The Latest Paul Henry Saga

My writing has a tendency to land me in trouble with people whom in general I share similar views with, but from time to time I go against the grain of what may be considered popular opinion. My personal view on the Treaty of Waitangi is one of those matters, but this may be another. But as a writer of sorts you take what comes when you put your opinion out into the forum of the public. Same will it be with this I guess.

I never thought I would work on devoting a blog to Paul Henry, in anyway, shape or form, but his latest comments do stir something in the soul.

For one, and I cannot explain this, but I do not feel the uproar most of my countrymen are feeling. I completely agree that his comments were indeed offensive. Said in the heat of the moment or just out of sheer stupidity I don't know and I'm not going to judge, but for me personally, I think the postlude is proving worse than the act itself.

Yesterday, Unite Union and accompanied by the (radical at the best of times) Global Peace and Justice Auckland, fronted by radical John Minto protested outside the TVNZ offices in Auckland demanding Henry's sacking from his position. But I take Minto as seriously as I do Russell Norman or Peter Bethune. He's always good for a protest. He'd protest against the production of cheese if he could find a good enough reason, and Unite? well, they are firey at the best of times for any reason at all.

I wonder. Did Unite and the GPJA protest outside Hone Harawira's office, or the Maori Party HQ, or Parliament when the Northland MP stated his kids would never marry a pakeha? Did they protest outside Paul Holmes home when he did his cheeky darky slant on then UN Secretary General Kofee Annan? Why aren't they outside the bases of Skinheads or even the Mongrel Mob or Black Power?

One issue I believe is the thing that is at the core of the issue that no one wants to admit in our overly PC culture way of viewing things. Racism is in our society. I'm not talking about the kind of racism that is panned off as an excuse for so many Maori children failing in schools or the over representation of Maori in prisons...those particular issues unfortunately are as much if not more so about the choices people make that lead them there as it is about the ethnic backgrounds of the individual. I'm talking about the attitudes of some, some New Zealander's

Our culture supports racism to a degree. The case of the Metropolitan club in Manurewa not allowing a member of the Sikh community (whom they had invited to give a speech or they were giving an award to him) not to wear the Turban he wears as a part of his culture and beliefs. We claim to be a multi-cultural society, enlightened, understanding and tolerant. When in many instances, the opposite is true. Maybe more true than we want or are willing to admit.

We live in a world (New Zealand) that even now tolerates the 'I'm Maori, I deserve a hand-out' mentality. Where the current generation is being forced in more than monetary terms to pay for the wrongs of the past, of something that began as a race issue, Maori V Europeans.

I recall years ago my first wife's step father had a bit of a streak in him when the comment came back to me later that he said to her, 'you're not marrying one of those are you?' Yes, I felt somewhat offended by it, but I didn't call for his head on a platter. I felt sorry for his attitude. It for me is no different here. I feel sorry for what was said and the attitude it reflected at the time.

I can't say personally, that I have looked into the life of our respected Governor General. I knew he was a honourable man who's position is justified by his experience. However, without looking a little more I wouldn't have known that he was born in New Zealand. I do not know the rules around the appointment of a Governor General, and would assume that they have to be a born/naturalised New Zealander.

I do not remotely agree with Paul Henry's statements or even the way he expressed them. I agree even less with the rage that has come in the wake. It shows the hypocrisy of some groups when a member of parliament can say things like this, and no one calls for his head, and yet, a New Zealand born European can say something as blasé as 'he dosent look like a New Zealander, and he's being looked to be lynched.

What does a New Zealander look like? To be honest, we don't have a typical look...unless of course you are looking for someone like Jeff the Maori from Brotown. Do we have a typical look?

I cannot construe Mr Henry's comments as overly racist. He didn't call him a punjabi, dairy owner, or a cheap skate fruit store owner. Were his comments ignorant? Yes, very much so. Just plain dumb? Sure thing...but there are, have been, and will continue to be a lot of things said and done, a lot more racist than Mr Henry's comments on Breakfast TV, as long as our society continues to add fuel to the fire providing an atmosphere where it can grow. I believe he is far from being a bigot...if you take the true dictionary sense. There are others to whom that title could easily be given.

I felt his on air apology on Tuesday was heart felt and truly contrite and that takes a measure of a man to do that. But what has been latched onto here is a radical view of racism. The (no pun intended) black and white of it. It does no one any good.