[SarahEDH]

Even the road signs and billboards are worthy of a quick snap with the digital camera. Anyone else have some to add?

I live in Wellington at the moment, so naturally there are signs taunting Aucklanders. The one shown here is an ad for bottled water, referencing how many "points" an AKLer is worth in a water fight.

I also like the sign telling drivers to yield to pedestrians. We need one for pedestrians too, along the lines of "Do you feel lucky today? Go ahead, try to cross."

The bottom sign assures patrons that the store is, well, free of Australian ownership.

Love NZ. This is a fun place.

[Diva]

The bottom sign assures patrons that the store is, well, free of Australian ownership.

Love NZ. This is a fun place.

I hate being a killjoy but is the third sign a bit of harmless fun or just openly racist?

If a sign in Japan said "No Koreans here" there would be riots in the street.

Are there any signs in Scotland saying 'No English ownership'?

Hmmm...I'll just assume I'm having culture shock.......

[SarahEDH]

I don't know if the store owner's intent was racist; that might be a question for the Pak-N-Save management. The sign has been there awhile so that form of expression seems to be accepted in the culture, at least in that part of greater Wellington.

I don't have an opinion on it myself, I just found it noteworthy and unusual from an American point of view.

[stu70]

I would not read it as racist. We have chains that claim to be owned and operated by Canadians. This is a spin on that , though a bit more in the face. Hey if they allow swearing on radio and TV in NZ , this should come as a minor surprise

[kanatakiwi]

I dont think those of us from "somehere else" should read too much into the "Australian" sign. There is a HUGE rivalry between Australia and NZ on all matters, not just sports, although thats the most obvious example. Last year an enterprising Aussie put New Zealand up for sale on Aussie EBay, the comments from those viewing and bidding were quite hilarious. I recently saw an ad here for hangover pills of all things, that said " Guaranteed to work, tested on Australians"! I am sure others can add many more examples of this somewhat warped sense of humour the two countries have about each other. Rest assured no Australian is going to take offence or think this is racist, but they will come up with some very clever and humourous responses.

[sarahw]

I think its more pro-buying from NZ companies than anti anyone else - there are 2 conglomo's that own the supermarkets in NZ - one is
NZ Foodstuffs & the other - Progressive - yes you guessed it is Australian owned. NZ companies are getting bought up at a rate of knots by our friends over the pond & Kiwis are trying to keep the balance so all of our businesses are not owned by overseas companies. You often find signs outside shops/restaurants saying 'Proud to be NZ owned'. Its the first time I've seen them saying we're not owned by 'X' Country but then again Kiwis are less scared to be blunt sometimes - here they're saying you're giving your money to an Aussie company if you go to a Progressive owned supermarket.

[Diva]

Well..it's always tricky deciding when 'national pride' becomes 'xenophobia'. Obviously there are plenty of examples of small countries making fun of their bigger neighbours and, more often than not, the bigger neighbour doesn't take offence much in the same way that an elephant doesn't notice a mosquito.

And of course a lot of this kind of stuff can be very funny. But 'No Australian Owners' just sounds rude.

But it's the "pak 'n save"...I suppose they have to keep it simple....

[Moorf]

It's funny isn't it - a Kiwi (and dare I say it, us too) would have looked at that sign and giggled, it's meant to cause a reaction but not be over-analysed to morph it in to some racial attack on Aussies.... maybe you have to "be here" to get it.

Next we won't be able to put crosses on churches in case it offends non-Christians...

I remember when we used to be able to laugh at Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman jokes and not be frowned upon for being racist.... :roll

[Tia Maria]

I think its because so many people have very different 'moral compasses', that people will react differently.

I'll use sexism as an example:

"Blondes have more fun" said by a lady with blonde hair
"I'm having a blonde day" said by a lady who has brown hair
"Blondes are best in the kitchen and the bedroom" said by a man having a joke in the pub.
"Blondes are best in the kitchen and the bedroom" said by a man in the workplace.

Depending on how you read the statements blondes are either a lot of fun or useless as anything other than sex objects.

