Public Address | Cafe | Muse: Hey Greg O'Connor, Krup You!

Kumara Republic

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:50:13 +1200

Stop Press: All charges against Tiki Taane have been dropped.

So the whole thing, it seems, was filed out of spite.

Paul Campbell

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:14:57 +1200

Speaking of "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" – it's what they played to me on hold when I was waiting to talk to NZ Post's parcel service recently – where's that fedex number ....

Jacqui Dunn

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:02:43 +1200

Of course, none of us was Maori on the occasion I'm talking about. And we were all female.

I know from the experiences of two of my brothers, that in those days (and I am talking quite a long time ago now) being male and a bit of a smart…

Kumara Republic

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:13:09 +1200

Talk about 'thoughtcrimes'... So much for 'PC gone mad'.

chris

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:15:39 +1200

It’s a shame that these kind of stories are so evocative of the New Zealand experience for some Jacqui.

[[http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/4922138/Tiki-Taane-considers-leaving-NZ|He performed the track for the first time yesterday at the Sonic Waves festival near Whangamata, and told the crowd he had to sign a police disclaimer promising he would not…

Jacqui Dunn

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:07:59 +1200

Many, many years ago, three St Mary's Old Girls (I was one of them) were standing on the side of the footpath in Willis St one Friday night, talking excitedly, which one did when seeing old school mates – we hadn't long been out of school uniform, and seeing one…

chris

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:24:14 +1200

OK, they chose the much duller name Pacifier and still didn’t crack the US)

I'd almost forgotten. Sell Outs!111

[[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/4897457/Tiki-blames-name-mix-up-for-arrest|"I gave him my birthname which is on my birth certificate, my passport and my driver's licence – Nathan Glen Taane Tinorau – and he got upset because he thought I…

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:47:22 +1200

Shihad were forced to rename themselves Death to the Infidel Unbelievers, Die! Die! Die! after the attacks on NYC. (OK, they chose the much duller name Pacifier and still didn’t crack the US)

Kumara Republic

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:36:24 +1200

White privilege theatre ahoy! What kind of opaque bubble does 'swallop live in??
A razor-wired, concrete-walled, security-guarded one?

Sacha

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:09:08 +1200

'swallop

Kyle Matthews

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:26:00 +1200

Given that a bunch of people tried to get Jackson's film adaption of "The Two Towers" renamed to something else after planes flew into two towers on 9/11, people clearly have a fantastic ability to draw stupid shit out of anything.

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:33:15 +1200

And what’s next? A Clear Channel-esque “don’t play” list?

That's just bizarre — but to be fair to Clear, it wasn't the only, or the worse, case of media over-sensitivity following the 9/11 attacks. And, IIRC, it was pretty much ignored. IWhat wasn't ignored by the BBC was Split Enz's…

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:25:08 +1200

Surely the point is that “writers and singers of songs like this” do think “don’t call the cops, f*** the police” about their shattered loved ones, and many have good reason.

Indeed – and I lived in a flat that got broken into three times. The only reason we bothered…

Heather Gaye

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:40:47 +1200

I often wonder who the writers and singers of songs like this call when their houses are burgled or families are attacked. Do they look at their ravaged property, or shattered loved ones, shrug and say, "Let them get away with it. Don't call the cops. F*** the police"?

White…

Kumara Republic

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:49:33 +1200

And while they're at it, will they censor the Grand Theft Auto lineup too?

Kumara Republic

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:15:28 +1200

I often wonder what possessed Coddington to pull an Asian crime wave out of her arse — then have a prolonged sulk when it was comprehensively debunked.

That latest article cops out by resorting to emotional arguments. If she'd written an feature titled "Polynesian Peril", she probably would have done…

Craig Ranapia

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:03:27 +1200

Nah, they’re Maaaries this time.

And it's interesting how Coddington pulls out the incitement line (in the most incoherent and dishonest way possible) that she hotly rejected when people suggested her own work was irresponsible and beat up hostility towards Asian immigrants.

Sacha

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:38:58 +1200

pull an Asian crime wave out of her arse

Nah, they're Maaaries this time.

