Anti-white media mouthpiece Laura Walters stirring again

ANALYSIS: In hindsight, Sir Peter Leitch probably wishes he’d smiled and waved as he passed Lara Wharepapa Bridger and her family at the Waiheke Island vineyard but New Zealand is better off because he opened his mouth.

When the Mad Butcher made comments to Bridger about Waiheke being “a white man’s island” he sparked a race row.

After a few days of going backward and forward, the sensible majority can now agree stupid things were said - stupid, racist things.

The day after Bridger posted a public video about what happened, Leitch’s publicist Michelle Boag (also the former National Party president) took a spade and dug herself into the hole Leitch had started to scratch out for himself.

Meanwhile, Kiwis debated whether Leitch’s comments were racist or just a joke.

As Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy eventually came to explain, the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

New Zealanders, including Boag, have since had a crash course in casual racism.

Every so often a real example of racism finds itself in the limelight - think Paul Henry’s Governor General comments, Paul Holmes’ “cheeky darkie” indiscretion, Real Housewife Julia Sloane’s nautical slur, and now Leitch’s Waiheke Island faux pas.

It’s come to the point now where Kiwis need to put aside judgments of the individual characters in this story and focus on the wider issue.

Such incidents can, and should, be used as an opportunity to learn from mistakes and educate ourselves.

The debate over Leitch’s comments show there’s still a lack of understanding about boundaries.

For a long time comments like those by Leitch have been brushed off as the ignorance of a different generation.

In fact, it’s a clear example of casual racism and can no longer be excused as some old, white guy saying something silly, or “a bit of light-hearted banter”.

Massey University professor of sociology Paul Spoonley says Bridger raised an important issue when she posted the video.

This incident has shown us we shouldn’t be complacent, Spoonley says.

“We’re a multicultural, super-diverse society, and the moment we assume that there is no racism, we have a problem.”

Now is the time to have “an adult discussion”.

“It’s one of those moments where we define what’s acceptable and what’s not.”

WHAT IS CASUAL RACISM?

One of the first people to become better educated through the saga was Michelle Boag - Leitch’s publicist.

While some jumped to Leitch’s defence, Boag’s comments to media about Bridger being “barely coffee-coloured” were difficult to explain away.

Less than a day after making the comments, Boag said she understood what she said was an example of casual racism.

She hedged this admission with the comments: “There’s no way I’m racist… I look after a Samoan family, there’s no way they’d call me racist.”

Devoy also described Leitch as the “least racist person” she knows, saying he made inappropriate comments but is not racist.

It remains unclear whether one can make casually racist comments on multiple occasions and not be racist.

Boag’s and Leitch’s comments show while casual racism is not uncommon, there is a lack of understanding about what this actually is.

Spoonley explains casual racism is “unthinking” racism, as opposed to the racism of a white supremacist.

Like more malicious forms of racism, casual racism uses stereotypes and is derogatory but those dishing it out often don’t mean to offend and don’t always see what they’re saying is being racist.

Like Devoy said, “it doesn’t feel very casual if it happens to you”.

When someone labels comments as casual racism, many are quick to jump to the old adage of “political correctness gone mad”.

“Political correctness is often used by conservatives as a criticism. They complain that people don’t have any humour; that people are trying to curb free speech,” Spoonley says.

But if something is said that is offensive to another group because it is derogatory or disrespectful, it shouldn’t be accepted.

The person who has been offended has every right to speak up, he says.

ARE KIWIS RACIST?

The short answer is some New Zealanders are racist - some more than others.

The 2016 Legatum Prosperity Index ranks New Zealand number 1 overall and top in social capital.

Aotearoa gained a perfect score when it came to attitudes towards ethnic minorities and immigrants.

“The strength of the country’s social capital stands out like no other, underpinned by the Māori idea of society built around the whānau (family), hapū (community), and iwi (tribe)…

“Of all the world’s nations, New Zealand is the most tolerant of immigrants,” the independent global survey states.

