Posts Tagged ‘debate’
Media3 on the one stop shop for media regulation
There’s a slightly scrappy but nonetheless interesting discussion about new media regulations suggested by the Law Commission’s report The News Media Meets ‘New Media’: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the Digital Age coming up on Russell Brown’s Media3 tonight on TV3 (or online later). I wandered along to the taping of the show yesterday evening. […]
Calling out haters like Cameron Slater
Recently, in a post Cameron Slater is social media “beef lasagne” I referred to the tactics of Pakuranga’s political attack blogger: Cameron’s schtick is fizzing up nonsense for the purposes of Shock! Horror! spittle-flecked and dishonest attacks on people with whom he disagrees online. His purpose is to ‘hurt’ them. If by his ravings and […]
On one’s motivations for a rant
Sometimes a good old fashioned tongue-lashing (or what I recently called a “pro bono hatchet job”) is well-motivated. Sometimes not. Without second-guessing yourself up your own wazoo, it’s worth occasionally reflecting on these things, huh? Worth asking yourself (myself) ‘So, what am I trying to achieve?’ No-one’s motivations are completely clear, but I believe in being […]
Colin Craig: Getting ahead in politics by being polarising
Hmm. I’m not sure about the reliability of privately-funded political surveys (although National Party operative David Farrar may do quite well from them) but I notice this approach … The leaflet includes a survey of 2200 New Zealanders commissioned by Mr Craig which showed that 71 per cent of respondents felt MPs should consult their […]
We are ALL self-righteous hypocrites
So, I’ve finally found the space to read Jonathan Haidt’s masterpiece The Righteous Mind which was a much-appreciated Christmas gift. I’m enjoying it. Very persuasive. A slam in the early pages is this: “… the take home message of the book is ancient. It is the realisation we are all self-righteous hypocrites.” Well! OK then. […]
Cameron Slater is social media “beef lasagne”
Oh dear. In another example of his near-pathological ‘I-can-dish-it-out-but-can’t-take-it’ mindset, Pakuranga’s social media thug Cameron Slater is emoting ‘upset’ about comments on Twitter. (sigh) This loutish, heavy-handed propagandist makes a habit of cyberstalking, goading and abusing public figures and those whom he perceives as the National Party’s political enemies … and some within the Party […]
‘Don’t mention the war.’ Or Waitangi?
Of course John Cleeese’s ‘Don’t mention the war’ is regarded as classic comedy … … but when it comes to the Treaty of Waitangi, there are other, not nearly so satirical calls to avoid discussing contentious topics. Indeed, there are attempts to continually dismiss calls for redress — of genuine, documented, historic injustices (including large […]
The predictable unsavoury and racist kerfuffle that greets Waitangi Day
This, from local Twitter luminaries @ColeyTangerina and @Megapope, is a wonderfully world-weary and efficient summary of the tripe that’s scooped out of the racist bucket in New Zealand around Waitangi Day and spread around thick like the ugly goop that it is. In many cases these tired tropes are trotted out as ‘debate’ or ‘talking […]
Let a little air in, @BarnsleyBill
This evil-looking device (right) is a Trocar self-piercing ventilation tube, used in medical procedures where inserting one of these into a patient’s infected body will help save their life through ‘aeration’ or by helping with ‘drainage of secretions’. I bet inserting one of these hurts like hell. But it beats suffocating … or festering in […]
A space for discussion about psycho killer cats
A regular commenter here at ThePaepae.com, Ivan the Terrible, wants to discuss cats and the ‘sadistic psycho killers’ and ‘Cats to go’ national conversation Gareth Morgan is trying to float. OK. Let’s start with Ivan’s opening comment, relocated from another thread … “After crowing to others that “my cat never kills birds” – the little […]
What I didn’t say at the Howick Local Board last night
I’ve received a number of kind and gratifying comments about my brief presentation at the Howick Local Board public forum last night (see Bunfight at Howick Local Board). Thank you. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Cameron Slater was live-tweeting the event, and these popped up on my phone after I spoke … […]
Bunfight at Howick Local Board
Every now and then I feel the urge to participate in local politics, sadly usually from a sense of disquiet about how some of our elected officials are running the borough. (See: Why do you think we call it a struggle? for some background.) Tonight was a special meeting of the Howick Local Board (costing […]
A few more thoughts about honest debate
Occasionally I cop a wee bit of chastisement for being ‘reasonable’ — being open to hearing other people’s expression of their opinion without responding with immediate and trenchant denigration; acting as less of a ‘culture warrior’ than some of those who seem to try to frame any debate as a hillbilly feud, responding with knee-jerk […]
