it has been a week of engaging with young people for me. the first was a skype discussion with a classroom of year 12 catholic boys in christchurch. since they're doing that sharing of schools thing down there, the morning session runs from 7am to 1pm, and i was on skype around 8am. unfortunately it wasn't working properly so they could see me but i couldn't see them. that was a bit wierd, but i hope they got something useful out of it.
the second encounter was on tuesday when i had to give a lecture on MMP vs FPP to a group of students at university. these were people who were doing some kind of bridging course as they hadn't got through NCEA. having spent 4 years of my life teaching at uni, many years ago, i don't particularly look forward to going back there for the purpose of giving lectures.
i remember one i did to a 4th year accounting class last year. a room full of young people who looked like they would rather be anywhere else, who seemed to have no enthusiasm for the subject, and it's really not fun to have to speak to that kind of a crowd. these days when i have a public speaking gig, i'm invited by a group that has some interest in what i have to say and are there because they want to be there. so i find it even more difficult to deal with a group who is only there because they want the degree that will be the result of sitting through any number of tedious lectures.
still, this tuesday's session was much better than that, mostly because the people attending seemed to be interested in the subject, seemed to be more motivated and engaged in the topic. and possibly it was because i was also feeling that way. it's much easier to engage an audience when you feel passionate about the subject matter.
but it just goes to show that, really, it's such a pity that young people these days are getting an education soley for the purposes of getting a high-paying job. wouldn't it be so much better if they could make their educational choices based on the subjects they felt passionate about? it would definitely be better in terms of the quality of education they obtained, in terms of their intellectual stimulation and increased capacity to contribute to that particular field. and i'm sure, in the long run, it would be much better for the economy, as the country would be producing workers that more highly motivated and enthusiastic about their field of expertise.
instead, we have people making decisions based on the size of the student loan they'll have to leave university with, and on their ability to pay back that loan. it's hardly surprising that they look so bored.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Monday, 12 September 2011
homegrown terrorist
as promised, i'm going to talk about the 60 minutes piece on our own, homegrown terrorist suspect with alleged links to al-qaeda.
first off, let me say that i don't know mark taylor. i've never met him, but i know people who have. he's a pretty recent arrival in hamilton, from what i understand. so i suspect the people who were vouching for him on the 60 minute clip don't really know him very well. but i can't be sure of that - maybe they knew him from before he moved to hamilton.
i certainly don't know if he has any real links to terrorist organisations or if he has been part of any terrorits activity. and i think that's the main point. it's pretty much impossible to tell, because the evidence is being kept secret. yes, i get all that espionage stuff about it being dangerous to put certain information in the public sphere. i can understand that there are legitimate reasons for not letting us all know the actual nature of the concerns regarding mr taylor.
the problem, though, is pretty much the same one faced by ahmed zaoui. the rules of natural justice require that a person know the charges/ allegations/ evidence against them, so that they are able to defend themselves. there may well be some explanation for mr taylor's travel movements or activities (i'm also finding the "looking for a wife" explanation a little difficult to believe), but he gets no opportunity to provide such explanations or countering evidence. he is restricted but never gets the chance to clear his name.
i don't think it's acceptable. there must be some way to set up a legal process - a closed hearing with only counsel and defendant present, or some other mechanism - that allows a person to clear their name. and if they are guilty of something that can't be tried in open court, then there should be definite sentence period - a time when the person has paid their dues and can go back to being an ordinary citizen. to have an open-ended sentence with no idea of what it might be based on isn't right.
i though patrick gower did a pretty good job of covering these issues on 3 news tonight. i do wonder if there would have been the same sort of coverage if mr taylor had been of a different ethnicity, but maybe there would have been. there were plenty of people asking similar questions regarding the process around mr zaoui.
there were a couple of things in the 60 minutes clip that i thought needed clarifying. mr taylor claims that he is required to migrate to a muslim country - that this is a requirement in islam. not true. the only requirement to migrate is if a persons feels that they are unable to freely practice their religion, particularly because of an oppressive regime, that they are required to migrate. so, for example, an argument could be made that families where women wear the burqa would be required to migrate from france to another country where they were able to practice their beliefs freely. that does depend on the family having the resources and ability to make the shift. but there certainly isn't some kind of universal requirement, otherwise there would be no muslims in nz.
also, i was a little bemused at the notion that mr taylor's belief that the attacks on 11 september 2011 were an inside job somehow point to his instability. seriously, there are heaps of people who believe that - i read somewhere that it was like 30% of people in the UK and some similar percentage in the US (sorry can't remember where, so can't link to it). there are all the people in this documentary, for starters.
in any case, all i can say about mr taylor is that he's innocent until proven guilty. and i've certainly yet to see any evidence other than his movements in pakistan - which is pretty indirect.
first off, let me say that i don't know mark taylor. i've never met him, but i know people who have. he's a pretty recent arrival in hamilton, from what i understand. so i suspect the people who were vouching for him on the 60 minute clip don't really know him very well. but i can't be sure of that - maybe they knew him from before he moved to hamilton.
i certainly don't know if he has any real links to terrorist organisations or if he has been part of any terrorits activity. and i think that's the main point. it's pretty much impossible to tell, because the evidence is being kept secret. yes, i get all that espionage stuff about it being dangerous to put certain information in the public sphere. i can understand that there are legitimate reasons for not letting us all know the actual nature of the concerns regarding mr taylor.
the problem, though, is pretty much the same one faced by ahmed zaoui. the rules of natural justice require that a person know the charges/ allegations/ evidence against them, so that they are able to defend themselves. there may well be some explanation for mr taylor's travel movements or activities (i'm also finding the "looking for a wife" explanation a little difficult to believe), but he gets no opportunity to provide such explanations or countering evidence. he is restricted but never gets the chance to clear his name.
