Don't worry, North Americans, you are not alone. The unalloyed shit show of Woke madness is happening down under, too.
The Royal Society itself seems to have foregone its conclusion:
A different summary of events from an evolutionary biologist:
University academics' claim mātauranga Māori 'not science' sparks controversy
The University of Auckland and Royal Society are distancing themselves from a contentious letter by some top academics, dismissing mātauranga Māori.
www.rnz.co.nz
The University of Auckland and Royal Society are distancing themselves from a contentious letter dismissing mātauranga Māori by some top academics.
The letter, published in The Listener last week, was signed by seven professors from the University of Auckland: Kendall Clements, Garth Cooper, Michael Corballis, Douglas Elliffe, Elizabeth Rata, Emeritus Professor Robert Nola, and Emeritus Professor John Werry.
They raise their concerns about an NCEA working group's proposed changes to the school curriculum that will ensure parity for mātauranga Māori with other bodies of knowledge.
Their main objection is with a particular description as part of a new course - which "promotes discussion and analysis of the ways in which science has been used to support the dominance of Eurocentric views (among which, its use as a rationale for colonisation of Māori and the suppression of Māori knowledge): and the notion that science is a Western European invention and itself evidence of European dominance over Māori and other indigenous peoples."
The academics say although indigenous knowledge may play some role in the preservation of local practices and in management and policy - it "falls far short of what can be defined as science itself".
They said mātauranga Māori should not be accepted as an equivalent to science, adding "it may help ... but it is not science".
...
In an email sent to staff yesterday, University of Auckland Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater said the letter "has caused considerable hurt and dismay among our staff, students and alumni."
"While the academics are free to express their views, I want to make it clear that they do not represent the views of the University of Auckland."
...
Several other academics have published an open response to the letter stating they categorically disagree with their views.
Signatories include Shaun Hendy, Siouxsie Wiles, Andrew Sporle and Tara McAllister and a numer of others.
In the response, they state the professors claim that "science itself does not colonise", ignores the fact that colonisation, racism, misogyny, and eugenics have each been championed by scientists wielding a self-declared monopoly on universal knowledge.
"While the Professors describe science as 'universal', they fail to acknowledge that science has long excluded indigenous peoples from participation, preferring them as subjects for study and exploitation.
"We believe that mistrust in science stems from science's ongoing role in perpetuating 'scientific' racism, justifying colonisation, and continuing support of systems that create injustice.
There can be no trust in science without robust self-reflection by the science community and an active commitment to change, the group said.
One of the signatories, Elizabeth Rata, said she was pleased the letter had prompted much discussion and she along with the other signatories stand by it.
...
Professor Garth Cooper, Emeritus Professor Michael Corballis, and Emeritus Professor Robert Nola are all fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Māori academics online have been encouraging people who do not agree with the letter to lodge a complaint to the Royal Society.
The scientific academy said it had received numerous emails about the letter.
In a joint statement, president Brent Clothier and academy executive committee chair Charlotte MacDonald said they deeply regret the harm such a "misguided view" could cause.
"The recent suggestion by a group of University of Auckland academics that mātauranga Māori is not a valid form of knowledge is utterly rejected by Royal Society - Te Apārangi.
"The Society strongly upholds the value of mātauranga Māori and rejects the narrow and outmoded definition of science outlined in The Listener - letter to the editor."
The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) penned a letter to the academics, telling them their letter to the editor was damaging and ill-advised.
TEU said to some members it seemed designed to attack and offend, rather than present a reasoned academic argument.
It said members found the letter offensive, racist, reflective of patronising, and of neo-colonial mindset.
"Your letter neglected to engage with or mention the many highly accomplished scholars and scientists in Aotearoa who have sought to reconcile notions of science, mātauranga Māori, and Māori in science," the TEU letter stated.
"Our members worry that you have undermined the mana of many indigenous scientists and scholars who are working to understand the ways in which knowledge accumulates. Your letter will do little to encourage (and much to discourage) Māori to engage with science."
In response to the accusations of racism, signatory Elizabeth Rata said it was not worthy of a response.[/HEADING]
"I actually don't have a response. My response is what that deserves."
The Royal Society itself seems to have foregone its conclusion:
A different summary of events from an evolutionary biologist:
“Ways of knowing”: New Zealand pushes to have “indigenous knowledge” (mythology) taught on parity with modern science in science class
One of the most invidious and injurious side effects of wokeism is to validate "other ways of knowing" as being on par with modern scientific knowledge. Granted, one can respect the mythology and scie
whyevolutionistrue.com
. . . the moment this letter was published all hell broke loose. The views of the authors, who were all professors at Auckland, were denounced by the Royal Society, the New Zealand Association of Scientists, and the Tertiary Education Union, as well as by their own vice-chancellor, Dawn Freshwater. In a hand-wringing, cry-bullying email to all staff at the university, she said the letter had ‘caused considerable hurt and dismay among our staff, students and alumni’ and said it pointed to ‘major problems with some of our colleagues’.
Two of Professor Cooper’s academic colleagues, Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Dr Shaun Hendy, issued an ‘open letter’ condemning the heretics for causing ‘untold harm and hurt’. They invited anyone who agreed with them to add their names to the ‘open letter’, and more than 2,000 academics duly obliged. Before long, five members of the Royal Society had complained and a panel was set up to investigate.
The witch-finders disregarded several principles of natural justice in their prosecutorial zeal. For instance, two members of the three-person panel turned out to be signatories of the ‘open letter’ denouncing Professor Cooper so had to be replaced. In addition, all five complainants were anonymous and when the Society asked them to identify themselves, three fell by the wayside. But two remain and the investigation is proceeding apace, with a newly constituted panel.