tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514488730620284599.post868542878847044657..comments2023-06-01T02:06:19.881-07:00Comments on howdaft: On Winston Peters and XenophobiaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514488730620284599.post-64163757539177587582013-05-26T19:50:07.471-07:002013-05-26T19:50:07.471-07:00That all sounds like a dose of reverse racism to m...That all sounds like a dose of reverse racism to me. But also you should not have to endure the attitudes that you do. I have lived overseas and even in Australia a caucasian kiwi gets treated as an outsider. In Japan the locals all quietly move to the other side of the train if they can when I as a European sit down. I will bet that as a European I would get the outsider treatment in China as well. I would bet that if a whole horde of kiwis wanted to move in to China they would not get past the border - and even worse if you are a Tibetan or a Uigur. The experiences you have happens to anyone anywhere who is perceived as an "outsider" by the general population. <br /><br />So what right does any culture have to think that just because it wants to live somewhere else it should have the right to just move in and shift the locals along. I am sure that the Chinese equally resented the wave of British imperialism that they were subject to in the 17th and 18th century. I am not arguing about any cultural superiority here and I consider that you are as much a kiwi as I am. Simply I don't want to live in a New Zealand with 100 million people in it or even 20 Million regardless of where they come from. It is the old story you dont realise you live in paradise until it is gone. I have seen how the sense of community in this country has deteriorated over the past three decades and I feel sorrow for that not because different people have moved in but because our current lack of moral government and the philosphy that money rules is rapidly spoiling what was really nice about the place. I would bet that you as much as I would resent finding your children unable to buy a home bacause immigration had rendered housing unaffordable to the locals. <br /><br />Interestingly enough I have an old friend who is of chinese descent and who feels as you do that he is still a foreigner here but on returning to China he found that he was treated as a foreigner there too. It is just the human race and our innate sense of territoriality - without it we don't have community or an existence - the same sense of communal self does have it's ugly side but that is a human trait not an exclusively European one. <br /><br />The point I am endeavouring to make is that every culture has a right to exist and do the Chinese have any more right to do to the current culture of this country that the European settlers did to the Maori Culture.DarkHorsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05400760231991780190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2514488730620284599.post-53155019847837703642013-05-26T18:16:50.919-07:002013-05-26T18:16:50.919-07:00Anti-Chinese sentiment is deep rooted in the New Z...Anti-Chinese sentiment is deep rooted in the New Zealand psyche, culture and society. Lets turn the clock backwards and look at our proud history. New Zealand imposed a poll tax on Chinese immigrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This imposed a tax per Chinese person entering New Zealand, and permitted only one Chinese immigrant for every 10 tons of cargo. This legislation has never been imposed on any other race in New Zealand's history. Turn the clock forwards to today... sure the legislation may be abolished but what is left is the same xenophobic and racist views and attitudes towards Chinese people and asian people in general. So what you are saying is that it's ok for New Zealanders to turn a blind eye to all the immigrants and tourists who are of caucasian appearance who have different cultures, but when there is an immigrant who is Chinese or has asian features then there is hell to pay! So you say you have a "huge respect for the Chinese and Chinese culture". Really? More like you have a huge respect for Chinese food, Chinese money, Chinese made products, but just not the Chinese themselves. Double standards if you ask me. You know what all this xenophobic and racist attitude does to kiwis like me who were born here but look asian! Do you know what it feels like to be a stranger in your own country? Do you know what it feels like to take your caucasian god daughter down the street for an ice cream holding her hand and have people come up to you and ask you what you are doing or see strange looks and hear whispers from people on the street. In the end its these attitudes that effect Kiwis of Asian descent like me, and there are a lot of us.Kev's Collectibleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11077518989903864287noreply@blogger.com