Yellow Peril: Bai bai
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Good call, Jackie. Who is going to subvert the liberal complacency around here now?
Ka kite ano, Tze Ming.
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AAAAARRRRRRGGGGH !!!! *Swearing in English-accented Putonghua*
You know I'm going to have to beat your narrow yellow behind for leaving us like this don't you?
Thank you Tze Ming for all your wit, your anger, your perception and your analysis. We are all much, much poorer for your retirement from the blogosphere.
I know that a fair number of Asian folks in the US and a few here in Hawaii read your words. I wasn't the only one pimping YP to the masses here.
Learn heaps, do good work and make us proud in your new and undisclosed employment.
My sister, my sister, it's been an honor to read your cyber-creations.
Stay red and expert
Chris
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Thanks Tze Ming.
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TMM: As it happens, I was just browsing through some back-issues of Craccum and found what seems to be an interview with you about 'personal style'. I hope you continue to rock the anarcho-riot grrrl thing from inside the halls of bureaucratic power. Anyway, thanks for the bloggery, Tze Ming.
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Its probably indicative of something that so many lurkers have felt compelled to de-lurk specifically to farewell Tze Ming. Something deep and meaningful that touches on the psyche of the many non-posting PAS readers.
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You rock, Tze Ming. Thanks for sticking up for me on the unexpectedly long post about supplements and all that, too.
All the best for your time in Geneva.
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...can't find the words...my cyber-crush...is it ending?
me too merc, me too...
Seriously awesome blog, Tze Ming. To bastardise a potential word of the year, I declare your writing to be super prime. All the best in Geneva.
Also, If you haven't already, jump on a bus to Chamonix and take the cable car up to the top of Mont Blanc. I did it with a couple of mates in January last year and it was a spectacular experience.
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interestingly the people who defend nz and chch as not being increasingly
a) violent,
b) offensive
c) racistare people who spend their time writing to discussion forums and not out and about town very much. You can easily avoid the bad attitude in question by not going out, but if you do step out at the wrong time in the wrong place (and that wrong time and wrong place is expanding), beware.
Also I think Christchurch's problem may not be so much racism as a deluge of idiocracy as I as a non discript ethnically neutral individual have had to suffer similar verbal abuse and stalker drivers in my less regular necessitated walks through town on a weekend night.
I had 4 instances of drunken fuckwits accosting me as I attempted to mind my own business and walk the 5 min walk from my place of work in a club to my inner city home, be it at 2 am in the morning. That didn't used to happen, but be assured, it does now, and I'm sure even more so to others.I think it has a lot to do with our cultures increased acceptance of drunkeness and stupidity, as attested to with recent figures of youth alcohol issues, and the decline in education as a priority (notion and figures grabbed out of thin air).
But there is no depression in new zealand as some skinny white boys once said.
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What most of those other people said... (I didn't have to register to say this but if I hadn't already I would have).
Thanks Tze Ming, for opening a window into another world for me - I'm a white chick who moved from Auckland's North Shore to Wellington's CBD before the Shore's Asian population skyrocketed, so I hadn't previously known much about that aspect of NZ's culture. I don't pretend to know a lot more now but what I do know is for the most part down to you.
You're an exceptional writer - incisive, illuminating, entertaining and thought-provoking. I really hope this isn't the last of your writing I get to read.
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Goodbye and good luck - I will miss your posts.
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A lot of young folk find it kind of amusing and 'tough' to get a little bit racist up in yo grill but bare in mind that for every one of them there are 20 at home tucked up in bed dreaming about bunny rabbits, their maiden test century, or Elle McPherson.
My class that I teach at school (in Auckland) has 2 refugees from Myanmar, 4 Maori's, 3 Koreans, a boy with Samoan and European parents, a philipino, 1 from Denmark, 1 from South Africa, and a Fijian Indian to go with the 8 Europeans.
I have one overtly racist lad who I'm working on but it ain't easy (cos he just doesn't care) and the rest all seem to embrace each other (literally on occasion). I'm hoping their generation makes an improvement on those that are preceding them and I think they will.
For some personal experience, I'm married to a Korean and she has never complained of any racism being directed towards her in 3 years in Auckland. I haven't seen any either. I assume that if we decided to take a walk down Queen Street late at night we could soon change that but hell, I find people doing offensive things in those places at those times anyway including white people beating white people up.
Those damn dirty apes!!!