Craig Ranapia

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:30:38 +1200

Elsewhere, Deborah Coddington is predictably fatuous and intellectually dishonest.

But the message on his Facebook page warranted challenging. "Freedom of speech is a human right," it claimed. Quite, but context is everything and that freedom does not extend to shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre. Sensible musicians would think of that…

Sean Murgatroyd

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:26:49 +1200

Cheers Craig. Agree as usual, and up to a point, as usual. Definitely agree that O'Connor's talking out his bum, but I still think we're fighting his bullshit with ours – and we do better to call him on his style than his words, because it elevates the discussion above…

vangam

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:08:47 +1200

... the house Tory (that would be me, BTW).
And you wear it sooooo well.

Rex Widerstrom

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:15:45 +1200

Apropos, kind of, the topic, a note to musos that the Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN) has just released a music industry legal pack.

I'm not sure that it covers dealing with censorious police, of course. But perhaps a NZ industry body might consider preparing one that does.

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:08:14 +1200

BTW, Sean, I find the following rather disturbing:

Conveying members’ concerns to the Police Department, the media and the public. While individual members are restricted in what they can say publicly, there are no such restrictions on the Association.

Might want to think about what those "restrictions" are — and…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:39:27 +1200

Tiki Taane chose to make this matter a media one by posting to his website – the earliest mention of the story is here, and it’s all Tiki there.

No, Sean, the media decided to make this a media matter by reporting that Taane had been arrested. Think it's not…

Sean Murgatroyd

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:54:05 +1200

I take it back... he's the President of the association, an elected representative. Discussions around quora, and whether Greg O'Connor personally represents the individual policeman when he talks to the nation still apply. Does Mr Key represent me?

While the police association only disclose their full range of advocacy services…

Sean Murgatroyd

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:40:25 +1200

Steve, Union Reps are employed by their unions. Delegates are selected by their peers. Motions put to the union as a whole are voted on by that part of the union that is in attendance at that meeting, and there are quora and voting levels that would be required before…

Steve Parks

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:12:34 +1200

Vangam, it can be both. Your contention that he peacefully expressed displeasure at "what was happening" doesn't preclude it being a dick move.

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:38:19 +1200

Greg O’Connor is a nasty twatcock who harms the interest of police union members and the wider public.

As a union rep is he not elected by his peers?
Which, by definition means...
;-)

Clint Fern

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:33:58 +1200

I am guessing you are Caucasian, I know well those that feel differently.

100% correct. Oh dear I'm not doing this very well. My first post was trying to slate O'Connor / Collins and I came across as 'all police are terrible'. Trying to address this I seem to have…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:48:26 +1200

vangam

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:48:07 +1200

I agree with those saying that it looks like a dick move to sing that particular song just as the police were doing what I understand was a routine check.

Or it was simply a way for Taane to peacefully express his displeasure with what was happening?

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:46:17 +1200

but I’m tired of O’Connor getting a free pass to make allegations like that basically unchallenged.

I'd also note that Taane will be appearing on Friday at the Tauranga District Court, where his version of events will be presented under oath and open to cross examination from opposing counsel. The…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:30:43 +1200

How come all unions are a bad apart from the police one?
No need to answer that one.

vangam

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:30:36 +1200

he seemed pretty relaxed about them in that interview

Well, its never a good look to lose your rag on television.

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:23:01 +1200

But Police Association president Greg O’Connor said Taane’s version is fictional.

Well, he would say that – wouldn’t he? I expect a union mouthpiece to advocate for his members, but I’m tired of O’Connor getting a free pass to make allegations like that basically unchallenged.

Of course, if Taane has…

Sean Murgatroyd

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:18:36 +1200

Here's the thing. Are we not putting our spin on it, as much as O'Connor is? Is not what actually happened – an unknown box from this side of the keyboard – more important than our, or his views on it? Are we then talking about his because we can't…

Sacha

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:18:00 +1200

partly a reaction on Taane's part to years of persecution and discrmination from the fuzz.

he seemed pretty relaxed about them in that interview

Sacha

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:17:17 +1200

I wouldn't rely on O'Connor's account given that he wasn't even there

vangam

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:16:19 +1200

Police summary; read 'here are the police behaving like angels and here is joe citizen provoking them beyond their limits'. Yeah right.

