People often ask why I’m not afraid to stand against antiquated status quo driven conventional thinking.
First, there’s been the strong Irish influence of my Pākehā, Catholic mother. Through her commitment to her faith, she got through a lot of tough moments. Like when she married my father and her family disinherited her. Mum was an outstanding person who encouraged me to love books. And, through reading, I got vistas into other people’s world’s.
Then there was the old man. Well, they were hewn out of rock and stone in his generation. He was just a big, tough, hard man, so he brought up his boys in a world where there was black and white — and nothing in between. In his world, you got out of bed, you worked for your family and you worked for your community. So his work ethic was ingrained in us.
What on earth is Tamihere on about here ?
Tamihere’s referring to women as “front-bums”may have been him being unconventional, but it was extremely offensive, and quite distressing for some.
I doubt that most men would think of women as “front-bums”, let alone express such a thought aloud.
Tamihere and Willie Jackson let us all down responding to the Roast Busters scandal on talkback radio, and whichever of them asked a girl how old she was when she lost her virginity, could be well advised to embrace a little more conventional thinking.
Even if titillating the blockheads who listen to them is what they were paid to do, this was not their business, and not acceptable behaviour.
Funny how “conventional wisdom” are two often-linked words. There’s usually a reason behind convention – somewhere.
What do you mean when you say you stand against the status quo?
I think he means he’s against political correctness.
what a bizarre piece from Mr Tamihere–is this him testing the water for a Mayoral run?
ACT helped create a monster with the Supercity and the undemocratic CCOs that no one Mayor will ever be able to fix, without a lot more citizen participation and support
Well, that was about as informative as banging my head against a brick wall.
he should get a proper line on the links between gangs and cannabis and get in behind the legalisation of cannabis. alll the supposed problems would go away if there was no money in it. one can only suppose that he has support from this source of funds
Sorry. THis is a bit long even for my word salads.
“… status quo driven conventional thinking.”
More like has become the victim of unconventional psychological tinkering.
Thinking leads to being tinkered with. When the status quo, whatever that is, starts to think? Let the tinkering begin. Remember jonky’s best bud? nigel latta? Where’s he now that jonky’s gone bye-bye? ( Into the board rooms of Air NZ and Bunnings is the answer, I think.)
What we poor hapless humans must remember is that when we’re being our most creative, left field thinking, artistic, creative, adventurous and courageous? We’re being fucked with. The most incredibly difficult thing is, is to know when that’s happening to us.
I can tell you. When you find yourself agreeing with the masses. Because the Masses? They’re long gone.
I’ve just watched a short series called “ Gun Powder “. It was awesome. It was a great little British/BBC effort. There were lots of torturing and misery but once the beautiful mind gets past that, you can sit back and relax.
Them bloody Scots aye? James the 1st. Them protestants. All torturing and sneering arrogance for being in positions of power and control.
When I was a nipper I started my ‘education’ at a little rural school called Te Tipua primary.
I was an only child and was brought up and loved in farmer isolation by two women and a fellow ( Book pending) so I had no basic pre school education in the delicate ‘ways of man kind’.
( Grand Master Flash https://youtu.be/PobrSpMwKk4I )
I was never hit, smacked or kicked. My mum chased me with the wooden jam spoon once though for being cheeky and as I fled howling, she caught up and fell on me laughing so hard at my screaming panic that she couldn’t whack a thing. I’ve had a long and enduring fear of spoons ever since.
At school though? That was a different matter altogether.
Mr Styles. ( dead ) A charming fellow until the pills wore off.
As a six year old, Mr Styles dragged me up in front of a class of about 20 kids and demanded that I hold my hands out. I pinched a kids pencil. Popped it right on my desk. Looked better there. He then hit my upturned little palms heavily with a thick strap. Three times on each. Six of the best. The second strike wasn’t as bad as the first because of the numbness caused by the first. He was a good, church going protestant pervert with a penchant for causing pain to children. ( I did get him years later in Gore. I crashed into a tree coincidently right outside his house while being felt up my my girl friend. I was driving a 1948 V8 flat deck truck, we slipped off the street while turning a corner in the rain. I remember my girlfriend losing all interest in her wonderful attentions as leaves fell on the bonnet. A porch light went on! A stringy little fellow came marching down the path ! It was Styles! I said “ You! You’re the first r-unt who strapped me at school! C’mere! ? “
He spun around and did the big power-walk to the door. Slammed it … Then the cops in grey Holdens with little blue lights etc.
Strapping, cane-ing, hitting, slapping, punching and torture was part of my early education. As it was for others of course. I’m not saying I’m special. One teacher, the one who had the most lasting impression actually, a Mr Duston, ( Dead too) was the worst of the worst and interestingly, he wasn’t really a whacker. He did whack me on occasion but his heart wasn’t in it. He was more into the psychology of humiliation, intimidation, manipulation and was the classic narcissistic sadist. He’d hate and abuse you in class but when ones parents were near, he’d be your best mate.
Naturally, I made HIS life a living hell too. He once gave me the job of weeding his vegetable garden because I flatly refused to swim in the icy waters of the Southland school swimming pool. I weeded his garden, for sure. He didn’t need to prey for ‘ crop failure’, I brought it un to him with my pocket knife.