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Jesus H. Christ, Tze Ming, first my beloved Span, and now you? New Zealand: you're *killing* me here.
Echoing what others have expressed before me: your work at PA has been important and very much appreciated, far beyond Aotearoa's blessed shores. More than once, you've sparked a good deal of dialog in both the dagcentral homestead and workplace (Kaahlifornia...HQ). I thank you for that.
I cling to the belief/hope/delusion that this will not be the last I read of your narrow Asian ass on teh Interwebz. Any other outcome is entirely unacceptable to my imperialist Yank whitegrrl sensibilities.
Be well, happy, and endlessly subversive in your newish role as terrorista in the House of [Redacted] (Geneva...HQ). You will be missed, sweets. Prolly more than you know.
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Tze Ming Mok, to echo the people who echo the other people, you are a talented and insightful writer who brought so much to your contributions to PA. Someone's already mentioned your excellent commentary on the 'Asian Angst' article, but a personal favourite of mine was your comments on the ethnicity/census matter. I'd been arguing against the sort of dopey reactionariness of the "I'm a New Zealander, Damn It! We're all New Zealanders!" position, held by many friends and acquaintances. I read your views and felt better just noting that someone else agreed how misguided the attitude was, and had articulated the argument so well I could use what they said to expand my own argument.
That's not to say I agreed with everything you wrote, but that doesn't matter. What makes an opinion writer worthwhile:
1)That you encounter opinion that, even though you disagree, enlightens you as to why another rational person would think that way. And,
2) That when you read comment that you agree with, it still enriches your own argument - and yes, sometimes just makes you feel a little more confidant about your own ideas.You did all that with Yellow Peril. Oh, and you were funny, too. And you had some of the best headlines: "Less math, more kidnapping", and opening lines: "…Must you people be such cunts?"
It's a shame you feel too isolated from PA System and/or New Zealand to continue, though I understand how you feel. In a funny kind of way, I almost find it reassuring that being on the other side of the world can still cause that kind of disconnect in this 'global village'.
Anyway, best wishes for the future, Tze Ming.
Regards,
Yet Another White Boy Named Stephen Who Doesn't Mind Being Called a White Boy -
Bugger! It was inspiring to read such eloquent writing, well formed arguments and wit! You'll be missed in the Land of the Long White Cloud, so please tantalise us from time to time with missives from (redacted)... even if it's just so we can keep Russell's ticker going!
You've been a pleasure to read so far... I can't wait to see what's next.
Cheers
Sonia
(I used to be called a Eurasian... not sure what the new-fangled term for a half Japanese, half multi-ethnic-but-Protestant-white-in-there-New Zealander is). -
Tze Ming - you have been a great voice and a valuable perspective. I will miss your posts, and really believe Public Address needs someone like you to carry on.
The discussion posts that your retirement have prompted are some of what I rely on you for - I live in London, and this is the kind of stuff that makes me wonder if I can ever truly come home. I grew up with a best friend who was Chinese from Vietnam, and know that Canterbury at least is not an easy place for any Asian to live without racism. I am talking the 1980's now - surely 20 years is more than long enough for New Zealand to wake up to the idea that racism is unacceptable. I am sick of hearing people bracket responses to racism as political correctness - sometimes a thing is 'politically correct' because it is the correct and right thing to do.
I hate to think of young people in New Zealand, of whatever colour or background, still being the target of this kind of abuse. I hope never again to have stones thrown at me because my friend is Chinese, or my daughter to have this happen to her.
I understand some people say that some of the tension is caused not by racism but by the obvious wealth or success of those that are abused. But I have never heard anyone being abused for being rich, the insults are always based on colour. Anyone who thinks that these problems will just go away, or that New Zealanders are really open about this stuff is just fooling themselves.
Please, please, please let someone carry on blogging about what it is like to be different in New Zealand - how can I ever know what it would be like to return if I don't get the good stuff from here?
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I understand some people say that some of the tension is caused not by racism but by the obvious wealth or success of those that are abused. But I have never heard anyone being abused for being rich
MPs in the Beehive sandpit have been throwing their toys around over the past couple of years.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen calling National leader John Key ... a "rich prick" is just the latest incident.
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I live in London, and this is the kind of stuff that makes me wonder if I can ever truly come home.
Are you saying that you can't come home because it's so racist here? I would suggest that's a Cantabrian thing (the racism). Not to mention, you know you're living in London, and that that's in the UK, right? Cos if racism is one of the indicators you use to determine where you live............
