Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: A wretched editorial

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  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Rodney Hide pulled a spectacularly gross and ill-conceived concern troll on Maggie Barry in his Herald on Sunday column this week.

    Does anyone still take him seriously after he became the perk-feeder he railed against?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Pete, in reply to Sacha,

    Sacha, you have been fortunate.
    the sort of shit that a lot of men say when no women are present can be eye-wateringly misogynist. Their primary defense is usually "I was only joking" to which I say "but it's what you choose to joke about"
    I can roughly tag openly racist talk being cut to the Satchi "racists have smaller brains" billboard campaign, that was about the time that these guys clicked that it was no longer acceptable.
    It seems to me that misogyny is still in that pre-change phase but the boys onsite have learned that if they try that kind of crap on around me then they'll get the shittiest job I can think of for the rest of the day.

    Since Apr 2008 • 106 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Pete,

    I can roughly tag openly racist talk being cut to the Satchi “racists have smaller brains” billboard campaign, that was about the time that these guys clicked that it was no longer acceptable.

    It's still around, but it's gone crypto, courtesy of professional turd polishers like Lee Atwater:

    "You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger."

    And tellingly, he spin doctored right up till his last breath:

    "[Atwater] was telling this story about how a Living Bible was what was giving him faith and I said to Mary (Matalin), 'I really, sincerely hope that he found peace.' She said, 'Ed, when we were cleaning up his things afterwards, the Bible was still wrapped in the cellophane and had never been taken out of the package,' which just told you everything there was. He was spinning right to the end."

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Attachment

    Okay, here we go … Whaleoil has put up a post strongly implying that Tania Billingsley’s rape complaint was a set-up engineered by her and her friends at Rape Crisis and the Green Party.

    I won’t link to it from here, but Toby Manhire has capped the key paragraph here in a tweet. I've also put it in at the top of this comment. Click to embiggen.

    As ever, Judith Collins’ pet pup is vile and also unfathomably stupid. Every time he says “what are the odds” it becomes clearer that he has no grasp at all on what “odds” actually mean.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Kim_Wright,

    I feel sick reading that whaleoil excerpt posted by Toby Manhire. What the hell does Slater mean by the "hallmarks of an attempted rape?"

    I occasionally browse the trademe messageboards to see how Joe Public think and there is some very strong victim-bashing and slut-shaming rhetoric on there at the moment and not just as a fringe element. If you can stomach it, those messageboards show just how far we have to go in NZ. It's depressing how many people think exactly as whaleoil does. Rape culture is alive and flourishing I would suggest.

    Wellington • Since May 2009 • 57 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Whaleoil has put up a post strongly implying that Tania Billingsley’s rape complaint was a set-up engineered by her and her friends at Rape Crisis and the Green Party.

    After I swallow my sick…the problem with WO’s batshit conspiracy theory is that even if he were right, the conspiracy would never have worked IF THE GOVERNMENT HADN’T BEEN INCOMPETENT.

    The superficial nonsensicality conceals the deep nonsensicality. It’s batshit all the way down.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Russell Brown,

    As ever, Judith Collins’ pet pup is vile and also unfathomably stupid. Every time he says “what are the odds” it becomes clearer that he has no grasp at all on what “odds” actually mean.

    And in another post - I read it so you don't have to, but it does mention "uncovered meat" - he basically said something to the effect of "if you want rape culture, go to the Middle East and other 3rd World domains." It's both the hoary old Appeal to Worse Problems and No True Scotsman fallacies. And for not-so-good measure, a touch of Tricky Dick Nixon's "it's not illegal when the President's doing it".

    All this calls for nothing less than a counter-Roastbusters approach.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Lilith __,

    After I swallow my sick…the problem with WO’s batshit conspiracy theory is that even if he were right, the conspiracy would never have worked IF THE GOVERNMENT HADN’T BEEN INCOMPETENT.

    Well, it was Murray McCully's department ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    The Ruminator ventures into the whale's den... and gets both barrels ad hominem.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Every time he says “what are the odds” it becomes clearer that he has no grasp at all on what “odds” actually mean.

