- Re: Mass shooting at NZ Mosque This will come as a major shock to New Zealanders Archived Message
Posted by John Monro
on March 15, 2019, 10:47 am, in reply to "Mass shooting at NZ Mosque"
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Whilst New Zealanders aren't unaware of the troubles around the world, and have been very trusting allies of the Anglo-Saxon world, though I would suggest naive would be a better word than trusting, eg the Five Eyes, and contributed, in maybe slightly reluctant ways, to military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, I think most New Zealanders would have had the thought, until today, yes, it could happen here, but at the same time, why should it? We are a bit different, aren't we? As Jacinda Ardern says today, "This is not us", Well, that fond notion has been violently disabused today; it seems, now, tragically, more true to say: "Yes, it is us" This level of violence has never, ever been experienced in this country before; for the UK and Europe and many other countries, there's a certain natural inurement to such violence as it has continued throughout the years, and of course for the USA, it's a perpetual cultural norm. For those unaffected, life goes on. But for us, It's almost as if little innocent New Zealand has been raped and defiled, and I have no doubt that the majority of New Zealanders will be going to bed tonight depressed, upset and feeling physically sick. There will be many sleepless nights. And for Christchurch, what can one say? What has this little slumbering city, New Zealand's "garden city" done to deserve the deathly mayhem of earthquakes and now this appalling act of human hatred. I have lived in New Zealand for over thirty years - it's a pleasant place to live, but nowhere near perfect and as leaders in neoliberalism is economically and fiscally much more right wing than foreigners might generally understand, though New Zealand is socially is considerably more progressive.. Our version of neoliberalism has caused major increases in inequality, 250,000 children living in families with income poverty, 150,000 with material deprivation, some of the highest suicide rates in young people in the OECD, along with very high levels of incarceration, and we have a housing market totally out of kilter with the most unaffordable homes in the OECD, and huge levels of private debt related to this, not to mention our greenhouse gas emissions are now 40% more than in 1990, one of the worse figures in the OECD and likely to cost us billions of dollars in Kyotos units . A nice climate and lots of uncrowded spaces does not in itself compensate for these failings. However, New Zealanders are happy, optimistic, hard working, friendly, easy going and easy to like; that does help a lot, as does a young, progressive and ethical lady PM, though she is very hamstrung by her NZ First coalition partners and many of her own Labour MPs. . . As an immigrant I can obviously be upset by such happenings as occurred to day here with the same sort of feelings of sorrow and anger as I have when I hear of such atrocities in any other country, and as I've felt almost continuously, when it comes to my mind, as to what is happening in the Middle East and other fractured areas of the world. But for the native New Zealander, and immigrants and refugees who might have thought they'd find a safe future here, their feelings will be much more personal, more intense, much more immediate, and will be hard to come to terms with. This event happens just a day or so after the leader of the Green Party, James Shaw, walking to Parliament, was assaulted by a man, being saved from more serious injury by the action of some bystanders. Our immediate thoughts will be with those injured and the families of these people and those slain. Our thoughts too to my professional colleagues in Christchurch fighting for the lives of those under their care. And to the police - we will later find out exactly what they were able, or more unfortunately, not able to do. My thoughts too to our politicians who we must trust can land some useful wisdom, humanity and humility from the rank and putrid waters that politicians for the most part row their boats on. Goodnight from New Zealand - take care all of you. |