Posted by alexandra_k on February 3, 2020, at 18:38:43
In reply to I mean, posted by alexandra_k on February 3, 2020, at 18:22:08
And actually now it sounds like he just stole whatever the Australian said about having a go or getting a go or whatever. A fair go.
The difference is that...
Oh... I think maybe the year I arrived in Aussie to start my PhD there was an exhibition in the national gallary about what it means to be an Australian.
It was audio visual.
Differnet people... A diversity of people. They asked them what being an Australian meant to them. Older people. Younger people. Aborigine people. White people. Yellow people.
And they had a diversity of answers, of course. But recurring themes, as you would expect.
And I remember at the time being surprised. I thought that New Zealanders had a very clear of their identity. I was surprised to hear that it was part of teh school curriculum, or something, part of Australian studies, or something, to get the kids thinking about and reflecting on the differnt things that made them Australian.
And I suppose I faintly rememebered some school unit on things like the All Blacks and the Americas Cup and Buzzy bees and sheep and something like that...
But 'New Zealanders' is something that apparently one is racist if one says it. The term. It's apparently a term that is used to undermine Maori. To deny that the Treaty is the founding document of NZ. Except of course a Treaty isn't a founding document. It isn't an agreement to work together. People don't work together. They smooth the ego constantly and it is constantly required because of course all the ego smoothing gestures are false and phoney and artificial ego smoothing gestures. The people participating know full well the people are vultures and will screw them over for their own personal advantage at the first available opportunity...
Which is what makes it empty gestures we could spend the next... Forever. Forever generations could be devoted to the task of smoothing others egos all day...
Or would they grow up?
The NZ experiment.
I suppose.
HOw many generations will it take for things like politicians go grow up. To get with the program. To stop having toddler tantrums around letting other people have resources they need in order to function, too.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1108326
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20191212/msgs/1108327.html