world

New Zealand PM says her country 'undeniably' racist

79 Comments
By Andy WHARTON

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2018 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

79 Comments
Login to comment

Anyone who denies that racism exists need to get their head of of their backside. Admitting that there are problems within your society - even/especially if you aren't negtively affected by them - is not a bad thing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What country isn't? It's human nature to be tribal. Race, family, region, religion, gender, nationality, sports teams or political philosophy. Humans can always find a way to justify discrimination. Good on her but isn't she stating the obvious?

-1 ( +11 / -12 )

 It's human nature to be tribal. Race, family, region, religion, gender, nationality, sports teams or political philosophy.

No - Its not human nature to treat a person differently or label them because of their race, skin colour, or religion.

Please don't liken sports team rivalry to skin colour/ ethnicity racism.

-11 ( +11 / -22 )

New Zealand has been at the forefront of social change, due to its willingness to front up to their mistakes. And here we have a PM who denies nothing admits things can get better and will work towards that goal. If only more political members were as honest and as concerned as she.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

Openly admitting that there is a problem is the only way to stay making positive changes! I wish the PM of the island nation I live in would openly say the same thing!

5 ( +15 / -10 )

No - Its not human nature to treat a person differently or label them because of their race, skin colour, or religion.

I'm not sure about religion, but as for the other two, some research has shown a possible evolutionary reason behind racism:

"Similar individuals are more likely to share copies of each other's genes and dissimilar individuals are less likely to. As a consequence, evolutionary theory predicts that organisms will often discriminate, because helping similar partners and harming dissimilar ones increase the fraction of the discriminating party's genes in future generations," says Dr. Krupp.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150429104813.htm

Not to say racism is right, or has a place in this current world (it doesn't), but it may very well indeed be human nature to be racist.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Who cares, what country in the world doesn't have racist people in them?

0 ( +11 / -11 )

Stranger, I was hoping to defuse the comment excusing racism as human nature. The fact is that it is now 2018 and we have learned through our own history that racism is not accepted. It may have been human nature before Martin Luther King and when the world had segregation, but it should not be human nature anymore because we should have been educated. The same post used sports team rivalry as a comparison to racism against the Maori which sums up that post.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Who cares, what country in the world doesn't have racist people in them?

So we should just let it go on and not bother trying to reduce it as much as possible?

5 ( +8 / -3 )

I was hoping to defuse the comment excusing racism as human nature.

It's important to recognize if/that it is human nature though. A problem cannot be overcome if the source of the problem is not first understood.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

It's good to have this kind of dialogue. I only wish, like Yubaru posted, that we could get some here. Good on some noteworthy people of New Zealand fo talk about the problem head-on.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Not as bad as Australia though.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

The remarks prompted fierce debate in New Zealand, with many backing him and others saying he was overstating a problem that was much worse in other countries.

Exactly. Just come here.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

The same post used sports team rivalry as a comparison to racism against the Maori which sums up that post

If you think I was equating the two your are way off, the key was human nature, not the extent or the equivalency of the discrimination. The point is if you put a group of people in a room they will eventually find commonalities and differences. Sociology proves that differences are spotted and acted on before similarities. You can't argue the science or the facts.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

A: you’re racist

B: yes, and so are you

A: that’s true

This has got to be some of that fake news stuff everyone is so up in arms about these days.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

I think this is a good attitude to have. To recognize that racism exists.

Personally I think racism is more widespread than it should be, but this also means that we should not be overly harsh on individuals for what are still unfortunately common attitudes. One casual remark, possibly off camera, should not be enough to end someone's career, for example. The person should simply be disciplined and show remorse. In this age of Twitter, there seems to be a witch-hunt ready and waiting to blow everything out of proportion.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Not as bad as Australia though.

Possibly but at least most/many Aussies don't take the moral high ground when it comes to racism. Kiwis often do.

