Posts by TracyMac

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  • Speaker: Rugby, Racing and Emotions,

    Yeah, I don't have much enthusiasm for sport, watching or playing, but when people get on their high horse to say that their fun hobby is "better" than yours, it gets a bit tedious. I don't see any difference between sport, D&D and collecting mid-period Monets, particularly.

    That said, the conflation with patriotism (isn't that a cringy word for an NZer), stereotypes about masculinity, and the ridiculous sums of money concerned are worth criticising. But that being done without the implication that all rugby fans are boofheads would be just fine.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Field Theory: It's about time,

    Has any other PM been so matey-matey with the AB "brand"? Sure, there's always politicians interacting with the national team(s), and there is a world cup on, but I struggle to recall anything so smacking of "I'll scratch your back..."

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Hard News: The positive option of Red Peak,

    Yeah, I'm sure many iwi are loving the fact their niho taniwha patterns are being compared with a paint job on a German Wehrmacht (not Nazi, ffs) box.

    Nice exercise in an association fallacy. What was someone saying yesterday about writing for The Sun ? Why don't we bring out the pic of the princesses doing their Nazi salutes while we're at it? Oh wait, they're high Tories, and that type here want to keep that wonderful symbol of colonialism.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Hard News: NZME and you, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Yeah, I love all these websites that dutifully explain that they use cookies. That's fine. Do they explain when they're using cross-site tracking cookies, or reading those placed by others? Not so much.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Hard News: A cog in the Mediaworks machine, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    It’s avoidable though, I think. Dave Stewart has always managed it

    Dave Stewart is not and has never been an attractive young woman with a worldwide hit before the age of majority. When his music career started, there sure as hell wasn't anything we'd call social media - just the music press. These days, he's nearly always just a back room knob twiddler (er, excuse the phrase), and no-one pays attention to those unless they're close to the trade or the person concerned makes a point of seeking out celebrity.

    Yes, maybe someone young and attractive who becomes internationally well-known in music these days can avoid sleb hype, but it would be very difficult.

    I don't blame most of them for putting themselves out there on social media in an attempt to craft their own image before it gets imposed on them. Frankly, I wish that some of them learned much faster how to present their image (and that that image should be - sorry for the hackneyed term - carefully curated for public consumption).

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Polity: Refugees and aid - we’re laggards,

    Attachment

    This image is going around at present - thought it was apposite. From a tweet by @mozesislam09

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Polity: Refugees and aid - we’re laggards, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    I 100% agree. It is absolutely absurd - NZ did the right thing then. And this, so much less in comparison, should be a no-brainer. And it probably would be except for the stirring up of paranoia about the "terrorist threat" colouring people's views these days. Also, not just Syria - all the places we should be helping with displaced people around the world.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Hard News: Friday Music: A Life of Stories,

    I love social history as a reading genre. And stories about the music of our times (and other times, natch), are fabulous social history when done properly (people, events, background, social context).

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Polity: Refugees and aid - we’re laggards, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    The Dutch immigrants after WWII were white and Christian.

    Going by all the straw man arguments and "Winston sez" up thread, despite our supposed commitment to multiculturalism, if you're non-white and non-Christian, you can fuck right off, according to many. Still.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Polity: Refugees and aid - we’re laggards,

    Yeah, when we don't even get halfway to Australia's pitiful standards, we need to look at ourselves. Although the Coalition in Australia is outdoing itself to try and exclude Muslims from their so-humanitarian effort to re-slice their existing quota to include more Syrians.

    In NZ, we're happy to think of ourselves as "compassionate" - look at all the cash raised for The Herald/World Vision campaign (and fair enough, to help the people on the ground right now) - but when it comes to actually opening the nation's doors, it's a different story.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

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