i don't think it's acceptable. there must be some way to set up a legal process - a closed hearing with only counsel and defendant present, or some other mechanism - that allows a person to clear their name. and if they are guilty of something that can't be tried in open court, then there should be definite sentence period - a time when the person has paid their dues and can go back to being an ordinary citizen. to have an open-ended sentence with no idea of what it might be based on isn't right.
i though patrick gower did a pretty good job of covering these issues on 3 news tonight. i do wonder if there would have been the same sort of coverage if mr taylor had been of a different ethnicity, but maybe there would have been. there were plenty of people asking similar questions regarding the process around mr zaoui.
there were a couple of things in the 60 minutes clip that i thought needed clarifying. mr taylor claims that he is required to migrate to a muslim country - that this is a requirement in islam. not true. the only requirement to migrate is if a persons feels that they are unable to freely practice their religion, particularly because of an oppressive regime, that they are required to migrate. so, for example, an argument could be made that families where women wear the burqa would be required to migrate from france to another country where they were able to practice their beliefs freely. that does depend on the family having the resources and ability to make the shift. but there certainly isn't some kind of universal requirement, otherwise there would be no muslims in nz.
also, i was a little bemused at the notion that mr taylor's belief that the attacks on 11 september 2011 were an inside job somehow point to his instability. seriously, there are heaps of people who believe that - i read somewhere that it was like 30% of people in the UK and some similar percentage in the US (sorry can't remember where, so can't link to it). there are all the people in this documentary, for starters.
in any case, all i can say about mr taylor is that he's innocent until proven guilty. and i've certainly yet to see any evidence other than his movements in pakistan - which is pretty indirect.
playing time
again, my blogging energies have gone to the hand mirror, with a 9/11 commemoration post of sorts. i also wanted to write a post on the 60 minutes piece on the nz al-qaeda terrorist suspect but i'll have to leave that for tomorrow.
yes, i watched the rugby world cup opening ceremony (but i had to do that from the tvnz on demand site - which thankfully meant i could skip the speeches), and no i didn't watch the game. so totally missed the taking-off-shirt incident. but i'm not particularly sad about that, as i would have been quite bored watching 90 minutes of game for 20 seconds of fun.
one of the problems i have with rugby is that there is not so much playing time. this is the same for games like baseball and grid iron. so much time is spent setting up plays (or coming onto or off the field in terms of baseball) that the actual play time is just not enough to sustain my interest. compare this to basketball or soccer, which is pretty much continuous play - and soccer adds additional minutes for injury time, so that you get to watch 90 minutes of actual play.
tennis is probably about in the middle, and worst when you get players who need to bounce the ball 20 times before they'll serve. golf would have to be the absolute worst in terms of actual time played and i really can't understand why people would actually want to watch a game live. getting a summary of the shots seems to be a much more sensible option to me, but who know, maybe there's something about the atmosphere or scenery or chance to get near famous players that makes up for all the non-playing time.
so yeah, not much rugby watching will be happening by me.
yes, i watched the rugby world cup opening ceremony (but i had to do that from the tvnz on demand site - which thankfully meant i could skip the speeches), and no i didn't watch the game. so totally missed the taking-off-shirt incident. but i'm not particularly sad about that, as i would have been quite bored watching 90 minutes of game for 20 seconds of fun.
one of the problems i have with rugby is that there is not so much playing time. this is the same for games like baseball and grid iron. so much time is spent setting up plays (or coming onto or off the field in terms of baseball) that the actual play time is just not enough to sustain my interest. compare this to basketball or soccer, which is pretty much continuous play - and soccer adds additional minutes for injury time, so that you get to watch 90 minutes of actual play.
tennis is probably about in the middle, and worst when you get players who need to bounce the ball 20 times before they'll serve. golf would have to be the absolute worst in terms of actual time played and i really can't understand why people would actually want to watch a game live. getting a summary of the shots seems to be a much more sensible option to me, but who know, maybe there's something about the atmosphere or scenery or chance to get near famous players that makes up for all the non-playing time.
so yeah, not much rugby watching will be happening by me.
Friday, 9 September 2011
the indian anti-corruption movement
yes, still a bit sore, but not as bad as i expected. also, i have spent all my blogging energy writing this post at the hand mirror, on the indian anti-corruption movement, with which i have a few issues.
also, i need to thank QoT for the various links she's included in the latest down under feminists carnival. given that i didn't have time to submit any entries this last month, it's really nice of her to include these.
also, i need to thank QoT for the various links she's included in the latest down under feminists carnival. given that i didn't have time to submit any entries this last month, it's really nice of her to include these.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
eid at parliament
ow, ow, ow. i've just been to my first karate session (well the first of four, let's see what happens after that), and my muscles are already sore. i hate to think of what's to come tomorrow. i've had a long soak in a hot bath (and i'm currently a huge fan of lush, especially these), which has helped. it's my own fault for being so terribly unfit. my level of fitness has really dropped in the last couple of years for various reasons. maybe things will start improving soon.
part of the class was some basic self-defense moves. i'm in two minds about this. on the one hand, i shouldn't need self-defense and by doing this, i buy in to the notion that i'm more responsible for keeping me safe than another person is responsible for not harming me. on the other hand, it does feel empowering to know some cool moves. maybe there's also a natural human tendency to aggression - the kind of thing that causes people to enjoy sports like boxing or even rugby - because i can't deny that i enjoyed the kicks and punches. however, there is the fact that i was punching & kicking the air, and i'd probably find it extremely difficult to actually do this to another person with the knowledge that i was causing pain.
