When Key isn’t pulling ponytails, he’s making students cry

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This is the leader that a majority of NZers voted for, a bullying multimillionaire with a penchant for repeatedly pulling a woman’s ponytail in her workplace and making students who ask questions about the Maori Language burst into tears…

John Key leaves girl in tears after calling Maori language month ‘boring’
A teenage girl was “upset and embarrassed” when the Prime Minister said her suggestion of a Maori language month would be boring.

The 16-year-old asked John Key whether he would extend Maori language week, when he visited a school assembly at Waiuku College, on Friday.

Key said he preferred keeping it to a week of Maori language celebrations and that people would get “bored” by a month…Classmate Trent Brown Marsh, 16, said the girl was in tears after assembly and was considering taking time off school because she felt embarrassed.

He said his friend was “basically laughed at”.

“She’s still upset. She doesn’t want to go back to school,” Brown Marsh said. “John Key made the whole school laugh in a rude way.”

Brown Marsh said he was angry that the year 12 girl was invited to talk to Key about Maori language week but then her question was “dismissed”.

“His reply was haha no. He kind of explained (his answer) but it was insensitive.

…we have a NZ Music month, so why not a NZ Maori Language Month? It’s the insensitivity that Key displays however that goes beyond the actual issue. Humiliating a student in front of her peers, pulling on a waitresses ponytail 10 times, and telling Pike River families their dead will be brought home and then smacking them in face by watering down the very health and safety legislation their tragedy produced.

Our PM is an arsehole and NZers love that. He’s a casual version of Donal Trump minus the wig.

70 COMMENTS

  1. Yeah, but have you not noticed ? When you come back to Nu Zillind from travelling ? That you notice that most noble and proud New Zealanders are not much more than arseholes ? I’m not surprised then that they vote for an arsehole like yankee doodle psycho jonky -stien. New Zealanders are not that flash and no wonder .
    That poor kid. There’s nothing much worse than being ridiculed by ones peers , particularly at that age. But it’s usually at the hands of another, mean kid of that age . Not an adult and certainly not a figurehead of such stature. The Prime Mincer. The Mighty Mini Gargoyle elect.
    My personal experiences recently are of traveling here and there to find beauty, peace, harmony and emotionally intelligent populations of people, while often living in poverty and facing daily hardships that most Kiwis can’t imagine. And there is a nobility, a strength about their characters . New Zealanders are, generally speaking of course, mean fuckers who’d rip you off in a heart beat then laugh at you because you were suckered. Spouses do it to each other, retailers do it to their customers, lawyers, do it to everybody, accountants, real estate agents , bankers, money lender filth, mechanics, builders, plumbers, electricians, dopy farmers…. Everybody is out to fuck you over. For shits and giggles or just good old greed.
    We, who would not do that shit are literally a dying breed. We can remember a time when Kiwis were good hearted and sound minded. But now, after the thirty year breeding cycle of the neo liberal , we’re seeing neo liberal breeding pairs coming on-line.
    My plan is one of defence. I’m going to get debt free, i.e no mortgage and I’m going to find a little piece of land near to a town. I’m going to get a chicken or two ( Watching a chicken is far more fun than watching television. ) a small, one room hutch surrounded by trees and a very sturdy dog with sharp ears and sharper teeth. That’s my plan for living out my life in New Zealand . “ They way you want it “ So said arch scum bag Pig ( No disrespect to actual pigs ) Muldoon during a pre election speech once in the ’70’s .
    My feeling is that it’s too late to act. We missed that opportunity . My feeling is we dig in and hang on tight. Get rid of what debt we can and learn a practical skill and just hang on. This is going to get rough.
    To make my point .
    An old Gay friend of mine, 72 years old, is in an induced coma with many fractures to his skull. Consequently he may be blind, brain injured and because he was kicked while unconscious his neck was broken and he may be paralysed. He’s a harmless , lovely fellow.
    I see the by the toilet paper of choice for the reading public, The NZ Herald, that two hitchhikers were attacked by a group of eight people in Ch Ch last evening. One of them sustained a broken jaw and a severely damaged eye.

