White, Racist, Guilty

[Opo 182]

White, racist, guilty

 

By Mike Butler
 

A study into attitudes towards ethnicity among year-nine pupils at five Auckland multi-ethnic schools shows the results of 30 years of race-based affirmative action. While international research has shown dominant cultures feel positive about their identity, which linked to how well they did at school, here, it was the opposite.

The Auckland University study published in the New Zealand Journal of Psychology involved 695 pupils at schools with decile rankings ranging from three to nine who were asked anonymously to describe what they liked or disliked about being Maori, New Zealand European, Chinese or Samoan.

Here are the results:

 

BEING NEW ZEALAND EUROPEAN

Pros: Part of majority group, feel normal and blend in, not stereotyped and targeted for racism, like being a New Zealander.
Cons: Unfair reputation of being racist, teased for being white, guilty about past, frustration with being boring. 

 

BEING MAORI

Pros: Feel proud about being tangata whenua, have own language, oral traditions and kapa haka.
Cons: Mocked and negatively stereotyped, people think you are dumb and will drop out of school, media shows Maori as violent or criminal. 

 

BEING SAMOAN

Pros: Culture is celebrated at events like Pasifika festival, there is a strong emphasis on family and values, have own language.
Cons: Expectations to act like "gangsters," or be dumb and "fresh off the boat." Strict culture and always have to hang out with family. 

 

BEING CHINESE

Pros: Have very different culture, delicious food, a rich heritage, and focus on education and achievement.
Cons: Stereotyped as "brainy" and one-dimensional, being "dissed" about driving and eating cats and dogs. Strict parents. (1)

 

Researcher Dr Melinda Webber said the study highlighted the importance of parents speaking to kids about their racial identity, and teachers confronting the topic.

However, whatever parents and teachers say would be swamped by the requirements and conduct of government departments.

White-guilt social studies is taught at school, race-based funding and course placings are available in tertiary education, there are cultural safety requirements in government departments, race-based preferential treatment exists in welfare and housing, and Maori protocol has become the de facto state religious ritual.

An interesting point is that Chinese people are reputedly the highest achievers in New Zealand while receiving the least help and face the most prejudice, but Hong Kong tops an intolerance list, with 71.8 percent of the population saying they would refuse to live next to someone of a different race. (2)

NOTE: The study used the term "pakeha" instead of "New Zealand European".

 

Sources
1. Teen study finds discrimination is widespread, The Dominion Post, September 19, 2013. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/9192830/Teen-study-finds-discrimination-is-widespread

2. Survey exposes 'most racist' countries, http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/survey-exposes-most-racist-countries-5439765

 

 

1 comment:

L M said...

My reaction, when reading that Pakeha teenagers feel guilty about the "terrible" things their ancestors had done to Maori, was to wonder if Maori teenagers feel guilty about the terrible things their ancestors did to THEIR ancestors.

 

http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/mike-butler-white-racist-guilty.html

[Thejanitor 1,226]

Why should the present generations be blamed for behaviour of past generations? 

[hedley 1,900]

..blamed ?

[aquaman 1,352]

Why should the present generations be blamed for behaviour of past generations? 

Well if they didn't feel guilty, there would be nobody to grease the gravey chain bro.

[TBHunter 100]

"teased for being white, guilty about past, frustration with being boring."

What a load of crap.

I simply don't accept that a significant, relevant number of average well adjusted white kids feel this way.

What schools were involved?

I have a very well educated friend who has a degree relevant to history and politics.

He grew up in kawerau where a teacher had tried to tell his class that they need not have any respect for the Pakeha and that it was every Maori's obligation to challenge Pakeha at every turn.

My friend stood up and told the teacher to have sex and travel.

In my view, if some white kids feel guilty its because they have probably been intimated into feeling this way by the likes of the aforementioned dropkick.

[DC9 203]

It's about time they started teaching that people are 99.9% the same and working on recognising our common culture instead of thrashing on about differences. Someone else's individual cultural background is their own affair, I don't care about it any more than they do about mine. This kind of crap just keeps the nonsense going.

[Uriah Heap 481]

I asked my College age NZ Euro son about this.

He said he'd never been teased for being white, either by Maori/Islander mates or those he did not know.

He said he felt no guilt about the past and had never even considered what happened in the past, but he was a bit frustrated that he could not hip hop as good as his Maori mates.

He thought the questions might have been answered by "Year 13, nerdy, swats". 

[DC9 203]

 

He thought the questions might have been answered by "Year 13, nerdy, swats". 

Indoctrinated by Year 25 nerdy swot PC teachers, quite possibly trading on their own cultural heritage, as they have little intrinsic individual value themselves.

[lee 11]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283777/Boy-9-hanged-bullied-white.html

Just thought this would be of interest for this subject. 

[hedley 1,900]

..they need to go 'through' that school and Sack some of THOSE bastards..[the elders, teachers etc, esPecially the dunce that said it was the parents choice to Go to that school]

that's not a school's 'arsehole'! . . .a bloody 'factory' more Like it

[Opo 182]

A letter in the Dominion Post 24/9/13

 

Race has no place in classrooms

 

OPINION: The New Zealand Journal of Psychology survey on how teenagers feel about their ethnicity (New study finds racism rife in the schoolyard, Sept 21) drags out all the usual racial stereotypes. I've seen no report that suggests skin colour has any effect on cognitive ability. What does is children constantly being told that because they have some Maori heritage, they're going to be rubbish at school work.
 

The worst aspect is that those most often telling the children this are Maori leaders who are making it a reason for race-based intervention. Our children would be better served if the education system dropped all statistical reference to race and we all just became New Zealanders.

 

C B

Lower Hutt

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/letters-to-the-editor/9200917/Letter-Race-has-no-place-in-classrooms