Look out! He's got a knife!

hhmm, trying to figure out if this is another one of your ploys to wind me up....

One view is that the spirit of the Treaty promises Maori protection and partnership. Take a look at some of the Govt stats shown - the spirit of protection and partnership haven't down much to place Maori on an equal fooring with pakeha. It's more than a social welfare issue - calling it a social welfare issue makes it sounds like it is an issue for individual Maori rather than for Maori as a collective. It is a race issue.

Yep, I understand all that. But I still don't see how what Brash said can reasonably be called "racist."

To me it seems like resorting to name-calling because of a reluctance and/or inability to address the actual complexities of the issue.

The reason I'm concerned about it is because I've seen all these "Racist trash" comments, as well as "brownie bashing" (from Helen Clark) and the "stuffy sort of colonial tea planter trying to put native servants in their place" comment from Peters, as well as a Ku Klux Klan cartoon from Tom Scott, but nothing that actually addresses what he said.

And now people are saying things like "Brash is being called as racist for saying that all races should be equal!"

So having people running around shouting "Racist scum!" isn't helping anyone, you know?

This comment has nothing to do with Don Brash, but I can't remember your email address so I had to post it on here. The Wellington Improvisation Troupe (WIT) is putting on a battle of WITs show for the Fringe festival from 18-22 February. At this stage I'm going to be in the show on Friday and Saturday nights if you're interested in coming. If you contact Andy Loughnan I think he might be trying to organise a bunch of people to go. Otherwise details are in the Fringe Festival programme - I think Battle of WITs is about the second thing listed in the comedy section of the programme. Would be good to see you there.

The graffiti is there because it has a catchy rhyme.

I would be somewhat surprised to run across graffiti that said, "Dealing with diversity and difference is not the same as division and disunity, Mr Brash."

The neat thing about graffitti is it is an uncensored medium of public expression for the community to talk to itself open to anyone vaguely literate. If you want smarter graffiti, do it yourself.

The point isn't "graffiti is dumb!" I knew that when I saw "Moari go home!"

The graffiti was merely a visible signpost of what many people are thinking and saying. But I maintain that what Brash said was not racist, and all he really has to do is say "Behold! My multi-racial children!" (because he has some) and many people will go "Ah, guess he's not racist then."

And if ALL that people have done is pointed and said "Beware the racist trash!" then he's won the argument.

The REALLY great thing about graffiti is that most of the time it's nothing to do with public expression, it's about vandalism. Though there is undeniable poetry in "All punx must die!" or "I fuct yor mutha!"

Because underneath all that talk of "equality" is a dagger pointed at the heart of the foreshore, one which would selectively deny due process and property rights to Maori while allowing the current (mostly Pakeha) landowners to keep what they have.

http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2004_02_08_norightturn_archive.html#107637532605908754

"dagger pointed at heart" is what you might call heated rhetoric designed to make hearer go "my word yes, Brash is out to kill"; much as "the thin end of a wedge leading to a racially divided state" is designed to make you agree because, gee, who would actively want racial division? It's a pity that the ability to see through the manipulative structures of others' rhetoric isn't accomanied by one to see through one's own. "Hell is FOR other people" as they say. One thing to dislike about the chalk scrawls is that they smell of military chants - like those militaristic shitheads who think they're providing guidance to protest marches by shouting things that begin with numbers. Oh. Marches.

yeah, well anyway, Janet's sorta right, though most of my organisational ideas had been to put the word around, and join whoever else is going. I don't want to be responsible for other people, but I'm happy to hang out. Speaking of which, Stu and I are performing our collab the following evening. Hmm, given this is a public forum, if you know who, you'll know where. Or what. Uh, suppose I could've mailed this to you, but it seems like a fitting way to wrap this post up...

So far we've had:
* Brash's comments are not in the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi
* The disadvantage of Maori can be considered a race issue, but Brash considers it a social welfare issue
* Brash doesn't want to give the foreshore to Maori

Still waiting for that "discrimination or prejudice on the basis of race" or "belief that one race is superior to others" that my dictionary promised...

On a tangent, I expect Don's media advisors and speech writers will be getting a hearty clap on the back because they've got not only such a good response out of the public, but rampant sloganeering out of the other side as well. Now everyones debating it. Man, you can't buy sh1t this good.

What would your grafiti say, Pearce?

It would say "Don Brash is a bald-headed banker."

Don Brash isnt racist. He just hates Maori. Cant you see that Don Brash isnt racist. He just doesnt want Maori(who are at the bottom of NZ in more ways than one) to get too much. Coz we all know how Maori are getting way to much right? Shit, Maori only make up 16% of the country and only recieve around 14% of New Zealands income used for health and education. AHH THATS WAYY TO MUCH, THINK ABOUT THE POOR EUROPEANS!! Maori have a lower entry requirement for university, but are still having to do the exact same work. Man... this is so unfair? considering Maori are natives to New Zealand but are one of the smallest ethnic groups? Oh and also arent as successful European people. THE MAORI ARE GETTING TO MUCH!!! SHIT! VOTE FOR DON BRASH SO HE CAN BECOME PRIME MINISTER, THEN HE CAN RID OF THE MAORI WHO ARE GETTING WAY TO MUCH!! Stand up and take a bow Don Brash you fucking idiot.

Reverb: If you weren't being sarcastic you would be absolutely correct. Fuck the maori.

HMZ, racist trash. Doesn't rhyme, but has the ring of truth.