in other news, i got back from wellington this morning. i basically went to wellington for dinner last night, which sounds extravagant. but it was actually for the official eid function at parliament, hosted by the minister of ethnic affairs. this function has been happening for several years now, and was an initiative of chris carter & ashraf choudhary. the same chris carter who was giving his valedictory speech at exactly the same time.
i couldn't get to the speech, though i had planned to, because there was a mix-up with the invitations, and a friend of mine from the buddhist community wasn't allowed into the function, even though there were plenty of people willing to vouch for her. it was extremely frustrating, and i was really sad that she had to go back home. the minister's office really need to do better, especially when this is a person who has attended many eid functions in years past.
still, despite this glitch, i think it's symbolically important that this celebration happens in parliament, and that it is organised by the government. it's an important recognition of the diversity of nz, and the fact that the muslim community is an established part of this country. in the same way that parliament celebrates diwali and chinese new year. the funny thing is that they don't formally celebrate any christian festival, unless there's some official xmas party i haven't heard of. on the other hand, the daily prayer at the start of each sitting day is pretty christian-based, so they get their formal recognition that way.
another nice note was the attendance of the young women from the waikato, some of whom were featured in the herald on sunday article. they've been on a road trip to wellington, where they've met various ministers, MPs and public servants. here's hoping that one of these young women steps into an important leadership role in the future.
part of the class was some basic self-defense moves. i'm in two minds about this. on the one hand, i shouldn't need self-defense and by doing this, i buy in to the notion that i'm more responsible for keeping me safe than another person is responsible for not harming me. on the other hand, it does feel empowering to know some cool moves. maybe there's also a natural human tendency to aggression - the kind of thing that causes people to enjoy sports like boxing or even rugby - because i can't deny that i enjoyed the kicks and punches. however, there is the fact that i was punching & kicking the air, and i'd probably find it extremely difficult to actually do this to another person with the knowledge that i was causing pain.
in other news, i got back from wellington this morning. i basically went to wellington for dinner last night, which sounds extravagant. but it was actually for the official eid function at parliament, hosted by the minister of ethnic affairs. this function has been happening for several years now, and was an initiative of chris carter & ashraf choudhary. the same chris carter who was giving his valedictory speech at exactly the same time.
i couldn't get to the speech, though i had planned to, because there was a mix-up with the invitations, and a friend of mine from the buddhist community wasn't allowed into the function, even though there were plenty of people willing to vouch for her. it was extremely frustrating, and i was really sad that she had to go back home. the minister's office really need to do better, especially when this is a person who has attended many eid functions in years past.
still, despite this glitch, i think it's symbolically important that this celebration happens in parliament, and that it is organised by the government. it's an important recognition of the diversity of nz, and the fact that the muslim community is an established part of this country. in the same way that parliament celebrates diwali and chinese new year. the funny thing is that they don't formally celebrate any christian festival, unless there's some official xmas party i haven't heard of. on the other hand, the daily prayer at the start of each sitting day is pretty christian-based, so they get their formal recognition that way.
another nice note was the attendance of the young women from the waikato, some of whom were featured in the herald on sunday article. they've been on a road trip to wellington, where they've met various ministers, MPs and public servants. here's hoping that one of these young women steps into an important leadership role in the future.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
eid mubarak
ramadan has come to an end, and it must have been the busiest ramadan i've had. just an alignment of events all happening at the same time, which i couldn't seem to avoid. even tonight, i've been running around collecting signatures for a WEL energy trust funding application which i have to drop in some time tomorrow.
but other than that, i'll be putting everything aside and celebrating eid. so eid mubarak to all my friends and family. i hope the month of ramadan has been a successful one for my muslim friends, and a time of reflection and peace. even though eid is a celebration, there is a certain sadness that comes with ramadan being over.
non-muslims might find that strange, since having no food or drink during the day seems so strenuous. but there is really so much more to ramadan - the social aspects, the spiritual aspects. i've been trying to moderate my behaviour (though obviously had a big fail during the pak'save incident), and focus on swallowing my anger and doing the right thing. for some strange reason, it has actually been an incredibly provoking month. but things seem to be settling down, with some positive outcomes so i can't complain.
but yes, i'll miss the prayers at the mosque at night, the regular meeting of friends over good food, the absence of tv and the increased reflection. i think doing the poverty workshop really helped with my reflection, as did this post by maia at the hand mirror. of course one of the points of ramadan is to carry on with the good habits you develop over the month, and incorporate them into your daily life. but somehow that doesn't happen - i think there's just a special blessing over this month that makes it easier to be the person you want to be.
the new day starts at sunset for muslims, so eid has started tonight. we will have prayers tomorrow morning 8am, and then will spend the day visiting friends and being visited by them. usually the celebration lasts over a few days, since one day is never enough to get around to everyone. and because we have such a multi-cultural community, there is a real variety of food to try. as well as that, we all have new clothes. the celebration, in full, is called eid-ul-fitr, and the "fitr" part of it is where we give a sum of money to be distributed to those in need, so that everyone can have new things.
so while many of you are busy at paid or unpaid work tomorrow, i hope you won't mind us celebrating after a month of self-deprivation. and for those who know me, feel free to drop by.
but other than that, i'll be putting everything aside and celebrating eid. so eid mubarak to all my friends and family. i hope the month of ramadan has been a successful one for my muslim friends, and a time of reflection and peace. even though eid is a celebration, there is a certain sadness that comes with ramadan being over.
non-muslims might find that strange, since having no food or drink during the day seems so strenuous. but there is really so much more to ramadan - the social aspects, the spiritual aspects. i've been trying to moderate my behaviour (though obviously had a big fail during the pak'save incident), and focus on swallowing my anger and doing the right thing. for some strange reason, it has actually been an incredibly provoking month. but things seem to be settling down, with some positive outcomes so i can't complain.
