White Mother Fuckers &Kiwi Blokes

Racist Discourse in New Zealand

Contents

Introduction Text One

Mission Impossible Racist Talk What he doesn’t say Is the message all bad?

Text Two Bloke Spotting Racist Talk

Conclusion References

Introduction

Racism defined ‘social system of domination’

(van Dijk, cited in Study Guide, 2010, pg. 146)

Racist discourse in New Zealand ‘establishing, sustaining and reinforcing

oppressive power relations’ (Wetherell & Potter cited in Study Guide, 2010, pg. 147)

Hone Harawira Marc Ellis

Text One: Mission Impossible

Front page of the Focus section on September 26, 2010

‘White Motherfuckers’ who ‘have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries’

Critics: ‘Rednecks’ ‘Feel uncomfortable’ if his

children dated a Pakeha’

(Harawira, H. cited in Reid, N., 2010, pg. C1)

Text One: Racist Talk

Otherizing – out-group Pakeha ‘White Mother fuckers’ ‘our’

Pronouns ‘us’ and ‘them’

Essentialising ‘Maori’ and ‘Pakeha’

Derogatory Ethnic Labels ‘Rednecks’ and ‘Mother fuckers’

(Harawira, H. cited in Reid, N., 2010, pg. C1-2)

Text One: Racist Talk

Credibility – it’s common sense ‘A lot of fathers think that way about their

daughters’ and ‘believe similar things to me’

Justification – Pro Maori ‘One national figure consistently pro-Maori

with everything I say, I become the lightning rod for anti-Maori people’

Over-lexicalisation ‘pro-Maori’ ‘Maori title’ ‘be all things to Maori’

(Harawira, H. cited in Reid, N., pg. C1-2, 2010)

Text One: What he doesn’t say

Establish credentials Mitigation Opting out Faltering fluency Denial

‘Truth be told, he doesn’t care what people think about him personally. What he does care about

is the plight of Maoridom…’

(Reid, N., 2010, pg.C2)

Text One: Is the message all bad?

Maori language revival Protests Promoting the Maori electoral role Foreshore and Seabed legislation ‘Cohesive, effective and even

power platform for Maori people’

(Wetherell, M., & Potter, J. cited in Reisigl, M., & Wodak, R. 2001, pg. 29)

Text Two: Bloke Spotting

Focus section on August 15, 2010 ‘Brogans, Dalmogans & Offcuts’ ‘Big Fresh’

‘Large, hungry, loyal to a fault’ ‘Funny Whaka’ Asian penis size &

limp wrists

(Ellis, M., & Haddrell, C. cited in Dudding, A., 2010, pg. C3)

Text Two: Racist Talk

Stereotyping Overgeneralisation Solidarity fallacy

Some of my best friends are… Mitigation

‘loyal to a fault’ ‘chuckling, chortling and giggling’

(Ellis, M., & Haddrell, C. cited in Dudding, A., 2010, pg. C3)

Text Two: Racist Talk

Derogatory ethnic labels Denial

‘You need to put a smile on people’s faces… so if you take offence up yours really.’

(Ellis, M. cited in Dudding, A., 2010, pg. C3)

‘They’re just stereotypes, but there are people out there like that.’

(Bixley, D. cited in Dudding, A., 2010, pg. C3)

Conclusion

So are New Zealanders Racist? Final Assignment:

Paul Henry Everyday New Zealanders

References

Dudding, A. (2010, August 15). Bloke Spotting. pg. C3. Sunday Star Times.

Reid, N. (2010, September 26). Mission Impossible? pg. C1-2. Sunday Star Times.

Reisigl, M., & Wodak, R. (2001). Discourse and Discrimination: Rhetorics of Racism and Antisemitism. New York, NY: Routledge.

Study Guide. (2010). Language, Discourse and Power Course Material, 172.237. School of Language Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Massey University.