so far this week I have failed to achieve either an apartment or a promotion, despite oportunities on each. I have lost a boss and (I feel sure) a marble or two. I worry the cat will get them.
And I worry noone will ever express anything thoughtful about race relations. I just watched Gerry Brownlee try to explain that Maori were being treated special (implying that this was wrong). I thought the main point was they were pointing out that they weren't English, and didn't necessarily wanted to be treated as if they were.
It seems patently obvious to me that standing up for your right to be different (and have adjustments made to accommodate that where relevant) is perfectly sensible. But then, I often find myself not quite fitting the pakeha norm.
I notice that people are talking about the pendulum swinging too far in favour of Maori. But I worry that the conversations are actually at cross purposes. Many accommodations can be made for Maori so they can pursue their cultural heritage that make little or no impact on anyone else. Take tangi leave for example. If the law said that parents could take time off to take care of sick children - would Dr Brash avoid hiring Catholics because they would be more likely to have many children? For once, being gay would be an advantage.
Posted by carla at February 18, 2004 09:59 PM