but yes, i'll miss the prayers at the mosque at night, the regular meeting of friends over good food, the absence of tv and the increased reflection. i think doing the poverty workshop really helped with my reflection, as did this post by maia at the hand mirror. of course one of the points of ramadan is to carry on with the good habits you develop over the month, and incorporate them into your daily life. but somehow that doesn't happen - i think there's just a special blessing over this month that makes it easier to be the person you want to be.
the new day starts at sunset for muslims, so eid has started tonight. we will have prayers tomorrow morning 8am, and then will spend the day visiting friends and being visited by them. usually the celebration lasts over a few days, since one day is never enough to get around to everyone. and because we have such a multi-cultural community, there is a real variety of food to try. as well as that, we all have new clothes. the celebration, in full, is called eid-ul-fitr, and the "fitr" part of it is where we give a sum of money to be distributed to those in need, so that everyone can have new things.
so while many of you are busy at paid or unpaid work tomorrow, i hope you won't mind us celebrating after a month of self-deprivation. and for those who know me, feel free to drop by.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
action plan for human rights
so this is the speech i gave (or at least one of them) at the diversity forum on sunday. i don't think it will have the same impact in writing, without the inflections and emotions of the spoken word, but i wanted to have a record of it. i hadn't made any notes, so this is the best recollection of what i said.
bismillahir rahmanir rahim. naumai haere mai. i tene po. tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou ka toa.
i've been asked to give a community perspective on human rights. i'm going to start by talking to you about my day yesterday. it was a pretty mixed day. it stared well, with a special welcome for the muslim community at turangawaewae marae, as part of the coronation celebrations. it was a very meaningful and humbling experience.
in the afternoon, i went to do my grocery shopping at the mill st pak'n'save, which those of you from hamilton will know well. i was in the grocery section, and having finished getting some dates, pulled out to carry on. i was silly enough not to look behind me and almost bumped into the trolley of another shopper. he rolled his, gave a big sigh, and as he carried on, said "i hope you don't drive like that". anyone who knows me will know that i don't just let that kind of thing pass. so i said "i hope you'are rude like that everywhere you go" and carried on my way. he said something in return which i didn't hear except for the words "come to this country".
for my many sins, God has seen fit to punish me by giving me two daughters who are infinitely more wise and full of common sense than i am. the one who was with me at the time said to me when the incident was over (and it wasn't quite over yet), that i should have not responded to him at all. by responding to him, i was giving him the reaction he was looking for. moreover, i was fasting and i broke my fast by responding in the way i did.
she is absolutely right of course. but i can't not respond, i can't just let it go. there's something inside me that cannot just let a comment like that pass. so i said to him, in a loud voice that echoed through the fruit & vege section "this is MY country, you f***ing a**hole".
now some of you may find that language offensive. let me assure you that i find it much less offensive than the notion that i come "to" this country rather than coming "from" this country. i find it less offensive than someone telling me that i don't belong here, or that i am less of a nz'er than they are. i suspect my daughter hasn't had the experiences that i have because the country she was born into is much more diverse, and she is after all much younger than me. but i can say that having to put up with this kind of thing constantly has worn down my patience to the extent that i just can't let it go.
very recently i saw an ad on tv for a beer company - many of you may have seen it. it starts with a fat white guy lying on a couch watching tv. next to him is somekind of barrel type thing filled with beer and ice, which he can move with a remote control. he uses this control to send the barrel through the house, where it finally reaches a woman in the kitchen, on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. the tag line is something along the lines of "when she can't get to the fridge, bring the fridge to her", with the man yelling out at her to get him a beer.
i couldn't sleep the night after watching this ad. i'm a trustee of the hamilton ethnic women's centre (shama), where we provide services for women who suffer from domestic violence. it isn't any kind of joke, there is nothing funny about what these women suffer. this advertisement, as with so many that are run by alcohol companies, are hugely negative in the messages they give about women - either as sex objects, as stupid or as this one is.
the complaints process is such that any person who complains has there name in the public arena, but in order for the advertising standards authority to make a ruling, they have to agree to make no statements in the media. the party who has made the ads has no such restrictions and is free to denigrate the complainant publicly, telling the world that such a person is uptight, can't take a joke, or any other narrative they wish to run. advertising companies are often actively seeking a complaint because they know the penalties are minimal and the free publicity is huge.
we were promised, when alcohol advertising was allowed, that there would be tight control over the ads. i see no evidence of any type of control whatsoever. these ads are not just demeaning women, they are hugely insulting to men, implying that men are unevolved neanderthals who can't see women as anything but sexual objects.
then we have the jock psychiatrist who has access to prime time television, where he tells us that adolescence is a mental illness, a disease. and we allow this to happen, we allow our young people to be treated with such disrespect. in a country that has one of the highest teen suicide rates in the world, how must it feel for our young people to hear themselves denigrated and laughted at in this way? how can they possibly feel connected to a society that shows clearly that it cares little about them.
i feel hugely angry at this narrative, on behalf of my own teenage daughters who are extremely sensible. as are all their friends that i've had the opportunity to meet. this country is full of lovely young people, but how often do they get to hear that about themselves? and this stuff doesn't just happen in a vacuum. it is precisely because we allow such disrespect of our young people that we can even consider the notion of paying them less even when they are doing exactly the same work as an adult. it is the same reason that we can have discussions about benefit cards for some of the most vulnerable young people in this country - these are the youth who are unable to live with their families because of abuse or other disfunction.