Then, in 1969, I went to St Peters college in Gore. I, in fact, chose to go to St Peters College. My dad agreed which surprises me to this day.
They allowed long hair on boys and one could wear long pants all year round. And shoes of ones own choosing too. My first day at St Peters was one of knowing, for sure, that I was in for some kind of whacking. My teachers looked ominous in black. Solemn people wearing Catholic garb. The women wore the Catholic equivalent of the Burka, while the men wore black suits with white collars and they all, to a person, chain smoked tailor made cigarettes! My Italian maths teacher was constantly getting speeding tickets and was never seen without a cigarette in his mouth. ( Brother Tedisco? RIP. Where ever you are man. We loved you.)
No whacking! No hitting, spitefulness, no humiliation. No sulking ghosting. Just patience, and peace, actually. St Peters College was a ‘peaceful’ place. Once I got past the shock of being treaded with respect and civility I flourished intellectually. I was without fear of not knowing and confident enough to ask questions. Back at Te Tipua, good, hard working protestant agricultural country, I was humiliated for asking questions then whacked for not knowing answers. And because I thought I was too, an unlovely protestant, I slunk through the Halls of Sunday Mass at college with a couple of other kids similarly afflicted.
Then my dad went mad, my mum and my aunt said OK to a move to a South Canterbury run property and I left school at 16 years old and to the day they died, my mum, dad and aunt never knew I was top, or close to, in my classes at technical drawing, English and geography.
During one of my rare, open conversations with my father years later, it was revealed that I was, in fact,an Irish Catholic from Galway. I went to a Catholic college deftly avoiding the Presbyterian work ethic and the Catholic Guilt all in one go. Perhaps that’s why I love irony.
Is NZ/AO’s post colonising and on-going sadness and sense of loss a result of cruel, brutal, gleefully spiteful protestants spreading their arrogance where ever there was an opening in the psychology of their target audience for which they could exploit? I’d say, fuck yes. Definitely. Absolutely. And like all abuse, [it] becomes a part of the weft and weave of society.
Gun Powder.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_(TV_series)
“In 1603, as England is engaged in war against Spain, tensions are high in domestic society due to brutal persecution of Catholics. Robert Catesby, a young Catholic nobleman who has recently lost both his wife and his father and, angry at his perception of punishment from society, conjures a literally explosive plot to kill King James I when he sits in the houses of Parliament. Catesby joins with a group of equally aggrieved men, including the infamous Guy Fawkes, to enact vengeance in a series of events that are still commemorated in present-day Britain. “
Best luck JT.
Take the mayoralty, introduce rates relief for owner-occupied housing, and an annual QV levy on all non-owner-occupied housing and bankrupt the lot…
On Tamihere for Mayor, on one hand I still am disgusted by what was said about roast busters but on the other, another term of Phil Goff and his underwater stadium and giving away more council assets and stealing the harbour is unthinkable as are the other right wing vulture like candidates circling who seem like peas in a pod with Goff.
At least Tamihere is an authentic person who has seen a lot of life, and hopefully wiser for it…
If I knew more what he stood for, I might consider voting for him for Mayor, cos their ain’t a lot of choices out there for Auckland Mayor. Thats why most people don’t bother.
Anyone who runs on stopping selling assets and agrees to a massive audit of council owned and run businesses to look for frauds and where money is being misspent would be popular.
But he doesn’t say what he is for, just that he is against status quo’s, and that does have a bit of a rebellious adolescent sound about it.
And many have at times challenged conventional status quo’s, and without the benefit of supportive political machinery, and not because it is daring or heroic, but simply because there are times when it is the right thing to do – albeit uncomfortable.
Once I phoned David Tamihere’s father & told him I thought his other son was falsely accused & got a raw deal from the system. (Pat Booth thought so too but didn’t have the time to research the case like he did with Arthur Alan Thomas). We had a good talk. I found JT’s comments on his background interesting, also Countryboy – I’ll buy your book.
With JTs background as an MP & running a local Trust, he has a ton of political positions & experience to draw from. We need you to remind us of these, spell it out JT.
Adding to Countryboy’s notes for a novel, I had a cruisy time at primary school except for Primer 2. We had a crabby teacher, Miss Bade. There were blackboards around all the walls & we were all using them, I was engrossed then suddenly realised the other kids were whispering at me to turn around. Too late! I hadn’t heard her command to stop the blackboard work & she came with her strap & belted me on my hands. I remember her as nasty, but remember better the other kids had tried to protect me from her.
A mayoral candidate should promise to enact the Penny Bright Policy of transparency on all Council/CCO negotiations BEFORE and After decisions made.
No asset sales.
Retain pensioner housing throughout Auckland/Greater Auckland
And what Castro said, (almost):
‘Castro says:
November 22, 2018 at 1:15 pm
‘introduce rates relief for owner-occupied housing, and an annual QV levy on all non-owner-occupied housing’
Any longterm empty housing or land banking areas to be used to house people looking for shelter, (mobile tiny housing on land) with no compensation to owners.
I have no time for this man, his comments about gay women – imagine if you were his daughter and were gay, this is unbearable to think about.
Then him that now labour MP and their comments on ‘roast busters’. Tamihere is unbelievably arrogant.
Country Boy we love you!@#@!
Thanks, Michal. It is so good when men speak up for us and ours.
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