I wonder what did Taane refuse to co-operate with exactly?

I wouldn't be surprised if this is partly a reaction on Taane's part to years of persecution and…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:50:32 +1200

“That was where he (Taane) went off and refused to co-operate,” O’Connor said. He said police had no intention to arrest when they went back but were forced into a corner by the unco-operative singer.

So why did they arrest the bar manager and the DJ and why did they…

Sacha

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:58:02 +1200

Close Up had Tiki and O'Connor's versions of events (stream, 9m).

Here's the keen police union rep from the text summary:

But Police Association president Greg O'Connor said Taane's version is fictional.

"This is nothing to do with the words of a song," O'Connor told Close Up.

O'Connor said police…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:56:14 +1200

Aw, c’mon – try! Chance a viewpoint! Ve haf squidbits for a prize!*

Oh Gosh. wiggly bits ;-)

Up here, in my second home, we have the problem of tourists. Don't get me wrong, we love them really, well, their money anyway. So, at holiday season we "have" to have…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:45:36 +1200

And in spite of the 'blue wall of silence' and GregO's rhetoric, the thin blue line doesn't always speak with one voice.

Funny thing is, Meurant mellowed out and spilt the beans about the Tait-era force. He wasn't particularly glowing about it.

Steve Parks

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:38:02 +1200

I agree with those saying that it looks like a dick move to sing that particular song just as the police were doing what I understand was a routine check. But if being a dick got you arrested and charged, Micheal Laws should be perennially before the courts.

Risking an…

Islander

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:17:04 +1200

In my whanau, some of us look Maori, some of us look Pakeha, some of us just look different* – that’s the way it goes when you have several ancestries.

But, no prizes for guessing who gets hassled by city police-**

doesnt happen anywhere near so much in rural areas…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:58:55 +1200

I have to say all the cops I’ve come into contact with here have been good as gold with me,

I am guessing you are Caucasian, I know well those that feel differently.

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:50:38 +1200

Now it's such a big story it's hard for an organisation like the police to admit that it might have been a silly arrest to make and withdraw the charges.

Under the circumstances, having a new top cop, Peter Marshall, I expect repercussions or are we to expect more of…

Ken Sparks

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:50:35 +1200

Hopefully the judge will dismiss the case, O'Connor will shut up and the cop/s who made the arrest will be told to calm down. Then the Police can get on with all the stuff they're supposed to be doing and Tiki can carry on entertaining us with whatever words he…

Jackie Clark

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:39:31 +1200

Oh yes, Collins does remind me somewhat of Meurant. He had a very nasty and dismissive way about him which she seems to be emulating. As for Greg O'Connor, I understand his stance in that anything any member of his union does could not possibly be wrong. He is a…

SHG

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:36:18 +1200

In this clash between a young Maori man and the police, I must say my sympathies lie with whichever side does not use the word "thorts".

Clint Fern

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:30:29 +1200

Sorry Jackie, I must have been a bit opaque and mentioning that song certainly would have muddied the intention. I wasn't denying that there are a lot of problems with the attitude to the police by part of the population which a very large percentage of them certainly don't deserve.…

Jackie Clark

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:27:53 +1200

Exactly.

Andrew E

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:19:28 +1200

One thing I worry about alot recently is how very easily we could go back to that ugliness, with all the seemingly draconian legislation currently being pushed through.

Yes, like misusing urgency tonight to shove through laws on file sharing.

Jackie Clark

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:18:36 +1200

I don't know that that's fair, Clint. I have a couple of friends who are police officers. One's a bit old school at times, but the other is a lovely young man. Both of them have had abuse hurled at them for absolutely no reason than that they were there.…

Clint Fern

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:18:29 +1200

Although they may have been more indie-than-thou this ancient lyric by McCarthy seems pertinent.

