GUEST BLOG: Bryan Bruce – Battlers
In my job I get to hear about a lot of sad and bad things, but I also have the privilege of talking with people who give me hope in humankind – ordinary folk who see a problem and try, against the odds, to do something about it.
I was speaking with one woman last night ( I’m not going to give you her name because she doesn’t want publicity ) who has spent a lot of her life supporting kids from trouble families maybe by helping them to learn to read or getting them into sport.
And this morning I received (and have just shared ) a video from the Aotea Water Action group in Christchurch who held a decent sized protest rally against ECAN’s allowing a Chinese water bottling company to plunder the local acquifer at Belfast.
Penny Bright of Auckland , who died recently of cancer, was a well known battler for many causes whose last public battle was to try to get Auckland City Council to open their books about who is being awarded contracts with public money.
I don’t know what makes one person shrug their shoulders and say “But what can I do?” while another says (like Howard Beale in the film Network) “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”… I’m just glad these local heroes exist in all our communities….
Battlers – who give of their time and energy to fight for social justice in one form or another.
If you are one of them …. thank you!
Kia Kaha
Bryan Bruce is one of NZs most respected documentary makers and public intellectuals who has tirelessly exposed NZs neoliberal economic settings as the main cause for social issues.
Protest for social good is a vitally necessary part of society.
Many predators who become wealthy get “Sir” added to their name.
We don’t need predators in our societal ecosystem but we do need protesters to promote social change and wake the sleeping conscience.
Few protesters are given official positive recognition as being leaders.