Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Violence in the streets

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  • Sara Bee, in reply to Jarno van der Linden,

    I'm still grumbling about JK being asked what he thought about the Pope!

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 67 posts Report

  • TracyMac, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    Dude, I am not going to compromise my job, but let's just say that cops investigating a violent death - especially one of this nature - are nowhere near as bloody stupid as you seem to think they are.

    I think it's best summarised as "been there, done that". And there are a multitude of other inquiries being carried out that are well beyond the scope of that paltry list you've managed to toss off the top of your head.

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to TracyMac,

    Whatever, there are many in jail that would like to have had that "Paltry List" considered before they were sent down for 20 years or more.
    Pora for one could have had his case handled with more than a cursory glance at the evidence.
    Arthur Allen Thomas springs to mind also and they are not alone.
    Cordon off the area,,,nothing to see here... move along you mere civilians.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Islander, in reply to Chris Miller,

    Anyone who doesn't think this shit happens needs to get their head out of their arse.

    When I first started studying martial arts, I learned that everyone was the enemy.
    You had a stick, and everyone out there was -not your friend. After the usual permutations -I know everyone IS the enemy & the beginning is the end-if you dont fight. Otherwise-you & your's continue-

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Jarno van der Linden,

    Where have you been? Aunty Helen commented on trivia at every opportunity to the point where the 6 a.m. news on National Radio always carried an item beginning ; "the prime Minister Helen Clark said . . . '
    It is vital that the PM of Godzone advise the sheeple on all matters ; what to 'think'; what to 'feel'; what it 'means'.

    You propose that people should think for themselves?

    What are you; an anarchist?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Russell Brown,

    All entertainers are public property. Unless they take positive steps to avoid public appearance outside of their chosen form of entertainment, be it sport , art, celebrity narcissism, etc. then they will get unwanted attention.
    Best to get over it.

    There is more than one reason to be a reclusive farmer ensconced at the end of a no exit road.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report

  • TracyMac,

    There are plenty of problems with the police. There are corrupt cops and useless cops. There is is definitely a fortress mentality with some. There are plenty of celebrated examples of miscarriage of justice. That's why not having a death penalty is a good thing.

    But there are between 40-70 murders per annum in NZ, and the police "resolution rate" typically hovers around 90%. So with that in mind, a handful of "false positives" (as awful as they are) should be seen in perspective against the hundreds of instances of murderers brought to justice in the 40 years since Arthur Allan Thomas!

    Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to Farmer Green,

    All entertainers are public property.

    Yes, but sports stars seem to be held to an entirely different standard to others. Remember the moral panic over some actor or talkshow host getting in trouble while drinking? How many TV stars are at risk of some random dickhead picking a fight with them every time they go out? Compare that with how the likes of Zac Guildford and Jesse Ryder are treated.

    Telling them to get over it is not helpful. The NZ public generally needs to get over its attitude to sports stars.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to TracyMac,

    Thank you Tracy.
    I was a touch grumpy yesterday, having left somebody to do some building work while I was in Auckland and having to rip it all out on my return and do it myself (and replace materials).
    sooo.
    Overall the Police do a good job but the attitude of today's top cops leaves me gobsmacked. "Oh no, we cant possibly look into that, it might show us in a bad light"
    I thought the new guys were supposed to be "better"...
    About as "better" as New Zealand is under laughing boy.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to TracyMac,

    40-70 murders per annum in NZ, and the police “resolution rate” typically hovers around 90%

    This thing. Our unsolved murder rate is vanishingly tiny. Some years we have none. Admittedly most murders are domestic in nature so the perpetrator is readily identified (and often confesses), but even the ones that aren't are generally solved. Sometimes it takes a while, but the cops normally track down the offender.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    FG would like to see the NZ public get over its attitude to all entertainers and so called "celebrities".
    Some chance.
    FG's experience as a musician leads him to think that sports stars are different only in the degree of physicality they display for entertainment purposes. Possibly the public response reflects that.
    But being attacked in some way, not necessarily physical, is routine for those in the "circus " business.

    Between shows , one disappears

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    Compare that with how the likes of Zac Guildford and Jesse Ryder are treated

    They're alcoholics. Stories about them are a 'safe' way of dancing around that topic.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Farmer Green, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    , but sports stars seem to be held to an entirely different standard to others.

    Possibly just a hangover from those days, long gone, when sports persons were relatively unpaid i.e. non-professional.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report

  • Emma Hart, in reply to Chris Miller,

    the behaviour of all the overly-macho dispossessed men in Christchurch (and in the rest of the country) who think the only thing they can do to have some power over their lives is to smash up other people.

