Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 20. August 27 1979
Holocaust Re-Reviewed
Holocaust Re-Reviewed
Dear Sir,
Taking up a point discussed in an earlier Salient on the message of the Holocaust programme.
That programme must be seen as a reminder of the European Holocaust, and from that messages drawn and related to our present world, as well as a presentation of an important part of history that we must not forget.
One can think of many examples in recent history; Biafra, Pakistan, Ethopia (Horn of Africa) and Amin's Uganda etc. Today that message is relevant to Vietnam.
Vietnam is (in effect) expelling the Chinese, partly because they are the merchant (capitalist) class. Part of Hitler's anti-semitic racism involved a similar labelling of the Jews. Both Vietnam and the Nazis tried to get rid of those they could not tolerate; except Vietnam is doing it by expelling the Chinese, and the Nazis did it first by total separation from their community (physical and social) and then by extermination of the Jews and other minority groups such as the gypsies.
The international community reacted in its usual constructive and sympathetic (?) way — by calling a conference.
Vietnam is discussed at Geneva. The conclusion: Vietnam is misbehaving; it should reform its ways, it is up to Vietnam to solve the problem in the first place (until it does we will punish it by withdrawing aid etc.). Until then, nations in the rest of the world will take quotas of refugees, thus N.Z. will take 2000 over 2 years—is that sympathetic; or generous, or humane? I'm sure the Chinese Vietnamese refugees are lumping for joy that they will spend 2 years in overcrowded, disease ridden, unsanitary camps.
Germany's treatment of the Jews was discussed at the Evian conference in 1938. Their conclusion-Hitler is misbehaving, he must reform his treatment of Jews, and treat them reasonably. In the meantime other nations in the rest of the world will take limited quotas of German Jewish refugees over a defined period of time. (New Zealand in its generosity and humanity look only a few.)
Even more concrete rejection of German Jewish refugees can be seen in the Hamburg liner "Saint Loais" with a 1000 Jews on board which was denied landing rights in Cuba, in the US, in England, and also by the rest of the world.
But let's not be deluded into thinking that this sort of racism takes place only in places distant from our shores. There are people and groups who are just as racist here in New Zealand. I know of a Liberal Studies teacher at a liberal Wellington High School who believes that the problems with Maori kids is not just social but also because of a biological inferiority! Similarly, let's consider the anti Malaysian sentiments expressing themselves at Massey University in the last few weeks. I have heard similar racist sentiments on this campus too!
The messages of the holocaust programme apply to all of us. The potential for such horrific excesses of racism exists here, now, in the modern world, including New Zealand. It exists in the personality of many people in our society; and this does not even take account of the political elements which could so easily be perverted, developed into fascism and used to attack, on racial grounds, minority groups in our own society, whether they are Jews, or Samoans, or Maoris.
The potential for the expression of such racist sentiments exists just below the surface in, not a few nutters, but in many people in New Zealand. I believe it only needs a focus, an incident, or a situation, for that sentiment to be drawn out. Note some of the racist fire that the reading of the television programme summary in Maori drew. Or some sentiments one hears about gangs. All it needs is a skilled political group to turn it into a powerful force in society.
The holocaust ought not to just serve as a reminder of a historical tragedy, but it demands us to be aware of those things, which set (hat event into motion within our own world, and own society.
Yours,
La Heyman.