earlier this year, a white norwegian man committed an appalling crime, which i'm sure you are all familiar with. if you listen to the narratives about this young man - that he was "crazy", a "madman", completely insane - you see how hugely damaging this is to people who live with mental illness. these are another group that face significant marginalisation in our society, and to link that crime to mental illness without any shred of evidence is hugely damaging to their attempts to shake off the stigma attached to mental illness. the fact is that those with mental illnesses are no more likely to commit acts of violence that any other group in society.
this is the reality for so many people who have to live daily with discrimination and marginalisation. the only way to improve their situation is by a co-ordinated effort across governement. i'm an accountant so have a management background, and one of the first things we learnt in our courses was that if you don't know where you're going then any road will take you there. planning is essential to change the human rights culture in this country, and it requires commitment from government, from ministers, senior public servants and managers. a human rights approach has to be, as rosslyn says, a feature of every government department because each of them has an important role to play. we need an action plan for human rights and we need a commitment to carry it through.
change isn't going to come about via a complaints process, because complaining takes a lot of time and energy. with the number of incidents that i have to come across, i just don't have that energy, or the will to keep making complaints. it's too difficult. if significant change is going to happen, it has to come from the top - i don't think a bottom-down approach can be as effective.
i have just one last experience to share. in the last week, for an organisation i'm involved with, i happened to disagree on a particular matter with someone else. i laid out my concerns, and the response that i received was that i was too controlling and this was as a result of my involvement with the labour party. this isn't the first time that kind of comment was made. most of you will know that political affiliation is one of the grounds laid out in the human rights act. however, i'm unable to take forward a complaint to the human rights commission - i know because i've discussed it with them. i'm now in a position of having to choose to withdraw from the organisation or having the other person withdraw.
nz doesn't have a great record when it comes to human rights. we need action and we need a plan if this is to change.
bismillahir rahmanir rahim. naumai haere mai. i tene po. tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou ka toa.
i've been asked to give a community perspective on human rights. i'm going to start by talking to you about my day yesterday. it was a pretty mixed day. it stared well, with a special welcome for the muslim community at turangawaewae marae, as part of the coronation celebrations. it was a very meaningful and humbling experience.
in the afternoon, i went to do my grocery shopping at the mill st pak'n'save, which those of you from hamilton will know well. i was in the grocery section, and having finished getting some dates, pulled out to carry on. i was silly enough not to look behind me and almost bumped into the trolley of another shopper. he rolled his, gave a big sigh, and as he carried on, said "i hope you don't drive like that". anyone who knows me will know that i don't just let that kind of thing pass. so i said "i hope you'are rude like that everywhere you go" and carried on my way. he said something in return which i didn't hear except for the words "come to this country".
for my many sins, God has seen fit to punish me by giving me two daughters who are infinitely more wise and full of common sense than i am. the one who was with me at the time said to me when the incident was over (and it wasn't quite over yet), that i should have not responded to him at all. by responding to him, i was giving him the reaction he was looking for. moreover, i was fasting and i broke my fast by responding in the way i did.
she is absolutely right of course. but i can't not respond, i can't just let it go. there's something inside me that cannot just let a comment like that pass. so i said to him, in a loud voice that echoed through the fruit & vege section "this is MY country, you f***ing a**hole".
now some of you may find that language offensive. let me assure you that i find it much less offensive than the notion that i come "to" this country rather than coming "from" this country. i find it less offensive than someone telling me that i don't belong here, or that i am less of a nz'er than they are. i suspect my daughter hasn't had the experiences that i have because the country she was born into is much more diverse, and she is after all much younger than me. but i can say that having to put up with this kind of thing constantly has worn down my patience to the extent that i just can't let it go.
very recently i saw an ad on tv for a beer company - many of you may have seen it. it starts with a fat white guy lying on a couch watching tv. next to him is somekind of barrel type thing filled with beer and ice, which he can move with a remote control. he uses this control to send the barrel through the house, where it finally reaches a woman in the kitchen, on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. the tag line is something along the lines of "when she can't get to the fridge, bring the fridge to her", with the man yelling out at her to get him a beer.
i couldn't sleep the night after watching this ad. i'm a trustee of the hamilton ethnic women's centre (shama), where we provide services for women who suffer from domestic violence. it isn't any kind of joke, there is nothing funny about what these women suffer. this advertisement, as with so many that are run by alcohol companies, are hugely negative in the messages they give about women - either as sex objects, as stupid or as this one is.
the complaints process is such that any person who complains has there name in the public arena, but in order for the advertising standards authority to make a ruling, they have to agree to make no statements in the media. the party who has made the ads has no such restrictions and is free to denigrate the complainant publicly, telling the world that such a person is uptight, can't take a joke, or any other narrative they wish to run. advertising companies are often actively seeking a complaint because they know the penalties are minimal and the free publicity is huge.
we were promised, when alcohol advertising was allowed, that there would be tight control over the ads. i see no evidence of any type of control whatsoever. these ads are not just demeaning women, they are hugely insulting to men, implying that men are unevolved neanderthals who can't see women as anything but sexual objects.
then we have the jock psychiatrist who has access to prime time television, where he tells us that adolescence is a mental illness, a disease. and we allow this to happen, we allow our young people to be treated with such disrespect. in a country that has one of the highest teen suicide rates in the world, how must it feel for our young people to hear themselves denigrated and laughted at in this way? how can they possibly feel connected to a society that shows clearly that it cares little about them.
i feel hugely angry at this narrative, on behalf of my own teenage daughters who are extremely sensible. as are all their friends that i've had the opportunity to meet. this country is full of lovely young people, but how often do they get to hear that about themselves? and this stuff doesn't just happen in a vacuum. it is precisely because we allow such disrespect of our young people that we can even consider the notion of paying them less even when they are doing exactly the same work as an adult. it is the same reason that we can have discussions about benefit cards for some of the most vulnerable young people in this country - these are the youth who are unable to live with their families because of abuse or other disfunction.
