Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Morning in Auckland

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    Particularly delicious irony, CNN took all of 24 hours to sack anchor Rick Sanchez after his truly bizarre brain-fart about Jon Stewart and his Hispanic-hating Jew York Christ-killer media elite pals - or something.

    I'm sure there's plenty of paranoid, anti-Semitic Americans out there who agree with Sanchez, but kudos to CNN for deciding they'd rather not employ one.

    Compare and contrast, people.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    comedy victims in the forums of Kiwiblog

    I was going to say that Redbaiter was arguing alone on the latest kiwiblog thread (and even he wasn't precisely team Paul), but now I got back to check he isn't.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    but now I got back to check he isn'

    No. That Kris K fellow is like Redbaiter without the comedy value.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    Don't look now, but they're talking about us in the UK, Canada, and (natch) India.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Reid,

    I'm outraged by Paul Henry. He can't open his mouth without being offensive. I'm offended by his comments about Sir Anand - not that I was watching. This morning he has "apologised", but he offends Gypsies in the process. He uses a pejorative term, Gypo, and describes his Gypsy heritage as being much, much worse than people thinking he is British.

    Key is a woofter for not denouncing him and for not refusing to appear beside a racist. Goff is extremely lame to say he is just being Paul Henry, but it's true in that Henry is constantly, provacatively offensive.

    It is a national shame that people continue to watch him for his provocation. Henry says he will never apologise for causing outrage - in which case I don't think we should tolerate him on our screens any further.

    I know who I think is more of a New Zealander.

    South Africa • Since Nov 2006 • 80 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Ship-shape and Bristol fashion...
    here's hoping the tide of public opinion ebbs and leaves Henry beached in the muck he so enjoys wallowing in...
    He must be so proud to be the psychic ventriloquist's dummy for the redneck / Kiwibog element, to boldly dare to say what others only think ... his tuning must be very acute - I am thinking some particularly heinous things about him that he fails to utter...
    <naive musing> how did we get to the point where this shock jock shlock is what programmers think the public wants / deserves ? </naive innocence>


    further in-Delhi-gate musings...
    Great that the Delhi Games are all up and running,
    but did they forget to build ticket selling facilities?
    watching bits of the Hockey and Netball last night there was barely a handful of people in the stands...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • dc_red,

    the insistence of 11% of Census respondents on describing themselves as "New Zealanders", as if it were an ethnic identity in itself – or, really, as if being of European extraction and being "a New Zealander" were actually equivalent and identical claims.

    But we'll have that discussion another day.

    Just a quick note that this issue has been debated at length around these parts in the past. Here, for example

    Without re-litigating the issue, I stand by my view that "I can't think of a better term than 'New Zealander' to describe myself"

    And as another contributor (Yamis) put it: "I put a fair amount of thought into it in the period leading up to the census and for the life of me I couldn't think why I should put 'European' ahead of "New Zealander."

    It is also worth noting that a number of people wrote in "New Zealander" as well as ticking the boxes for other ethnicities (incl. Maori).

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    The way things are going, I suppose Rodney Hide should feel grateful that he didn't get his way on at-large voting for seats on the new Auckland Council.

    Was this really a Rodney Hide thing? Or was it mostly a Royal Commission thing?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    As I Tweeted last night, unless Paul Henry is chanting "chocolate chip cookie" he most definitely is not vocalizing what I'm quietly thinking.

    Was this really a Rodney Hide thing? Or was it mostly a Royal Commission thing?

    Oh, shut up -- Rodney Hide is to blame for everything. Don't confuse things with your filthy facts. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler,

    To be fair, I thought the overall tone of the Kiwiblog comments on this issue was relatively sane (no doubt partially due to DPF being so unequivocal for once). Even Redbaiter isn't arguing that he's in the majority - only that he's right.

    (PAS: "We Read Kiwiblog So You Don't Have To")

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    I know who I think is more of a New Zealander.

    I'm sorry, but how does making racist comments, or even being a racist, make someone less of a New Zealander?

    [edit: particularly if we are a "very racist country"]

    Are you seriously suggesting that "people who think like me, and talk like me, and agree with me" have greater claim on being a New Zealander than people who don't? Why can't Paul Henry be every bit the New Zealander that Anand Satyanand, Matthew Reid, and Graeme Edgeler are? How do any of our views on anything change this?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • jo kerr,

    It wasn't an apology it was a sarcastic middle finger gesture disguised as an obligatory disclaimer.
    TVNZ plays the state broadcaster representing NZ card all the time.
    They really should change their name to Weasel TV and drop the pretense.

