Politics, Kiwi Style (Part 2)

This blog was originally meant as a replacement to mass e-mails that I sent to family and friends about my travels. For that reason, I have tried to write primarily descriptive pieces about the places I'm visiting at the moment, and kept touchy subjects to the side. But now that I'm staying in one place for a while, there aren't so many new places to write about. New ideas and opinions are always easy to find, however, and some of them might stir up debate - but that's not why I'm writing about them. It's because they're interesting. Here's one:

People frequently ask me about the differences I notice between New Zealand and North America, which is a difficult question to answer. It can be hard to remember what things are like at home, especially less tangible things, like political attitudes. But the recent Chik-Fil-A kerfuffle in the US reminded me. Chik-Fil-A is an American fast food chain that places a major emphasis on its Christian beliefs. The CEO recently made a statement expressing his opposition to same-sex marriage, and it caused an uproar. Several mayors issued declarations that the company was not welcome in their cities. Same-sex couples protested the statement by kissing outside Chik-Fil-A locations, while supporters demonstrated their agreement by eating there more often.

On this side of the Pacific, New Zealand's government is currently processing legislation to allow same-sex marriage. Civil unions are already legal, and common-law relationships are also much more common here than they are back home. There is some opposition to the bill being considered at the moment, but it seems as though it will pass fairly easily. However, Damien O'Connor, one of the opposed members of Parliament, recently faced a unique conflict – his own daughter publicly disagreed with him. In a posting on his Facebook page, she asked – politely – that he change his opinion. Was Dad angry? Apparently not. He praised his daughter's sense of social justice and replied: “Sometimes we disagree. And so it will be throughout New Zealand. We must respect one another's opinions but ignore the extremes from both sides of the debate.”

Maybe it's not a perfect parallel. But being in the news around the same time as each other, these two events reminded me of a major difference in the political cultures of the US and New Zealand - and, I'm slowly learning, between the US and almost everywhere else.

Here's the article about MP Damien O'Connor: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7450294/MPs-family-split-over-gay-marriage-bill.