earlier this year, a white norwegian man committed an appalling crime, which i'm sure you are all familiar with. if you listen to the narratives about this young man - that he was "crazy", a "madman", completely insane - you see how hugely damaging this is to people who live with mental illness. these are another group that face significant marginalisation in our society, and to link that crime to mental illness without any shred of evidence is hugely damaging to their attempts to shake off the stigma attached to mental illness. the fact is that those with mental illnesses are no more likely to commit acts of violence that any other group in society.
this is the reality for so many people who have to live daily with discrimination and marginalisation. the only way to improve their situation is by a co-ordinated effort across governement. i'm an accountant so have a management background, and one of the first things we learnt in our courses was that if you don't know where you're going then any road will take you there. planning is essential to change the human rights culture in this country, and it requires commitment from government, from ministers, senior public servants and managers. a human rights approach has to be, as rosslyn says, a feature of every government department because each of them has an important role to play. we need an action plan for human rights and we need a commitment to carry it through.
change isn't going to come about via a complaints process, because complaining takes a lot of time and energy. with the number of incidents that i have to come across, i just don't have that energy, or the will to keep making complaints. it's too difficult. if significant change is going to happen, it has to come from the top - i don't think a bottom-down approach can be as effective.
i have just one last experience to share. in the last week, for an organisation i'm involved with, i happened to disagree on a particular matter with someone else. i laid out my concerns, and the response that i received was that i was too controlling and this was as a result of my involvement with the labour party. this isn't the first time that kind of comment was made. most of you will know that political affiliation is one of the grounds laid out in the human rights act. however, i'm unable to take forward a complaint to the human rights commission - i know because i've discussed it with them. i'm now in a position of having to choose to withdraw from the organisation or having the other person withdraw.
nz doesn't have a great record when it comes to human rights. we need action and we need a plan if this is to change.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
speaking up
just a couple of links tonight. this via facebook:
and i certainly would never have thought i'd admire anything russell brand had to say. but it turns out that i do - here he is on the london riots:
In this simple sentiment we can find hope, as we can in the efforts of those cleaning up the debris and ash in bonhomous, broom-wielding posses. If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.
(via comments here). i'd very much recommend reading the whole thing.
also via facebook, i liked this:
Now I realize it’s going to be hard to know that every person that ever contacts me isn’t a bully, I understand that…but in this specific instance it was right in front of my face. I saw it with my own eyes..it wasn’t hear say, it was right there..with their smiling face right beside such an ugly statement. I couldn’t forget about it, I mean how I could spend 2 hours with someone during our session trying to take beautiful photos of them knowing they could do such UGLY things. Realistically, I know by canceling their shoots it’s not going to make them “nicer people” but I refuse to let people like that represent my business.
and i certainly would never have thought i'd admire anything russell brand had to say. but it turns out that i do - here he is on the london riots:
In this simple sentiment we can find hope, as we can in the efforts of those cleaning up the debris and ash in bonhomous, broom-wielding posses. If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.
(via comments here). i'd very much recommend reading the whole thing.
also via facebook, i liked this:
Now I realize it’s going to be hard to know that every person that ever contacts me isn’t a bully, I understand that…but in this specific instance it was right in front of my face. I saw it with my own eyes..it wasn’t hear say, it was right there..with their smiling face right beside such an ugly statement. I couldn’t forget about it, I mean how I could spend 2 hours with someone during our session trying to take beautiful photos of them knowing they could do such UGLY things. Realistically, I know by canceling their shoots it’s not going to make them “nicer people” but I refuse to let people like that represent my business.
Monday, 22 August 2011
the week that was
well i certainly hadn't meant to leave the blog unattended for so long, but things have just been too incredibly hectic. aside from the fasting, i've been having something on almost every night & the weekends have been jam-packed as well. when i get chunks of time that are free, i totally need them for rest and recuperation.
this past week went like this:
- had people for dinner on monday night. since i'm not a great cook, i need to prepare in advance, and i had less than two hours from the time i left work til the time that the first part of the meal is ready. so i use as many shortcuts as i can (pre-cut salad, pre-grated cheese, pizza bases from the supermarket etc). and of course i have my darling mum to help out with cooking a couple of things, which takes some of the pressure off, and a darling daughter to do all the cleaning and vacuuming.
- tuesday night i had a 3 hour meeting straight after work. it was a pretty stressful one, and i broke my fast while driving to dinner, having made sure i had some dates in the car (it's traditional for dates to be the first thing we eat after sunset). luckily we were invited for dinner, so i didn't have to cook. after dinner, i had another meeting for the interfaith council, so was pretty exhausted when i got home.
- wednesday morning before work, i had a dummy run of our diversity forum workshop, with the good people from anglican action. it went really well, and i think the people there engaged so well with the issues. but then these are people who are working with those who have some significant struggles on a daily basis and so have a very good understanding of the issues. the stories that a couple of them shared were pretty amazing. after work i had to rush around shopping for another dinner on friday & homework stuff for my daughter. we go to the mosque for prayers every night in ramadan, and after i got back around 9pm, i spent about an hour and half in the kitchen doing some preparatory work.
- thursday was relatively quieter - didn't have to cook as we were invited for dinner, but still put in another hour and a half in the kitchen after prayers to organise for friday.
