So I’ve been thinking about racism and stuff. I’ve never really thought of Noo Zouland as being a country where racism is rife. When I’ve noticed racism before I’ve noticed it in terms of the NF and the Orewa speeches – situations where the existence of racism has seemed, to me, to be quite overt.
Two things strike me:
- Some people don’t see those situations as containing overt racism
- I don’t recall ever having noticed racism in our institutions and structures.
And I’ve been asking myself why these two things are. Why do some people think that that ‘equal treatment for all’ is not racist (and conversely why do they get upset about race-based policies) and why do I not recall ever having noticed racism in our institutions and structures – does this mean it does not exist?
And I think the answer to both things is the same. White people don’t see racism. We don't notice it. We don’t notice it because we don’t experience it.* We don’t experience it because some other white people over the past 160 years gained control, and brought their institutions and their structures here and those structures and institutions work for ‘us’ (by which I mean self-identified NZ white-ies). They work for us because people like us made them work for them and we inherited them like that. And we haven’t changed them because they work for us. And when those systems and structures don’t work for us, we tend to see the people working in those systems and structures as incompetent or inexperienced or crap. We look to the individuals not to the structures.
Those structures and institutions don’t seem to work for ‘other people’ (by which I mean self-identified non-white-ies). But instead of looking at the systems and structures we look at those other people and we say ‘what’s wrong with those people’. This is particularly useful when those are people are all of the same ethnicity. You know there’s just something about those people that they just don’t understand these systems and structures……
And often the way the system is not working is subtle. There's no big sign on the door saying "no Maoris" (sic), but rather the system is designed to make it easy for us white-ies to access it (just because it was white-ies who designed it), often without considering whether Maori will find it equally easy to access. It's kind of like the old Marriage Act and how the Court ruled that it didn't discrimate against people in same sex relationships because they could still get married. Just not to each other. And I think that one day we will look back and laugh at they way we do not see the bias and the privilege inherent in our systems and structures, in the same way I find that Court judgement about marriage so incredulous. It's almost beautiful satire.
And because we don't see the bias and the privilege that falls in our favour, when people try to moderate (often in a very superficial way) the way those systems and structures work for certain ethnicities, there’s a tendency to cry ‘foul’. Because, you know, our systems and structures work fine; none of ‘us’ have a problem with them. Why should they be changed to benefit people of a certain race?? Why don’t those people change themselves and their individual behaviours so that they fit within ‘our’ structure better? Why do they get some kind of 'priviledge'?
How am I doing here? I want some feedback. Because, you know, this is all highly subjective opinion. I could pepper it with references but I’m not going to at this point because I’m far too hungover.
The only other thing I will say is that when writing this I noticed that I was inwardly cringing at the word ‘racist’. I dislike using it. And I dislike hearing people use it. Somewhere in my head I have a feeling that it’s one of those words that gets misused; that gets thrown at people as an almost-impossible-to-respond-to allegation. And it’s a dirty word; an un-pc word. But getting rid of the word doesn’t get rid of what the word describes.
*Sometimes, we white-ies do experience racism. But when we do, it tend to be clear and overt. And I wager that we never experience it from a system or an institution but from other members of the public. It’s individual not systemic. We aren’t in the position of wondering whether we were treated the way we were because the decision-maker/system/institution etc is racist.
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4 comments:
So, aren't you Maori?
okay so you want comment. i take it.
i wont go on although of course i would love to. i may return later. i'm tired for no apparent reason and about to go to bed.
there are two things i would say:
i think that there are many examples of equal treatment in the face of unequal need. when the need can be seen along ethnic lines (eg the stuff i ranted about on morgan's blog about why we need ethnicity data etc...) then hello institutional racism (or ethnicism or whatever). i've used this line at work. perhaps a few too many times. i need to find a new catchphrase.
and two: i take particular exception to people who see racism as something that happens in other countries to other people. they are also the people who see racism as 'personally mediated'. that is i don't like you because you are or are not Maori for example. and maybe i stop you from joining my club or whatever. or i decide not to be your friend (this is a big deal, being my friend is awesome fun). but the structural or institutional racism you're talking about is massive. also (although this borders on a third point and i'd said i'd only make two) we shouldn't forget the internalised racism. i had an uncomfortable phone conversation today with this person who was all like "maori get sick because they are just like physiologically predisposed to i. it's not about 'environment'". or something. i was like "you can NOT believe this you poor thing". i have decided she is my project. i will find excuses to work with her. converting Maori one non believer at a time. hehehe
It gets really hard for novices like me to comment on topics like this, cause all I've really got to go on is gut feeling and instinct. And I don't even trust these.
I was going to write about how I thought my earlier comments re: ethnicity were probably biased by my looking for work in London which is going very badly and seems to me to be at least partly because of my visa status. And then I was gonna say how that to me was probably as close as I've come/will come to institutionalised racism. But that is too messy a topic to broach here or anywhere really.
What I will say is that I believe that there is institutionalised racism. Homeperm, who is INCREDIBLY HOT even if she doesn't want to admit it 'herself' on my blog, is also right about equal measures for unequal need, but it is also elsewhere. Hence me getting preoccupied and whiny about being a NZ European with no work in the UK!
But I do see a conflict with race based proportionalisation of resource, because that too is racist, even if it meets a need. And that is why sensible people feel like crying foul, I reckon. In principle the welfare and support systems can be equally available, and then only used proportionally by those who need it. And I know that this doesn't happen, and I know that is a driving force behind initiatives that target areas of need etc. etc. but an equal system is theoretically the fairest.
I'm loosing the topic here, but want to add that I know that I have had a comparatively privileged upbringing, and yes that does set me apart from many, many other people in NZ, but I've not abused or drawn from the welfare system unnecessarily. I'm happy not using a service that I don't need; but that doesn't stop me from not liking the idea of not being able to use a service that I might need.
Ramble, babble, ramble. Enough. I defer to your wisdom. Learn me something other than site statistics, cause I just figured that out myself!
chuck: you had me at INCREDIBLY HOT.
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