The way we establish which is the case:

1) The intention behind the comment (light hearted/jokey/nasty/thoughtless)

2) Our judgement of the person/company making the comment (clever comedy/misogynistic/light hearted)

3) The overall effect it can have (makes someone smile/offensive/leads to a culture of someone being treated as second class)

Its sometimes hard to know when the line has been crossed, as we all draw our lines in different places!

Edited to say: I found it just as inoffensive as comments about being a Jafa, or the Burger King advert with the ladies in bikinis on horseback! Like somone else said advertising is about grabbing your attention. :yes

Cheers

Tia

[willsken]

I certainly didn't take it as being racist. But then I'm quite happy to see the funny side of jokes directed at the English and Welsh without feeling in the least bit offended. Maybe it's a self-confidence thing?:confused:

[Moorf]

Gosh, well all those blonde comments I'd laugh at, and I reckon most of my blonde mates would too. I appreciate what you're saying but I find it very frustrating, all this over-sensitivity. We're all walking on eggshells, entire nations sometimes, wondering if what we say or do will offend someone, somewhere.

Willsken - maybe that's it, lack of self-confidence. Surely only a blonde lacking in confidence would care what someone said, have we all lost our sense of humour? Sticks and stones and all that?

Okay, there are incidences where the words are "spat" out and yes, they are then considered offensive, but that's very different to a humorous dig. Being called a Pom, for instance, in jest is funny, being "accused" of being one isn't.

[Diva]

1) The intention behind the comment (light hearted/jokey/nasty/thoughtless)

2) Our judgement of the person/company making the comment (clever comedy/misogynistic/light hearted)

3) The overall effect it can have (makes someone smile/offensive/leads to a culture of someone being treated as second class)



Fair enough but, again, the Pak 'n Save notice doesn't seem very funny.

Then again...I've been watching Dai Henwood on TV for the last few weeks and am beginning to think that New Zealanders have a VERY different sense of humour to the British.....

[Tia Maria]

Moorf wrote:

Gosh, well all those blonde comments I'd laugh at, and I reckon most of my blonde mates would too. I appreciate what you're saying but I find it very frustrating, all this over-sensitivity.

I guess a blonde might be upset if it was said by her boss who wasn't promoting her because she was a woman. Whether we like it or not there is a reason women are still paid less in the workplace.

So in that situation it would be offensive as it was said by somone who didn't really think women should hold senior positions and is worse as they actually have the power to make this so. Therefore, a negative intention and a negative effect.

However :D .....

If said by a work colleague, who you always joke with. Then no negative intention and no negative effect.

I deliberately left it vague to show that there is more to understanding whether a comment is racist/sexist/homophobic etc than just the comment itself.

Cheers

Tia

[Moorf]

Then again...I've been watching Dai Henwood on TV for the last few weeks and am beginning to think that New Zealanders have a VERY different sense of humour to the British.....

Interesting you should mention that. I find the Kiwi's LOVE our older British comedies ("oooeerrr missus" "don't mention the war" etc) but recent stuff isn't going down as well.

Or perhaps British humour, and the Brits, have changed? Can you imagine a Fawlty Towers series being made now? Probably be banned for being insensitive...

[Trigirl]

But it's the "pak 'n save"...I suppose they have to keep it simple....
surely if any comment is going to be offensive it would be that one? now i'm sure you intended it as a joke - but then thats the intention of the advert too???

[willsken]

New Zealanders have a VERY different sense of humour to the British.....

I agree that they seem to have a different sense of humour but we are in NZ and they shouldn't have to make allowances for us. Of course, if something was said with malicious intent then it’s different but whether we find the Pac n Save sign funny or not, I don’t think it was meant in any way other than a bit of ribbing. I, for example, love irony and I often have to stop myself saying what jumps into my mind as I have had a few instances where I say something ironically and a Kiwi has taken me very seriously. I don't mind, just one of the many difference between cultures.

[Moorf]

So in that situation it would be offensive as it was said by somone who didn't really think women should hold senior positions and is worse as they actually have the power to make this so. Therefore, a negative intention and a negative effect.

