34 thoughts on “Trevor Phillips”

  2. I thought the article was crap from start to finish, the author didn’t even seem to know the difference between race and culture.

    I live in a multiracial and multicultural society, we get along, not perfectly, but unless some moron wants to exterminate about 20% of the population or deport 80%, it’s what we have and, on balance, it’s a good society, surveys conclude it’s better than 95% of other societies throughout the rest of the world, including many monocultural societies.

      1. Sorry about that, I’ll try to remember to give you advanced warning in future, perhaps a couple of comments like: “I might comment on this, it’s the sort of thing I find interesting” then another with maybe: “Hey Rand, I’m about to say something you’ll disagree with”, followed 5 minutes later by the more err, direct stuff.

        Would that help?

    2. My experience in the UK was that most of the people ranting about the wonders of multiculturalism lived in well-off white ghettos. The working-class people I knew who lived in vibrant, multicultural areas were not exactly thrilled about it, and no-one ever asked them if they wanted to.

      Which is not to say it had to be that way. The early immigrants from the empire mostly aspired to become like Britons, and would have largely adopted the native culture, if not for the multiculturalists telling them they shouldn’t do so. Their goal wasn’t to assimilate immigrants, it was to destroy the native British culture.

      1. Nailed it. Can’t impose communism if the population is free men, so import new population.

    3. I live in a multiracial and multicultural society

      I forget where you’re from, Andrew, but I seem to recall you’re not a fellow Yank. Refresh my memory please.

      1. He’s from the UK. Let’s ask the Irish about the blissful harmony of the last 100 years.

        1. What do you mean by “assimilate”? NZ does have a policy of assimilating refugees in terms of teaching them how to adjust to and live in NZ society, but that’s not taking their home culture or religion away from them, they retain the cultural practices they want too, for other immigrants, they just integrate themselves into the society they find usually with few problems, do you think that assimilation requires immigrants to abandon their home culture? Few people around here would countenance such a position.

          1. Following the cricket, I think NZ could do with a few more Pakistani’s, the English, South Africans, Scots, Zimbabweans, and UAE, all have damn good players originating from Pakistan.

            On the topic of sport, I sometimes think you Americans, by largely sticking to your own team sports and not really getting into more international team sports like soccer, cricket, volleyball, field hockey, and rugby, have a perspective on the rest of the world that is a bit narrow, always revolving around war and other, not very hospitable, forms of confrontation.

          2. Ah yes, those Pakistanis are far less interested in war since they play futbol. Futbol is hardly violent at all. I mean check out the Scots, no hate there, right?

            Ah well, couldn’t have a topic about culture without some ignorant Kiwi bashing Yanks.

          3. “Ah well, couldn’t have a topic about culture without some ignorant Kiwi bashing Yanks.”

            Oh you poor wee thing, isn’t it terrible how everyone is always so mean to Americans who themselves never have a bad word to say about anyone?

            But seriously, though it’s hard to get your head around, but the more contact you have with the international community, and the more that contact is with with the average person, the more understanding you have that the vast majority of them are actually just people with human qualities like yourself getting on with their lives. If the only thing you know about a country is from the evening news your view of that country is going to be skewed to say the least.

            Conversely, the rest of the world has seen a lot of Americans, truck drivers in Jordon watch Family Ties on TV at diners, Star Gate has been seen in Ecuador, the world is immersed in American culture, some don’t like it, but the rest of the world on the whole has got a far better idea of what America’s and American culture is like, and with sporting connections, what each other are like, than America have of what the outside world and its other peoples are like.

          5. that’s not taking their home culture or religion away from them, they retain the cultural practices they want too

            Like beating their wives, raping infidel women, mutilating female genitals, polygyny, covering women head to toe…?

          6. “On the topic of sport, I sometimes think you Americans, by largely sticking to your own team sports ”

            Oh that isn’t true at all. We play almost all sports. Cricket not so much because baseball is a direct competitor. Maybe rugby falls into that a little to but there are certainly rugby leagues.

            We kick butt in volleyball. We do OK in soccer and are getting better. Field hockey is very popular with college girls although that harry potter thing might be drawing some off. Do Kiwis play that harry potter game? I am sure they do. Heck we even have curling leagues.

            And almost all of our younger people play video games, which allows them to interact with anyone with an internet connection. We really aren’t all that insular.

            “have a perspective on the rest of the world that is a bit narrow, always revolving around war and other, not very hospitable, forms of confrontation.”

            The Pax Americana is a good thing. It has lead to one of the most peaceful times in human history. It didn’t just happen on its own, it took American leadership and blood.

            Where would NZ be if not for the USA keeping the oceans free for travel and commerce?

