Smoking out the racists



Is John Ansell racist? 



Does Fly Spray work against Cockroaches?

A week or so ago I wrote a piece on ‘What is a racist and how racism is being practiced. I included it in my Wheeler’s Corner weekly newsletter and on my AccessManawatu Radio Broadcast.

It seemed to bring the cockroaches out from the wood pile. My fellow broadcaster Don Esslemont was most upset and he wants me to debate the issue with him and because I won’t he suggests that I should put up or shut up! He also suggested that I didn’t include him in my list of public racists like John Ansell because I was too polite to do so…he was wrong, I didn’t include his name because he is simply not yet well known enough or as qualified as John Ansell is, hence my lack of desire to debate with Don.

Never the less a couple of interesting people sent me emails that made interesting reading in so much as they prove, that strange creatures live just below the surface of our very murky world. Here is what the first one wrote: 

“The debate about “racism” is usually in NZ associated with Maori “rights” supposedly giving them superior rights in judicially twisted versions of the Treaty. It is a classic case of very successful identity politics.

Accusations of racism are usually used by Maori supremacists to remove anyone that disagrees with them about their so-called Treaty “rights”. If you are labelled a racist, the supremacist theory goes; you are immediately disqualified from the debate, as you are beneath contempt. Maori supremacists go as far as saying that they can’t be labelled “racists” Only more recent settlers can be so labelled apparently – something that is obviously absurd if racism is opposition to a specific race or races.

The real debate should be about whether NZ should become a racist Maori Apartheid state.

“What is a racist state” should be your question, not “What is a racist”.

This is especially because the Maori Party and Shon-key John’s Nats show every sign of wanting to make us one – without any referendum on it and in spite of the obvious un-democratic nature of such a course.

I replied:

“Thank you for your comments; while I can not agree with the majority of them, they do prove that people will go to great lengths to attempt to make their point. I would never call a person who uses 'logical and research-based knowledge on these matters' or any matters, racist. The key is to use all research-based knowledge and not simply that which supports one narrow and blinked view. For example why are Maori treaty rights, 'supposedly' superior rights in judicially twisted versions of the Treaty? In my view they are simply rights under the Treaty of Waitangi. In no way can I accept that Maori have pushed to make NZ a racist state in the style of once apartheid [White] South Africa

You state: “What is a racist state” should be your question, not “What is a racist”. You are correct that question could have been asked at a later point, but a racist state is made up of racist individuals who act legally or otherwise to entrench racism. The key question for me and I think all of us is to ask that question of your self, Am I racist? And do I practice racism? To answer that question honestly and without bias is a huge challenge for some. It could be said that those who live in a racist state do so because they actually accept that because they are happy to do so.

The reasons you put forward in opposing of what you call 'Maori supremacists' have been well published and pushed by various individuals like John Ansell, its hard not to consider John Ansell racist, his behaviour obviously led to this view. While I would not call you racist I would seek that you ask that question of yourself...and I pose this same question to everyone.

Thank you once again for your comments..

Peter Wheeler

The second email sender was an author and Dr no less who has even had a book published, he had this to say:

Your comment that those who argue that all people must be equal hold unacceptable opinions, as of John Ansell The police and our SIS and GCSB at times seem to break to law as they please is this what is meant by One law for all as preached by John Ansell [Pictured] and other people like Garth McVicar, David Round, Elizabeth Rata, Martin Devlin and Muriel Newman, is inaccurate and repugnant.  John and Muriel are from the right end of the political spectrum and I am from the left.  So I approach them with care (and vice versa).  I know John personally and he does not hold any such daft idea.  We want equality in law and politics, providing the framework within which we will disagree heartedly.  I have even read Don Brash's Orewa speech and, while I abhor his foolish economic ideas, I agree with all of that.  You move well away from the topic when slating those you disagree with.

If you think Maori are not treated differently then consider that the Island at Island Bay is going to Ngati Toa just because their ancestors killed the locals in the 1820s.  Their considerable series of killings on both sides of Cook Strait are rewarded with $10 million for loss of maritime empire.  No non-Maori can apply for compensation because their ancestors were massacred by Maori.  Then, too, the manner in which Treaty claims are dealt with was determined almost completely by Maori.  Examples abound.

This talk of a divided nation in the Treaty industry builds animosity on both sides and is extremely harmful. 

The country should celebrate the end of slavery, cannibalism and unbridled intertribal war in 1840 rather than seeing young Maori led by the nose to proclaim imagined wrongs.

I sent him this reply:

"Thank you for your reply:

You are from the 'Left' now that's interesting... I stand by what I said regarding Ansell and Newman, but I do accept that racism exists across the political spectrum.

Peter W

Now I should point out that the English / US fully developed the slave industry [Trade] and murdered thousands if not millions trading in human life, they also conducted massive inter-empire wars over hundreds of years killing huge numbers of innocent people in NZ, India, China, Africa, Asia and in hundreds of other places around the world, but of cause they were doing it ‘to help’ the world become a better place, yeah right. And we shouldn’t forget that they supplied many Maori with weapons to kill on behalf of British settlers. 

A reader from Levin sent me this poem…and I thought it would be a appropriate end to this blog with it:

Tauiwi

Make no assumptions

About my ethnicity

What you see

Is not what I am

My ethnicity is fluid and evolving

I am from many places

I am my parents

My children

My grandchildren

I am from the past

The present

And the future

I carry my racial heritage with me

I redesign it daily

It is contextual

Part of me is also part of you

Together we are one

In this land

Designing the future

Carrying our racial heritage

Like cultural baggage with us

Modifying it to suit the time

And the place

But disclosing it

By our thoughts

Our language

And our actions

Margaret Jeune

Levin