I am writing because I was too upset to press 'refresh' on the news pages any more times.
I am writing because I tried to read my bedtime book and I cannot focus.
I am writing because I just want to eat salt and vinegar chips until I pass out but I have no chips left.
I am writing because I need New Zealand to know what in spite of what Jacinda said about why they chose us, and in spite of what many are saying across social media* we have to own our shit and recognise that New Zealand is still largely a racist nation.
Yes, the nutbar gunman social media live streamer said he chose us precisely because he wanted to demostrate that 'this' could happen in even the quietest place. And yes, that nutbar gunman was Australian. But if you think he and the other gunman acted alone then you are kidding yourself.
How did they get access to weapons here? How, under our strict gun laws, do you think that happened without help from people here? And why would this happen in Christchurch? Why not Auckland where we have bigger, more populated mosques?
I cannot recall the amount of times I have witnessed racism during my life because it is countless, but I can recount some events.
Like how when my Kiwi Chinese Uncle got beaten up in Kaitaia so badly that his jaw was broken and needed pins put into it just because some randoms decided he was a 'g**k.'**
Like how in my first ever job an older colleague told me knowledgeably that all Islanders were lazy which I thought was an odd thing to say given there were almost zero Islanders in the small town we lived in and I had said nothing at all about Pasifika peoples.
Like how when I called the local police that time our neighbour was beating the shit out of someone on their deck their response was 'Are they coconuts?' They're probably coconuts. They're always beating each other up. Don't worry about it.' I was too gobsmacked to say anything (I was 18).
Like how my Kiwi Chinese boyfriend wouldn't tell people his ethnicity in certain circles and just let them assume he was part Maori so he could keep skateboarding in Helensville without dramas.
Like how I've only seen my POC boyfriends*** get punched in the face by random strangers and never my Pakeha boyfriends.
Like how the first time I visited the Gold Coast I found it so racist I cried and wanted to go home after the first two days but the thing is, the people who were most racist were all ex-pat Kiwi's who said things like 'at least they know how to treat their Blacks over here.'
Like how I had an argument about anti-Muslim ideologies with certain family members whilst on holiday in Rarotonga and was told to walk away so as not to ruin our holiday.
Like how I'm still having to argue with people on social media about systemic inequality and why Māori scholarships are not racist.
Like how I'm still having to explain income inequality due to ethnicity using basic statistics anyone could easily find themselves if they could be bothered.
Like how I had to tell my four year old that her friend telling her she should only be friends with white people was wrong. And I had to hear her friend was bullying a new kid at Kindy because of her skin colour. And how I then had to front up to Kindy and tell them this awful thing, in a place we had chosen for our kids because it reflected the diverse community we live in. And I had to remind my daughter that her friend was not a bad person, she had just been taught unkind things.
I see and experience racism in New Zealand on an almost daily basis.
And this is what this terrorism is about. The gunman's manifesto is largely anti-immigrationist and separatist. In one part it states: “We must crush immigration and deport those invaders living on our soil. It’s not just a matter of prosperity, but the very survival of our people.”
So it is no surprise he chose New Zealand as a place to carry out this horrific act of violence. Here, we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. From the Māori who traveled here from Hawaiki, to the Pākehā who have arrived here steadily over the past 200+ years, to our Pasifika, Chinese and Indian communities and our refugee communities. We, or our parents or Grandparents or distant ancestors came here to Aotearoa to find a better life. In this, we are all the same.
Yet still, so many of us are focused on our differences.
No, casual racism is not the same as spitting bullets in a mosque during prayer time. But it builds the culture that grows extremists.
We spent some time in our honeymoon in Brunei, and what struck me about being in this predominantly Muslim country was how friendly it was. We were welcomed into the homes of strangers. We got into cars with strangers. We experienced hospitality and kindness from this community every day we were there even though we were different. Even through we were travelers who were not only not Muslim, but not religious.
If any good is to come of this horror it should be that we think about how we treat others. We need to acknowledge our failings as a nation and accept that we need to change.
We can do better. We need to do better. And we need to start now.
*Fucking Aussies!
** Just a heads up - this isn't a euphamism for 'geek'
*** And no, they weren't getting lippy. Both times, they'd not even engaged in conversation with their face puncher.
I am writing because I tried to read my bedtime book and I cannot focus.