          7. Oh you poor wee thing

            HAHA. Yeah, it took me 5 lines to show your ignorance, Andrew. You respond with 20 lines of more nonsense of how you learn from watching the boob tube. Priceless.

        2. Typical insulatory American remarks. Force us to do what the rest of the world does. Why? My argument could easily apply to baseball, which is popular all throughout the western hemisphere. If you played baseball, you might better understand Latin America.

          I’m a firm believer in freedom of choice. And you don’t seem to really understand US foreign policy. Interdependence of economies was pushed in the 1960s, and it is one reason why the US pushes free trade agreements. China has as little reason to attack us as we do them, all because of our interdependence.

          1. Force us to do what the rest of the world does. Why?

            I’m not forcing you, or suggesting you be forced to do anything, I’m simply voicing observations, based on those observations I have an hypothesis, which I’m putting forward, think about what your sensitivity implies.

            My argument could easily apply to baseball, which is popular all throughout the western hemisphere. If you played baseball, you might better understand Latin America.

            You’re dead right, I know little about Latin America, NZ’s culture doesn’t intersect with LM’s on any cultural or sporting level, or much in the way of trade. The exception is Argentine, we play rugby against Argentina, I know more about Argentina than any other LM country. If you look at Africa, we play cricket and rugby against South Africa and Zimbabwe, I know those two countries quite well, sporting contacts were a huge issue when the battle over the end of apartheid was going on.

            I’m a firm believer in freedom of choice. And you don’t seem to really understand US foreign policy.

            I’d argue that I’m more familiar with US foreign policy than most Americans, and more familiar with its affects than you are.

            Interdependence of economies was pushed in the 1960s, and it is one reason why the US pushes free trade agreements.

            America might beat the EU and North Korea on advancing free trade, but not many other countries, you’re actually quite protectionist in some areas.

            China has as little reason to attack us as we do them, all because of our interdependence.

            Yeah, so?

          2. I’d argue that I’m more familiar with US foreign policy than most Americans, and more familiar with its affects than you are.

            Nope. I’ve lived overseas for many years. I’m fully aware of the effects of US foreign policy.

            America might beat the EU and North Korea on advancing free trade, but not many other countries, you’re actually quite protectionist in some areas.

            Of course we’re protectionist in some areas. So are you. But if you think that our advancing free trade is a joke, then compare NZ with the US. Why are you so smug all the time?

            China has as little reason to attack us as we do them, all because of our interdependence.

            Yeah, so?

            The whole point of my comment was an answer to your comment:

            …have a perspective on the rest of the world that is a bit narrow, always revolving around war and other, not very hospitable, forms of confrontation.

            I showed you how the US is avoiding war through interdependence and your answer is Yeah, so? Is that really your answer?

          3. I’d argue that I’m more familiar with US foreign policy than most Americans

            I’m sure you would argue it, but your volume of arguments won’t make it true. For example, there is your education by TV and thought that US involvement in world wide sports would bring peace. Tell us Andrew, where were the 1936 Olympics held and the 1940 Olympics planned? Sports are not a bad thing, but they do not bring about peace.

  3. I read an interesting article a few weeks ago that explained how Britain made their problem much worse by buying into the multicultural idea that there are “groups” with “identities” that should be represented in negotiations over spending, special programs, housing, and such. Immigrants who had never thought of themselves as other than independent individuals had to band together to combat gains by other ethnic groups and make sure they got their piece of the pie. This caused them to think ethnically when they otherwise might have had nothing in common, as if people from country X are all exactly the same, even if they’re all fleeing country X and all the a**holes in it.

    1. I think that’s probably correct, avoiding getting into a situation where all the people from X end up being pushed together, either through state action or locals hostility/xenophobia is probably a good start.

      1. Yes, and it’s very strange that we insulatory Americans have a remarkable record of assimilating different ethnic groups.

        1. Except some of us would like to see everyone stay in their little group and not view themselves as fellow Americans.

    2. It would have worked out better if they had explained to some Pakistani engineer that his natural enemies were the people down in marketing.

  4. But seriously, though it’s hard to get your head around, but the more contact you have with the international community, and the more that contact is with with the average person, the more understanding you have that the vast majority of them are actually just people with human qualities like yourself getting on with their lives.

    Please, hold my hand and guide me. Tell me about the latets Kpop groups. Tell me about Amuro Namie, and about SMAP. I just watched, A Coffee in Berlin and the German version of The Office, called Stromberg. Is that enough, or will you lead me to greater international enlightenment?

    What I’ve learned in my travels is that most people outside of the US don’t know any more about my country than the average American knows about their country. Most ideas about the US are lame sterotypes that are pushed through television shows.

    1. “Most ideas about the US are lame sterotypes that are pushed through television shows.”

      Yup!

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