    Here they come ! The monsters of our own making. Evil prevails where good people fail to act. And now it’s too late.
    Unless, 5,000 people go to parliament buildings and physically drag jonky out of our office. Literally. Actually. Physically. Properly. Now. Today. Immediately.

    To coin a phrase.

    Blood will be spilled but isn’t better to die on ones feet than to live on ones knees ?

    Kneeling before Yankee Doodle Psycho Jonky- Stien.

  2. Humiliating her by disagreeing with her?!? What sort if a nation have we become when teenagers can’t go back to school because someone disagreed with their suggestion?

    • Most kids are studying Maori language at the moment because of Maori language week. So its bloody humiliating because she posed a serious question to the PM of New Zealand about local culture and he threw it back in her face by making a ignorant joke about it and her question made her the butt of his dickhead humour in front of the whole school. What a tool!

      He can’t help it though if he’s a rich prick who thinks he’s funny and casual. He’s certainly not alone in that loathsome group! And his sycophantic MP’s all “crack up” over his embarrassing lameness regularly so it only encourages his infantile behaviour.

        • No, I can empathise, I have been humiliated plenty of times, although not by the PM. I just can’t understand why JK would want to humiliate a 12 year old girl, there does not seem to be any evidence that that was his intention. I think that we should be encouraging people to be strong, not weak, so siding with someone who breaks down when criticised seems to be a bad idea.

          • I think that we should be encouraging people to be strong, not weak, so siding with someone who breaks down when criticised seems to be a bad idea.

            Ah, yes, the old “Take a Concrete Pill and Harden Up” response?

            While you’re about it, why not really toughen up people with regular beatings; public humiliations; exposure to cold weather and immersion in freezing water…

            Because really, Jacob, blaming the victim doesn’t achieve a single damn thing except validate the abuser and make society even nastier than it is now. If you’re being honest when you say you’ve been humiliated yourself, you should understand what it must feel like for a young person.

            • There is no ‘victim’ here. No-one has been harmed, no-one injured, no-one killed. To suggest, as some have, that the response was abuse or racism is to demean the reality of those experiences in the lives of many, and that is very sad indeed.

    • @ Gasman. You’re many things. But you are the one thing that’s perhaps most unforgivable. You’re boring.

      • @ Gosman. Actually, on reflection ? I apolgise. You are not boring. You have a reflective mind and a good heart. You always see both sides of a point of view and your in-depth comments are a treasure for us all. Particularly in what you bring to the virtual table. Experience gleened from a life well lived thus far. My humble apologies for daring to challenge you. Please forgive me . Scarlett Mod , please forgive me.

    • The point is that John Key would not have replied like this 9 years ago. He has changed and has become increasingly arrogant and dismissive of anyone who disagrees with him. That signals a politician that is losing touch with his constituents and surrounding himself with yes people. That is never a good thing for anyone to do, let alone our prime minister.

      • I suspect because he knows he’s running his last lap, and there’s nothing so dangerous as a man with nothing left to lose. The facade is inexorably crumbling, the gloss is wearing off and the man and woman in the street are coming to the slow realization that their once beloved Prime Minister cares not a jot for them or theirs. He’s a liar and a fraud, utterly self-serving and beholden to powers that have little if any interest in the well-being of this nation other than as a holiday destination, a fallout bunker, a strategic asset in a global chess game or a captive market for rampant property speculation.

        This is Key’s last chance to get his malignant and socially destructive agenda over the line, and if we let that happen we’ll regret it for the rest of forever.

  3. I thoroughly enjoyed Maori language week. It should become a regular feature of Parliament, minus the excruciating mangling of it by the Speaker of course, which was downright painful to listen to! Most of the MPs spoke it well though.

    Speaker Carter had plenty of time to learn the language to address each opening session of Parliament in Maori, but instead chose to ignorantly and embarrassingly mutilate it for three days last week!

