As part of our drive to keep our comment section the best in New Zealand we showcase each week an example of a top-notch comment that adds value to The BFD.
Today’s comment was written by George Thank you George for taking the time to craft such an interesting comment.
Well it didn’t take long before being offended reared its ugly head again. Apparently, some of the Spanish and Dutch women’s football team members demonstrated their version of the haka. “How dare they! Did they not know how disrespectful and culturally insensitive that is?” What they may not have known is that they’re in NZ now. A country that has the most political, pampered and indulged race on earth.
The eggshells are scatted from one end of the country to the other and it is only a matter of when, not if, an offence will be committed. The haka is reserved only for culturally aware New Zealanders who can travel to any country in the world and prance around poking their tongues and slitting their throats in the act of aggressive hostility, without any regard to the cultural sensitivities of their hosts. The irony is, if their hosts dare challenge or criticise this act of intimidation, it is the aggressors who are offended. Go figure.
The haka is a staged performance executed at different levels of competence. Some hakas are very well choreographed, others not so. Whilst it does have cultural significance to Maori, since when do the adjudicators have the authority to draw a line which must not be crossed? If visitors exhibit the desire to impersonate the haka then they should be encouraged, not attacked by those who claim the moral high ground.
I believe, reading between the lines, most of the outrage has been posted by white bleeding-heart liberals who wouldn’t have a clue what is culturally insensitive to the Spanish and Dutch. One thing is for sure, these young ladies didn’t travel halfway around the world to be humiliated by their hosts simply because they tried to imitate a dance. This criticism is far more denigrating than anything they did and consequently becomes a major embarrassment for both them and us. I’m truly sorry these women had to experience the pathetic intolerance that exists in this country at the moment. This is not the New Zealand I knew.