Lecturing others, especially Aussies, about how much better/fairer/more harmonious etc their society is has become a national nz pastime.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

No japanese celebrity would rock the boat by making a similar - and very well founded - accusationagainst japanese society.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

If you think I was equating the two your are way off, the key was human nature, not the extent or the equivalency of the discrimination. The point is if you put a group of people in a room they will eventually find commonalities and differences. Sociology proves that differences are spotted and acted on before similarities. You can't argue the science or the facts.

Youre mixing tribalism with racism. One identifies your group as different to others. The other prejudices against. This article is about racism against the Maori. Its not about Hurricanes v Highlanders in rugby, nor do I believe in explaining racism as human nature. It should be explained and taught as being unacceptable and illegal.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708435/

This was a great episode to show how ridiculous racism is.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

What country isn't? It's human nature to be tribal. Race, family, region, religion, gender, nationality, sports teams or political philosophy. Humans can always find a way to justify discrimination. Good on her but isn't she stating the obvious?

Advocating a dumb view that is wide spread in God's Own Country, the so-called leader of the free world.

Humans can, and in this they differ from animals, deal with the stereotypes that are imbedded in our brains, and behave or better learn to behave tolerant to those who look or act different.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Thank you Netgrump. Too many posts here comfortably explaining racism as human nature. Clearly posted by people who never really experienced nasty racism.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

I disagree with some posters who are dismissing this. I believe that acknowledgement goes a long way - or at least is a very good starting point.

Japan (like every country) has its own share of racism. The difference is that many Japanese people will not admit it - either because they don't know about it, they don't understand it, or because they're hesitant to criticize their own country. Such attitudes make it much harder to fix problems that do exist. So, good on the New Zealand Prime Minister for putting the issue so bluntly. Awareness and discussion are necessary for such problems to be improved upon.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

The point is if you put a group of people in a room they will eventually find commonalities and differences. Sociology proves that differences are spotted and acted on before similarities. You can't argue the science or the facts.

Another 'tool' used by some racists: 'that you can't argue science'

You don't have to be a scientist to comprehend the findings and conclusions of scientists:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/inquiring-minds-david-amodio-your-brain-on-racism/

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

The concept of race itself is an artificial human construct, it didn't really even become a word until the 1700/1800s or so, in order to justify slavery

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Always the Western, predominantly white, highly multicultural countries that like to bang on about racism, that are in fact, the least racist societies on Earth. So much so, they let in thousands upon thousands of people from other cultures yearly. Its utterly ridiculous. Travel to Asia, Africa and elsewhere around the world and you soon realize how incredibly tolerant Western societies are. So much so, its to their detriment, starting to erode the foundations in some places, particularly in Europe.

The days of highly open Western societies are coming to an end in that part of the world. Hungary is a start and an unfortunate reaction to immigration and refugee intake poorly managed in Europe.

Japan (like every country) has its own share of racism. The difference is that many Japanese people will not admit it

That is typical throughout the whole of Asia in my experience. And many other places, but always the white man must feel guilty. I have no guilt, at all.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

Human children show no contempt at others, no matter the colour or shape of the face of the other. It is after they learn to learn, that society poisons them with socially constructed injustice and inhumanity. Having heard here that "racism" has any origin in human nature, I am quite disappointed. More than usually, that is.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Who cares

Victims of racism?

Perhaps there is a scientific basis to racism in the sense of the quote Strangerland posted. What we need to deal with most urgently are dangerous ideas of superiority/inferiority based on race. This might sound like I’m talking about refighting a battle already won, but old, debunked pseudo-science or ‘research’ with very questionable methodologies have been resurfacing on the internet for quite a while. This stuff has appeal to balls-out racists and can recruit some of the ‘this is what the MSM/government/PC cucks don’t want you to know’ crowd. These types will be with us for the foreseeable future.

Good education is the key to further improvement. We have come forward on this issue but there isn’t a magic cure.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

@ goldorak

Possibly but at least most/many Aussies don't take the moral high ground when it comes to racism. Kiwis often do.

I've been observing Australians for ages in South-East and East Asia and had / have good experiences with many but saw more scenes surrounded with the scent of Pauline Hanson.

