Tim Beveridge – white man sings the blues

I don’t know Tim Beveridge from a bar of soap, he’s a ZB host and I never listen to ZB.

But I do read the columns he writes for the NZ Herald which are filled with the sort of pompous self inflated sense of privilege that anyone hosting a show on ZB seems to be infested with.

His latest column however is so cringe worthy in its ‘why can’t white men get a break’ narrative it just would be wrong to not deeply mock it…

Personally, I’ve pretty much had a gutsful with arguments and ad hominem attacks that treat an opinion as less valid because the person expressing it happens to be… a white male. Yes, folks, run screaming into the hills right now. But, I have read stories, opinion pieces and countless social media posts criticising people’s ideas, where this argument raises its head solely as a means of discrediting someone’s point of view.

…oh dear. Tim’s had a gutsful folks. Just because he shits on everyone and everything that isn’t white and male, he is sick of being judged because of that. Tim, no one dislikes you because you are white and male, people dislike you because you don’t seem to even comprehend the position of power being white and male gives you…

My recent experience of this was in relation to an opinion I wrote about Metiria Turei. In my case, criticism it seemed to be based on an assumption that as a white male, I apparently come from a position of privilege and so can’t possibly relate to the plight of someone like Turei. So I was therefore not sufficiently qualified to have an opinion.

…it doesn’t mean you can’t have an opinion Tim, it just means your opinion as a rich white male broadcaster is just like all the rich white male broadcasters opinion on the poor – completely fucking delusional.

Tim can not see the irony of him and his ilk, these privileged wankers…

…judging Metiria equated to a lynching, not journalism and it was a lynching enabled because they all have massive platforms of white male privilege to attack her from.

But it gets better…

Firstly, on the question of gender, while I can’t speak for everyone, I want to point out the bleeding obvious. There isn’t a secret club (at least not that I am a member of) where all white males get together to plot the downfall and subjugation of anyone who doesn’t resemble us.

…did he really say that? Did he honestly attempt to sweep away all the structural power of the patriarchy fuelled on toxic masculinity by just saying white men don’t meet at a secret club???

Feminism should just pack up its tampons and go home, Tim’s proven that because white rich men don’t meet at secret clubs there’s no such thing as privilege.

I mean, forget the Masonic lodge, golf clubs and the old boy networks, according to Tim it just doesn’t exist. All he has to do now is back this up with some personal story of how he’s got lots of women in his life, oh, wait. He does…

Like most men, in addition to many close female friendships over the years, my wife and my mum, I have two wonderful young daughters for whom I want the very best in life. I want them to have the benefit of every opportunity that comes their way, without any inhibition to their ambitions or dreams because, well, I am on their side, I’m invested in their success and in a country where we can all express our views and seize opportunities regardless of which demographic we are squeezed into.

…he’s not an ignorant sexist, he’s got chicks in his life.

Where Tim decides to go next is unbelievable…

Secondly, there is something particularly odious about the suggestion that the colour of your skin disqualifies your right to have an opinion on certain issues in New Zealand. In seeking to defend Turei, for instance, one writer made the point that the white male enjoys among other things “a wide network of social and family connections and support”.

…that’s right folks, his vitriol spat at Metiria for daring to tell her story with her chin up rather than grovelling wasn’t part of a racist cultural attack by all rich white male broadcasters  against a brown woman who was forced to steal 25 years ago because of the cruelty of the neoliberal welfare state that Tim and his rich white male broadcasters champion, oh no!

The racism is actually against him as a white male.

For Fucks Sakes. Can you honestly be this far up your own arsehole and claim victimhood as well?

Here’s his ‘conclusion’…

I don’t think we live in a New Zealand where we live in such clearly defined and segregated groups. So, if you have an argument you want to win, how about doing it on the issue and not disqualifying an opinion based on some crude and tiresome stereotype of the person you disagree with. Because regardless of the issue, there is likely someone who strongly resembles your opponent, and is in fact, on your side.

…ok 1 – yes we are as polarised as America – 70% of National voters don’t know anyone unemployed. That’s less an electorate and more a gated community.

And 2 – fuck you Tim Beveridge. You do not understand the level of desperation and fear our neoliberal welfare state inspires in people because you and your rich white male broadcaster mates helped build that neoliberal welfare state.

As a gatekeeper media stooge, Tim has had his feelings hurt by all the social media criticism at his ill thought out and out of touch beliefs on the poor and has instead like a fragile snowflake demanded safe spaces so he and his fellow rich white male broadcasters aren’t made to feel bad.

He and his rich white male broadcasters are the hollow roar of gate keeper media dinosaurs that don’t realise their extinct yet.