I am writing because I just want to eat salt and vinegar chips until I pass out but I have no chips left.
I am writing because I need New Zealand to know what in spite of what Jacinda said about why they chose us, and in spite of what many are saying across social media* we have to own our shit and recognise that New Zealand is still largely a racist nation.
Yes, the nutbar gunman social media live streamer said he chose us precisely because he wanted to demostrate that 'this' could happen in even the quietest place. And yes, that nutbar gunman was Australian. But if you think he and the other gunman acted alone then you are kidding yourself.
How did they get access to weapons here? How, under our strict gun laws, do you think that happened without help from people here? And why would this happen in Christchurch? Why not Auckland where we have bigger, more populated mosques?
I cannot recall the amount of times I have witnessed racism during my life because it is countless, but I can recount some events.
Like how when my Kiwi Chinese Uncle got beaten up in Kaitaia so badly that his jaw was broken and needed pins put into it just because some randoms decided he was a 'g**k.'**
Like how in my first ever job an older colleague told me knowledgeably that all Islanders were lazy which I thought was an odd thing to say given there were almost zero Islanders in the small town we lived in and I had said nothing at all about Pasifika peoples.
Like how when I called the local police that time our neighbour was beating the shit out of someone on their deck their response was 'Are they coconuts?' They're probably coconuts. They're always beating each other up. Don't worry about it.' I was too gobsmacked to say anything (I was 18).
Like how my Kiwi Chinese boyfriend wouldn't tell people his ethnicity in certain circles and just let them assume he was part Maori so he could keep skateboarding in Helensville without dramas.
Like how I've only seen my POC boyfriends*** get punched in the face by random strangers and never my Pakeha boyfriends.
Like how the first time I visited the Gold Coast I found it so racist I cried and wanted to go home after the first two days but the thing is, the people who were most racist were all ex-pat Kiwi's who said things like 'at least they know how to treat their Blacks over here.'
Like how I had an argument about anti-Muslim ideologies with certain family members whilst on holiday in Rarotonga and was told to walk away so as not to ruin our holiday.
Like how I'm still having to argue with people on social media about systemic inequality and why Māori scholarships are not racist.
Like how I'm still having to explain income inequality due to ethnicity using basic statistics anyone could easily find themselves if they could be bothered.
Like how I had to tell my four year old that her friend telling her she should only be friends with white people was wrong. And I had to hear her friend was bullying a new kid at Kindy because of her skin colour. And how I then had to front up to Kindy and tell them this awful thing, in a place we had chosen for our kids because it reflected the diverse community we live in. And I had to remind my daughter that her friend was not a bad person, she had just been taught unkind things.
I see and experience racism in New Zealand on an almost daily basis.
And this is what this terrorism is about. The gunman's manifesto is largely anti-immigrationist and separatist. In one part it states: “We must crush immigration and deport those invaders living on our soil. It’s not just a matter of prosperity, but the very survival of our people.”
So it is no surprise he chose New Zealand as a place to carry out this horrific act of violence. Here, we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. From the Māori who traveled here from Hawaiki, to the Pākehā who have arrived here steadily over the past 200+ years, to our Pasifika, Chinese and Indian communities and our refugee communities. We, or our parents or Grandparents or distant ancestors came here to Aotearoa to find a better life. In this, we are all the same.
Yet still, so many of us are focused on our differences.
No, casual racism is not the same as spitting bullets in a mosque during prayer time. But it builds the culture that grows extremists.
We spent some time in our honeymoon in Brunei, and what struck me about being in this predominantly Muslim country was how friendly it was. We were welcomed into the homes of strangers. We got into cars with strangers. We experienced hospitality and kindness from this community every day we were there even though we were different. Even through we were travelers who were not only not Muslim, but not religious.
If any good is to come of this horror it should be that we think about how we treat others. We need to acknowledge our failings as a nation and accept that we need to change.
We can do better. We need to do better. And we need to start now.
*Fucking Aussies!
** Just a heads up - this isn't a euphamism for 'geek'
*** And no, they weren't getting lippy. Both times, they'd not even engaged in conversation with their face puncher.
This is great Hannah. My only suggestion would be to not name him. I learned his name from reading this, and I was really trying to avoid it.
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