(no subject)
Reposting my political rantiness from a comment I made on another friend's politically ranty journal entry - I'm interested to see whether I'm talking through a hole in my head, or if I'm actually making any sense (that'd be surprising, no?).
Unfortunately, there are some parts of NZ culture that really suck.
We have a culture of mediocrity. While we're happy to have sports heroes, Shortland Street actors in Hollywood and decent blokes that climb big mountains - while we're happy to point at Rutherford or Britten and their inventive genius and say to the world "See that? That's New Zealand, that is" - there's a cultural mindset that says that you aren't allowed to be better than anyone else.
New Zealand has Tall Poppy Syndrome. Anyone who works really hard, has a good idea for something that will work and has the balls to go out and market his idea will get shit. You're allowed to do OK at something, but it you do well people will have a go at you for being a smartass, or an asshole, or whatever. Once you've made it people are happy to own you, but it's rare that people who are starting to be successful will get much support from their peers. There is a cultural pressure towards being average, and just as good as everyone else. Being egalitarian is all well and good, but I like it when people are congratulated for doing good things, and excellence in whatever field is celebrated.
While having an over-inflated ego is certainly bad, being too humble is just as bad. There are too many people who could reach for the stars, if they weren't afraid of having their hands chopped off by their peers who are merely reaching for the bottle on the top shelf.
Leading me to another point: We have a class system. The reason it's so successful is that we don't see it. New Zealanders can be quite cliquish, and sometimes just won't think to associate with people whose backgrounds are significantly different. I saw that all the time at my old high school - people from rich families up on Cashmere Hill didn't really associate much, if at all, with people from poorer families in places like Somerfield and Addington.
There wasn't necessarily a thought of "I won't talk to that person; they're lower class", or vice-versa, but I get the feeling that that was still unconsciously there. Being a geekish outcast (I'd probably say that I'm "upper middle class academic/intellectual") and not having close contact with any major cliques, I may have had a slightly better chance to see all that going on. People who're "in the system" so to speak don't necessarily notice it to quite the same extent.
There are a bunch of different strains of culture in New Zealand. There is a section of society that has a benefit mentality. There's no pressure to better themselves because they live in a culture of apathy. Of the lowest common denominator. On the other hand, there's another section of society that is elitist, that believes in excellence, and also believes in supporting that excellence. It's a lot easier to get ahead in the world when you have that kind of cultural environment to grow in, and people who come from that kind of background often have trouble seeing why "those dole-bludgers" don't just go out and get jobs and be successful too.
What I'd like to see happen is a cultural shift towards (a) encouraging success in individuals and (b) encouraging support of success in society, no matter what class it comes from. This will take a lot of resources - in security, in health, in education. If there was a concerted effort for that support and encouragement, I personally wouldn't mind paying more tax. It's an investment in a future that we would all reap benefits from. I don't like having a country that's content to just tread water and merely "do OK". Our humility is polite, but unrealistic. Our egalitarian nature is nice in terms of fair-play, but selfish in terms of stifling the growth of others. We like to think we're one of the best places in the world to live, but we could be so much more.
*ahem* Sorry if I've ranted too much :-)
Unfortunately, there are some parts of NZ culture that really suck.
We have a culture of mediocrity. While we're happy to have sports heroes, Shortland Street actors in Hollywood and decent blokes that climb big mountains - while we're happy to point at Rutherford or Britten and their inventive genius and say to the world "See that? That's New Zealand, that is" - there's a cultural mindset that says that you aren't allowed to be better than anyone else.
New Zealand has Tall Poppy Syndrome. Anyone who works really hard, has a good idea for something that will work and has the balls to go out and market his idea will get shit. You're allowed to do OK at something, but it you do well people will have a go at you for being a smartass, or an asshole, or whatever. Once you've made it people are happy to own you, but it's rare that people who are starting to be successful will get much support from their peers. There is a cultural pressure towards being average, and just as good as everyone else. Being egalitarian is all well and good, but I like it when people are congratulated for doing good things, and excellence in whatever field is celebrated.
While having an over-inflated ego is certainly bad, being too humble is just as bad. There are too many people who could reach for the stars, if they weren't afraid of having their hands chopped off by their peers who are merely reaching for the bottle on the top shelf.
Leading me to another point: We have a class system. The reason it's so successful is that we don't see it. New Zealanders can be quite cliquish, and sometimes just won't think to associate with people whose backgrounds are significantly different. I saw that all the time at my old high school - people from rich families up on Cashmere Hill didn't really associate much, if at all, with people from poorer families in places like Somerfield and Addington.
There wasn't necessarily a thought of "I won't talk to that person; they're lower class", or vice-versa, but I get the feeling that that was still unconsciously there. Being a geekish outcast (I'd probably say that I'm "upper middle class academic/intellectual") and not having close contact with any major cliques, I may have had a slightly better chance to see all that going on. People who're "in the system" so to speak don't necessarily notice it to quite the same extent.
There are a bunch of different strains of culture in New Zealand. There is a section of society that has a benefit mentality. There's no pressure to better themselves because they live in a culture of apathy. Of the lowest common denominator. On the other hand, there's another section of society that is elitist, that believes in excellence, and also believes in supporting that excellence. It's a lot easier to get ahead in the world when you have that kind of cultural environment to grow in, and people who come from that kind of background often have trouble seeing why "those dole-bludgers" don't just go out and get jobs and be successful too.
What I'd like to see happen is a cultural shift towards (a) encouraging success in individuals and (b) encouraging support of success in society, no matter what class it comes from. This will take a lot of resources - in security, in health, in education. If there was a concerted effort for that support and encouragement, I personally wouldn't mind paying more tax. It's an investment in a future that we would all reap benefits from. I don't like having a country that's content to just tread water and merely "do OK". Our humility is polite, but unrealistic. Our egalitarian nature is nice in terms of fair-play, but selfish in terms of stifling the growth of others. We like to think we're one of the best places in the world to live, but we could be so much more.
*ahem* Sorry if I've ranted too much :-)