    Well, what are the odds that Mr. Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail would have long since had an appointment to mount a defense against the prosecution's case if he hadn't scuttled out of the country under the skirt of diplomatic immunity only to have this turn into a major - and very public - political embarrassment for the Malaysian Government as well as New Zealand's?

    One-hundred-frigging-percent by my estimation.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    The Ruminator ventures into the whale’s den… and gets both barrels ad hominem.

    The sadly predictable (if grimly amusing) part about that conversation is Slater immediately adopting the position that he's the victim.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    A great column by Paula Penfold, defending the decision to interview Billingsley and pinpointing yet more hypocrisy from men in the media. I actually didn't realise Gavin Ellis had made such a complete ass of himself.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    immediately adopting the position that he's the victim

    you can see why him and Collins get on

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I actually didn’t realise Gavin Ellis had made such a complete ass of himself.

    Eh... this is the former editor of a newspaper that has a long and shabby history of rape culture enforcement. I wish it surprised me even a little bit, but it doesn't.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    Someone's already doing a Tiso and contacting companies advertising on the Oily One's blog. Not surprisingly, he's already whingeing about censorship, which rings hollow when he was perfectly OK with an ad boycott against Willie & JT during the Roastbusters controversy.

    It only reinforces suspicions that he operates by the mantra, "it's not illegal when President Nixon is doing it".

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Lilith __,

    Wow, I'm wondering how Canon's feeling about that Canon Media Award.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    More counter-Roastbusting of the Oily One on the Twitterverse. It's a hopeful start.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • David MacGregor, in reply to Russell Brown,

    My point was simple:
    The interview seemed hasty - per Russell's editorial comment on various media outlets homing in for the 'scoop'. There were various threads and agendas going on and, as I said, I was left baffled by the item's purpose.

    As for 'trolling', or having some pro-rape culture view well, to quote Russell 'Ugh' that's just nonsense and vile nonsense at that - I am simply acutely aware of how language and unspeak affects public discourse.

    I'm perfectly happy to hear from the subject of the story herself. It offers another perspective. And my remark about her being telegenic was an observation about how news uses looks to great effect to reinforce stereotypes - look at the attention given to the Reeva Steenkamp or Allison Baden-Clay murder cases - attractive people gain greater sympathy. It was a comment about media, not the subject.

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since Feb 2007 • 41 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to David MacGregor,

    David, this is an international political scandal.
    And it highlights a systemic lack of justice suffered by many thousands of NZers.

    Nothing to see here.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Lucy Telfar Barnard, in reply to David MacGregor,

    I’m perfectly happy to hear from the subject of the story herself. It offers another perspective.

    It doesn't offer "another perspective". It offers the only perspective (other than that of the accused, and he's not talking) that is of any weight at all.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 585 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to David MacGregor,

    perfectly happy

    like Mike Hosking, you mean

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    So kind of Rodney Hide to "reluctantly" acknowledge "New Zealand does suffer a rape culture" today, shame it hasn't stopped him from concern-trolling Maggie Barry again.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    To demonstrate that facts are irrelevant, or perhaps that they feel safe with a great deal of hypocrisy. The whole "did she dislike National before they shat in her breakfast" question is one that's hard to answer.

    It would make as much sense to make claims that the National Party led government screwed up the case and let the alleged sexual assaulter go as revenge for her being a left-wing feminist "activist". Just because people have a political point of view doesn't make their experiences and opinions invalid when they're talking about "non-political" things.

    Most subsequent resignations have been over their personal actions, although Denis Marshall’s resignation over Cave Creek is a classic example of real ministerial responsibility. He didn’t build the platform, but he set the policies and budgets that led to its construction.

    Well that's a version of history about it. Cave Creek was April 1995, the Commission of Enquiry Report came out later that year. Marshall resigned in May 1996 over a year after the disaster and months after the report slammed his department, claiming that he stuck around to 'fix the problems'.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

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