Yep, we agree on that. :yes But that's rather far removed from a sign in a window of a supermarket, don't you think?

We're not talking about offensive people, with alterior motives, saying offensive things to people - we're seeing an attention-grabbing statement of fact displayed in a store window! I still don't get why it has been seen as racist! Is it going to offend Aussies? I don't think so... yet non-Aussies will be offended on their behalf, it seems!

It just seems that everyone rushes to see a negative intention above anything else - it's as if we're all now tuned in to see sinister messages and intents where there are, more than likely, none. A bit like the communist-paranoid U.S of the 1950s!

[willsken]

While I am all for debate on these issues, the thing that has struck me about this thread is someone took the time and trouble to put a light hearted post on to make people smile and then someone has to turn it into a racist/negative issue. Makes you wonder why people bother at times. :confused:

[Tia Maria]

Moorf wrote:

I still don't get why it has been seen as racist!

I don't see it as racist either, IMHO its advertising humour based on the kiwi/oz rivalry.

I think you have to ask yourself whether there is an anti-ozzie comment that you would think of as offensive?

And by that I mean anti-Australian, not anti-Ozzie Osbourne, obviously all anti-Ozzie Osbourne comments would be considered offensive. :)

Cheers

Tia

[Moorf]

Yep, amazingly a light-hearted look at an ad sign has been bought down to this! And more worringly that's the way the world seems to be going. :no

Coming from the world of marketing myself, I'm all too aware of what goes and what doesn't, and most of the best ideas the creatives came up with were often the ones we had to ditch for ever-increasing pc reasons.

I love NZ's ads, yes, even the sheepshagger ones and the swearing on the Zilch Ice Cream radio ad "with bugger all fat", in fact anything that makes me gasp or react ... I hope they keep it up.

And by that I mean anti-Australian, not anti-Ozzie Osbourne, obviously all anti-Ozzie Osbourne comments would be considered offensive. :)

:laugh:laugh

[Moorf]

surely if any comment is going to be offensive it would be that one? now i'm sure you intended it as a joke - but then thats the intention of the advert too???

Took the words from my mouth...

[Trigirl]

and the "where the bloody hell are you" australia one too ;)

someone took the time and trouble to put a light hearted post on to make people smileindeed - and they did make me smile too.

Love NZ. This is a fun place.Totally :)

[willsken]

Love NZ. This is a fun place.

Totally


Agreed!! :raebanana

[Moorf]

I'm waiting to be told off for having fun at the expense of others... :exit

[willsken]

I'm waiting to be told off for having fun at the expense of others... :exit

Surely not!!:roll :laugh

[SarahEDH]

I seriously need to get back to work instead of surfing the forum, but for some reason I also need to say that I love Ozzie Osbourne, may he rock on, and I adore Pak-n-Save. There have been days as a newcomer to NZ when I didn't know which end was up, but by God, if I went into Pak-n-Save at least I knew what was going on THERE, and what I was supposed to do next. The day I figured out how to print my own labels for the Bhuja Hot Mix was pretty exciting, let me tell you. Even in the super-cool place called California, we don't have that label-printer-thingy.

A call to arms for the camera-laden :) -- let's keep each other smiling through these cold & windy days

[willsken]

:) :) :)

[zardell]

The day I figured out how to print my own labels for the Bhuja Hot Mix was pretty exciting, let me tell you.




Ooh - how do you do that then ??? I haven't seen one of those label-printer thingies in our Pak n Save, mind you, I've only just realised that you have to write the number on your plastic bag full of Pik 'n Mix !!