So, on a global scale of 1-racist New Zealand doesn’t do too badly but this saga has shown racism is not a thing of the past.

The webpage for the recent New Zealand Human Rights Commission campaign That’s Us is not short of personal examples of casual racism.

This most recent example of casual racism has also brought out disturbing examples of overt racism, particularly on social media.

Some Facebook users accused Bridger of being racist for saying she is tangata whenua, some have accused her of being an attention seeker.

People also submitted comments to Stuff - which were rejected by moderators - accusing her of playing the victim and even told her to “get back in your grass skirt”.

Spoonley said anyone who believed there was not racism in New Zealand should read the comments about the unfolding story on social media.

It shows there are “some very racist elements in New Zealand”.

WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC THINK?

While some members of the public referred to this as a “storm in a teacup” or a “media beat-up”, the amount of public interest suggests a discussion needs to be had.

Kiwis are ripe and ready for this conversation after a year filled with high-profile examples of casual, and not-so-casual, racism.

Trump’s tweets attacking Muslims and Mexicans, not to mention the wall, as well as racism stemming from the Brexit vote, and local examples like when Julia Sloane called fellow housewife Michelle Blanchard a “boat n….”.

Many feel like they need to pick sides when these types of incidents arise, and with hashtags like #teamleitch popping up on social media it’s clear some immediately drew the party lines.

Spoonley says it’s not up to others, especially the person who making the comments, to decide what is and isn’t racist.

If someone takes offence, then the comments are a form of casual racism.

Bridger removed the video from Facebook soon after her story, saying she’d received death threats and she didn’t want to incite further racism.

Essentially, Bridger is a whistleblower and she’s been attacked by many for speaking up, Spoonley says.

“She’s done us a service, so I would agree that now we need to have an adult and respectful discussion about whether what Sir Peter said was appropriate.”

IS THERE STILL A CULTURAL DIVIDE?

Musician and feminist columnist of Te Arawa descent Lizzy Marvelly took the opportunity to talk about the divide that still exists between Pakeha and Maori in New Zealand.

Among other things, Marvelly posted: “I have so much admiration for Lara [Bridger]. She has spoken up about the kind of comments that Māori have been dealing with for generations.”

Spoonley says while some divide still exists, attitudes towards Maori have changed greatly during the past 30 years.

“If you went back to the 60s or 70s we would have found a lot of this casual and overt racism in the country,” he says.

“So the debate has moved on but to think it’s gone is a fallacy.”

And this isn’t just a Maori issue. In the wake of this story, more than one person from New Zealand’s Pasifika community has shared alleged accounts of being referred to as “coconuts” in the past.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Hopefully Lara Bridger wasn’t hurt in vain.

If Kiwis can rise above petty, personal attacks there’s a chance to learn from this incident.

“This is one of those moments where we should have a good public debate and it should be respectful,” Spoonley says.

“It should be a moment where we redefine the boundaries.”

As Race Relations Commissioner, Devoy has a part to play in leading these discussions but she needs to start getting it right first time.

It’s not only an opportunity to better understand what is acceptable and what constitutes racism but to learn more about ethnic minority cultures.

It’s also a chance to teach old dogs new tricks, as Mike King puts it.

The Maori comedian and mental health advocate has come out in support of Leitch. In explanation, he posted a Facebook video, complete with a story about the time he learnt a similar, hard lesson.

“The point I’d like to emphasise is that people change. And if we’re all given a chance to change and realise that we make mistakes and action that change then the world’s got to be a better place.”

Good on Bridger for speaking up, she had every right to. However, he supported Leitch.

“It’s 2017, old dogs can be taught new tricks. We just need to share the love and give people the opportunity to do that,” King says.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/88182831/Peter-Leitch-racism-row-a-learning-opportunity

Tags: Anti-white media, Bridger, casual racism, Laura Walters, Peter Leitch, Susan Devoy