Why this blog?

I decided that there needed to be some common sense added to today’s news. Most news stories have a particular slant that the writer wishes to get across and unfortunately this can be terribly one sided. I am a New Zealand Citizen (a Kiwi) and most of my blogs will be related to news we see here in New Zealand. For example, this morning I read in the Herald an article by an Ex-Pat now living in Prague titled: Take it from a Kiwi abroad. Limiting speech will not make us safer. I quote: “

If new rules were imposed, and people who complained online about the behaviour of tourists and wealthy foreigners in their city online suddenly had their social media accounts suspended or deleted for breaching social media guidelines. Would that make my wife and I safer here?

Let’s take the next logical step — what if a law was imposed in which “hateful” language against foreigners like my wife and I was made illegal and we could walk around as a legally protected class, impervious to anything but the meekest and most generalised criticism?”

So I read this and I think this is taking a concept to the extreme – where is the common sense being applied to the “rules” regarding what is and isn’t hate speech. It is fair that the locals speak up when they believe their “rules and community” are at risk – visitors need to be respectful of the place(s) they are visiting and if they break the law or the community standards of that land/city/town/landmark, then it is right that locals speak up about it – this is not hate speech, this is not complaining against another race – this is standing up for what you believe is right in your community.

The writer states that 60% of the countries income comes from the tourist industry, but that does not give the tourists the right to disrespect the laws and values of the country they are visiting, they (the tourists) have a responsibility to obey the laws and respect the people who call the place their home. They have a responsibility to behave in a manner that respects the locals – it is like the old adage “do unto others as you would have done unto you”. Why is this so easily forgotten when we visit other places outside of our “home turf”?

Likewise, here in NZ, after the horrific shooting in the two Mosques, we now need to look at what hate talk or racism looks like. So now imagine – it’s Halloween – is it OK for kids to dress up as American Indians, Nazi’s, Western Cowboys, Princesses, Martin Luther King, Lawrence of Arabia, Mohammed, Jesus Christ, the kid with the Afro wig and black face, Hitler, Stalin, a Young Turk in the “Special Organisation”, (read about the 1915 Armenian Massacre), an Aborigine – obviously this list could go on and on and which of these would we consider acceptable. My bet would be that there would be no Hitler, no Nazis, no Jesus Christ and no Mohammed – but it is OK for Indians, Cowboys, Princesses, and of course the hundred’s of costumes not related to human beings. At what point does a race’s sensitivity to a situation overshadow a “fun” occasion. Take the example of the Taranaki parade float where one float had participants with Black Faces and the outrage that caused. One has to stop and look at the context that something is said or done in. My point is where do you stop or draw the line as to what is or is not racism. Hence you need to add in common sense.

What is common sense you ask? Good question and for the purposes of this blog, I am defining common sense as the guide for behaviour based on what is and is not acceptable in the community, town or city, or country you live in. This of course changes as community make up changes, as towns or cities change or even as countries change, and of course, the changes that come over time. This common sense must be applied to all places that you live and/or visit including your own country! I also found this definition: Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by (“common to”) nearly all people, and can be reasonably expected of nearly all people without any need for debate

So summing up today’s blog on what is hate speech and what is racism – neither will be tolerated by New Zealanders, but we will use our common sense to help us determine when it really is hate speech and when it really is racism.
Hate speech is speech that attacks a person or a group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity. The use of the term “racism” does not easily fall under a single definition.