Keep the photo's coming Sarah - they certainly made me smile and I have to admit to enjoying some of the NZ TV advertisements (especially the 'naughty' ones) more than I enjoy the programmes .....................:laugh

Julie

xx

[jess]

Here's one from a store window in Rotorua! (I didn't take this picture. original here (http://tiaspot.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html))

[Moorf]

I wonder how this NZ "GodMarks" campaign would have gone down in the U.S!

https://www.godmarks.co.nz/default.aspx

[jen]

I don't think the 'no australian owners' is meant to be either a joke or racist - I agree with whoever said it's to let people know that Pak n Save is not an Australian-owned company if that is something that matters to them when deciding where to shop. Reminds me of an advertising campaign back in my California hometown started by several locally-owned coffee shops which displayed "no corporate coffee" logos, trying to get people to avoid the mega-chains like Starbucks in favor of the local places.

This isn't my photo (original here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jremigio/434947537/ ) but my OH & I both walked past it at different times and did double-takes. Strikes me as a very kiwi sense of humor thing. I love reading chalkboard signs as I walk along downtown . . .

[SarahEDH]

Jess, hilarious picture --

Julie, I'll see if I can do this from memory --

1. While filling the bag, make a mental note of the 4-digit product code shown on the bulk container.

2. If you see what looks like a scale hooked to an electronic display: place the filled bag on the scale surface, then type in the 4-digit product code and press the button labeled "PLU". At my Pak-n-Save the lettering has worn off that button but you can still make it out.

3. You should see your product's description come up on the screen, if not you might have typed in a different code. If the description is correct, press the button labeled with an asterisk *. The machine thens spews out your label! It's so cool! And I'm easily entertained, that's true too.

[ellenmelon]

Then again...I've been watching Dai Henwood on TV for the last few weeks and am beginning to think that New Zealanders have a VERY different sense of humour to the British.....

oh good god, i really really dislike dai henwood! he's just..ugh. i just dont get how people find him funny. to be honest, i think its very 18-25 pissed up guys that that show is aimed at and not indicative of nz humour! why he was given a slot on c4 i shall never know! :confused:

[Trigirl]

jen - that one made me giggle several times as i walked past in the morning!

[zardell]

The machine thens spews out your label! It's so cool! And I'm easily entertained, that's true too.



Well, I must be easily entertained too, 'cos I just did my shopping today, but now I've read your post, I'm going back tomorrow !!

How sad is that?......:laugh :laugh :laugh


:exit


Julie

xx

[zardell]

Jen.....

That's just my kind of humour.

But the thing I love most about NZ is that they actually DO things like that without fear of retribution.

The only consequence seems to be a giggle from a passer-by.

Julie

xx

[Moorf]

But the thing I love most about NZ is that they actually DO things like that without fear of retribution.

That's it - that's what I was trying to say but I used far too many words! :nice1

[KerryS]

I rather liked this one about fireman which was on the back of the Herald today:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/column/story.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10434689

[Diva]

Wow....I didn't expect this one to get up and run, but it seems to have grown legs.

There were two issues with the original sign. Is it racist and/or is it funny?

From my experience in life there seems to be two types of racism...bad racism and silly racism. Bad racism is when you get attacked in the street for being a foreigner, people burn crosses on your lawn, etc etc. Silly racism is when the locals, a bit scared of new people, make jokes about them. The former is evil. The latter is a way of letting off steam.

I've only been here 6 weeks but I'm guessing that there is a lot of silly racism out here but almost no bad racism. Just like the UK in the 1960's. Fine. So I'm thinking that the sign is just a defence mechanism against Australia and the outside world.

Silly jokes can be a useful way of getting used to things that are new...or they can be the stepping stone for greater evils. Let's hope NZ keeps it silly!

[kanatakiwi]

I think if you really want to talk about racism in this country, you should talk to some Maori or Pacific Islanders. However I dont put this Pak n Save sign even in the "silly racism" category. It is the NZ/Australian sense of humour, its called taking the mick. you will see things that are a lot more in your face than this sign.

[Diva]

Thank god I never mentioned that "pak 'n save" is racist to Pakistanis......

[willowshouse]

But it's the "pak 'n save"...I suppose they have to keep it simple....

and

Thank god I never mentioned that "pak 'n save" is racist to Pakistanis....

Forgive me if I'm being a little slow .. but are you offended by the name 'pak 'n' save' or is it just their Aussie joke you think is distasteful?

