Playing the (wo)man not the ball
July 28th, 2004 at 11:09 am by David FarrarThe reaction from the Maori Language Commission to the paper “Ethnic Ideologies in New Zealand Education: What’s Wrong with Kaupapa Maori” by Elizabeth Rata has been regretable.
I don’t find the paper overly convincing myself, but the MLC rather than rebut the issues has just attacked Dr Rata personally, saying:
* she is the “female equivalent of Don Brash” (I presume not meant as a compliment)
* she’s an ignorant academic
* has had her head in the books for too long
* apparently she has got personal hang-ups with some Maori people
And he says that some people walked out of a conference she spoke at a few weeks ago (presumably rather than debate the points she made).
For a more constrcutive discussion of Dr Rata’s views, I recommend Simon Upton’s May 2003 upton-on-line. He politely disagrees with some of her conclusions, but also welcomes the fact she is “pushing the boundaries of intellectual freedom and debate in exactly the way they should be pushed and “prepared to wade into pretty controversial territory”.
We should welcome debate, not resort to cheap insults against those we disagree with.
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July 28th, 2004 at 12:30 pm
“A female version of Dr Brash, eh?” What a fantastic find. Let’s get her in as Minister of Maori Affairs – where GB looks less than comfortable
Vote:July 28th, 2004 at 2:08 pm
Bizarre exchange on National Radio this morning where Linda Clark asked Elizabeth Rata several times what her “ethnicity” is. To her great credit, Dr. Rata politely but firmly dismissed the question as totally irrelevant to the worth (or otherwise) of her ideas, therefore she wouldn’t answer it.
Vote:July 28th, 2004 at 2:17 pm
Jolly good on her Craig. Even though i have Maori ancestry I never answer any such question, particularly at hospital check in, other than by indicating I am at least a fourth or fifth generation NZer. The poor buggers don’t know how to classify that.
Vote:July 28th, 2004 at 3:17 pm
But shurely with a moniker such as yours you would be of Teutonic extraction?
Vote:July 28th, 2004 at 9:41 pm
My dear Helen. Haven’t you learned yet that you must not believe everything you read? Definitely a mongrel multiracial bastardised nondescript genuine non pedigree Kiwi. My father was a Presbyterian Jew who hated Germans. When I was born he took one look and decided to punish them.
Vote:Anyway, why do they ask those damn fool questions at hospitals? Do they get extra money for healing Maoris? Or Philipinos? Do they turn off the life support early for National voters? Gosh, I shouldn’t have said that!! They’ll get ideas.