Ron Mark! Brilliant! The organisers of Youth Week stage Hoodie Day to try and break down negative stereotypes about the popular and practical garment. And Ron wades in to declare that the organisers are "promoting black American gang culture", because "a lot of New Zealanders look at youths kicking their heels around the streets today, they look at youth gangs, youth crime and the rap American culture and they see totally negative things from those hoods."
The man has the master's touch with irony: he highlights the very existence of negative stereotypes around the-shirt-with-a-lid by presenting them in such an unreasonable and bigoted way as to highlight their very preposterousness.
Ron Mark: it makes you think. Eh?
You might think that an elected employee of the public should concern himself with more important matters than ironic fashion commentary. But you'd be wrong. Don't think of it as a salary, think of it as satire's long-overdue share of the arts funding bundle.
Further, Ron has conferred upon some of us a street credibility that money can't buy. I'm wearing my official Hoodie Day hoodie as I type this. I am, perforce, an O.G. Along with Jolisa "J-Girl" Gracewood, I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking. And cosy into the bargain!
The ultimate meta-media cultural acceleration: Joss Whedon fans are preparing a campaign to stop his new show from beign cancelled before it even goes to air!
Mars. Exciting in principle, but a bit dull to look at?
And finally, before I rush off and do another thing, we have an afternoon record for Media7 at The Classic today. We're covering this week's wrangles over sports rights and TVNZ's submission to the MCH review of digital broadcasting regulation, calling for Sky to be, effectively, unbundled from its own network.
TVNZ's submission, along with many others, is here. Feel free to poke around for items of interest.
Anyway, if you can make it along to the recording, hit the reply button and let me know asap. We'd need you at The Classic by 2pm.