    What FJK said was not only insulting to the girl concerned, who raised a very good point, but also offended I’d say many Maori and non Maori NZers alike. I found his comments extremely rude, to the extent of being caustic! I hope he’s made to apologize.

    And where is the Maori Party here? Hello? All I hear is compliant silence! The party seems to be supporting an arrogant ignoramus of the worst possible kind, by not challenging FJK’s comments!

  4. I don’t understand why someone who is nearly an adult would cry about some feedback on an idea that they presented. He wasn’t mean about it, he was providing his honest feedback. Sitting there crying doesn’t achieve anything. Take a step back and work on your idea based off of the feedback provided until you get positive results.
    How is she going to react when she gets unfavourable feedback from a boss in a few years? Sit there and blubber because she was mollycoddled at school?

    • The good ol’ biffo aye @ ROB. A bit of a smack you reckon? Yeah mate . That’ll teach ’em . Fuckin’ learn the hard way. That’s the story. Knock some sense into them. Fuckin’ clip ’round the ear. No fuckin’ blubbering ‘ round here mate. Harden up. Get tough of get out yeah ?
      You know where the expression ‘ Rule of Thumb came from @ ROB ? I bet you do . Can you tell those who do not , the origins of that saying?
      The Prime Mincer SHOULD have said. ” Hey, that’s a great idea , well done you. We’ll think about that , you have any other ideas ? Should write them down and send them in to my office . Nice pony tail by the way . Enticing.
      That way, he would have been seen as the noble little fellow he really wants to be , but isn’t, and the kid would have been overjoyed that her opinion was kindly received and not thrown back in her face . As it was .

      • @ ROB Same as @ dear Gosman. I apologise for my harsh comments and poor understanding of what it is that motivates you. You, of course were only thinking of the Kidult warping between baby-ness and adult-ness. Of course she ( Female in this case ) needs your guidance and a reminder of life’s harsh realities . She should be thankful to you for pointing that out to her . Thus, when she does make it to her nearing adulthood life she has lessons hard won to enable her to function as well as we expect of her. Thank you . And again my apologies for any offence .

    • Exactly Rob. She needs to get a grip.

      Basically nobody apart from a tiny minority of academics and folk with an axe to grind give a damn about that language. In fact most Maori can’t be bothered to learn it.

      NZ today is a MULTI cultural society where Maori doesn’t likely doesn’t even come third as a spoken language.

      • “NZ today is a MULTI cultural society where Maori doesn’t likely doesn’t even come third as a spoken language.”

        Andrew, masking your racism behind “multi-culturalism” doesn’t work. If you can’t accept this country’s first native language, why should we believe you have any tolerance for multi-culturalism, which involves even more diverse cultures and languages.

        • I accept it. It’s there. Good look to anyone who wishes to learn it.

          But I’d rather my kids learned Mandarin

          …and by the way – It was Helen Clark in one of her early speeches as PM who described NZ as a multicultural society.

          (and this time you can do your own homework)

          • Oh, now you’re hiding behind Helen Clark? (Without a linked reference, yet again?! Not surprised, as your last attempt to mis-quote a Union rep crashed and burned.)

            Well, this is what Ms Clark had to say about the Maori language;

            “This government also accepts the obligation to promote Maori language and culture through the medium of television.”

            http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/11283

            Since you’re using Helen Clark to validate your views, I assume you support her sentiments about the promotion of the Maori language ?

      • What you are saying AndrewO is that since the Maori language has no value to you, then it should have no value to anyone else either. Such a narrow minded arrogant attitude.

        • No Mike, it’s not what I’m saying at all.

          I’m saying people have freedom of choice and based on the evidence most people chose not to learn Maori. Even Maori.

          • Don’t couch your bigotry in terms of “freedom of choice”, Andrew. If the dominant culture (in terms of numbers) in this country was Maori, you would have been taught that as your primary language. The fact that English is more widely spoken is predicated more on white colonial power becoming dominant and supplanting Maori by legislation, neglect, and often coercion.