[zardell]

Thank god I never mentioned that "pak 'n save" is racist to Pakistanis......



Too late...:uhoh ..........you just did......:laugh :laugh :laugh

Julie

xx

[Diva]

Forgive me if I'm being a little slow .. but are you offended by the name 'pak 'n' save' or is it just their Aussie joke you think is distasteful?

I was joking about being offended by 'pak n save'

But I think that any shop that puts a sign in the window claiming to be better than other shops on racial grounds is making a dangerous joke.

Let's be clear..."No Aussies' is hilarious but "No Jews/Blacks/Sheep" is evil.

Is that how it is?

[willowshouse]

Personally I am not offended by it .. but let's be clear about what it says:

No Australian Owners Here
NOT
No Aussies

Quite a difference!

[Diva]

Personally I am not offended by it .. but let's be clear about what it says:

No Australian Owners Here
NOT
No Aussies

Quite a difference!

Aussie is racist?

(This is going to be a long night....Dai Henwood at 8.30, thank god)

[willowshouse]

No Dear ..

No Australian Owners means exactly what it says .. Pak'n'Save is not owned by Australians

No Aussies to me means exactly what it infers .. No Australians allowed

Clear? You shortened the phrase for effect ..

I'm off :exit

[Diva]

:laugh No Dear ..

No Australian Owners means exactly what it says .. Pak'n'Save is not owned by Australians

No Aussies to me means exactly what it infers .. No Australians allowed

Clear? You shortened the phrase for effect ..

I'm off :exit

Well I stand corrected, as the man said to the truss shop owner.

There's a joke we can all enjoy:laugh


They should stick a sign on Everest......Nepalese Owned And Climbed :laugh

[vixxann]

Just taking it back to the signs in NZ ..

I thought the crazy yellow bends in the road signs were fab - didn't get a photo of one but they literally show all the bends coming up (not just road with one bend in the middle) so in the coromandel in particular there were mad wiggles going on all the time - crazy;)

and.. slightly different but shows fun side of NZ
we got my lad a Tshirt for his birthday when he went Zorbing in Rotorua. When I checked the care label before washing it it said :
Treat 'em tough but fair
Do not bleach
Do not iron print
Do not leave on floor for your mum to pick up

:laugh

[katandbob]

Is it just me or are other people getting fed up with people labeling things like that sign as racist? Leave the term to situations that deserve the title, otherwise using it for mundane things like a sign that is intended as Humorous and informing customers that their hard earned $$$ is going to their own economy, makes it so that you just shut off when you hear the term and think oh here we go again - someone harking on about racism again.

The one thing I do like about NZ is that they are not OTT Politically Correct brigade!.... if it does get as stupid as the UK etc I will be very dissapointed!

get a grip and a sense of humor....

OK rant over....expecting a bashing from the OTTPC forumites now...:exit

Kat;)

[scoobydoo]

To stop the diversion of a funny post….

There’s nothing wrong with the sign. Kiwi and Ozzie rivalry is as old as ….

As a migrant absorb the innocence and get on with it, don’t bring the old suitcases here….

There is technically no racism possible unless indigenous peoples are brought into the argument. The multicultural offence argument is by default impotent as there are multicultural groups in both countries….

We have mates of all colours and, well if I said it’s just drummed up pseudo intellectualism….

To SarahEDH – thanks for a funny post, we saw something similar in Auckland (hope that doesn’t offend anyone without the letter ‘k’ in their name) and thought it was ….funny

Scooby

[DSC]

@ Katandbob,

Not from me you won't. I agree 100% with your sentiments. :nice1

[zardell]

The one thing I do like about NZ is that they are not OTT Politically Correct brigade!.... if it does get as stupid as the UK etc I will be very dissapointed!
;)



Yes Kat.....so will I.

Julie

xx

[Moorf]

Me too.. :yes

[scoobydoo]

Oh something else – going back to the original photographs….

My Auckland mate feels racially upset that dudes in Wellington want to splash water on him – photo 1….