My name is Dave
I killed my brother
I whacked an axe through his head
On the hottest day of the year
My blood was boiling
I said, "You're dying"
And so the blood flowed

I'm…

Clint Fern

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:14:14 +1200

I heard Cop Killer at a young(ish) age and here's some news for Greg, amazingly my police based homicides are still nil many years later.

I may be wrong but I'd suggest that the causes of the police "being attacked all over NZ" might have more to do with the…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:58:30 +1200

Just to clarify, I wasn’t referring to Craig R, but to those officers and string-em-uppers who want it both ways.

Ah, got it – and thanks for the clarification, Red. Think you’re right there: O’Connor (and Judith Collins) want police to have “easier access” to guns. I don’t agree, but…

Jackie Clark

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:19:13 +1200

That riot certainly wasn't Dobbyn's fault – but the rioters? That was scary. They really were completely out of control. And Simon's so right. Those years after the Springbok tour were very, very worrying times. I was 17 in 1981, and marching with my mother and sisters down a street…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:15:51 +1200

Just to clarify, I wasn't referring to Craig R, but to those officers and string-em-uppers who want it both ways. The types who think they can screw the rules, because they make the rules. And when their own blowtorch is used on them, well, it's amusing at the very least.

Robyn Gallagher

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:11:40 +1200

Odd. No-one has mentioned Dave Dobbyn yet.

Let's refresh our memories with regards to the 1984 Queen Street riot and Dave Dobbyn's allegedly incendiary remarks.

joshua grigg

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:06:08 +1200

I'm not one to advocate reading the Herald but comments on the Herald's story about this sadly add some weight to O'Connors argument. There is a huge amount of comment saying how dare anyone swear at the police, they do a hard job, we need them to stop the country…

Simon Grigg

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:51:32 +1200

They were doing that up and down the country – going into the pubs to show off their shiny (literally) new batons – a sort of pre-tour intimidation to make sure we all stayed in our places

And denying they had ever done so. Meurant said several times that long…

Sean Murgatroyd

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:44:06 +1200

While I took Craig to task on twitter for charactersing Assange supporters universally as "rape apologists" during the height of that conversation – I felt and still feel it was a poor way to advance the discussion, and I stay clear in my opinion that his rhetoric can be inflexible…

Sarah Wedde

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:37:37 +1200

If you arrest a man for singing "Fuck tha Police", everyone starts singing "Fuck tha Police". Is Tauranga the short bus of police districts?

Simon Grigg

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:33:05 +1200

In 1981, at the Gladstone Tavern in Christchurch, the Newmatics were playing at part of the legendary Screaming Blamatics Tour.

The cops retreated rather quickly as I recall. The song (Riot Squad) wasn't even released at the time but we'd given tapes to student radio and it had received solid…

richard

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:10:31 +1200

Odd. No-one has mentioned Dave Dobbyn yet.

BenWilson

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:53:42 +1200

And I'd have been okay with an officer having a word with Tiki on the night just to point out he wasn't making their job any easier.

That would be the sensible thing to do. Sounds like sense did not win, on the night.

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:43:38 +1200

And then the pot said to the kettle, “you’re black!” Seems those who dissed hate-speech law as PC gone mad see fit to invoke it when it suits them.

Red:

Risking an auto-derail here. but my issues with so-called "hate speech" laws are a wee bit more nuanced that "PC…

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:37:03 +1200

Also, a relevant and very amusing video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooarT3cn8_o

Kumara Republic

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:35:52 +1200

And it looks like someone's declared edit war on the Wikipedia entry for Fuck Tha Police. The IP address involved points to someone in Auckland.

Paul Campbell

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:33:50 +1200

In 1981, at the Gladstone Tavern in Christchurch, the Newmatics were playing at part of the legendary Screaming Blamatics Tour.The police, as they did in those days, entered, lined up along the back of the room and started eyeballing people.

They were doing that up and down the country -…

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:26:56 +1200

He does (often) perform it as part of his set. I kinda agree that doing it because he saw police in the bar was potentially a dick move, but not an arrest-worthy dick move.

