This is a fact. I visited Guangzhou about a year ago. The population of this city is some 15 million, though I’m not exactly sure where they all were when I was there as it didn’t seem crowded at all. I did notice that their traffic was chaotic, with heaps of friendly tooting and weaving in and out and vehicles in places they shouldn’t be and nobody caring too much. I did notice, though, that an overwhelmingly large percentage of the drivers were Asian.
Please forgive me for making a point of this, but when I look through the window of a car and see who’s driving it, I can tell if they look like me or if they are different from me. If that makes me a racist, I’m happy to hold my hand up and admit to it. Might as well get this out in the open too. I can tell the difference between a man and a woman as well and, what’s more, I’m more than happy to admit it. Women are not the same as men and I can tell. So call me sexist if you want to, but I remain eternally grateful for the existence of the fairer sex and arguably even more grateful that I’m comfortable enough in my skin to be able to tell the difference and worse still, actually talk about it and enjoy it.
I remain eternally grateful for my many Asian friends just as I am for my many other friends from all kinds of ethnic and cultural backgrounds be they male or female. Let me assure you that in my experience, we (of different ethnic origin) look different to them too, and they can tell if they’re different from us. Indeed, I can assure you that several of my Asian friends have had good laughs at my white expense. I don’t call them racists for doing so and laugh along with them.
All of which is a buildup to the fact that Asian drivers in New Zealand tend not to be very confident and as a result, often find themselves in places where they shouldn’t be, resulting in general comments about Asian drivers.
Is this such a bad or “racist” thing?
There’s a reason why many Asians don’t make great drivers here in New Zealand. In Guangzhou, a city full of Asian drivers, I didn’t encounter any of the issues I see daily on Auckland roads. With the numbers they have moving around there, they need to be competent behind the wheel and they are. Over dinner one night, my host explained that it’s very expensive to own a car and drive in China so not many average people get to do much of it. Apart from anything else, they have very efficient public transport systems so they don’t bother with cars. They also have a cultural focus on academic education rather than physical education like we do. Where throwing a ball around or bouncing on a trampoline is part of our way of life, they’re more likely to be studying mathematics or science than developing the hand/eye coordination required for sports and driving.
Driving here is affordable and it’s either that, have a friend pick you up, or you stay at home.
Because we have so many new New Zealanders from Asian countries living here, it’s inevitable that we will encounter at least one or two on our travels each day.
I know it’s a dreadful inconvenience when someone drives slowly because they’re timid, or they stop to give way when the other vehicle is 300 metres away and I know getting a bit road ragey is normal Kiwi behaviour, but here’s a thought: Make someone’s day with a polite smile, a wave and a gentle toot rather than that highly aggressive blast on the horn from right on their tail followed by a dangerous wheel-spinning overtake in an unsafe place! Be kind!
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