When John Tamihere is complaining about civility in political discourse, we are all in trouble
John Tamihere wrote a sharp critique this week of the manner in which our political discourse has denigrated into malicious abuse and bad faith debate.
He’s right.
The volume of hatred passing as political comment has reached a toxicity level that makes Chernobyl look vegan approved.
Neither Right nor Left can hold any moral high ground in the algorithm of spite and nastiness that is our social media footprint but brothers and sisters, we are all New Zealanders and this country is too small to be this polarised. We are less a nation and more just a big family, we can’t harbour such ill will and cruel intent towards one another and pretend that’s normal.
We must disagree and we will disagree, but no one need to be dehumanised in that process, we have shared values in this country that go beyond our skin colour, our gender, our faith or our class.
These egalitarian Shaky Isles where the tyranny of distance leaves us fragile and isolated means we must work together because no one is coming to save us.
We must not allow difference of opinion to amputate ourselves from each other, there can be no peace in such mutilation and abuse.
The saying, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it has been modernised to, I disapprove of what you say, and I will threaten, cancel, block, dox, harass, revenge porn and smash to death your rights to say it.
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It is simply the logical outcome of neo-liberalism’s Law of the Jungle approach to life.
Get rid of it or suck it up.
Dead right J S Bark. Problem is we are too tied to the Empire.
Seems like John’s back Frankie agreeing with everything you say.
And what was the lasting legacy of John Key ?
The previous government were at least good at making this one look half decent, bahahahaha.
More cabbage for the slaw.
Sorry Bert but I must point out the previous government was Labour lead with 2 bit players and apart from keeping us safe from covid achieved little else of note for Maori or Pakeha
Trevor I apologise if I misread Cabbages post “Willie Jackson has congratulated the previous govt for signing up to the process that initiated He puapua. It was the reviews govt.”
I thought he meant National( previous govt) initiated it. Not very clearly put.
Oh come on @ Frank. It’s nothing to do with JA even if she’s a subscriber to it all.
It’s happening all over the Whurl. She should probably take your crediting her with it all as a compliment.
As opposed to Dirty politics Frank? Give me a break. If Arden is guilty of anything it’s being a bit too much like John Key part two, just without the smarmy arsed currency speculators grin.