Why do people think racism works like noise cancelling?
If you’re racist the “other way”, it doesn’t cancel out the initial racism, it just creates more racism.
The idea that racism can be good is very strange. “I’m going to be racist, but for a good cause” doesn’t fit well.
I get the goal was to encourage Tangata Moana to attend, but it is in effect a disincentive to the “allies” because they are being punished.
The fact that there is tiered pricing for other things doesn’t excuse this behavior. It turns out that Students/Youth/Elderly are different than Maori/White/Pasifika.
“Reverse racism” isn’t really a thing.
The organisers make a thoughtful observation of existing positive discrimination widely accepted in pricing:
They also noted that staggered ticketing structures “are not uncommon”.
“Discounted tickets are widely offered to various groups including seniors, students, unwaged, and locals to name a few. This structure exists beyond [the event] WAVES, and is utilised by businesses and organisations alike, in an effort to prioritise affordability for specific demographics.”
Maybe their goal isn’t to end racism but to say “if you get you to be racist to benefit your kind why can’t we”
So, what’s the answer then - woukd it be just declaring there is no racism in NZ and trying to keep everything ‘level’?
The OP is saying there is no racism. I am saying we accept that fact there is deep and intense racism which runs to the core of our culture and that all efforts to ease it have failed. These people have come to the same realisation and decided to go ahead and practice it the same way it was practiced against them.
There is no other choice really. It’s not like people are going to stop being racist tonight and treat everybody fairly. Why even pretend the world is fair.
Yeah, I get what you mean.
I’m hoping somehow there’s a way where we can get to some sort of parity and then work to de-escalate from there, but I actually just don’t think humans can do that.
We really need better tools to handle our insecurities, as a species…
This is not about insecurities. This is about suffering material and health related consequences of racism for a lifetime and then finally when you have the chance to make one small gesture making it and then getting shit on by an entire nation who believes the only beneficiary of racism should be them.
Fair point - I’d moved on from this example of the tiered pricing to the big picture of ‘how does a society eliminate racism’ in principle.
You are right about this.
I do wonder what might the future look like though, when we’re all trying to ‘get one back’ either due to responding to the systemic racism or …bear with me here, the hypothetocal is a little gross: counter-responses: lets imagine pakeha with perceived past hurts in response to similar gestures? (as im sure there are quite a few completely blind to their privilege and so on…). I’m not saying they did the wrong thing at all with the gesture, I’m merely trying to find ways to avoid escalating things (which in hindsight sounds dangerously like ‘peace at any price’, but I don’t think it is…).