Racism wil never be 'stamped out' but with the efforts sounded by this PM and the perception of the outside world about New Zealand and their natives, the country is way ahead of the Penal State.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Matt H, Exactly right. I agree completely.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The fact is that it is now 2018 and we have learned through our own history that racism is not accepted. It may have been human nature before Martin Luther King and when the world had segregation, but it should not be human nature anymore because we should have been educated.

I think you don’t know what the term “human nature” means. Nature as in-born. Not judging that. It’s simply what is. By education do you mean pretending that something doesn’t exist? Deal with reality. Accept toleration.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

We are all born into this world as free thinkers if we don,t like something that is our prerogative - I like beef first and foremost of all meat does anyone have the right to say I cannot ? i can decide for myself who and what I like - I do not buy into Dictatorship of my own thinking,

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Everyone is naturally racist:

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/racial-bias-may-begin-babies-six-months-u-t-research-reveals

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/racist-babies-nine-month-olds-bias-faces_n_1477937.html

Accept it, and move on in life.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

my sister in law is an aussie and the stuff that comes out of her and her friends mouths naturally really shocked me. when i went backpacking around NZ, people were so friendly and open. only racism i experienced was from fat white conservative rugby loving city types who vote National. great she can talk about it.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

It seems like part of the problem is that few people can actually agree on a universal definition of racism. Is racism only the classic definition where someone believes that a particular race is inherently superior to all other races in every way? Or does it now extend to the sorts of behaviour that might be more appropriately called 'in-group preference', which the science suggests could be evolutionarily hard-wired into our human brains? Or is it the new definition put forward by some where racism can only occur when minorities without privilege are being oppressed, but never the other way around regardless of what is said or done.

Until we agree on a definition, I don't think we can get very far. Everyone will just talk past eachother and get needlessly offended. For example, those who are saying that 'racism' might be natural, are probably only meaning to say that 'in-group preference' might be natural, but someone who subscribes to the classic definition (the belief in superiority) will never accept that 'racism' could ever be natural.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I think the problem is that people cannot discuss racism in any reasonable fashion without twisting it to serve a harmful political agenda. This, of course, only serves to further reinforce racism.

Simple. Racism is common, many people are racist to one degree or another. It's a bad thing. But when you use anti-racism as an excuse to badger and deprive human rights from any group of people (however "privileged they may be), then you are making the problem worse.

Which is the problem when a politician comes out with a statement like this.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

@Goodlucktoyou,

'fat white conservative..'

I wonder if. it would be ok to say, 'fat black...'

I think not.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

I think we call it racism, goodlucktoyou.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

I read Jalapeno's links, and I did not read that 'Everyone is naturally racist' at all.

To quote:

*by the time they are 9 months old, babies are better able to recognize faces and emotional expressions of people who belong to *the group they interact with most

*racial bias may arise out of our lack of exposure to other-race individuals in infancy*

*An important finding is that *infants will learn from people they are most exposed to

In other words, it's learned, not innate.

When you have a new puppy, you (should) make a positive effort to socialise it with as many different people as possible; men, women, kids, people in hats, people in glasses, people in uniforms, people on bikes, bald people, people with long hair; any kind of person it is likely to come into contact with, so that it learns such people are no threat to it.

I'm not saying that babies and puppies are the same, but it's not unlikely that babies who are not exposed to people who look and/or sound different will develop a wariness towards 'other' people. More so perhaps if they grow up with parents or other influences that arbitrarily reinforce a fear or distain of 'otherness'.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I think the problem is that people cannot discuss racism in any reasonable fashion without twisting it to serve a harmful political agenda

Overstating it. I think saying treat people as equals regardless of their skin colour is a reasonable statement to make. Some certainly do twist the issue of race to suit a political agenda ( some grandstanding and others blowing dog whistles ) but it needn’t always be the case.

What I worry about is some attempting to put forward the idea that all ideologies should be treated with equal respect and criticism of them is akin to racism.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Wow.

Maybe a provocative headline, but if I were the leader of a country, I think I’d happily concede that there were racist people in my country, but not that the country I run itself is racist (unless you were running an apartheid system or something).

