Posts by Lucy Stewart
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The thing is that Larry Baldock & so forth must hate the idea that they are breaking the law, because it goes against all the rule-following bones in their bodies. It isn't just that they dislike the idea that smacking should be illegal; it is also that they hate the idea that they should be criminals, because criminals are the Other, and how could they be the Other?
I think you've got it there.
I didn't get the impression he wanted to change it, Lucy, just to amend the wording.
Yeah, but then you get into the whole "what is a light smack?" thing. And if you want messy....
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I agreed that there was no point having a law that, in the majority of cases, wasn't going to be enforced strictly (ie parent gives child light smack = breaking the law, even if no-one ever does anything about it).
But consider the range and number of laws which are irregularly enforced, and yet no-one considers repealing. I can go give my boyfriend a light smack on the arm right now and I can guarantee you there will be no consequences, aside perhaps from the one where he smacks me back and demands to know what the hell I think I'm doing. And it'd still be assault, and still illegal. Do we need to change the law to deal with that non-enforcement? Or what about jaywalking? Illegal downloading - that's barely ever enforced against, shall we legalise it? The half-dozen general-purpose offences the police use at their discretion, like disturbing the peace?
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Keith - Do you really have nothing better to do??? Really? How about putting your skills to use pursuing a submission on tax or posting on public intellectuals at KiwiPolitico [really interesting post and thread there on that subject] or something a little more substantive.
Yes, Keith, and there are children starving in Africa. Why aren't you doing something about that?
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And I imagine it's more interesting & appropriate in maori than in english. From what little I know, maori grammar lends some valuable nuance that doesn't carry into english very well.
Definitely - just think about the importance of the challenge in powhiri. It sounds much more aggressive, rendered literally, than it's necessarily intended to be. It's one of those intersections between culture and language that renders literal translation pretty bloody useless. Whoever did the translation for Lhaws should have exercised a little more thought about the intent and feel, rather than the dictionary translations of the words used.
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Laws had to have the school children's letters translated, because he knows less about what he's talking about than they do. That might explain his absurd outburst.
But Steven, if they were being properly taught, they would have written to him in English!
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It was their *politicisation* he held to be child-abuse.
But definitely linked to their kura kaupapa attendance - he seemed to me to imply that sending them there was in itself politicising them.
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I was shaving during that interview so might have misheard, but did Laws express shock and horror at "children being exploited by adults to advance their political agenda"?
You even need to ask?
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Speaking of schools and punishment, Lhaws just opined on Morning Report that sending kids to kura kaupapa is child abuse. I'd say it was self-satire if he didn't sound so serious.
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And Lhaws is now offering to have the kids over for afternoon tea. I think they've been subjected to enough of him already, no?
(Also: whoever translated those letters for him needs a lesson in the difference between literal and comprehensible translation. Seriously.)
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chunter on about how Louise Nicholas is a pathological and vindictive liar who needs to get over the "mere sensual excesses" she was subjected to and move on
Excellent, the touch of nausea I needed to complete my morning.