- saturday morning i had to be at the mosque at 8am, to be part of the muslim group driving to turangawaewae marae, to be officially welcomed on to the marae as part of the coronation celebrations. it was a lovely event, but so freezing cold! i was pretty well dressed with two layers of thermals, two pairs of socks, two gloves & still managed to have numb toes. the powhiri was lovely, and then we got to sit and watch the next group be welcomed. these were members of royal families from the pacific, and they got the full-on formal welcome, which was great to watch. i have to mention that the muslim communities were given a special welcome because it was difficult for us to be part of the ethnic communities welcome on friday - friday being our congregational day & also because we were fasting, the serving of food wouldn't have been appropriate. so they gave us another more suitable time, agreed to adjust protocol for our specific requirements (especially around the hongi), and were very welcoming. it was such a lovely example of hospitality and flexibility; really a model for all. didn't have to cook on saturday night as we were invited for dinner.
- sunday was the diversity forum, and our poverty workshop. it was at the new claudlands conference centre, which was pretty nice. we were a bit worried, because when we started our session, there were only about 6 people in the room. but they kept coming in, and about 20 minutes into it, there were around 50 people in attendance. i think it went quite well, though i can see where we could have improved things a little. still, we had a lot of positive feedback. i had to rush off before the end of our session, to speak briefly at the interfaith council's session about the interfaith forum in february next year. in the next session, i also had to speak briefly following rosslyn noonan's talk on the human rights action plan. my job was to give a community perspective on human rights in nz today, and i might post what i said in the next day or two, if i can find the energy. didn't have to cook again, because we were invited (any day i don't have to cook is a pretty good day!)
- today i was at the diversity forum again after work. i attended the media session around the paul henry/hone harawira comments, covered in this article. i stayed on for the diversity awards, which were lovely. i can't remember the names of all the 12 organisations recognised, and i'm sure they'll be on the HRC website soon, but it was lovely to see the work of philip yeung at the hamilton city council recognised, and the brilliant to see tainui holdings ltd get the special award. it'll be interesting to see how that goes down with the CBD, who are suffering from the loss of business that is now going tainui's way.
and here it is, monday night. i've got a pretty stressful board meeting after work tomorrow. by the end of august, i have to get a GST return done for a community organisation, review accounts and have a meeting with one of my NGO financial people so that the accounts are ready for audit, get a funding application in to WEL energy trust, write an article for a journal, and get a tricky tax return done for another organisation. at the same time, we are into the last 10 days of ramadan, which are supposed to be spent in extra prayer and acts of worship. i'm just hoping that this list of stuff i have to get done will count as acts of worship - they are in a sense, because in my mind, i do it for the greater good and for no pay. just hoping to make a difference in my little corner of the world.
this past week went like this:
- had people for dinner on monday night. since i'm not a great cook, i need to prepare in advance, and i had less than two hours from the time i left work til the time that the first part of the meal is ready. so i use as many shortcuts as i can (pre-cut salad, pre-grated cheese, pizza bases from the supermarket etc). and of course i have my darling mum to help out with cooking a couple of things, which takes some of the pressure off, and a darling daughter to do all the cleaning and vacuuming.
- tuesday night i had a 3 hour meeting straight after work. it was a pretty stressful one, and i broke my fast while driving to dinner, having made sure i had some dates in the car (it's traditional for dates to be the first thing we eat after sunset). luckily we were invited for dinner, so i didn't have to cook. after dinner, i had another meeting for the interfaith council, so was pretty exhausted when i got home.
- wednesday morning before work, i had a dummy run of our diversity forum workshop, with the good people from anglican action. it went really well, and i think the people there engaged so well with the issues. but then these are people who are working with those who have some significant struggles on a daily basis and so have a very good understanding of the issues. the stories that a couple of them shared were pretty amazing. after work i had to rush around shopping for another dinner on friday & homework stuff for my daughter. we go to the mosque for prayers every night in ramadan, and after i got back around 9pm, i spent about an hour and half in the kitchen doing some preparatory work.
- thursday was relatively quieter - didn't have to cook as we were invited for dinner, but still put in another hour and a half in the kitchen after prayers to organise for friday.
- saturday morning i had to be at the mosque at 8am, to be part of the muslim group driving to turangawaewae marae, to be officially welcomed on to the marae as part of the coronation celebrations. it was a lovely event, but so freezing cold! i was pretty well dressed with two layers of thermals, two pairs of socks, two gloves & still managed to have numb toes. the powhiri was lovely, and then we got to sit and watch the next group be welcomed. these were members of royal families from the pacific, and they got the full-on formal welcome, which was great to watch. i have to mention that the muslim communities were given a special welcome because it was difficult for us to be part of the ethnic communities welcome on friday - friday being our congregational day & also because we were fasting, the serving of food wouldn't have been appropriate. so they gave us another more suitable time, agreed to adjust protocol for our specific requirements (especially around the hongi), and were very welcoming. it was such a lovely example of hospitality and flexibility; really a model for all. didn't have to cook on saturday night as we were invited for dinner.
- sunday was the diversity forum, and our poverty workshop. it was at the new claudlands conference centre, which was pretty nice. we were a bit worried, because when we started our session, there were only about 6 people in the room. but they kept coming in, and about 20 minutes into it, there were around 50 people in attendance. i think it went quite well, though i can see where we could have improved things a little. still, we had a lot of positive feedback. i had to rush off before the end of our session, to speak briefly at the interfaith council's session about the interfaith forum in february next year. in the next session, i also had to speak briefly following rosslyn noonan's talk on the human rights action plan. my job was to give a community perspective on human rights in nz today, and i might post what i said in the next day or two, if i can find the energy. didn't have to cook again, because we were invited (any day i don't have to cook is a pretty good day!)
