Contentious, not racist

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Re: Talking about racism, November 9.

Well, Matthew Roderick, your tirade proves my analysis. I of course am saying that racism is just one part of “the human condition” which to some extent is inherent in all of humanity. And no, it is not just about skin colour. It is also about “our team”, how other people might have a different perspective to “our team”, and we might want to bludgeon or coerce them into joining us.

Just because I have put the morality of racism apart in favour of showing my desire to analyse the academic definition of racism and where it comes from in our respective psyche, does not label me to be a racist.

Yes, I know that my belief that there are degrees and types of racism — some relatively harmless and others definitely not so — may be contentious.

Your tirade in the last paragraph of your comments would label you in some people’s minds as a fanatic and narrowly focused zealot, capable of only narrow, indoctrinated opinions . . . although I would not normally dent your ego so harshly as to say so.

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Dennis Pennefather