Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Sacha,
don’t get me started on what you have to do so people in wheelchairs can hear and understand proper.
I have a friend in a wheelchair who said he’s tempted to have a sign made up: MY SPINE IS DAMAGED NOT MY BRAIN. WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE?
That’s harsh, but I can understand how a very smart, epically capable man with an intense bullshit allergy has very little time for able-ist condescension, however well-intentioned … Just talk to him like a quote unquote "normal" person, and if he has any problem understanding you he'll say so. Not rocket science. :)
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Raymond A Francis,
I am just surprised that a media savvy person, who is well aware of spin would believe is that is the truth over the reality of voting patterns
I don't know if "spin" is fair - which carries a connotation of being deliberately misleading. In the end, it's something more basic about our "if it bleeds, it leads" media culture - or perhaps even a moe basic insight into how we frame stories. Conflict - especially one with a clear, simple narrative line that can be expressed in images - is going to lead the six o'clock television news. And, as often as not, they're perfectly legitimate stories to report but they're not the whole picture by any measure. Love it or hate it, I guess "here's someone who's basically reasonably satisfied with the Government response" just isn't going to make an editor's news-sense tingle.
But when you 'talk about 'media framing' you do need to think about what's outside that frame - and why. As I rather snarkily observed in my initial post (and redacted because it read as offensively flippant), you can come away with a rather distorted - and utterly terrifying - picture of life in South Auckland if all your data points come from The Herald and One News.
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Sacha,
louder :)
And slowly, don't forget slowly. Deaf (or deaf) people are like non-English speakers - you magically become comprehensible if you speak very slowly and incredibly LOUD. :)
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Folks, anyone looking for screenings of When A City Falls in your town, Flick.co.nz has a useful function on its page for the movie.
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Legal Beagle: Referendum '11: counting…, in reply to BenWilson,
There would be no point in a challenge if it was impossible to know which way the person had voted.
You brought up Creech v. Boorman. I'm sure Graeme will correct me if I'm wrong, but both parties challenged the eligibility of around 200 voters in toto to vote in the electorate (most around whether they met the residency qualification); and the other leg of Creech's electoral petition was that Boorman had exceeded his spending cap.
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to DexterX,
spedial votes
...$4.99 for the first minute and 99 cents for each additional minute. :)
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Russell Brown,
The idea that their problems are some TV confection is really quite insulting.
And I don’t think Raymond was saying any such thing Russell. I never expected Edwards to react to the election result with any enthusiasm (and I wouldn’t blame him for being a bit tender on behalf of his client and friend Phil Goff), but this was one hell of a pissy vent.
And, yes, I make no apologies for chortling at this contribution from Edwards in the comments:
As to the happiness of earthquake victims with the PM, Gerry Brownlee, the EQC et al, we have clearly been watching different news bulletins.
No we probably weren’t – but I wonder who is going to tell Dr. Edwards that his blog has been hacked by someone who is suspiciously accepting of everything he reads in the media. I wonder if we’ll see this parody Brian Edwards denouncing the lawless anarchy that is swallowing New Zealand – after all, it’s on the television so it much be gospel right? And how much time have you spent fisking the latest media moral panic laden with junk science, junk stats, and carefully selected coverage designed to push an agenda not supported by evidence?
I would note that tens of thousands of people in Christchurch voted for National in some combo. But I guess, judging from the tenor of various other comments by ‘BE’ they’re all immoral, selfish, venal, bigoted idiots. So fuck them.
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Russell Brown,
The idea that their problems are some TV confection is really quite insulting.
It is, but if you didn't take the six o'clock news with a grain of salt and a shot or twelve of delicious Zumwohl (leave the cheque in the usual place, guys) you'd believe South Auckland's miserable poor can't leave their hovels without tripping over dead abused children, under-age prostitutes, Triad warfare and mounds of used P-pipes. Doesn't mean there aren't problems, but you can make a pretty strong case that the media presents a pretty distorted picture. After all, if it bleeds it leads, right?
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to hamishm,
I feel that stressing the negatives for the government is propaganda (information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.) at this stage.
Go and find me anyone with a grain of credibility who believes 48% is a floor rather than a ceiling for National. Even Darth Joyce is on the record admitting that Saturday's result was the upper limit of where National's realistic estimates were at.
Then bring back a reputable economist or business figure who believes that the books will be back in black on the insanely optimistic timetables being bruited around by Key and Goff during the campaign, and it’s plain economic sailing at home and abroad?
It’s also a plain bloody statement of fact that whatever the Prime Minister said on Morning Report today, National does not enjoy a “huge majority” and the Maori Party’s support should not be presumed.
Finally, isn’t it simply bizarre that I’m here defending the evil Matthew Hooten when he made a string of factual statements that should have the left jizzing in their pants.
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Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to tussock,
Oh, and what Labour needs, like Mana and Māori, is a positive soundbite that accurately describes the aims and goals their policy will work toward in a way that differentiates them from (primarily) the National party.
I know it doesn't go down well around here, but Labour needs to do something more basic - honesty and frankly listen to themselves and genuinely hear what they sound like to people for whom it isn't an article of faith that not-Labour are either stupid or evil.
Take a look at Australia - 'Doctor No' is beginning to stick to Tony Abbott, even among people who are broadly sympathetic to the Coalition's policy positions, such as they are. It's easy to know what he's against -- if Julia Gillard discovered a cure for cancer, AIDS and the common cold he'd want it destroyed. He can't even resist turning state visits by foreign leaders (including John Key) into occasions for partisan pissing. I'm sure it plays superbly well to the base, but they're not the people who actually tip elections in your direction.
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