I’d chalk this up as a gaffe, as such.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Reading some comments, I am reminded of an amusing experience I had as a westerner in Africa with my Japanese spouse.

We were confused as being brother and sister (or father and daughter, I forget exactly.)

Obviously to us our skin colors were nowhere near as black as that of the person who made this mistake in judgement, but not so obvious to them, obviously.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@ Matt Hartwell

Always the Western, predominantly white, highly multicultural countries that like to bang on about racism, that are in fact, the least racist societies on Earth.

True but that has to do with new insights by later generations. The 'guilt' card is played often played by whites among each other which often leads to the wrong discussion.

The whole article doesn't mention 'The White Man' or 'Guilt' but is about the efforts to do it better and about awareness. Awareness that there are also Maori racists as stated in the article.

Racism is not black and white but among all colours and tribes. The people Africa have more or less the same color but tribal issues are a setback till today.

Some time ago I sat in a high end bar on HK Island between expatriates and well to do locals who thought that Europe was already a caliphate. They shared also with me that Muslims behave moderate in HK because [we] Chinese are racists.

It was late and I looked at the local beauty next to me and said to the bartender: another beer and what the lady wants. The sight on her legs overruled [after a few beers] her 'racism' :)

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

is often played by **

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Credit to Waititi for admitting what so many Leftists refuse to admit acknowledge- racism is s two way street. There is a huge problem today with the radical Left trying to make one race race out to be a scapegoat for all the worlds past and current problems. This simplistic thinking only serves to drive a wedge between people for no good reason.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

There is a huge problem today with the radical Left trying to make one race race out to be a scapegoat

There’s also a problem with the radical right using your point to excuse their racism.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

There is a huge problem today with the radical Left trying to make one race race out to be a scapegoat for all the worlds past and current problems. This simplistic thinking only serves to drive a wedge between people for no good reason.

Good point. Don’t forget the right blowing dog whistles on this issue. Don’t think for one moment only one side are playing this issue. To think otherwise is ridiculously simplistic thinking.

a two way street

Indeed it is.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Netgrump, you are dodging the issue Matt raises. These discussions only take place in

western, predominantly white 'multicultural' nations, and they are in fact the most tolerant nations in the world.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

 These discussions only take place in

western, predominantly white 'multicultural' nations, and they are in fact the most tolerant nations in the world.

I think many people living in the US would disagree, in fact I as a white person would disagree. I remember reading in the 1930s many African American performers went to Europe where they suffered a lot less discrimination than they did at home. The US is still very divided, more overtly since Trump came to the political sphere. Singapore does it better than just about anywhere. Not a western country I think.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Everyone is naturally racist:

Accept it, and move on in life.

It is possible that we have a natural predisposition to "racism" or something descended from the tribalism of early man, when staying with you tribe and being fearful of others might have been the difference between life and death, and the continuation of your genes.

However, we do not need to accept something that we know is wrong. Look at the strides taken to defeat racism in the West - in just a few generations we have moved from black people being slaves in the USA to being president of the USA and marrying into the British royal family. But we are only part of the way along a journey of equality, but every year we edge closer to overcoming it.

Do not accept it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Always the Western, predominantly white, highly multicultural countries that like to bang on about racism, that are in fact, the least racist societies on Earth. So much so, they let in thousands upon thousands of people from other cultures yearly. Its utterly ridiculous. Travel to Asia, Africa and elsewhere around the world and you soon realize how incredibly tolerant Western societies are. So much so, its to their detriment, starting to erode the foundations in some places, particularly in Europe.

Don't forget that historical Western colonialism has caused many of these institutionalized racism you see today. Before you can talk about the thousands and thousands of immigrants, you first have to talk about the thousands and thousands of slaves brought in. Or also the fact that the "white man" literally went into lands far way, and settled while subjugating the natives or aboriginals (I'm sure you know a perfect country as an example).