There's a suggestion in news reports that Dick dropped the track, and if so it was…

Damian Christie

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:23:47 +1200

I think it sounds like Tiki was being a bit of a dick, to be honest. Unless he usually sings 'Fuck tha police' as part of his set, it seems unnecessary

He does (often) perform it as part of his set. I kinda agree that doing it because he saw…

Tom Beard

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:12:41 +1200

no matter how paradisical Tauranga is

Obviously you use the word "paradisical" very differently than I. Tauranga is like the North Shore without Auckland.

Peter Martin

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:45:27 +1200

I’d also like to see the officers concerned charged with wasting police time (and ordered to pay costs)

The chap in charge of the Law Society said on Kathryn Ryan's show this morning, that some 11,000 informations are withdrawn annually. That would be the entire workload of Manukau District Court…

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:33:13 +1200

Does that ever happen? I think a talking to from their bosses is the most that could realistically be hoped for.

And I'd have been okay with an officer having a word with Tiki on the night just to point out he wasn't making their job any easier.

If I'm…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:25:45 +1200

Am I the only one muttering “Harden the fuck up, soft cocks”?

And then the pot said to the kettle, "you're black!" Seems those who dissed hate-speech law as PC gone mad see fit to invoke it when it suits them.

BenWilson

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:17:14 +1200

I'd also like to see the officers concerned charged with wasting police time (and ordered to pay costs) because no matter how paradisical Tauranga is, surely the courts and constabulary have better things that need doing?

Does that ever happen? I think a talking to from their bosses is the…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:04:36 +1200

Am I the only one muttering “Harden the fuck up, soft cocks”? If these charges get thrown out, I'd also like to see the officers concerned charged with wasting police time (and ordered to pay costs) because no matter how paradisical Tauranga is, surely the courts and constabulary have better…

Matthew Poole

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:56:14 +1200

one of my friends was once thrown in jail for the night for saying “I smell pork”

Many years ago, when McD's were doing their McRib burger, colleagues of mine came out of the drive-thru at Greenlane to be accosted by a couple of rather irate officers who'd been at…

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:51:07 +1200

That’s what this reminded me of – only problem, Tiki had a mic.

In 1981, at the Gladstone Tavern in Christchurch, the Newmatics were playing at part of the legendary Screaming Blamatics Tour.

The police, as they did in those days, entered, lined up along the back of the room…

Danielle

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:39:27 +1200

In Texas, one of my friends was once thrown in jail for the night for saying "I smell pork". Now, that is clearly dickish, but bit-of-a-dickishness is no reason to be arrested.

Robyn Gallagher

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:32:06 +1200

I think it sounds like Tiki was being a bit of a dick, to be honest.

Ever been on the street and a cop car drives past and some dude quietly chants "fuck the po-lice"? That's what this reminded me of – only problem, Tiki had a mic.

Matthew Poole

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:29:31 +1200

For sure, but hitting an injured person right where they are injured (or indeed hitting them at all) is a fucked up idea

Indeed. Though I was left with the distinct impression that the complainant was so drunk that he didn't know he was injured.

I was surprised at the…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:28:25 +1200

That nice young man they selected as Tauranga’s local MP is.

A rather nice young man who should be thankful that what happens at conference (or gets power-chundered into a gutter in the Christchurch CBD and all over your best dress shoes) stays at conference.

BenWilson

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:17:41 +1200

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be deciding who caused what injuries with that one.

For sure, but hitting an injured person right where they are injured (or indeed hitting them at all) is a fucked up idea. Of course I don't know all the details of the case, but it…

linger

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:15:49 +1200

@Ben:
But even then, being in an overwhelming majority shouldn’t be a reason to take an anti-minority position.

Jackie Clark

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:15:15 +1200

I remember those days, Russell. I remember being a young woman working in the varsity cafe, transporting the takings to the admin office. I remember a very good looking young Maori man snatching them off me. I remember giving a statement to the police. I remember being hauled down to…

Matthew Poole

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:14:04 +1200

Sure doesn’t, when a cop is acquitted for kneeing a prisoner so hard in the balls that one of them resembled “mashed potatoes” to the doctor who saw him immediately afterward.

