Posts by Tamsin6
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In London I received one postcard from the Greens obviously aimed at expat voters, in plenty of time for the election. And a curious little missive from New Zealand First, that arrived after the election, so not all that helpful then. It was addressed to Mr John Key, c/o me in London, and is entitled 'The incovenient truth about Winston Peters'. Very very strange and odd thing to receive. It mentions a website set up specially for me. Hmmm.
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Um - OK - a few points of clarification...When I said that in Canterbury at least it isn't easy place for any Asian to live without racism, I could just as easily have said 'not an easy place for anyone 'different' to grow up'. I don't think any of the budding goths that were around in my youth had an easy time either. But my points were all based on the fact that I really relied on Tze Ming's posts to give me a different perspective on New Zealand life. There are all kinds of blogs where I can get some of this, but this blog has been so fantastic, that I was just trying to express a little bit of why I loved it so much. Others have said it better, or differently.
Having said that, can I just point out that I never said that London was NOT rascist? I have never had stones thrown at me here for having an Asian/Black/red-headed friend, but I certainly hear plenty of rascism (you only have to be a white New Zealander in a black cab to get the third degree about how many Indians live in New Zealand, etc, etc.). What I said was that I relied on this blog to help me form my ideas about whether I can and how and where I can come home again. I've lived in a variety of New Zealand cities, and have my thoughts and feelings about what it would be like to come 'home' - I guess part of what I was saying was whether it would ever feel like I could be part of it again, after living in such a very different environment. I live in East London - there is a Sikh gurdwara (temple) down the road, next to a CofE church. There is a mosque not far away, and an Islamic centre on my street. My neighbours are Polish, my local pub is Irish, and my favourite local cafe is Algerian. There is a brilliant off-licence in our old street nearby run by Turkish Kurds.
I love all this mix and hustle and bustle, and the thought of living in a society where people are singled out for abuse because they look different worries me. I'm sorry if this seems abnormal - perhaps I am bad at expressing myself. That's why I don't blog, and I wish Tze Ming still did.
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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?