Okay, so when a white man beats up a black man it's racism. But when a black man hangs a petrol soaked tire round the neck of another black man and lights it, that's . . . . ?
When one regime who holds power endorses corruption and graft, we shout for justice, but when the liberating regime does the same it's . . . . ?
When an aging despot takes land from those who have and gives it to his friends, who also have, in the name of equitable redistribution of resources, that's nepotism and currying political favour. It's also lying, but that's not a crime anymore.
When Americans grow resentful of Mexicans coming across the border and take jobs the Americans weren't filling anyway, that's racism and elitism.
When South Africans do the same it's Mbeki's fault cause he shoulda solved the problem in Zimbabwe so they'd all have stayed home in the first place. But what of the refugees from Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria and other African countries who were targeted by marauding gangs of armed men demanding they return home.
Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people.[1] It comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "foreigner," "stranger," and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself. When an election in Kenya goes bad and tribe goes against tribe, that's civil strife. When tribes in other countries are fed lies to fuel antagonism, causing one tribe to attack and the other one cause they've been told the other tribe is gonna annihilate them, that's genocide.
When a minority tribe in Burma gets chased into the remote hills country, and then across the border into Thailand, that's just a military junta exercising it's rights. When the Thai aren't welcoming to the refugees because, again, jobs and land are scarce, that's inhospitable.
When tribes and militia in Sudan and Somalia are disrupting life for everyone concerned and displacing multitudes, . . . what is that exactly?
We've got famine in Ethiopia, disaster in China, neglect in Burma, disastrous elections in Kenya & Zimbabwe, campaigns in USA, New Zealand and South Africa that are costing enormous sums that could be better used elsewhere within those countries themselves . . . .
Mbeki is in an impossible situation. He can't lean too heavily on Mugabe because of sovereignty issues and mutual support within the region. Yet, he cannot just let things drag on or it's an embarrassment to the region and will affect foreign investment. So now he has had to call in the army to try to control people's actions, but how to dispel the growing resentments?
England has a mixed population now, with the Queen's English seldom heard in some neighbourhoods. The largest Turkish population outside of Turkey supposedly lives in Australia. Whole neighbourhoods in Auckland, New Zealand trace their recent roots back to one of several Pacific Islands. Parts of Indianapolis, Indiana speak as much Spanish as English, and Indiana is a long way from a border or port.
Wow. Seems like we should have a conversation about human rights, about multiculturalism, about mutual respect and understanding.
Being poor is no excuse, but what excuse do the privileged make for doing nothing? Now there's a conversation we could have.
Let's have another conversation about migratory patterns over the ages and what makes someone indigenous and having the rights pertaining to indigenity and the fact that they may very well have just been the ones in power when the Europeans came.
Why do some people think we should only start counting land possession and rights from the time the colonials arrived? Except in very rare cases, isn't it very likely that the occupants at the time took it from someone else?
When one regime who holds power endorses corruption and graft, we shout for justice, but when the liberating regime does the same it's . . . . ?
When an aging despot takes land from those who have and gives it to his friends, who also have, in the name of equitable redistribution of resources, that's nepotism and currying political favour. It's also lying, but that's not a crime anymore.
When Americans grow resentful of Mexicans coming across the border and take jobs the Americans weren't filling anyway, that's racism and elitism.
When South Africans do the same it's Mbeki's fault cause he shoulda solved the problem in Zimbabwe so they'd all have stayed home in the first place. But what of the refugees from Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria and other African countries who were targeted by marauding gangs of armed men demanding they return home.Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people.[1] It comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "foreigner," "stranger," and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself. When an election in Kenya goes bad and tribe goes against tribe, that's civil strife. When tribes in other countries are fed lies to fuel antagonism, causing one tribe to attack and the other one cause they've been told the other tribe is gonna annihilate them, that's genocide.
When a minority tribe in Burma gets chased into the remote hills country, and then across the border into Thailand, that's just a military junta exercising it's rights. When the Thai aren't welcoming to the refugees because, again, jobs and land are scarce, that's inhospitable.
When tribes and militia in Sudan and Somalia are disrupting life for everyone concerned and displacing multitudes, . . . what is that exactly?
We've got famine in Ethiopia, disaster in China, neglect in Burma, disastrous elections in Kenya & Zimbabwe, campaigns in USA, New Zealand and South Africa that are costing enormous sums that could be better used elsewhere within those countries themselves . . . .
Mbeki is in an impossible situation. He can't lean too heavily on Mugabe because of sovereignty issues and mutual support within the region. Yet, he cannot just let things drag on or it's an embarrassment to the region and will affect foreign investment. So now he has had to call in the army to try to control people's actions, but how to dispel the growing resentments?
England has a mixed population now, with the Queen's English seldom heard in some neighbourhoods. The largest Turkish population outside of Turkey supposedly lives in Australia. Whole neighbourhoods in Auckland, New Zealand trace their recent roots back to one of several Pacific Islands. Parts of Indianapolis, Indiana speak as much Spanish as English, and Indiana is a long way from a border or port.
Wow. Seems like we should have a conversation about human rights, about multiculturalism, about mutual respect and understanding.
Okay, so that's NZ's Human Rights Commissions' contribution to the conversation, but explain all of that to the poor of the South African townships. Those are the poor who would, on a good day, choose well, but who have been fed lies and who are tired of all the advantages being on the side of the other guy, no matter his colour. Those are the poor who have now chosen badly, very badly.What are human rights?
Human rights represent common values drawn from the world's diverse spiritual, religious, humanist, political and cultural beliefs. They underlie our expectations about life, education, health, work, our personal security, equal opportunity and fair treatment, and our systems of government.
Human rights are inherent, inalienable, universal, indivisible and interdependent. They are inherent, in that they belong to everyone because of their common humanity. They are inalienable, in that people cannot give them up or be deprived of them by governments. They are universal, in that they apply regardless of distinctions such as race, sex, language or religion. They are indivisible, in that no right is superior to another. They are interdependent, in that realisation of one right contributes to the realisation of other rights.
Being poor is no excuse, but what excuse do the privileged make for doing nothing? Now there's a conversation we could have.
Let's have another conversation about migratory patterns over the ages and what makes someone indigenous and having the rights pertaining to indigenity and the fact that they may very well have just been the ones in power when the Europeans came.
Why do some people think we should only start counting land possession and rights from the time the colonials arrived? Except in very rare cases, isn't it very likely that the occupants at the time took it from someone else?
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