SKIN DEEP

We like to think we're pretty tolerant. Face it: we're not. Debrin Foxcroft reports
It could be just a fleeting thought. Something that skitters through your mind. A brief moment and it's gone.
It shows in the way you treat neighbours, shopkeepers, strangers and friends. Like those brief rants when someone cuts you off on the motorway, or someone doesn't understand what you want at the corner dairy.
But ... don't get me wrong, you'll tell yourself, I'm not a racist.
Sorry. As recent attacks have shown, racism is alive and kicking in Auckland.
It's an evil beast, rearing its head in aggression towards taxi drivers or in abuse hurled from passing cars.
It was heard on the streets of Kingsland after a cricket game between India and New Zealand just a few weeks ago. It echoed as glass broke in the city's mosques in 2005.
Just last week, the Herald reported this conversation between an MP - yes, an MP - and a Mt Albert pharmacist:
``Hi, I'm Melissa Lee, National candidate for Mt Albert.'
``Well, you won't be getting my vote because I don't think we need any Asians in Parliament.'
Ms Lee, born in Korea, a former broadcast journalist who has lived in New Zealand for 21 years, asked brightly, ``Why not?'
``They are very difficult people to deal with. They don't spend any money. I don't see that they bring any money into the country. Another problem is their English is very bad.'
He has an Asian assistant ``to talk to them'.
In a recent staff meeting at The Aucklander, arrivals from South Africa, Wales, the Philippines, Scotland described how they'd been typecast as apartheid supporters, ridiculed by classmates for their accents, heard the muttering in shops ...
There is no way we can deny it.
ON A CROWDED platform at Britomart station one evening recently, Jasmina Khedkar was shocked to overhear two fellow commuters chatting.
``I was standing waiting for the train and I heard a middle-aged man say, `Those bloody Indians, they're all corrupt',' she says.
``When they saw me looking at them, they changed what they said to, `All Indian men are corrupt, but the women are okay'. I was stunned.
``How can you say that about a whole race?'
Mrs Khedkar is originally from India; she has lived in New Zealand for four years. She is saddened that even in 2009, people of many ethnicities feel like outsiders, feel like they don't belong.
RACE RELATIONS Commissioner Joris de Bres says it is difficult to gauge the level of racism in Auckland.
``There is limited hard evidence on people's attitudes. One, because they are not surveyed a great deal.
``Two, because even if people are asked, they are not necessarily going to give an honest answer.'
He hears unsubstantiated stories about acts of racism throughout the city.
``The anecdotal evidence is usually of harassment, verbal abuse. My best guess is that it's a relatively small minority of Aucklanders who engage in these activities.'
Alcohol is a contributing factor in some of the reports.
``Generally, my experience has been that alcohol loosens the tongue. What people think becomes what they say after a few drinks.
``That's true in the case of the taxi attacks and also in drive-by racism drunken youths driving by and shouting abuse. But let's face it, too much alcohol leads to a range of offensive behaviour.'
Another potential trigger looms large: economics.
``Evidence shows that hard economic times lead to greater racial tensions,' says Mr de Bres.
``So far, it's not widespread but it is something to watch out for. Thankfully, there haven't been too many alarming incidents yet.'
He told a Wellington newspaper a few weeks ago that he'd received complaints about the ultra-right wing National Front trying to recruit schoolchildren on the Kapiti Coast.
The only solution is to foster understanding. ``All you can really do to fight racism is to encourage the opposite. We need to celebrate diversity and I think that is happening. Positive action has increased.'
EXPERTS AGREE. Dr Evan Te Ahu Poata-Smith, AUT's senior lecturer in social sciences, says racism is notoriously difficult to prove.
``I think the reality is you will find racism in Auckland. There are those in the community who hold on to very ethnic-centric views.'
He agrees that acts of racism can increase when times are tough.
``Throughout New Zealand history, there has been a strong connection between periods of economic downturn and scapegoating. Migrants are blamed for crime, lack of jobs and lowering house prices.'
But before the warning sirens create panic across the city, Gul Zaman, president of Counties Manukau's Ethnic Council, offers soothing words.
In his view, isolated cases of racism may not reflect the overall situation.
``There is racism around but it is hard to pinpoint. It's very subtle.
``After talking to members, it seems that in quite a few cases it's a question of communication and misunderstanding.'
After September 11 and the 2007 bombings in London, there were attacks on his members in New Zealand. But they were reactions to what was happening globally.
``Many of my friends drive taxis. Confrontation between the drivers and their passengers happens regularly. When you are carrying drunk passengers, it is inevitable.'
We musn't chalk it all down to race relations, he says.
``Last year, there was a shooting in a liquor store. I don't think he was targeted because he was Indian. It's more a case of working in a vulnerable job that attracts trouble than a matter of race.'
NO, INSISTS Ann Pala from the Waitakere Ethnic Board. She is adamant it would be a mistake to under estimate the amount of racism in our community.
``There is racism in Auckland and we have heard stories of aggressive attacks,' she says. ``But it's not just colour-based. We are seeing racism within ethnic groups. At the moment we are hearing stories of racism with the Pacific Island communities.'
Ultimately, Mr de Bres is philosophical over Aucklanders' real feelings on race.
``People are entitled to their own views. It's what they do with them that becomes an issue,' he says. ``What you think is your business. When you do something about it, that becomes our business.'
Racist sweets and other sour moments
A snapshot of one week's issues in the national media:
Canadian Inuit Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons complains about the name of Eskimos, a classic Kiwi sweet.
The Pasifika community protests Pocket God, an iPhone game where the aim is to kill off characters that look like Islanders.
Hindu youths criticise Hanuman, a PlayStation 2 game which uses the Hindu god Ganesh as its main character.
The second-most complained about advertisement in 2008 was for Skins sportswear; 73 people complained, saying it promoted racial stereotyping of African-Americans by saying they had a ``warrior' mentality and ``killer instincts'.
Race drivers
Taxi drivers see Auckland's good and bad sides. Five cabbies from different backgrounds share their experiences:
RUSSIAN Taxi driving is a dangerous business. ``It's been bad a couple of times. I was badly attacked and ended up reporting it to the police. The men shouted at me, asking, `Why are you here? Why are you in my country?' It makes me reluctant to pick up some people.'
FIJIAN INDIAN He's worked as a driver in New Zealand for over 15 years. ``I have faced racism sometimes. It's young ones, especially when we go over to the Shore. These young men told me to get out of the country; they told me this is not my country. And they refused to pay the fare. What could I do? They just ran away.'
SOUTH KOREAN ``People feel like they can take advantage of me because I'm not from around here. I don't look dangerous so they think they can push their luck. Sometimes I think that's a type of racism. But to be honest, sometimes I don't want to take a customer - the ones with lots of tattoos. Maybe that's my prejudice but sometimes I am wary of Samoan and Maori men.'
WHITE KIWI Sitting in his cab, this driver was hard-pushed to think of a time he faced any kind of racist attack. But he's heard stories from colleagues who work the night shift. ``The youngest ones are more aggressive. But, thankfully, I don't work nights. That's when you experience the real racism. Alcohol fuels it. And yes, sometimes you simply choose not to pick up some kind of fares.'
BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN He counts his lucky stars that he has not been attacked - yet. He emphasises ``yet'. ``I have generally had good customers, one or two runners. But that has nothing to do with race. It's just theft.'
14 05 2009