I don't think it's strawman but yes it is generalising. Of course not everybody is racist, nobody would claim such a thing, nor would anybody claim every single human being in New Zealand is any one thing or another.

But we can speak of general and widely held attitudes and beliefs in a country. In this case the observations are accurate, we think we are not racists but our actions and words and voting patterns and institutions and laws show that we are.

This is why Winston Peters and David Seymour continually throw racist (and homophobic and transphobic) terms at their votes and why their voters lap it up enthusiastically. They are bigoted and hateful and their votes support them because they share that bigotry and hatred.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

We know we are racist its said constantly but every country is racist so as long as we're middle of the pack racist people dont care.

The politicians are a symptom of trumps rhetoric bleeding over to nz. Its no doubt trumps maga movement has affected people all over the world and made them far more aggressive in their racist views.

Once he passes things will chill out and our right wing politicians will go back to being mask on with their racism and we can resume pretending like we're actually considering honouring the treaty.

[–] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think Trump is a pimple on the infection that is the christian nationalist right wing movement that's worldwide. Don't kid yourself. It's also festering here and will eventually manifest itself in our version of Trump. Seymour is the closest thing we have right now, he isn't as charismatic as Trump but he is just as evil and just as fundamentalist.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I completely agree that its festering here. I watch winston peters, Luxon and Seymour trying to emulate the Trump playbook

[–] BalpeenHammer@lemmy.nz 2 points 4 months ago

It's all in the plan. The movement is worldwide.

When you have time google for previous elections where Winston hired the people behind brexit to come and help him. They didn't leave.