The days of highly open Western societies are coming to an end in that part of the world. Hungary is a start and an unfortunate reaction to immigration and refugee intake poorly managed in Europe.

Which means the "white man" finally is starting to know how it feels like having an influx of foreigners coming in, and how they're changing society. There is a land where literally thousands and thousands of British convicts were shoved over to.

That is typical throughout the whole of Asia in my experience. And many other places, but always the white man must feel guilty. I have no guilt, at all.

The times are changing. The Western ways are becoming less and less the ways of the world, and I know some people definitely hate the fact that this diminishes their white privilege. Who knows, maybe someday, colored majority of the world would be the ones who have "colored guilt" for the minority whites.

:)

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

The headline is pretty bad. A racist country versus a country with racism seem quite different things to me.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@ cochise

Netgrump, you are dodging the issue Matt raises. These discussions only take place in western, predominantly white 'multicultural' nations, and they are in fact the most tolerant nations in the world.

I'm not dodging anything as I live in a West-European predominantly white multicultural nation. So what's your point? Reread the first of my post.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

word **

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

not that the country I run itself is racist (unless you were running an apartheid system or something).

And, there is that "something" in New Zealand. That's definitely what she means. Most of the systematic State discrimination is over, but that only ended a few years ago. Maori kids taken away from communities , that was done till the 80's . People alive now. It's not "the past". This PM still deals with the consequences, and maybe there are still a few shameful laws and administrative habits to reform.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There are thousands of Maoris living in Australia---are they happier there than in NZ? If they are is Australia less racist and discriminatory than NZ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

"Once Were Warriors" (1994), about modern Maori life in New Zealand.

Main actor went on to work in other films like Star Wars.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@FizzBit - yeah it's a good movie alright. Temuera Morrison's iconic role really. Not just him but also Cliff Curtis has gone on to star in a lot of Hollywood movies... actually a bigger name than Temuera.

@Goldorak - I wouldn't worry too much about us Kiwis saying how much better we are than Australia. Usually it's on the defensive or pre-empting what we think is about to be said. Both NZ and Oz have good and bad. Overall I'd say the two countries are quite similar. I was really impressed with the performance from the Australian 10k girls the other day. Waiting at the end for the last runner from Lesotho who was two laps behind when every other runner had already left the field... that was brilliant. Not something you see every day, that's for sure.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Enough of this white guilt bs.

Perhaps this Hollywood director can explain how he was prevented from success because of his skin colour.

If painting oneself were an Olympic sport...

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

As a victim

0 ( +2 / -2 )

True very true. I am a New Zealander. I am not anti asian but I am anti Maori (indigenous people).

Lazy, drunks and drugs, even school age kids steal money cigarettes from stores and shops, steal from gasoline stands ,steal cars, steal whatever they like, Our prison population is 80% maori, yet these parasites complain insistently about their perceived mistreatment. Poorly educated, poor attitude towards everyone and every thing. Violent criminals, Violent by nature always looking for a free ride. Maori have every opportunity that all New Zealanders have access to but choose to drop out at an early age, when things get tough, fight your way to the bottom of society.

Go on y tube movies, type in ONCE WERE WARRIORS. It is a graphic realistic insight into maori culture.

Difficult to watch, but real. I have a family of maori across the road from me. 6 people in the family.

No body works, they beg in Christchurch streets,sell drugs from a government supplied house, train attack dogs, fight amongst themselves. Each family member are on various benefits such as unemployment, sickness and what we call Accident Compensation. Charities drop off food boxes twice a week. The police are constant visitors. They are arrested, spend a night in jail then released to carry on the next day.

They abuse and intimidate those around them. This family collect a sizeable amount of cash each week from begging, believe this, they beg in shifts, the dad goes out at 7am. The kids take over at midday, the mother goes out at 4pm. I can go on forever. These kinds of things have made me a raciest.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

@Zenji - and yet... somehow... it's always your fault. I totally understand. Actually in many cases Maori (as well as Pacific island Polynesian people) have MORE opportunity than others. Sadly NZ's history is what has done this and the treaty that was supposed to be a great thing for NZ is holding the entire nation to ransom. Maori and Pakeha.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Canada has a similar Prime Minister who threw the entire country under the bus as “racists” just a couple months ago.