            That’s not “freedom of choice”, that’s colonialism.

  5. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70747364/john-key-leaves-girl-in-tears-after-calling-maori-language-month-boring

    And from the above link, just to add insult to injury, a FJK spokeswoman says the following, challenging the intellect of teenage Kiwis –

    ” … A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said Key’s meaning was that the celebrations may be diluted over a longer period.
    She said she thought students may have misinterpeted his answer. ….”

    Codswallop!

    The arrogant, smart arse, creep’s insensitive statement has not been misinterpreted at all. He said what he intended to say and he meant it! Bet he got his jollies from saying it too, especially as he would have known it would have embarrassed and stung the 16 year old girl!

    Predatory FJK certainly has a unique, sinister and extremely weird way of interacting with young Kiwi women doesn’t he?

    • A few days before start of Maori Language Week:
      C-T: Hi John, just thought you should have a quick heads-up as Maori Language Week is here pretty soon.
      JK: Oh God, how boring – do I need to chuck in a few Kia Oras?
      C-T: Hell no! We’ve been analysing Farrar’s latest survey data and the swing segment is very ho hum on Te Reo, as is the group of people who voted for Craig last time which we should now own. Anything round school curriculums freaks them out. In general, just do the minimum to keep the PC brigade onside and whatsisname Flavell and Fox but definitely nothing more.
      JK: No worries, anything pops up I’m onto it.

      Yesterday:
      C-T: Hi John, bit of damage control required, mate. This making the girl cry isn’t a good look, especially so soon after the other one.
      JK: What other one?
      C-T: You are pulling my leg aren’t you Johnno?
      JK: Oh, that – what is it with all the bloody cry-babies these days? Bloody hell, Hilary Barry has a lot to answer for. But you told me to be down on any expansion of Maori Language Week, changed your tune now?
      C-T: There’s being down on it and there’s being bloody high-handed about it. She probably reminded you of Metiria whatshername in question time – natural reaction, but you’re better than that. C’mon, let it go and revive the everyman touch.
      JK: Damage control?
      C-T: Sorted, a spokesperson has gone into full denial mode and we’ve got the principal onside. The media is now full of what you really said. It’s in an accompanying email – read it and memorise it as the press gallery are likely to pick you up on it. If it gets sticky run with the the old busy schedule, important matters can’t remember the detail of everything you say etc etc But for fuck’s sake, don’t apologise.
      JK: OK, no worries.
      C-T: We’ll have to put a damage control fee on top of the retainer. Will that be a problem? Now you know your ratings are on a bit of a slide so you need to listen to our advice and tighten up.
      JK: OK, whatever.

  6. Or maybe its evidence of the character of younger people these days? They can’t take any criticism, its not like his comments were particularly mean spirited or anything. A big fuss over nothing.

    • Good point Jane.

      Is this the result of decades of politically correct pandering to every possible ‘special interest group’ out there?

      • It sez more about your attitude toward bullying, Andrew and Jane, than “pandering to every possible ‘special interest group’ out there”. But then again, if it had been Andrew Little who had done this, you’d suddenly be discovering a while new sense of empathy.

        Indeed, this is more about your party allegiance than issues of right or wrong. A young woman is the victim of a very public put down by a man in a position of power, and because he happens to be a National PM, you are happy to engage in victim blaming.

        No wonder you hide behind anonymity.

        • So many assumptions Frank. I don’t care what party the person belongs too, if Little had said the same thing I would not be attacking him. Nor is this victim blaming, how about we reserve the use of that phrase for serious instances of injustice. I am not blaming the girl for her reaction (It is unfortunate that she took the rejection of her idea so hard), and I am also not blaming John Key for unintentionally causing the reaction with such a mundane statement.

          Do you really think this is bullying? Calling an idea “boring” is not bullying, if he had actually insulted the girl, or called her idea stupid or something along those lines then you would have an argument. This kind of over sensitivity to criticism is what I was originally talking about in my comment.