    Since Apr 2010 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    It wasn't an apology it was a sarcastic middle finger gesture disguised as an obligatory disclaimer.

    No it wasn't -- it was a bog-standard "I'm so sorry you're offended" non-apology in the passive-aggressive voice. Not exactly new, or peculiar to Henry.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Even Redbaiter isn't arguing that he's in the majority - only that he's right.

    And therefore an oppressed minority!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • James W,

    The moment Paul Henry has a go at white, rich business men then perhaps I'll believe his excuse about "saying what others are afraid to say." Because it seems to me all he does is attack the easily-attacked – minorities. Which is neither brave nor clever.

    John Key would hate to see Henry and his softball questions go, I'm sure.

    Since Jul 2008 • 136 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Certainly I expect Paul Henry to be a cock*. I (sadly) expect pusillanimity from our political so-called leaders. But what really pissed me off was that "says what we are all thinking" crack.

    The most charitable way to interpret that was that Andi Brotherston meant "we" in the exclusive sense, ie "we at TVNZ." Thanks for confirming you're all a bunch of cocks, Andi. I suspected as much.

    And how cool is Ben Gracewood, eh?

    *this term carefully selected for Craig Ranapia, who chastised me earlier for using "twat."

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    The fallout from Paul Henry's disgraceful suggestion that our governor general was somehow less of a New Zealander because of the colour of his skin

    Henry's like the sort of clown you sometimes see in pubs and bars. He's the bloke that gets pissed and tries to pick a fight, but most people just ignore the boorish behaviour and walk away.

    But, as is often the case, such people usually meet their match. He'll go to pick a fight - and have the crap smacked out of him and thrown out of the pub on his sorry arse*.

    When that does happen, there'll be a lot of happy people. I just hope it comes sooner, rather than later.

    *Being metaphorical here people, of course.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Regarding ethnicity, I'll always say European, although I don't actually know for sure. Since the question is probably aimed at "what do I look like" that's good enough. If I look European, I'll be treated like a European. Doesn't matter if the vast bulk of my life has been spent as far away from Europe as you can get, or if I feel any affinity for Europe, or if there is actually Maori blood in me. The question is really "Am I white?".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    @Graeme:

    Was this really a Rodney Hide thing? Or was it mostly a Royal Commission thing?

    Rodney on Q+A in August last year:

    RODNEY What I would advocate is Councillors at large, there seems to be a large reaction against that, I'd actually advocate some form of STV, there's a reaction against that, and then when it comes to manawhenua, what we're working with and I'm working this with Pita Sharples, is actually how we provide for a mechanism for manawhenua interests to be taken into account at the Council, that is work in progress, not needed to make a decision until we get to the third bill.

    And Craig ... ahem.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • jo kerr,

    @Graeme Wouldn't it be great if our prime minister could articulate that to Paul Henry instead of sniggering along with him.

    Since Apr 2010 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Henry's apology was a typically gutless cop-out. He said "if I offended" when he and TVNZ damn well know he did offend.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • jo kerr,

    @Craig The "I'm just a Gypo" line was just a wee bit sarcastic I thought.

    Since Apr 2010 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    *this term carefully selected for Craig Ranapia, who chastised me earlier for using "twat."

    Hey, I just think it's horribly unfair to blameless vaginas everywhere to mention them in the same sentence as Paul Henry. Then again, what hell did my penis do to you? :)

    And Craig ... ahem.

    I stand corrected. But after Andy Williams' bizarre blurt this morning, I'd just like attacks on Hide to be reality based and sourced -- not as if you're short of material without making shit up.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Reid,

    how does making racist comments, or even being a racist, make someone less of a New Zealander?

    Graeme, you're quite correct that logically speaking, Henry's racist comments don't make him any less of a New Zealander - I wasn't making a comment about his citizenship. You're also quite right to remind me to reflect on the nature of contemporary New Zealanders.

    I said "I know who I think is more of a New Zealander", by which I meant more of the kind of New Zealander that I like to think we are - calm, tolerant, comfortable with diversity. Given that the ratings seem to suggest Paul Henry is popular despite the provocative offensiveness, perhaps I am somewhat deluded in my thinking about what New Zealanders are like.

    South Africa • Since Nov 2006 • 80 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    RODNEY What I would advocate is Councillors at large, there seems to be a large reaction against that, I'd actually advocate some form of STV

    Indeed ... so if he'd gotten his way the people of the North Shore would have their votes elect people under STV, and wouldn't have been swamped by South Aucklanders :-)

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

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