Research presented today at a "National Diversity Forum" in Hamilton today reveals a "dark underbelly" of racism in on-line behaviour.The researchers arrived at this conclusion by analyzing the comments threads on Youtube videos of Paul Henry and Hone Hawawira. Both videos featuring the protagonists making racially charged statements.
The researcher is one James Liu - Deputy director of Victoria University's Centre of Applied Cross-Cultural Research.
He frets
many of the comments were freely accessible to children on popular websites and social media.without seemingly recognizing that the comments are in response to the pronouncements of public figures which are also freely accessible to children on publicly funded radio and Television and that Mr Harawira is a Member of Parliament, no less, and one who preaches racism to his core constituency.
"The worry is the younger posters are getting no civil education about how to be a good citizen and how to behave online. If they think this is alright and then go into a smaller community (with those views) there could be consequences."
A racebaiter if there ever was one but it is those who react to his provocations who are the racists - go figure.
I wish James Liu would research the sociopath behaviour in x box games that children love to imitate, that would really give him something to fret about.
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