OnPoint by Keith Ng

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OnPoint: Bar brawls aren't my thing

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  • Don Christie,

    Ah yes, more from the Coddington/Franks stable. Amazing the courage to be found at the bottom of a bottle of fine Martinborough pinot noire.

    If my article was racist, how come I've had so much positive feedback from Asian immigrants

    Part of the "old immigrant good new immigrant bad" tale I mentioned earlier in the thread. Classic wedge politics. How about phrasing it another way - if her article was so good, how come the "facts" are so wrong? If it was so "right" how come even the likes of DPF are dissing it?

    She questions the propensity of "Asians" to indulge in shady business. Well, pot meet kettle. Remember "Who's Who"? More like "Who's Paid".

    Damian Christie (no relation) had some gory details a while back.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report

  • Hamish,

    DPF just posted about her Herald on Sunday column where she attacks her critics and claims that four of every five pregnant Asian women aborted their babies.

    She has taken the number of asian abortions (3502), rounded it up to 4000, then divided that by the number of live births (5252) and come up with the stupid statistic.

    The actual number of conceptions is, of course, almost 9000, so the actual abortion rate is 40%.

    Lies, damn lies and racism.

    The A.K. • Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Apropos the courage thing: courage is a seconday virtue. I have no doubt that Coddington is sincerely courageous. And sloppy and wrong. These qualities aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, sloppy thinkers on a mission generally do argue "courageously" because they aren't troubled by pesky doubts and irritating facts.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • dc_red,

    I am literally astonished by her response in the NZH. There is no argument, no message, and barely two sentences that bare any relationship to each other. Honestly, at least Garth George usually puts his brain into 1st gear before bashing out one of these columns (and once in a while he makes it to 3rd or 4th).

    It's so hard to know where to start: the whole "I'm-wholesome-and-in-touch-with-agriculture" thing (despite primary production employing relatively few people and accounting for a relatively small percentage of GDP) - or the utter shit about how people used to like Asian immigrants (I fear, for many locals, Asians could never attain "kiwi" status - perhaps not even after a couple of generations).

    Regarding the reception of immigrants in NZ: Don Christie made a great point near the start of this chain pointing out that the arguments deployed against new asian immigrants today are pretty much the same as those employed against Irish immigrants here in the C19th: they'll never assimilate; we can't understand them when they talk; they commit crimes, etc. etc. Claims that look absurd in retrospect.

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

  • Russell Brown,

    Seeing the Damian thing mentioned again reminds me of Codders' daft 'Saving Radio New Zealand' report, which, among other things, directly targeted me as Mediawatch host (although it struggled to come up with anything I'd actually done wrong in that role and instead quoted years-old editions of Hard News). I responded in a blog post, in this vein:

    Coddington's contention is that Radio New Zealand is biased against "pro-market" voices in favour of "pro-interventionist" ones. In making the argument she presents the majority of her facts out of context, apparently wilfully and sometimes ludicrously so. According to Coddington, Nine to Noon's commentator Murray Weatherston, is guilty of being "cited in a Green Party parliamentary speech responding to the 2001 Budget". (Jesus! Does the SIS know?) Yes, he was quoted: opposing the government's superannuation fund, in line with Act Party policy.

    Her response? Oh poor me, I'm being personally attacked ...

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0312/S00464.htm

    Keen-eyed readers may detect a pattern of behaviour here.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    in DC's defence, i am also genuinely concerned about the loss of a distinctly new zealand lifestyle threatened by the incursion of these 'asian' people.

    imagine it... asians preventing dinkum kiwis in Bulls from troughing neenish tarts and quaffing chardonnay.

    you can see it in their eyes when they come thru customs.... "ebony and ivory will never live in harmony on those pastries ever again...."

    call out the Waitati Militia i say!

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Aha!

    CODDINGTONSWALLOP!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • mark baker,

    Ummm...so her synapses didn't spark off "tourism" then?

    Disappointed she didn't also include in her list of major contributors to the economy "failed minor-league politicians with a punishment obsession and craven need for publicity".

    Papakura • Since Nov 2006 • 20 posts Report

  • stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz,

    Nice one Stephen.

    We clearly have "Lies, damned lies and DC statistics"

    Even better if "DC" here is thought of as "dicey".

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 73 posts Report

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Here I was, hoping to retreat from controversy and grow pinot noir in Martinborough, earning enough income through writing to keep my daughter at university for another year, and suddenly I'm a "cynical racist", "brainless bimbo" and numerous other ad hominem attacks, including the accusation that I write whatever any passing man tells me to write.

    Maybe Coddingtons current passing man - her husband Colin Carruthers who doubtless earns the cost of a years University tuition in a matter of hours - could help her out with the bills?

    DCs bizarre attempts to lie with statistics are bad enough, but attempting to play the victim by pretending that she's some poor, struggling solo mum when she's married to a man earning well into seven figures really scrapes the bottom of the barrel.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Span .,

    Who's called her a "brainless bimbo" - I haven't seen that around the traps.

    I think we do need to be careful about not going over the top with the attacks though (and turning this fine site into a lefter version of Kiwiblog, shudder). The focus on her poor research is the key thing here, as well as questioning her motivations, methinks.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 112 posts Report

  • John McKnight,

    It's not apparent that she was educated.....

    Since Nov 2006 • 1 posts Report

  • Don Christie,

    Thanks Danyl.