He wasn't acquitted on that count at all. The charge was dropped before the jury got the case due…

BenWilson

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:10:34 +1200

Yeah, might even be a majority opinion. But so far as police are concerned that's not good enough. They need to be in the "overwhelming majority" position if they want to take political stands.

Sacha

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:02:43 +1200

I very much doubt that the public will be behind O'Connor on this.

That nice young man they selected as Tauranga's local MP is. And right-thinking talkback legions. I hear that Tiki guy is a Maaari as well as a long-haired muso. Got to learn his place. #righto

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:56:59 +1200

I remember the “Team Policing Unit” that used to go around pubs looking for trouble.

I missed the worst of that, but I well remember cops turning up near closing time at the Windsor Castle and hassling people until they swore and then throwing them in the van. It was…

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:50:49 +1200

Maybe the site should get https. (So that IT can't read what their workers are looking at).

Russell Brown

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:49:59 +1200

I think it sounds like Tiki was being a bit of a dick, to be honest. Unless he usually sings ‘Fuck tha police’ as part of his set …

I don’t know about “usually”, but loads of times in the past 10 years apparently.

So maybe he was trying it…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:44:38 +1200

But being a dick doesn’t warrant being arrested.

No it doesn’t. While I find the casual misogyny and homophobia of too much hip-hop beneath contempt, I wouldn’t use O’Connor’s rather slippery definition of incitement to deem dreck a hate crime.

O’Connor better be right that there’s a lot more to…

BenWilson

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:37:30 +1200

Cops are being attacked all over New Zealand and nothing happens in isolation...

Sure doesn't, when a cop is acquitted for kneeing a prisoner so hard in the balls that one of them resembled "mashed potatoes" to the doctor who saw him immediately afterward.

I very much doubt that the…

Joanna

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:33:44 +1200

I think it sounds like Tiki was being a bit of a dick, to be honest. Unless he usually sings 'Fuck tha police' as part of his set, it seems unnecessary – unlike all the examples you've cited, Craig, which were integral to the plots of the pieces. But being…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:33:14 +1200

And please tell me you were looking to prove a causal relationship, not a casual relationship.

Damn, and I was doing so well… Typo fixed, and I'd like it on the record that a casual relationship with Greg O’Connor is nothing more than a non-Freudian slip. :)

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:32:19 +1200

please tell me you considered calling this post:

"Fuck Tha Police Association President".

Yes — but I'm trying to be a little sensitive to PA readers who should be working right now, and don't need the strife of a "please explain" note from IT. :)

artig

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:16:53 +1200

And please tell me you were looking to prove a causal relationship, not a casual relationship.

Steve Barnes

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:14:45 +1200

I remember the "Team Policing Unit" that used to go around pubs looking for trouble. They turned up at a bar in Ponsonby that I was at with my partner, she looks Maori but is, in fact, Mexican. We weren't sitting together, a female officer approached me and had a…

Sean Murgatroyd

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:13:12 +1200

Hi Craig,

Never mind convincing Greg he's wrong – which we'll term here, "the impossible" – what do you think we should we be doing to find allies in this key battle, your having blown such a wonderful clarion call?

I'm a musician, a free speech activist – as you…

3410

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:08:08 +1200

Craig,
please tell me you considered calling this post:

"Fuck Tha Police Association President".

Robyn Gallagher

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:04:38 +1200

Will the fear of rap ever end? Fuck tha Police is over 22 years old. That's old enough for an entire generation to grow up with it and – surprise – not turn into civilly disobedient, popo-hating scallywags.

Like Gwyneth Paltrow, I can recite Fuck tha Police, but also like Gwyneth,…

Kumara Republic

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:23:05 +1200

My predictions about Greg O’s comments were proven right. Funny how the self-appointed Anti-PC Brigade tries to have it both ways when their own blowtorch is used on them. And I wonder if Darth McVicar will hold public bonfires of Straight Outta Compton and its ilk? Besides, Tiki probably wouldn’t…

Public Address

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:23:05 +1200

Discussion from blog post.