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I would suggest that's a Cantabrian thing (the racism)
oh would you jackie?
cos it doesn't occur anywhere else in this country?
its probably more of a brain drain thing where any people with an iq move to the more cosmopolitan cities, or overseas leaving a higher proportion of mildly retarded boguns to fill the space.
Wellington and Auckland have their fair share of those too but normally in the outer suburbs. CHCH has seen fit to empty its central city of people (friday night 7.30 pm and you can almost see the tumble weeds roll down manchester street), and the lowly move in to occupy.I wonder that its even truly racism that drives these idiots, cos after they're done yelling 'asian' at my girlfriend they'll drive down the road a bit and yell some equally deep and witty observation at the next person walking on the street, if they're not obviously different then it'll be an unintelligible yelp.
That's not a race problem, thats a verbal abuse problem, or assault and should be dealt with by the police, if they weren't too busy waiting for some kind stranger to walk in and repair their printer for them before they see fit to serve and protect.If we get the education level up now we should have a peaceful and intelligent population to share the landscape with in ohhh, 15 -20 years.
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I would suggest that's a Cantabrian thing (the racism).
Is it just me, or can someone else detect irony in this statement? It's okay to make offensive generalisations about a province, but not a race?
CHCH has seen fit to empty its central city of people (friday night 7.30 pm and you can almost see the tumble weeds roll down manchester street)
Those aren't tumbleweeds, those are prostitutes. I'd suggest heading two blocks over to Oxford Tce, where the bars are.
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Are you saying that you can't come home because it's so racist here? I would suggest that's a Cantabrian thing (the racism). Not to mention, you know you're living in London, and that that's in the UK, right? Cos if racism is one of the indicators you use to determine where you live............
As a generalisation, I suspect you're probably right about the racism issue in regards to Canterbury. I'm not sure about your second point, though. I bet Tamsin6 has had far fewer experiences of racism in London than the Japanese-American woman linked to earlier has in Christchurch. And it doesn't seem to me that London is especially racist, by comparison with NZ cities in general.
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I would suggest that's a Cantabrian thing (the racism).
Is it just me, or can someone else detect irony in this statement? It's okay to make offensive generalisations about a province, but not a race?
Is yelling offensive comments at someone because of their race worse than making qualified, obviously generalised observations about a broad area?
Yes, obviously.
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Is yelling offensive comments at someone because of their race worse than making qualified, obviously generalised observations about a broad area?
Yes, obviously.
Sorry, obviously unclear, I was likening 'Cantabrians are racist' to 'Asians are bad drivers'. A generalised assertion, which people feel they can back up with anecdotal evidence.
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Those aren't tumbleweeds, those are prostitutes. I'd suggest heading two blocks over to Oxford Tce, where the bars are.
thats 7.30pm, hookers aren't out earning a honest nights pay till later (eh um, so I'm told) and bars aren't a humming till way too late, and he happening area isn't oxford tce but off litchfield, but still , dead dead dead, the city center is empty when it should be thriving,
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Is yelling offensive comments at someone because of their race worse than making qualified, obviously generalised observations about a broad area?
what was qualified about jackie's comment?
anyone would think a visit to chch will see you streets filled with jackboot wearing charlie chaplin mostachioe'd nazis as opposed to the free love and open vibe melting pot of every other city in the country.may I remind you that the traditional center for dim violent racists is timaru (when in doubt, pass the buck)
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Sorry, Emma, I was thinking of the sort of specific racial abuse that had been discussed earlier and comparing that to your concern over generalisations about a province.
Sorry, obviously unclear, I was likening 'Cantabrians are racist' to 'Asians are bad drivers'. A generalised assertion, which people feel they can back up with anecdotal evidence.
Fair enough to a point. Sure, both 'Cantabrians are racist' and 'Asians are bad drivers' are bad generalisations that are understandably offensive. But I don't think Jackie's comment was intended to say all Cantabrians are racist. Perhaps she could have chosen her words more carefully, but in the context of the discussions here I took her to be saying that Tamsin's concerns over disproportionately high levels of racism were more an issue in Canterbury than NZ in general. Whether or not you agree with that particular sentiment, I don't think that that kind of observation is necessarily unjustified or offensive per se. If I said there were a lot more irrational creationists in the USA than in Sweden, I would be stating the obvious. It would still count as a generalisation about an area, but I'd have no problem with anyone saying such a thing.
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