          By the way I think his reasoning is pretty stupid too, I don’t think anyone is going to get bored if its extended to a month.

          • Nor is this victim blaming, how about we reserve the use of that phrase for serious instances of injustice

            “Serious injustice”, Jane?

            So, little injustices are tolerable? Especially if they can easily be dismissed as “unfortunate” or ” over sensitivity”?

            Unfortunately, most bullies usually try to minimise their behaviour by trying to make the victim to be ” over sensitivity”. Or, in the case of nasty jokes, “lacking humour”.

            Remember what Key’s explanation was for the pony-tail pulling incident; “It was all in the context of a bit of banter that was going on, and so obviously I immediately apologised for that.”

            And,

            “We have lots of fun and games there, there’s always lots of practical jokes and things. It’s a very warm and friendly relationship. ”

            Ref: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67949918/Prime-Minister-John-Key-pulled-waitress-ponytail

            That’s how bullies justify their bullying behaviour; by minimising it as “jokes”, “fun and games”, etc.

            But that’s not the worst of it. The worst of it is when other people buy into the bully’s behaviour and criticise the victim for being “over sensitive”.

            So, was it bullying?

            Perhaps not in the stereotypical school-yard scenario where a bully pulls a girl’s ponytail… (!) But if you’re on the receiving end of having the Prime Minister make a dismissive remark about your suggestion, in full public view of your peers, then really, Jane – what label would you attach to it?

            • I should have phrased it has “reserve its use for actually cases of injustice” as in I don’t think there was any injustice here, his comments were not inappropriate or bullying in nature, and I don’ think they were “Dismissive” as he gave his reason for not agreeing with her idea, from what I read in the article.

              If there is any bullying I imagine it would be coming from her classmates, which may happen now that this ridiculous story has made headlines.

              As for the ponygate thing, I think we can all agree that was bullying behavior and pretty damn creepy, so Key obviously has a history. I am just saying in this case it was not, and I think its being blown out of proportion and is absolutely a result of over sensitivity. Unless of course there is more context to this situation we are not aware of.

            • And you know if she was 8 years old I might agree with you, and say he should phrase his replies to be a bit less blunt. But this is a 16 year old.

      • Not necessarily a result of pandering to special interest groups, but it lies in the way we raise children these days. Just look to the United States to see where we are heading.

  7. I’d take it a step further and suggest it’s useful to be fluent in more than one language. Make it year-round.

    Maori is the obvious candidate as it’s right there ready to go, it’s different enough to be a proper ‘second language’ and it’s already ours. Even if you never used it, your mind would benefit; picking up a third would be a cinch.

    Obvious, really. The only argument against is: ‘I don’t like maoris’ which isn’t worth considering.

    • The other argument against it is; it’s almost compleatly useless because there are almost no Maoris that don’t speak English.

      But yes, I agree, learning another language is a good idea, good exercise for the mind etc, regardless of weather Maori or other, and obviously being able to communicate with foreigners can be useful.

      • We don’t speak Latin or Classical Greek either, but learning these languages give us a context and greater understanding of our own. The benefits of learning more than one language are enormous, and better to start at an early age with one that is particular to our country. Learning other languages will be easier thereafter.

    • So if you prefer to learn a useful language (i.e. – one that is actually regularly spoken outside of a school or college) you’re a racist?

      I suspect you’re being rather expansive in your definition of ‘racist’.

      • No, Andrew, Roy is being spot on with the use of his term “racist”.

        Denigrating the Maori language (as you are doing) is code for your bigotted attitudes against Maori. But since an overtly attack on Maori would probably earn you a permanent ban (and the odium of others), you use terms that reduce the value of the Maori language as a coded attack.

        Just as you referred to “multiculturalism” to try to water-down the value of the Maori language – and in doing so, ignore their First Nation status and partner in the Treaty of Waitangi.

        Fact is, Andrew, you and your ilk hide behind anonymity whilst spewing your racist, childish nonsense.

