Thanks for the story. While in local communities we live with intersection of diverse cultures, it really has not been since we have had to reckon with it nationally and globally. It is hard to share power when you are always used to holding it.
I enjoyed this and thought on this sentence "It takes the direct experience of a group of people and turns it into a spectacle of comment and righteous anger" of a direct example from here in NZ. After the Christchurch terror attack (50 people were killed by someone who came to NZ to do this) then Prime Minister Ardern wore a headscarf shortly afterwards as part of a show of support and as part of a memorial event and day and many others did too. I was raised in the Middle East and feel a deep connection and great interest in Islam and their culture. I also was raised as a child with stories of people of my own faith being sentenced to death In Iran because they were not Muslim. Like everything - everything is complicated. But I also know from my further travels as an adult in the Middle East and learning, that forcing women to cover their hair is a sign of deep disrespect and part of denying the fact women are people who should be treated equally to men. Yet here was Ardern creating a spectacle that on the face of it flies against the very notions of Western culture and the democracy that all people are equal. It troubles me to this day. She also kicked off gun owners (NZ has always had restrictive gun laws) handing in firearms - which was also a spectacle as it turns out the Police, who issue gun licenses, did not follow their own procedures which in this case would have red flagged this person and stopped them from acquiring a license.
Thanks for the story. While in local communities we live with intersection of diverse cultures, it really has not been since we have had to reckon with it nationally and globally. It is hard to share power when you are always used to holding it.
I enjoyed this and thought on this sentence "It takes the direct experience of a group of people and turns it into a spectacle of comment and righteous anger" of a direct example from here in NZ. After the Christchurch terror attack (50 people were killed by someone who came to NZ to do this) then Prime Minister Ardern wore a headscarf shortly afterwards as part of a show of support and as part of a memorial event and day and many others did too. I was raised in the Middle East and feel a deep connection and great interest in Islam and their culture. I also was raised as a child with stories of people of my own faith being sentenced to death In Iran because they were not Muslim. Like everything - everything is complicated. But I also know from my further travels as an adult in the Middle East and learning, that forcing women to cover their hair is a sign of deep disrespect and part of denying the fact women are people who should be treated equally to men. Yet here was Ardern creating a spectacle that on the face of it flies against the very notions of Western culture and the democracy that all people are equal. It troubles me to this day. She also kicked off gun owners (NZ has always had restrictive gun laws) handing in firearms - which was also a spectacle as it turns out the Police, who issue gun licenses, did not follow their own procedures which in this case would have red flagged this person and stopped them from acquiring a license.