Sunday 6 May 2007

The Fallacy of False Cause Writ Large

The Maori Party has publicly acknowledged that Maori are grossly over represented in criminal activity and violence. Now, party leader Tariana Turia has gone one step further--she has given us an explanation as to why this is so. It is because the Maori were taught to beat their children. And who taught them to do this? It was the missionaries.

So, Maori are lawless and violent today, and they beat their children today, because the missionaries taught them to do so. Before the missionaries came, says Mrs Turia, Maori loved their children, never beat them, and were indulgent toward them. They treasured them. So you can put the blame for Maori criminal behaviour right at the feet of the missionaries--and by implication--right at the feet of the Saviour they served--the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a better theory. Maori never stopped being indulgent towards their children. They successfully retained that part of their pagan culture. So the kids, never corrected, trained, disciplined, or controlled grew up unconstrained. When they became adults they continued to live self-indulged, ill disciplined lives. When things did not go their way, when life did not indulge them the way it was when they were kids, they lashed out, became violent, beat up on their own kids, committed crimes, and acted totally irresponsibly.