        • I never said ‘racist’, anyway that debate is boring. Andrewo, Jacob: you have the same common mental block on this:

          Learning a language DOES NOT displace other knowledge! Go and learn Spanish, or C++ or hexidecimal numerics as well, for heaven’s sake.

          The advantage of Maori is that it is right there for the taking, and has other benefits including cultural, historical and goodwill/unity that come as bonuses.

        • Who is denigrating Maori here?

          If Maori (or anyone else for that matter) wish to speak Maori then they can. It’s a free country.

          But the fact is most Maori don’t speak Maori. Not because there is any particular government or institutional roadblock, but because they choose not to, for whatever reason.

          As regards the Treaty and all that goes with it, I believe the settlements are a process that we need to complete and sign off. Then we can move forward as a nation. In this I include the current apartheid electoral system we have in NZ.

    • Indeed, Roy.

      These are red-rag issues to every redneck and racist who – usually hiding behind anonymity – use every silly argument to justify their bigotry.

      The ones posting here are the milder versions of the more rabid rednecks.

      Their arguments fall apart very easily.

    • For sure lets have the option to learn Maori, but if we are going to require a second language (which would be years of education) lets also have the choice of other languages as well that many would consider more “useful”. Perhaps make a basic education in Maori necessary? I think that would be a good compromise, I for one would have loved to learn a second language but it just wasn’t an option.

  8. What I find inexcusable is how the MSM call Labour’s Phil Twyford rascist because he said that it was Chinese buyers who were largely responsible for the Auckland housing crisis, but when John Key says that having a Maori language month is “boring” – not a murmur! If Twyford’s statement was really racist, then Key’s was at least equally racist. Our wonderful MSM have once again demonstrated what Tory toadies they are.

    • I have found two similar stories on stuff.co.nz about this. Neither have an invited comments section. Funny that!

      • Yeah, I suspect that’s a tactical decision by the partisan rags in question.

        I envision them saying, “Christ, there’s no possible way we can spin this so that Key doesn’t come out of it with a couple of black eyes. No comments thread for you, matey!”

        I don’t know why they bother to be honest. Both Stuff and Granny Herald are routinely infested with Tory apologists every day of the week, so it’s not as though it’s going to make much of a difference.

  9. I have read the comments attributed to the young girl and I have also read the comments attributed to the PM. What the PM said was, in my view, appropriate but if the PM is quoted correctly he perhaps could have phrased his comments better. His later comments said he thought Maori language week was good as everyone got behind it, but he was concerned that if the week was extended by another two or three weeks it might not have the same impact.

    The mere fact that the small article in the Sunday times had two names in the byline and mostly dealt with comments from a male classmate and the Maori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell was interesting.

  10. The Maori language was used, along side English, all year round when I attended school, I thought it the norm, just part of being a New Zealander, part of ‘our’ culture. Maybe this is what the student was getting at – why does something so important have to have a ‘certain’ week, month, whatever…why not just embrace it for being part of who ‘we’ are…and over time it just becomes the norm.

    • @ KIM DANDY – yes, I’m of the same mind as you here Kim. Maori should be part of the everyday language of NZ/Aotearoa, without the need for a “special” week or month put aside to recognize it!

    • I agree too Kim. Other countries are appalled at how many kiwis can’t speak another language, despite NZ having two official (oral) ones.

      In Switzerland you can’t not speak German, Italian, French and English, no matter how much of a flag-waver you are.

  11. I see the trolls have been working overtime on this story. If it makes you feel better chaps, knock yourselves out! Doesn’t change reality though.

  12. he could give her a couple of bottles from his blind trust john key label wine to smooth it over

  13. Key described the hair-pulling as just horsing around , as he had a fun relationship with staff at Rosie cafe near his home in Parnell, Auckland. The prime minister has admitted he misread the situation when he pulled a waitress’ ponytail over a period of months, but denies it was a sexist act, saying he “could have” done it to a man.

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