Posts by Tessa Houghton

  • Up Front: Fairy-Tale Autopsies, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    Aye, just noticed that too. But Tankerbell might be a good name for them, I reckon. They are somewhat like tanks.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Cracker: Hands in the Middle....,

    @Damian

    No, I disagree. I agree overall that we have a cultural drinking problem, and something needs to be done about it. But I can't get on board with anything that places the responsibility for being a victim on the victim, be it rape/domestic violence/whatever.

    As far as anti-rape advertising targeted at rapists (or possible future rapists) goes, I think there has been hardly any of it, so I don't see how we can make assumptions on whether it works or not. Sure, your archetypal violent rapist who jumps a woman down an alley isn't likely to respond well, but how about so-called 'grey' rape situations? I don't see how advertising aimed at educating (especially young) and quite possibly drunk men about consent issues is really all that different from the 'It's Not OK' campaign.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Cracker: Hands in the Middle....,

    It's a moral judgement when it's used to counter an argument that if we're going to address age-related drinking issues, we should also address sex-related issues.

    I'm not quibbling with the statistic, I'm querying its use in reply to a comment made regarding factors relating to statistics of hospital admission and harm caused by/related to drinking. I don't see pissed women becoming victims as their fault. Assuming I haven't misinterpreted the argumentative intention behind the statistic being cited, its a little too similar to the ALAC Lisa ad for my taste.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Cracker: Hands in the Middle....,

    Actually, as far as hospital admissions go, the figures are about the same for males and females (3.59). Females don't get arrested as much as males - that's true - but younger women experience greater victimisation risks due to alcohol.

    i haven't read the report, so i won't jump to conclusions as to what you're saying, but thats sounds suspiciously like victim blaming to me. hardly negates your 'not the menz' argument.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dude, what just happened?,

    Switched on Gardener sells everything you need to grow and enjoy lettuce and other salad vegetables at home, including this $895 "Easytosser Salad Pro-Manual Bowl Trimmer"

    ha, it's all so carefully non-specific until they start discussing resin-bearing salad :D

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Cracker: About a Boy,

    Thou liest, thou shag-hair'd villain!
    What, you egg!

    Thousands of fifth formers doing Macbeth?

    Exactly where I remember it from :D
    Maybe that is the answer. My god. That'd be hilarious.
    I wonder if it is part of the Australian curriculum too?

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Cracker: About a Boy,

    I thought it was lovely, felt like home, but I also agree with someone back down the road that a bit less Alamein and more of the kids would have improved it (for me). I didn't dislike Waititi as Alamein, but I felt his character and his dialogue were sometimes jarringly unnaturalistic cf. the kids, and it disrupted the flow, for me.

    Does anyone know where the insult 'egg' came from? I know it's in Macbeth, and possibly more Shakespeare - but how the hell did we end up with it? It fascinates me.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Up Front: I'll Take Actium and Trafalgar,

    I have never heard his music, but if he is anything like good then he is going to make fans of any number of teenage people who feel generally unsympathetic to "responsible NZers"

    True. But also true: I have some of his tunes and quite like(d) them (albeit in passing, they're not something I listen to a lot). They may or may not be homophobic (not noticeably so re: titles), I really wouldn't have a clue because I can't understand what he's saying most of the time, I just like the beats, and I've never bothered to check him out as a person (although I did know about the homophobia in Jamaica). I won't be acquiring any more of his music, and I wonder how many others (if any) are feeling the same way?

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Up Front: I'll Take Actium and Trafalgar,

    Great post. The whole 'oh but why aren't you protesting/worrying about x, instead of/as well as y' tends to come from people who don't protest about jacksh**, in my experience - they just whinge when others don't follow the priority set they're too slack to act upon. It happens to me over and over re: feminism. While I also firmly believe that compassion is not finite, energy certainly is, and no one has the ability to take on every single fight they feel compassion for - not even the toughest of 'meatshields'.

    Knowing when to seperate art and artist, and when to conflate them can be tricky, I think, especially with music lyrics. However, I definitely think that this is a case where they need to be conflated. I hope the BDO pull him. If he does end up playing, I wonder whether it's better for people to ask for a ticket refund or to go and protest? Both seem like they have good, but different outcomes.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

  • Busytown: Less is more,

    I missed the bit about already having used plagiarism software - clearly, I am not editor material :) (well, more the case of rushed reading, really). And no, it's certainly not foolproof - but I would argue, it is still useful, when used well and in combination with careful human editing.

    Wellington • Since Aug 2009 • 18 posts Report

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