I GAVE UP POLITICAL CORRECTNESS SOME TIME AGO - NOW I GUESS, CULTURAL CORRECTNESS CAN GO TOO

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

I'm with Richard Dawkins on this one but never thought I'd be agreeing with Elon Musk.

I read this article by Anna Leask in the NZ Herald today: 

Elon Musk, Richard Dawkins’ criticism of mātauranga Māori in schools faces backlash from Kiwi researcher.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has weighed in on criticism of the inclusion of mātauranga Māori in New Zealand’s school curriculum following a column denouncing the policy by prominent international scientist Richard Dawkins.

But a leading Kiwi researcher has slammed the scientist - saying the opinions are “embarrassing, inaccurate and full of racist tropes”.

Dawkins - an evolutionary biologist and writer and author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion - wrote a column for UK magazine the Spectator calling the teaching of mātauranga in science classes “ludicrous”.

The Oxford University fellow and former professor said the policy was “ludicrous” and changes to the curriculum were “adolescent virtue-signalling”.

Dawkins went on to criticise the use of te reo Māori in Government documents and questioned its use when few people were fluent.

“To grasp Government intentions requires a little work, because every third word of the relevant documents is in Māori,” he said.

“Since only 2 per cent of New Zealanders (and only 5 per cent of Māoris) speak that language, this again looks like self-righteous virtue-signalling.”

He criticised mātauranga as “vitalism” where students would be “confused by the doctrine that all life throbs with a vital force conferred by the Earth Mother and Sky Father”.

Frankly, I agree with this.  If, as an atheist I think that all references to gods ruling our lives is nonsense, then matauranga ideas of earth mother and sky father must also be nonsense regardless of how politically and culturally incorrect I sound. 

Dr Tara McAllister, whose research has sought to address the under-representation of indigenous scholars in academia, responded to Dawkins’ column. 
“It is boring, embarrassing, inaccurate and full of racist tropes,” she told the Herald.
“It is clear Richard Dawkins has no expertise on mātauranga.”

OK. Why should he? It's as much a made up thing as christianity, Greek mythology and the tooth fairy.

Tara McAllister is playing the race card to support her argument at the same time as labelling Dawkins a racist. You can't have it both ways. Scientists should be objective. Dawkins may have been a bit blunt in his comments but, as anyone having read his stuff will know, that's his style.  McAllister goes on to pull out the colonisation card as well while trying to get the ear of feminists and anyone left of centre. It is juvenile and a misuse of her position as a commentator.

“Dawkins’ comments are, however, a great example of how clearly white supremacy is ingrained in Western sciences globally, and how colonising scientists continue to attempt to undermine the global resurgence of indigenous knowledge, which I will incorporate into my teaching and research,” she said.

“It is abundantly clear that Dawkins knows nothing about mātauranga Māori. She said, just in case we missed it the first time.

“We have plenty of experts in mātauranga, like Rereata Makiha, Rangi Matamua and Ocean Mercier. Richard Dawkins is clearly not one of them. He has no relevancy here in Aotearoa.”

McAllister said there was “a very long history” of mātauranga Māori being excluded and marginalised in Aotearoa since colonisation.

So here we get to it. Grievance in the guise of academic debate. 

Robert is a Catholic so believes in transubstantiation and a lot of other silly made up stuff.

Richard believes in the Spaghetti Monster.

Tara McAllister believes in a doctrine that all life throbs with a vital force conferred by the Earth Mother and Sky Father.

Give me a break.