Letters

POETRY 
As a long time, happy Martinborough resident I look forward to the Star each month to keep me up with the goings on in our small community.  We live in a multicultural and diverse village and I like to think that this is reflected in the content of the paper.  Therefore I was appalled to see what amounts to hate speech being passed off as a poem in the June edition.

 
I don’t intend to get into a personal debate about Mr Ansell’s opinions or politics as it is obvious from the outset that we are fundamentally different on that score and I don’t imagine either of us are likely to change.  But to be given such a public forum to air these views is in my view, reprehensible.
 
While we can’t ignore the right of people to have these views surely as editor you are able to use your discretion as to what is published.  If Mr Ansell would like works like this aired then perhaps he should publish it himself in a manner that can direct it towards people that appreciate his bile rather than foisting it on an unsuspecting audience.  In a world that is full with enough nastiness and cruelty is it naive of me to think perhaps the Star might be above giving such rhetoric a platform?

Yours sincerely
Kate Throp

ISLAMPHOBIA
I’m not sure if I was more disturbed by the content of the ‘poem’ by John Ansell in the latest edition of the Star, which is pure hate speech or by the fact that you decided it was OK to publish such a nasty propaganda piece in our community newspaper.

In publishing such Islamophobic nonsense you are encouraging the perception that all Muslims engage in terrorism and oppression, analogous to saying that all Catholic priests are paedophiles or that anyone practising Judaism is grasping. There are people who choose to do evil in all religious groups. 

The prejudice on display in Mr Ansells poem is the sort I would expect to see on a Westboro Baptist Church billboard, not in our local rag and your decision to publish it? Mindboggling.

I hope we see an apology and retraction.
Mish Warrington

OFFENSIVE
The ‘poem’ by John Ansell printed in the June 2017 is frankly offensive. It is nothing more than a bigoted generalisation bordering on hate speech that has no place in a civilised society no matter a local community publication like the Star. A quick search using social media reveals Mr Ansell as a person with which racism, bigotry, and ignorance are second nature – that is his prerogative but such regressive sentiment is not appropriate in a community focussed publication. Furthermore, for this drivel to be approved by the Editor is ill-conceived at the least. We live in an incredibly diverse little town whereupon people from all over the world, and with different cultures, experiences, values etc are respected with little animosity – let’s positively celebrate this instead!

Thank you Marty Davis

ALTERNATIVE POEM
I was saddened to see that you published the hateful poem I Slam by John Ansell (June 2017). In response I can only offer the well-known poem against the inhumanity of the Nazis during the Holocaust by the German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Yours in standing up against racism,
Emily Greenberg

I can assure readers that I am not xenophobic. Rightly or wrongly I took the poem as just that, a poem. I certainly did not set out to offend anybody and apologise to Kate, Mish, Marty and Emily for having inadvertently done so.

Mike

CORRECTION
Re the article on the 72 section Pinot Grove subdivision. I believe the claim that this is the biggest subdivision since John Martin’s original subdivision of the town to be incorrect.

The 1906 McLaren–Sutherland subdivision which created Malcolm, Daniel and Ester Streets created 132 sections. The later subdivision off New York Street to create TeToki, Mahoe, Kara and Konini streets produced 153 sections. The 1999 Martinborough Estate subdivision is also considerably larger than the Pinot Grove.

Mate Higginson