Kahui twins' murder. As you say, such a standard is not applied when Pakeha commit crimes. Maori people (apart from the actual murderer or murderers)are not to blame.
However this does not mean Maori culture escapes responsibility. A culture of violence, stretching back centuries, has to have played a part. Coupled with failure to adapt to the modern world, and in many cases, an abdication of personal responsibility for one's actions, the worst elements of maori culture have come to the fore, in this case, the case of Lillybing, and others.
Mainstream NZ media insists on finding and reporting only the comments and people who want to label these things as Maori problems and as something specific to Maori. The fucking NZ Herald had a whole bloody page of it today - unearthing Alan Duff to give him free rein under the guise of a news story. The only views they want expressed and want exposed is their own views of their own prejudices ie. Pakeha prejudices. The media are not neutral they are Pakeha. They will seek out only the most reactionary/conservative/right wing Maori who will mirror their own views - and in doing so it means that any Maori who is not like that must tailor their discourse to suit that view or else they will never be reported at all.
And as for the bloggers... DPF's post (made just a couple of hours after this post) about this paedophile was right above the Kahui post and yet it never asks the question about this offender's culture or ethnicity or the family situation or anything like that.
I could ask why don't Pakeha leaders condemn this sort of thing in their own community etc. And then we might remember that Graeme Capill used to do just that when he used to dress up in a police uniform and prosecute cases in CHCH. And we might remember that despite pleading guilty to kiddy fiddling the police seemed quite happy for him to be out on bail.
At this stage (to be fair and even-handed) can't we also ask why the Pakeha justice system, police and society tolerates Pakeha kiddy fiddlers running loose - is this systemic cultural failure? Aren't Pakeha hypocrites for criticising Maori? Why don't they take care of their own first? You will never get the Pakeha media to ever even think of asking those questions - they would rather try to make the world fit into their stereotyped boxes.
Something good happens: he's a New Zealander. Something bad happens: he's a Maori/PI/Asian/"other".
That's just not good enough. The media have to stop being Pakeha and start being Aotearoan.
deano:
"A culture of violence, stretching back centuries, has to have played a part. Coupled with failure to adapt to the modern world" - What culture started, continued and enforced the spoils of the Land Wars? What culture started both World Wars? What culture was invading and massacring and being on a constant war footing and war economy based on expropriation and exploitation of others since before Maori were even here? And the cunts are still in Ulster! You could also blame the victims of Stalin's purges for failing to adapt to the "modern world" - ditto Hitler and all the groups he disliked. Your historical assertions are not without bias.
It's poverty, pure and simple. Is there domestic violence in Maori and Pacific Island families living in Remuera and Parnell? No? Is there domestic violence in Pakeha families living in South Auckland? Certainly. Is this about ethnicity or culture? Or is it about poverty?
Much easier to talk about culture than about ongoing unjust economic systems that benefit those of us privileged enough to sit back and comment via our talkback/blogs/TV shows/political party websites.
Tim:
No doubt Western society has been very violent.
However, we are talking about domestic violence and child abuse, child homicide here. Maori are grossly over represented in the statistics for these areas.
Person unknown:
If it's only about poverty, why does NZ have the third highest rate of child homicide per capita in the world? To cry poverty is bull. Plenty of poorer countries than NZ out there. Also, Maori have a much higher rate of child homicide than Pacific Islanders, but Pacific Islanders' average incomes are much lower.
Much easier to be PC and blame poverty than look at the actual causes for things. You fall into the typical left-wing trap: You are only interested in appearing to be sympathetic. Someone who really wanted to help Maori would be brutally honest: that their culture has a problem with violence which needs to be addressed. Many maori leaders are brave enough to say this. But when a pakeha says it they are racist .
It is NOT about poverty. I am so angry that a few people actually believe that child abuse can stem from poverty. Most of the people I know are poor and they love their kids. This problem stems from lack of education and lack of care. Everyone with a brain knows that its not ok to slap a child but drugs, alcohol, anger and hormones all play a part in this evil. To blame poverty is a cop out because there some of the poorest countries in the world have the happiest children. Abuse is a cycle that needs to be stopped and only an adult can make that change. Until then children in rich and poor families will continue to be abused sexually, mentally and physically. Colour, creed, race and money have nothing to do with it.
It's the poverty, the poor impoverished Maaori, and the colonialism, the neo-colonialism, they are beautiful spiritual people of the land, NZ was a paradise and they lived in a utopia before the white man came, their acts of violence are the only way they can empower themselves in a white man's world, they are beautiful and Maaori culture is so very special.
Post a Comment
<< Home