When 24-year-old aspiring actress Shoshana Roberts was filmed with a hidden camera walking around New York in a plain T-shirt, jeans and trainers she received 108 “catcalls”. Here’s what happened when the Herald carried out the same experiment in Auckland.
My explanation: There are few blacks and mestizo-Hispanics in New Zealand. White and Asian communities tend to be more polite than black and Puerto Rican ones. White areas in USA are similar to white areas in NZ and Australia and England etc.
Warner Epic: “New Zealand is not about colour we are about our people and believe we are all one! NZ is not like Aus, England or the U.S we don’t believe in race we believe in Humanity and thats the reason why our country is the way it is.”
Luke Ford: “And yet, strangely enough, life results by race fall out in exactly the same proportion in NZ as in the rest of the world with East Asians at one end, whites in the middle, and blacks at the other end (when it comes to crime, academic achievement, income, family stability, etc).”
Warner Epic: “Luke I’m sorry I think your wrong there man, I’m from there and thats not how we are , I don’t understand what all this White and Blacks talk is really don’t get it! In NZ that kind of talk will get you hurt or disrespected , we are the only country that still sings our national anthem in both maori and english! New Zealand is a beautiful hard working country that has done amazing , but above all it’s a place where you can go and just be yourself! and know one will care.”
Luke Ford: “Beautiful. And if New Zealand had been founded and dominated demographically by Sicilians or Africans or Chinese or Muslims (instead of WASPs), I am sure it would have the same character it has today. Race is irrelevant. Religion is irrelevant. Ethnicity is irrelevant. We are all God’s children.”