    If you want a "giggle".

    I wonder if she's started hating again?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report

  • Terence Wood,

    More from Ms Coddington's War on Statistics (WAS)

    [shuffles away, the typo having stolen his thunder]

    Since Nov 2006 • 148 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    span, i agree completely, but in this is clearly a case that calls out for a very healthy dose of taking the michael.

    anyone who feigns indignation when caught telling outright lies in the MSM deserves to be the subject of good-natured kiwi humour.

    before the chinese decide that kiwi humour is tantamount to an unwanted pregancy and abort it with extreme prejudice that is.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • WH,

    Keith's blog is always thought provoking and well reasoned. IMO it is better than most of the writing you'll find in our small country.

    I just want to make this clear: It's okay to investigate crime among Asians. It's okay to ask whether there is a lot of crime among Asian migrants. It's even okay to present evidence that says this is the case. That does not equate to racism.

    I have quite conservative views on immigration, particularly with regards to criminal offending. But Keith completely demolished DC's argument, and DC's halfwitted grab bag of a response only compounds her original mistake.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • David Ritchie,

    There's no point trying to rebut her columns since there's no way a reasoned response would have half the exposure of her "typing" (whatever it is, it ain't writing).

    I wonder whether Roger Kerr still follows her work?

    Since Nov 2006 • 166 posts Report

  • noizyboy,

    ...what do the Nielsen Netratings numbers show for P.A. vs Kiwiblog?

    DPF doesn't subscribe to NetRatings (last time I looked, anyway), so we that comparison can't be made, unfortunately.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 171 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    I wonder whether Roger Kerr still follows her work?

    Surely some kind of typo? ;-)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Manakura,

    I think everyone here is the missed the point slightly... no doubt Deborah Coddington is either a few tins short of a 6 pack or just plain nasty, BUT

    As some have noted, attacking here with things like logic and um, whats that thing called... o yeah reality, is clearly a waste of time.

    What galls me is not that she thinks (I use that term loosely here) this way, or promotes such horrendous views to the public. What makes me angry is that she is allowed to have a soap box to stand on at all. WTF is the NZ Herald doing even giving her column inches, and why are people not attacking them for providing an arena for such grossly ill-informed and vile garbage?

    I say give up on DC and start on the NZ Herald, will be a much more productive use of energy. Aim for the top of the pile I say:
    The CEO of APN (the Heralds parent company dontcha know) is Ken Steinke, getting his email address was just about impossible, but his PA (she is a lovely women so be nice!!) is Nicky Jones, I am sure she will pass on any polite and reasonable requests to muzzle DC to the big boss: nicky.jones@apn.co.nz

    Whaingāroa • Since Nov 2006 • 134 posts Report

  • Manakura,

    Actually sorry, this is the most galling thing:

    Another: Statistics NZ projections put the Asian population at 860,000 in 20 years, just 10,000 fewer than Maori. Is this what the tangata whenua envisage?

    I really hate it when priveleged Pakeha who demonstrate no community ties with Maori (of the Flaxroots kind - giving Parekura Horomia stick over a galss of Chardy and canapes at Parliament doesn't count) try to speak for us. Personally I find that I have more in common culturally with Asians, especially SE Asians, than Pakeha, especially those of DC stripe. Bring on the yellow peril and the desi diaspora, anything will be an improvement on the English.

    Talk about wedge politics... and this is just part of a long history of mass media being used to create hostiliy between Maori and Asians, particularly Chinese. Prof Margaret Mutu and Dr Manying Ip or University of Auckland are doing a fascinating research project on this, was anyone here at the seminar they delivered about a month aga at Waipapa Marae?

    Incidentally Keith and Tze, Prof Mutu was very interested and delighted in your debate about Treaty politics using Star Trek as a metaphor. Nice.

    Whaingāroa • Since Nov 2006 • 134 posts Report

  • 81stcolumn,

    I see a great future for Coddingsn*t in America; lets look at the pattern: Take a lie that sounds true – distort some statistics repeat until someone believes you….get elected blah blah blah.

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    I am sure she will pass on any polite and reasonable requests to muzzle DC to the big boss: nicky.jones@apn.co.nz

    I think it's a better idea to write a letter to the editor; that's the process. Writing to the CEO trying to get someone sacked isn't a great look. And apart from anything else, it would be the sowing the seeds of anti-PC martyrdom.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • DPF,

    I think Keith's fisking has been excellent. He hasn't said you can't write about Asians and crimes. He has said that the facts in DC's story were wrong and did not support the article, and she was highly selective in who she quoted.

    The fact her reubuttal piece is also full of wrong facts and red herrings speaks volumes.

    As for Neilsen Ratings. I had no diea one can subscribe. Does it cost anything? Give me a pointer and then the (non) competition can begin :-)

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 78 posts Report

  • Manakura,

    Apologies, replace 'muzzle' in my post above with 'firm request she not lie and stoke racial antipathy'. God forbid anyone should suggest DC should lose her job for... well for not doing her job, wilful negligence about sums it up reckon.

    Writing to the CEO trying to get someone sacked isn't a great look.

    Dumb question I know, but why is this so? Boy o boy, anti-PC matyrdom, thats my favouritist flavour of desperation.

    Whaingāroa • Since Nov 2006 • 134 posts Report

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