- today i was at the diversity forum again after work. i attended the media session around the paul henry/hone harawira comments, covered in this article. i stayed on for the diversity awards, which were lovely. i can't remember the names of all the 12 organisations recognised, and i'm sure they'll be on the HRC website soon, but it was lovely to see the work of philip yeung at the hamilton city council recognised, and the brilliant to see tainui holdings ltd get the special award. it'll be interesting to see how that goes down with the CBD, who are suffering from the loss of business that is now going tainui's way.
and here it is, monday night. i've got a pretty stressful board meeting after work tomorrow. by the end of august, i have to get a GST return done for a community organisation, review accounts and have a meeting with one of my NGO financial people so that the accounts are ready for audit, get a funding application in to WEL energy trust, write an article for a journal, and get a tricky tax return done for another organisation. at the same time, we are into the last 10 days of ramadan, which are supposed to be spent in extra prayer and acts of worship. i'm just hoping that this list of stuff i have to get done will count as acts of worship - they are in a sense, because in my mind, i do it for the greater good and for no pay. just hoping to make a difference in my little corner of the world.
Friday, 12 August 2011
poverty, inequality and cultural privilege
the human rights commission diversity forum is an annual event that has been going on for several years. you can get a background information here. this year, for the first time, it's going to be held in hamilton, at the claudlands event centre on 21 - 22 august. it's an excellent opportunity for the people of the waikato to get involved in discussions around various aspects of diversity.
the main part of the forum starts from sunday afternoon, and the only problem is that there are so many wonderful sessions happening at the same time. at 1.30pm on sunday, there are two sessions run by organisations i'm actively involved with - the session on raising awareness of religious diversity hosted by the waikato interfaith council, and the session on domestic violence run by shama (hamilton ethnic women's centre).
however, i won't be at either of those two sessions, because i've been working with poverty action waikato on a session that deals with the intersection between race and poverty. it's called living in nz in your culture: poverty, inequality and cultural privilege. i was really keen to have a session on poverty as soon as i attended a meeting in april regarding the forum, where the HRC was seeking expressions of interest from organisations wanting to host sessions. i approached poverty action waikato because of the excellent programme they'd put on for international women's day - i've put up posts about them here and here.
the purpose of the session on sunday 21 august is to gather stories from people who live with or have ever lived with poverty, or who work with those living in poverty. the key focus is on the way racial or cultural discriminations feeds into poverty and vice versa. the goal is to compile these stories into a document, which the human rights commission have assured us they will use to push for policy change and which we also hope to use to push for social change.
of course, we understood immediately the challenge. it isn't easy to share stories at a time of vulnerability, and particularly in a culture that is so judgemental. it's hard to share personal stories at the best of times, and to share stories around things which society deems a failure is that much harder still. so we've had a think about how we can create a safe space for people to share.
one thing we have done is provide a variety of mediums. if people feel comfortable with small group discussions, we have those. if people want to leave short and simple messages on post-it notes, we'll have those. if people would prefer to share through a longer written piece, we'll have the materials available. and for those who don't feel comfortable with writing, we'll have a dictaphone and a booth, so that can provide a short recording. in all cases, we will preserve anonimity.
in all the demonstrations, rioting and public agitation across the middle east, europe and now england, there is the common thread of people feeling disaffected and angry at economic inequality and the daily struggles of survival. there is the common thread of voices needing to be heard. in a nz context, this is one small way for people to have a voice. maybe it won't make a difference, but hopefully it will. there are enough people around this particular project who care and who want to take the message further - as far as we possibly can.
so. i'm asking those of you who read this to promote this event and to encourage people to attend. please use your organisational and social networks to pass on the message.
the main part of the forum starts from sunday afternoon, and the only problem is that there are so many wonderful sessions happening at the same time. at 1.30pm on sunday, there are two sessions run by organisations i'm actively involved with - the session on raising awareness of religious diversity hosted by the waikato interfaith council, and the session on domestic violence run by shama (hamilton ethnic women's centre).
however, i won't be at either of those two sessions, because i've been working with poverty action waikato on a session that deals with the intersection between race and poverty. it's called living in nz in your culture: poverty, inequality and cultural privilege. i was really keen to have a session on poverty as soon as i attended a meeting in april regarding the forum, where the HRC was seeking expressions of interest from organisations wanting to host sessions. i approached poverty action waikato because of the excellent programme they'd put on for international women's day - i've put up posts about them here and here.
the purpose of the session on sunday 21 august is to gather stories from people who live with or have ever lived with poverty, or who work with those living in poverty. the key focus is on the way racial or cultural discriminations feeds into poverty and vice versa. the goal is to compile these stories into a document, which the human rights commission have assured us they will use to push for policy change and which we also hope to use to push for social change.
of course, we understood immediately the challenge. it isn't easy to share stories at a time of vulnerability, and particularly in a culture that is so judgemental. it's hard to share personal stories at the best of times, and to share stories around things which society deems a failure is that much harder still. so we've had a think about how we can create a safe space for people to share.
one thing we have done is provide a variety of mediums. if people feel comfortable with small group discussions, we have those. if people want to leave short and simple messages on post-it notes, we'll have those. if people would prefer to share through a longer written piece, we'll have the materials available. and for those who don't feel comfortable with writing, we'll have a dictaphone and a booth, so that can provide a short recording. in all cases, we will preserve anonimity.
in all the demonstrations, rioting and public agitation across the middle east, europe and now england, there is the common thread of people feeling disaffected and angry at economic inequality and the daily struggles of survival. there is the common thread of voices needing to be heard. in a nz context, this is one small way for people to have a voice. maybe it won't make a difference, but hopefully it will. there are enough people around this particular project who care and who want to take the message further - as far as we possibly can.
so. i'm asking those of you who read this to promote this event and to encourage people to attend. please use your organisational and social networks to pass on the message.
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