A young girl claimed a stranger ripped off her hijab on her way to school. Press conferences were immediately set up, leftist politicians began wailing about how racism was a distinct problem in Canada, including none other than pm zoolander Trudeau himself.

48 hrs later it all unravelled as a hoax. Suddenly you couldn’t get any news on the subject from CBC. The girl and the parents went unpunished. The incident was now officially closed by police and media. But not before Canada’s own leaders embarrassed the population as a whole as gutless apologists

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Zenji,

I hear you. The reality that people are afraid to acknowledge. thanks for your honesty. Imagine if Jacinta had told it like itreally is - there'd be uproar from the heads-in- the -sand left.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Clamenza, yes.

a huge problem is its practically impossible to talk about these issues on a truthful way. You have to first climb into the box that has been created by political correctness and pretend its true. No solution is gonna come when the truth isnt faced properly.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@zichi - when you consider Japan having a population approximately 30 times as large as NZ, proportionately the rate of incarceration in Japan is much lower... I'm not sure Japan would like those numbers at all. Also... 700,000 Maori from a population of 4.7 million and representing 51% of the total prison population in NZ... that does show some pretty terrible over-representation. Zenji's numbers might not be perfect but the rate is still incredibly high when looking at the numbers overall.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Racism exists everywhere but it manifests itself in more violent ways in predominantly western countries.

No other developed or even less developed countries, particularly in SE/E Asia, have hate groups openly harassing/assaulting people like they do in US/UK/EU/AUS.

Such behavior has gone on for decades and while not everyone in west is guilty of it, too many are which emboldens many more to act out in racist ways.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

But these are not straight issues that Māori, Aboriginal, African Americans do more crime than whites. In the period 2009-2016 the African American prison population dropped from 584,000 in 2009 to 486,900 in 2016 . A decrease of 97,000, while the white prison population for the same period only dropped by 50,022.

When you come up with figures like these you have to show them all. 50.022 from which total number of white inmates ?

The problem of supremacists and others is the inability to comprehend the reasons why Maori's, Aboriginals and African Americans are a relatively larger part of the prison population.

ZENJI's honesty pleads for him but watching his neighbours from behind a barricaded door is not going to bring a sustainable future.

I know a female restaurant owner from NZ in my home town and I asked her once why she emigrated to a crowded country in Europe coming from such a beautiful and spacey country. Her answer was that she couldn't cope with the conservative environment anymore. Recently she visited her family and did what she's used to do in our city, visiting a bar alone. She felt that people were watching at her like if she's a public woman looking for clients. Another opinion by a white person.

Recommending that movie 'Once were Warriors' [1994] to support an opinion is like recommending 'Shaft' [1971] about the situation in NYC. Crime figures in the city have changed dramatically since those years.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@zichi - no argument from me about the history or the reasons why. I alluded to that in an earlier post. I'm in full acceptance of that. Just the numbers... I don't think it's a fair comparison to say prison numbers rather than percentages. I mean... NZ would love a prison population of the same as say Northern Ireland or Niue. But just looking at prison numbers doesn't give a clear view of the real situation. Also... I believe the situation is changing with increasing rates of poverty among all races in NZ (maybe the world). Apart from the slightly high number, there is a lot of truth to what Zenji said regardless of the reasons why.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

to Maria' I think your right. There are many elements in society that are the cause of so many problems. So that causes many of us to keep their distance.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Racism exist worldwide, to say/think otherwise is pure lunacy, it’s inbreaded into every society.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Racism exist worldwide, to say/think otherwise is pure lunacy,

Has anyone said it doesn't exist worldwide? I haven't read all the comments, but the PM clearly stated that it exists worldwide, and I haven't seen any comments that tried to state otherwise.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The New Zealand prime minister is mistaken. How can a country be racist? Of course, it cannot. Individuals in any country in the world can be racist but countries cannot be!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites