Matamata RSA, Blackface and forgiveness

National RSA condemns blackface incident at Matamata as ‘incredibly disappointing’, issue apology

The national body governing the Returned Services Association is apologising “unreservedly” after a photo emerged of a guest attending a Matamata RSA quiz night dressed in blackface.

An image on the Matamata RSA’s Facebook page showed a guest donning minstrel attire including a black curly wig, black painted face, large white painted lips and white circles around their eyes as part of the event on Friday.

Hundreds of people commented on the now-deleted photo, denouncing the guest’s costume, calling it racist and insensitive.

The Matamata RSA’s president defended the photo insisting it was not offensive.

Today an RNZRSA spokesperson said they were aware of the issue surrounding a costume worn to the branch’s recent black and white themed function.

Comrades.

I love the RSA.

I think the RSA is an incredibly important part of our community.

I think everyone should go to their local RSA at least once every 6 weeks.

It’s great kai, at a VERY affordable price, cheap bevies and meat raffles galore.

It’s an important social hub for local families to have a night out and a great chin wag with the old boys.

The light gets dimmed, everyone pauses, reflects and has a wonderful evening of communal interaction.

Your local RSA needs you, and we should support them.

I appreciate the current tensions between the National RSA and the local branches. The National body want local RSAs to be more focused on delivering mental health services to actual veterans and while I absolutely believe Local RSAs should be a focus point for veteran specific services, they should also be directly paid for that mental health delivery and dismissing the social part of RSAs would be a terrible reduction in the importance of that social interaction for many in our community.

Just like Marae do during a civil defence emergency,  the Local RSA becomes a focus point for civil defence responses and I believe that they should be receiving ongoing funding to provide that role for the community as well.

Which brings us to the good people of Matamata and their Local RSA.

You can see what their attempt was, a fun night for the community, fulfilling that important social function at a time of economic hardship and loneliness, hosting a black and white night and this local pulls black face without any real comprehension of how offensive that is.

I appreciate that finding any generosity in ourselves on the Left at a time of this ugly anti-Māori, anti-Treaty agenda being blitzkrieged through by this racist Government is tough, but do any of us honestly believe that this person did black face with any real understanding?

I just don’t get that vibe. The sparkly bejazzelled jacket seems to suggest fashion crime more than hate crime.

Comrades, we have 6 torturous months of ACTs horrific Treaty Principles Referendum Bill to  wade through, let us do it with righteousness in our hearts and not sweat the blackface misdemeanours of people who actually don’t know better.

Good on the Matamata RSA for having a social night, keep doing them (minus the blackface obviously), and keep serving your community.

Let’s keep supporting our local RSA.

Let’s hope they get extra funding for Veteran Services and that they have more resources for Civil Defence purposes.

Let’s also hope no one is dumb enough to do bloody Blackface again!

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