I once went with a friend to the Academy Cinema in Auckland CBD, one of my favorite cinemas in the city, not only because of the $5 Wednesdays, but also because of the curated selection of old classics. He complained that the cinema area was a bit ‘dodgy’.
I wondered what he meant by that, because I always go there late at night and never felt any threat. For a bit of context, this friend is a high-class type of person who would probably lift the lid of your toilet with their feet so they don’t have to touch it with their hands (and has never drunk a wine that costs less than $100). Also, the cinema is in the city, so yes, you will see beggars and people sleeping on mattresses on the street. I think that is what he referred to as ‘dodgy’.
Since then, I have come across this word other times. A friend referred to the spa in my gym as ‘dodgy’, and I noticed the place is full of Māori people. They specifically said the spa was full of gang members. And this friend is quite educated and open-minded. Most recently, a visiting person at a bar referred to Tauranga CBD as ‘dodgy’, and the CDB is full of homeless people now (National cut the funds of shelters for these people).
Maybe it is due to the fact that I am Brazilian, and for me, dodgy means really dodgy, like going to university at 7 a.m. and seeing some casual gunshots. So, my reference points are different from the standards here. But also, I do believe some Kiwis have a problem with seeing poverty overall. Getting in contact with homeless people at the margins is a scary thing in the sense that it messes with your conceptions, takes you out of your comfort zone, and leaves you uncomfortable for not being able to help their situation and feeling pity. No developed country should have people living on the streets.
So from what I get, the word ‘dodgy’ in Kiwi terms means homeless people and Māori. ‘Gang member’ also seems to be a term used to refer to Māori. And I always find it problematic to use certain words for specific groups of people (like the world ghetto). It is called unconscious bias, which we have to be aware of. I talked about the problematic use of the word ‘uneducated’ before, and this one just seems like another soft way of being racist without being explicitly racist.
Homeless people are not dodgy. The worst thing they can do is ask for change or food, which we can always deny because who carries money in their pockets in the days of PayWave? A homeless person has never been a threat to me (except in terms of confronting my privilege and making me uncomfortable). We should not be used to or conform to seeing people in this type of situation, but also, we should not deem a place dangerous because of their presence. Maybe we are the danger to them and they are afraid of us. The world ‘dodgy’ should be used to us, common people, who see humans on the street and don’t do a thing about it. Is more proper.
P.S.1: Every time someone uses the world “dodgy” in this context, it never fails: they are a upper middle class white person who at least owns a house. So I believe that says something by itself. They probably also blame homeless people for being in that situation, and not the government.
P.S.2: Moreover, how do these white people know someone is from a gang? Do you have a insider there who them tips? Do they know the codes of gangs ? Of course not, they have never been out their privilege bubble. They are just assuming people are from a gang because of others background/colour.
Great points you make here!