Do You Speak English?
‘Asian invasion’. ‘Widespread immigration crisis’. ‘Overstayers crowd workforce’. ‘Terrorists in our midst’. ‘Wave of foreigners’. ‘Loss of national identity’.
Racial prejudice is founded on a lack of awareness; we fear what we do not understand. It occurs in varying degrees, from throwaway remarks, to the increasing number of brutal attacks on ethnic people in New Zealand.
The murder of pizza delivery worker Michael Choy in 2001 was said to be racially motivated.
More recently, the vandalism of Auckland mosques in the wake of London’s terrorist bombings came as a reminder that racial and religious prejudice is still alive in our community.
Remember the desecration of Jewish cemeteries, and the physical attacks on Somali youth in Wellington and Asian youth in Christchurch?
Racial discrimination is caused by false assumptions; supposing that a taxi driver with a strong accent is uneducated, while in his home country he may, in fact, have been a leading surgeon or academic, but is unable to find such employment in New Zealand.
Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies remind us of one of the darkest times in human history; caused by the idea that one race was superior. But even today, neo-Nazi and nationalist groups sill exist around the world, founded on Hitler’s philosophies.
While clearly far from the severity of Nazi Germany, New Zealand politics has not been free from racial prejudice either. A ‘poll tax’ (entry tax), applied only to Chinese immigrants during the 1800s, was a discriminatory form of government revenue-gathering.
In 1975, National leader Robert Muldoon ran a scare campaign directed at Pacific Island migrant workers. This was followed by dawn raids on suspected overstayers. The ‘flying squad’ model that carried out those raids could be brought back in some form under a future New Zealand First (coalition) government, according to party leader Winston Peters. With immigration being a hot topic of this year’s election campaign, the race debate is far from over.
Migration and racial prejudice
Refugees and migrants can still face discrimination wherever they go simply because they’re ‘different’.
Mexican migrants face strong prejudice in the United States. In recent years, groups of Americans have appointed themselves vigilante border guards. In May this year a masked vigilante dressed in military fatigues, and armed with an assault rifle, killed a man during an attack on a group of Mexicans attempting to cross the border.
Closer to home, Australia is the only country in the world with a policy of compulsory detention of asylum seekers This includes children, some of whom have been imprisoned their whole lives. Hundreds of children and adults have been detained in Australian government-run detention centres, and on Nauru, under Australian control.
The nation’s cultural pulse
New Zealand’s social and cultural history has been entirely shaped by migration, beginning with the earliest known arrivals of Polynesian explorers around 1100AD. Explorers, traders, colonisers, migrants and refugees, have arrived for various reasons – often economic, while some moved to escape social or political persecution.
Refugees and migrants come from similar situations; however, while migrants choose to leave their homeland, refugees are compelled to flee to a country of asylum.
New Zealand has resettled approximately 25,000 refugees in the past 60 years. The annual intake is restricted by a quota of 750.
There were also 22,000 migrants who were granted citizenship here in 2004, and now call New Zealand home.
“It’s just a question of becoming more used to having different people around,” says Prime Minister Helen Clark.
“I have a great faith in our ability to build a nation around new waves of migration.”
A change in immigration policy in the late 1980s resulted in a sizeable influx of new migrants.
Because of this, the extended families of many New Zealand immigrants have been here for at least two decades. Yet these second- or third-generation Kiwis, most of whom were born here, are sometimes seen as foreigners in what they consider to be their own homeland.
Race relations remains contentious and polarising. Issues relating to culture, identity and immigration are questioned in communities all over the world; we are privileged to live in a nation in which we can freely discuss such issues.
Racial prejudice may always be an element of our society. But if we work to create and maintain dialogue between people of different races, ethnicities and cultures, our respective prejudices will lessen and we can work together towards
mutual understanding and appreciation.
Take Action
All this low self-esteem, hate crime and discrimination can be a bit of a downer. And I know this sounds cheesy, but prejudice ultimately affects everyone, because we are excluding and alienating people who could be well worth knowing.
• Challenge your own prejudices: everyone has prejudiced thoughts, so don’t feel guilty, just recognize that you have them and work to think and act differently.
• Get to know people from groups who are discriminated against. It will help with understanding and not being scared.
• School yourself up with the Prejudice Institute’s factsheet.
• Write letters to Editors or to politicians – make sure they know it’s something you care about.
• Link up with other people or organisations to organise pro-diversity, anti-prejudice events or groups
• Call it when you see it.
Links
New Mexico’s vigilante killings.
Immigration New Zealand
Refugee and Migrant Service
Understanding Prejudice – this is a great website for getting your head around prejudice.
Oxfam International Youth Parliament - check out some of the cool things other young people are doing around the world – disproving the stereotypes.
This article was written as part of the Global Focus a collaborative project of Tearaway Magazine and the Global Education Centre. It was first published in Tearaway magazine and is reprinted here with their permission.