I know the traffic light in the second photo, and it’s well peeved that it can’t do its job for the red and white cones and roadworks

And the seat in photo 1 is taking UN court action that it was not fully represented in the photo

[Diva]

Well, group hugs all round!

Has anybody ever seen a sign in a foreign country saying "No New Zealanders Here" or "100% non-NZ owned"?

I haven't....but I bet a lot of people on this thread would burst into tears if they did! ;)

[gil]

What a juicy thread I've missed here! Love the photos everyone, very good. :laugh Speaking as a native of a small country that has long has the p**s ripped out of it by its near neighbour, I love the feistiness and non-PC attitude here. Can't honestly see the Australians losing much sleep over a sign in a New Zealand supermarket though.

Gil

[Diva]

. Can't honestly see the Australians losing much sleep over a sign in a New Zealand supermarket though.

Gil

That's the whole point! People who would get upset if you said they were from Upper Hutt when in fact they are from Lower Hutt think it's a giggle to discriminate against entire countries/racial groups.

It's harmless....at the moment......

[gil]

That's the whole point! People who would get upset if you said they were from Upper Hutt when in fact they are from Lower Hutt think it's a giggle to discriminate against entire countries/racial groups.

It's harmless....at the moment......

Sorry if I'm being a bit dim here Diva, I'm not entirely clear what you mean here, can you help me?

Gil

[DSC]

That's the whole point! People who would get upset if you said they were from Upper Hutt when in fact they are from Lower Hutt think it's a giggle to discriminate against entire countries/racial groups.

It's harmless....at the moment......

Oh dear, you really don't want to let go of this do you?
Why do you have to take it so seriously? I can assure you that Neo-Nazism is not a criteria to be an employee of Pak N' Save. I checked.
When the Horst Wessel song is played over the PA system in the store then you may have grounds to be so concerned.

[Diva]

Sorry if I'm being a bit dim here Diva, I'm not entirely clear what you mean here, can you help me?

Gil

The kind of people who use racist terms are the same people who get upset if you make fun of them.

I knew people in England who used the term 'paki' to refer to almost 1 billion people in Asia.....yet if you told the same person that they were from Slough, when in fact they were from Reading...they would get upset. They were very sensitive about their own lives but were quite happy to think of other people as being one giant group.

So...I'm guessing that New Zealanders dismiss any attack on their ways as being 'PC' or 'humorless' or whatever...but they would be very upset if anybody made fun of them. Not that anybody does, of course.....

[Diva]

When the Horst Wessel song is played over the PA system in the store then you may have grounds to be so concerned.

Good one!

But I never shop there....so I'll have to rely on others to let me know when/if this happens...

(I'm guessing in 2012)

[DSC]

Diva, in the year 2012 piped music in shops will be banned due to the fact that it isn't possible to play everyones taste in music concurrently.

[Sam B]

Well, I generally like to put the PC side of things on any appropriate thread, but I just can't seem to work up any righteous anger over this one. I must be turning into a kiwi!

[Diva]

Well, I generally like to put the PC side of things on any appropriate thread, but I just can't seem to work up any righteous anger over this one. I must be turning into a kiwi!

One of the great mysteries of life....

being anti-racist gets called PC (i.e. fascist)

but being racist gets called....my mistake...there isn't any racism in NZ. Even when people put signs in the window attacking other countries it's just a joke. We were the first to give women the vote, you know..therefore we can do no wrong!:raebanana

[Sam B]

Eh?? How is being PC the same as being fascist? I wasn't trying to be fascist!!! And I AM anti-rascist!! But definitely not a fascist!!!

Groan, I think I'll leave this thread alone...

[DSC]

......being anti-racist gets called PC (i.e. fascist)
.........


I think that you will find that fascism is against all forms of liberalisation/political correctness.

[Diva]

I think that you will find that fascism is against all forms of liberalisation/political correctness.


Well, it's not so simple, is it? Some would argue that fascism is a revolt against the middle and upper classes and therefore it is the enemy of PC. Others would see it as a form of social control and therefore not dissimilar to PC as we know it today.

