Posts by Span .
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Well now that both the Black Caps and the English have been thoroughly thumped by the Aussies it will at least be interesting to see who is the better loser tomorrow.
(Yeah, that's the best I can do. I'm not into cricket and unfortunately the house has been saturated in cricket commentary the last fortnight plus. Please let it be over. Or let us win, that would do)
On the blogging drinks thing. I'm not going for various reasons, but none of them are along Whale Oil's lines - what happened to us all just feeling that the people on the Other Side are misguided?
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I've heard a few theories about where the term "pakeha" came from, one being that it is a Maori transliteration of what Maori heard early white people in NZ calling each other, namely "bugger", as in "you silly bugger". Seems to me that it's as good as any theory.
I don't think there's any decided origin of the word, or indeed a meaning, what's clear is that pakeha is not offensive or insulting to pakeha.
Besides which Maori means common (I think), normal, ordinary. Maori would probably have referred to each other, in terms of their ethnic identity, on the basis of hapu and iwi, prior to the arrival of those who didn't fit into that structure (tau iwi).
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Yeah he definitely isn't the first gay misogynist, but I work for a particularly PC (allegedly) organisation - you'd think that the misogynists would kind of guess that their bigotry probably isn't going to be that welcome in the staffroom here.
Isabel Allende wrote in one of her novels about the resentment some feel when they have been helped, and it has stuck with me. There are some who, instead of feeling grateful that they have received assistance from others and wanting to go out and do a good deed themselves, resent that they needed help in the first place - targetting the very people who are most sympathetic to them and even may have rendered the assistance. Perhaps a form of cognitive dissonance?
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It's often a problem for union organising when working with different Pacific Island groups at the same company or worksite - particularly when one ethnicity has the supervisor roles and another does not. We palangi aren't very good at dealing with it either, imagining that all the oppressed can get along with each other in their own best interests. But really, why should they?
Of course I could also share the example of my incredibly racist and sexist workmate who also happens to be, you guessed it, gay. Totally and utterly unaware of the privilege he has as a white man, but seemingly equally ignorant of the (public and otherwise) support that many of the women he verbally attacks have offered to causes that have made his life as a non-hetero easier (and not illegal). Hypocrisy really doesn't do this guy justice.
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Hmm I'm not sure how I feel about the Eccleston hard edge on good ol' Tennant, but I think it's probably time. Too fluffy for too long and it'll be too far from the fanbase maybe. Nothing wrong with a bit of bitter. Thanks for the heads-up EH :-)
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Che asks what these people are like and Robyn gives an example that could be taken from my own extended family :-(
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Didn't the Listener used to have a no plastic surgery promise? Or did I just dream that up?
I too used to love the Listener but have only bought one or two copies since I cancelled my sub a few months after Finlay left - I gave Pamela Stirling a good chance, but I'm just not interested in the lifestyle articles, well not often.
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Heather, how did you guess with the Whitcoulls? Spooky.
I didn't work at St Lukes (thank all the deities), but for two Xmases we took over the shop next door and had a Xmas shop - a new brand of torture, as not only did we have only one Xmas song tape on permanent loop, we had concrete floor only (resulting in very very sore feet and back, also I must have been the youngest thin person with varicose veins ever). Not to mention the customers who would try to convince you to give them 50% off now, two weeks out for Xmas, because it was all going to be on special on the 26th anyway. And don't even start me on the senseless long long opening hours - we did 12 midnights one year, in a mall that really didn't justify it. I believe I did a lot of dusting that year.
Shop assistants are convenient targets for the stressed out Xmas shopper - I'm so glad I've escaped. I try to do as much Xmas shopping as possible by internet these days. And think about my nieces and what a delight they are on Xmas day - and how happy that makes the rest of the family too.
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The only really bad Xmas story I have was something I was oblivious to at the time - I was basically completely unaware that my aunt and her family hated my mother and my sister until the scales fell from my eyes after a family dinner about eight years ago, but that's another story.
Anyway on this particular Xmas day, my racist uncle insisted on telling my sister's new boyfriend at length about how all samoan men are rapists, knowing full well that said boyfriend was part samoan. That man (the boyfriend, not the uncle) is now my (wonderful) brother-in-law, and that other man (the uncle, not the boyfriend) is rarely seen these days (strictly weddings and funerals only). What a total and utter c*ck.
Lovely how the silly season brings out the best in us all isn't it?
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Given that blogs are often all about sharing the hate, I guess it's probably inevitable that a lot of bloggers will complain about christmas.
I certainly didn't enjoy it much when I worked in retail and we didn't have any children around on Xmas day. While the food was always fab and the presents were nice, there just didn't seem to be anything special or magical anymore. Maybe it was natural for me to cultivate a dislike for the occasion which created so much stress and grief (particularly at work)?
Now that I have two stellar nieces who say amusing things (eg, a few hours into playing with her brand new kitten the 5yo says "I couldn't believe it when I saw it! I mean it was just so real, I couldn't see a remote!") it's all about family again. Somehow the proximity of short people will so much whimsy and energy makes me feel more connected to my adult family members too. Which is what makes xmas nice for me.