Excited
A good close friend in New Zealand (that’s by Australia to all you geographically challenged folk) pointed me to an article from the New Zealand Herald declaring that New Zealanders like Asians!
In rather broad strokes (and the rather odd picture from the Asians that was included in the online article), the article talks about the positive impact that Asians have had in New Zealander culture, stating that Asians bring “much needed cultural diversity” and will be a more positive force to New Zealand, more than North America or Europe. Given the proximity of New Zealand to Asia, it seems to obviously make sense that Asians would have a broader impact on the New Zealand economy than us in North America or Europeans. It doesn’t say specifically what the positive impact Asians have in New Zealand, though I’m assuming it means pumping in money to the national economy and providing New Zealand with technical skills.
What’s particularly infuriating, but alas, not surprising, is that the term “New Zealanders” are meant to include everyone white or indigenous, and that New Zealanders who are of Asian descent simply don’t exist. My friend stated that there are people of Asian descent in powerful positions in the national government, but that fact has been glossed over to make a rather insidious backhanded compliment to the Asian New Zealander community.
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Funny thing -- I went there for a vacation with my family in January 2005. 4 Chinese Americans from San Francisco traipsing around the big cities of NZ.
The NZers seemed to open up to us a little more than they did to the white American tourists. I guess because most of the Asian tourists they see are actually from Asia and speak little to no English, so it was like we were special. I didn't ever perceive this as condescending, though. Almost like, "Someone who's NOT a typical American tourist! Yay!"
What I noticed most were the differences in what the Maori folks would say to us. They were far more candid (away from the white American tourists) about the injustices in their history and the current state of Maori/white race relations in NZ.
Funny thing -- I went there for a vacation with my family in January 2005. 4 Chinese Americans from San Francisco traipsing around the big cities of NZ.
The NZers seemed to open up to us a little more than they did to the white American tourists. I guess because most of the Asian tourists they see are actually from Asia and speak little to no English, so it was like we were special. I didn't ever perceive this as condescending, though. Almost like, "Someone who's NOT a typical American tourist! Yay!"
What I noticed most were the differences in what the Maori folks would say to us. They were far more candid (away from the white American tourists) about the injustices in their history and the current state of Maori/white race relations in NZ.
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