Blah blah blah....... New Zealand shops put signs in the windows that say how racially 'pure' they are and I have to stay up all night apologising.

Quite insane......

[willowshouse]

Diva, in my opinion you are being a bully..

We get the picture, you are offended... but just because we are not offended does not mean we are racist.

Please think before you make further posts on this subject - you risk alienating people for fear of your repsonse.

[Diva]

Diva, in my opinion you are being a bully..

We get the picture, you are offended... but just because we are not offended does not mean we are racist.

Please think before you make further posts on this subject - you risk alienating people for fear of your response.

OK willowhouse, I can understand why you might think I'm 'being a bully' but I'd like to make it clear that I am not 'offended' by the picture and I am not trying to 'bully' anybody but I haven't read a decent explanation for what is going on.

Now....I can't, off the top of my head, think of any other country in the world where people put signs in their shop windows that say "We are not from XXX country" and think that this is a selling point.

('xxx' being any other country apart from the native country)

But my knowledge of the world is limited, and if anybody has examples of this kind of behaviour then I'd love to see them. Perhaps Brazilians put "No Argentinians involved" in their windows and everybody has a good chuckle.

I understand that this might be a 'joke' (anybody laughing?) or a cultural difference but isn't it simpler to see it as a rather poor form of racism that highlights a deeper trend in the society? As I said earlier on this thread, it's a form of harmless racism and I'm quite happy to look at stupid signs in shop windows as long as I never get attacked in the street!

At the end of the day this is a forum for people hoping to integrate into NZ society and I can understand why anything perceived as being anti-NZ would be attacked.....but really, has anybody seen signs like this in their home countries?

[Debbie P.]

Man oh man... what has happened to good ol' fashioned sense of humour? :no

Was I the only English rugby fan to find that Welsh song about "We don't care who else has beaten us as long as we beat the English" absolutely hilarious? :laugh And then they DID beat us... well, good for them, and wait until they get to Twickenham next year :p

Yes, we get 'bashed' by the Welsh and the Scottish, and the Australians get 'bashed' by NZ... but anyone with an ounce of self-confidence is going to recognise that it's just a bit of fun. And yes, it CAN go too far, but this sign really doesn't!

What's 'racist' about making a wry comment concerning the domination of companies by large Australian conglomerations[sp]?

Why am I even getting involved? I know I'm going to regret it.

[DSC]

Well, it's not so simple, is it? Some would argue that fascism is a revolt against the middle and upper classes and therefore it is the enemy of PC. Others would see it as a form of social control and therefore not dissimilar to PC as we know it today.

Blah blah blah....... New Zealand shops put signs in the windows that say how racially 'pure' they are and I have to stay up all night apologising.

Quite insane......

A discussion on the intricacies of extreme right wing politics can be debated on other forums. The debate here is about a sign in a shop window, which to remind you, was advertising that the shop was owned by New Zealanders and not Australians. How you can construe that to be racially 'pure' is frankly beyond me and a little disturbing.

[Diva]

A discussion on the intricacies of extreme right wing politics can be debated on other forums. The debate here is about a sign in a shop window, which to remind you, was advertising that the shop was owned by New Zealanders and not Australians. How you can construe that to be racially 'pure' is frankly beyond me and a little disturbing.

Ummmm....once again, this is the first country I have been to that feels the need to put signs in the shop windows telling people where the owners are from...or not from.

You seem to be posting from Germany DSC....do you really need a history lesson?

[DSC]

I can't get a decent reply from you on this subject let alone a history lesson.

[Diva]

Man oh man... what has happened to good ol' fashioned sense of humour? :no

Was I the only English rugby fan to find that Welsh song about "We don't care who else has beaten us as long as we beat the English" absolutely hilarious? :laugh And then they DID beat us... well, good for them, and wait until they get to Twickenham next year :p

Yes...but songs sung at sporting events are different to signs


oh, forget it...I'm wasting my time. NZ doen't seem to have much of a racial problem at the moment but, let's be honest, it's going to go the same way as Australia and pictures like the one that started this thread are hardly proving me wrong!