The Daily Blog Open Mic – 9th February 2025

On the Wellington column on Scoop there are some good discussions about what and how and why etc. Here is a bit that has opinions to consider and the attitudes and approaches need discussing – it is very relevant.
https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=167776 When Debate Turns Personal
by Diane Calvert
I recently attended a weekend event at Wellington’s treasured Botanic Garden, where concerns about reduced parking were a key discussion point because of the installation of a new cycleway on the road outside. I later posted an observation on social media about how empty the cycleway was outside peak commuter hours.

The response was overwhelmingly supportive, with a ratio of 10 to 1 agreeing with my observations.
However, a vocal minority chose to respond not with constructive discussion but with sarcasm, personal attacks, and deflection.
Some of the responses included:

“Get rid of the road too — no cars on it at the precise moment you took the photo! Typical politician, capturing the moment to prove a narrative while missing the big picture and avoiding the data.”
“Guess you don’t cycle, councillor. How about trying it before sharing your short-sighted opinions?”
“Of all the dumb crap on LinkedIn, this is the dumbest. No cyclists. No pedestrians. No cars. Therefore, the cycleway needs to be removed.”
“Wow, that photo is a terrible way to try and make an anti-cycleway argument. But great clickbait.”

Rather than addressing the issue, some even resorted to identity-based attacks, with one dismissing me as just an “elderly Pākehā councillor.”

When people resort to this kind of rhetoric instead of debating the merits of an issue, it suggests they are more interested in shutting down discussion than engaging in honest conversation.
The irony is that while some accuse me of “missing the big picture,” they ignore the real issue: community feedback.
As a city councillor, I regularly hear from Wellingtonians who feel their enjoyment of the Botanic Garden has been impacted by the loss of nearby on-street parking which has been replaced by this cycleway. These are real concerns from real people.

At the same time, many Wellingtonians are frustrated by the Council’s priorities. This year the city will roll out over 12 km of new cycleways — while renewing less than 1 km of water pipes. This trend has continued for the past few years. Is it any wonder people are questioning the investment priorities?…

Exaggeration of a point to enable ridicule of the opinion – tick.
Also called hyperbole –
What is the origin of the word hyperbole?
The term hyperbole has ancient origins. It combines one Greek term that means “over” and another that means “cast” or “throw.” So hyperbole describes the sense of over-reaching, or grasping beyond what is necessary in order to describe a certain feeling, an experience, or response.
What is Hyperbole? || Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms
College of Liberal Arts | Oregon State University
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu › wlf › what-hyperbole
So we understand what they learned and wrote down in Ancient Greece and Rome, and it has reached the USA. Can we all start putting the wisdoms gathered down the ages to work before we blow ourselves up, or end up cooking ourselves either from nature or cannibalism as we sink in our layered values of humanity?

4 COMMENTS

Bexi AI February 9, 2025 At 12:08 pm

It’s refreshing to see a platform that allows for diverse opinions while still holding people accountable for spreading misinformation. It’s a fine line to walk, but I think it’s important in maintaining a healthy discourse.
Greywarbler February 9, 2025 At 2:17 pm

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018974021/a-moneyless-life-jo-nemeth
Sounds interesting. Anyone got thoughts on this?
Greywarbler February 9, 2025 At 2:25 pm

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018973975/this-weekend-medieval-market-levin-celebrates-30-years
Sounds interesting – could they spread this to other centres and then have co-ordinated festivals encouraging local tourism?
Greywarbler February 9, 2025 At 3:46 pm

On the Wellington column on Scoop there are some good discussions about what and how and why etc. Here is a bit that has opinions to consider and the attitudes and approaches need discussing – it is very relevant.
https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=167776 When Debate Turns Personal
by Diane Calvert
I recently attended a weekend event at Wellington’s treasured Botanic Garden, where concerns about reduced parking were a key discussion point because of the installation of a new cycleway on the road outside. I later posted an observation on social media about how empty the cycleway was outside peak commuter hours.

The response was overwhelmingly supportive, with a ratio of 10 to 1 agreeing with my observations.
However, a vocal minority chose to respond not with constructive discussion but with sarcasm, personal attacks, and deflection.
Some of the responses included:

“Get rid of the road too — no cars on it at the precise moment you took the photo! Typical politician, capturing the moment to prove a narrative while missing the big picture and avoiding the data.”
“Guess you don’t cycle, councillor. How about trying it before sharing your short-sighted opinions?”
“Of all the dumb crap on LinkedIn, this is the dumbest. No cyclists. No pedestrians. No cars. Therefore, the cycleway needs to be removed.”
“Wow, that photo is a terrible way to try and make an anti-cycleway argument. But great clickbait.”

Rather than addressing the issue, some even resorted to identity-based attacks, with one dismissing me as just an “elderly Pākehā councillor.”

When people resort to this kind of rhetoric instead of debating the merits of an issue, it suggests they are more interested in shutting down discussion than engaging in honest conversation.
The irony is that while some accuse me of “missing the big picture,” they ignore the real issue: community feedback.
As a city councillor, I regularly hear from Wellingtonians who feel their enjoyment of the Botanic Garden has been impacted by the loss of nearby on-street parking which has been replaced by this cycleway. These are real concerns from real people.

At the same time, many Wellingtonians are frustrated by the Council’s priorities. This year the city will roll out over 12 km of new cycleways — while renewing less than 1 km of water pipes. This trend has continued for the past few years. Is it any wonder people are questioning the investment priorities?…

Exaggeration of a point to enable ridicule of the opinion – tick.
Also called hyperbole –
What is the origin of the word hyperbole?
The term hyperbole has ancient origins. It combines one Greek term that means “over” and another that means “cast” or “throw.” So hyperbole describes the sense of over-reaching, or grasping beyond what is necessary in order to describe a certain feeling, an experience, or response.
What is Hyperbole? || Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms
College of Liberal Arts | Oregon State University
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu › wlf › what-hyperbole
So we understand what they learned and wrote down in Ancient Greece and Rome, and it has reached the USA. Can we all start putting the wisdoms gathered down the ages to work before we blow ourselves up, or end up cooking ourselves either from nature or cannibalism as we sink in our layered values of humanity?

Comments are closed.

Contribute

4 COMMENTS