    Yeah, but in Aikman's? That's a hard-out stripy-shirt bar. Not too many of the Dispossessed drinking there.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Raymond A Francis,

    Is there something in Christchurch that leads to this sort of stuff, certainly I always feel perfectly when visiting Dunedin, Chch not so much

    Something to do with the distinct tribalism of Christchurch or just a bigger city thing?

    45' South • Since Nov 2006 • 578 posts Report

  • Jo Davidson,

    On the subject of the victim getting the blame : the poor woman mauled to death by two dogs earlier in the weekend may have taken drugs and may have gone outside and danced "prompting" the attack according to Stuff.

    New Zealand • Since Mar 2012 • 4 posts Report

  • Islander, in reply to Raymond A Francis,

    Something to do with the distinct tribalism of Christchurch or just a bigger city thing?

    In my youth it was warfare between mods & flagonwagoners (v. Aranui -New Brighton thing…)

    Gah! ill-edit job!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Islander,

    Something to do with the distinct tribalism of Christchurch or just a bigger city thing?

    In my youth the warring factions were ersatz-mods versus flagonwagoners – v. much an Aranui/New Brighton thing…

    that said, there’s many places around/in ChChCh where I dont feel safe – but very very few like that in Otepoti…

    and, see above...

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • dcnbwz,

    I can't speak for Christchurch at all, not having lived there.

    But what about the person walking along great north road at midnight and has a car full of people yell at him then turn around for the response and throw bottles. Or walking down any main city after dark and having people challenge you for even glancing in their direction. Or inane fights that leave people stomped on with major unrecoverable head injuries, usually over absolutely nothing at all. Or the drunk guy laying down the challenge because "You're not from around here". Or any other act of so called random violence that happens ad nauseum on New Zealand streets every night, with an acceleration in the weekend.

    We have a problem. A huge problem. It begins, and probably ends quite quickly, with alcohol and intolerance, and is fed by peer pressure and other influences (super violent video games, lack of empathy, immaturity spring to mind). It's never been addressed properly, written off as one of our "growing pains" yet now there is a far more sinister manifestation.

    I don't see any representation of the consequences of these attacks ever. If you've ever seen a serious head injury (and I'm not talking external) and the impact on that person you would never, ever think about hitting someone in the head again. Then there's the recovery time, psychological impact etc.

    The warrior culture and lack of empathy needs to be addressed. Along with alcohol consumption. And I say this clearly as someone who has blacked out, crashed cars and done some pretty bloody stupid other things.

    We have a crisis. It should be apolitical.

    uk • Since Sep 2009 • 24 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Yes, I also boggled that such heinous thuggery should happen in Merivale of all places. It's where monied folks go to be pleased with themselves. It's not where you'd expect to find malcontents acting out.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    If the Jesse Ryder incident had happened in America, there probably would have been gun fatalities involved. All the same, there's no cause for complacency.

    And still on guns, Jim Carrey returns to form. And Faux News is frothing at the mouth about it.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to dcnbwz,

    warrior culture

    Warriors know restraint. Thuggery comes from fear. Too many scared little boys allowed to grow up physically without matching social maturity.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Chris Miller,

    As an interesting piece of trivia, celebrity culture was born during the reign of Henry VIII. His marital issues had the right combination of scandal and relevance (the religious beliefs of whoever he was currently in love with, for example, had a huge impact on who was likely to be victimised) to get people's interests and they haven't stopped since.

    Nah, that's way too recent. Humans have been interested in what humans further up the totem pole have been doing ever since we had the language to speculate about it. Think about where the "Caesar's wife" quip comes from. It's waxed and waned with access to information - hard to have gossip about people in the capital when you live in a tiny rural community and barely know who your ultimate overlord *is* - but in any sort of urban culture, speculation and discussion about the social lives of the rich and famous has probably always been a feature of life.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Jonty,

    <Also, Jesse Ryder plays cricket, not rugby.>

    Doesn't matter which code, being a top sportsperson you go to the top of the priority list, natch. Plus you're assured of a great job after retiring, often one you're not particularly qualified for. You can even make Race Relations Conciliator just for playing squash.

    Katikati • Since Mar 2007 • 102 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Jo Davidson,

    may have gone outside and danced “prompting” the attack according to Stuff.

    That's a mildly salient fact, though. Talking about the circumstances that lead to an attack can be useful education for the public. Her use of drugs, however, is completely irrelevant.

    ETA: Dog attacks are rarely completely out of the blue and utterly unexpected, though what leads to them is often not readily apparent. We talk about teaching children how to interact with and behave around dogs for precisely this reason. It's not "victim blaming", it's recognising that dogs have their own instincts and we can't just talk to them about keeping those instincts in check.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

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