Posts by Heather Gaye
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(Replace that opening comment with "hmmm, that's a difficult one")
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They don’t need to be feminist posts per se, at all, nor posts deliberately couched as a woman’s perspective.
That's a weird one. The main reason I feel comfortable with PA is because my character already intersects quite considerably with the (predominantly white male) character/opinion base. I wouldn't see the point of getting a woman blogger whose opinions already blend into the PA terrain, over, say, getting another white male with a very different perspective, except for tokenism.
Unless you mean that being female necessarily informs one's opinions, and the manner in which one expresses them?
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I was thinking a bushy beard, and a funny looking dagger, which could also be useful as a deterrent.
Also, greet people by saying "dukka dukka dukka" a lot.
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...AND ANOTHER THING... that PA system has evolved into a generally lively-but-moderate forum is an impressive feat that can't be overstated. The fact that PA bloggers are still now actively seeking to encourage diversity - to make the site Better - is laudable.
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Somebody, think of the nutbars!
* DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying that I think feminists or asians or maoris are the same as nutbars. It was a whimsical reference to the fact that it's not only minorities that are uncomfortable on PA.
* GOOD LORD: I'm more worried about getting angry backlash from this faintly-pro-white-male comment, than I have been about any other opinion I've ever written here.
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...but vaguely on-topic, I thought that PA bloggers were already picked specifically for their different perspectives, white male or not.
And not putting too fine a point on it, bloggers that are willing to represent minority views (especially those who do so at the expense of other topics) are often pretty extreme. I already know where to find them, and will read with interest, in small doses. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm quite happy for the PA peeps to pick the right blogger for the job in their own good time.
Well, I was going to blah on about how problems inherent in opening up a website to opinion seem to have been conflated with problems white-maleness, but I thought I'd probably end up in an argument I don't want to make. However, for all those that have railed about the white-maleness of PA, spare a thought for the occasional white male nutbar that has unwittingly stumbled into the forum, then been summarily driven out, bludgeoned by po-faced liberal formal-logic. Somebody, think of the nutbars!
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Ack! Right from mention of her name, I didn't read this article so much as listen to Dame Edna narrating it inside my head. Worse than earworm!
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I wonder that its even truly racism that drives these idiots, cos after they're done yelling 'asian' at my girlfriend they'll drive down the road a bit and yell some equally deep and witty observation at the next person walking on the street, if they're not obviously different then it'll be an unintelligible yelp.
I agree, to an extent. Other (white kiwi) friends and I have had/noticed similar experiences in Chch*, although I still keep coming back to the fact that we still get FAR less abuse than non-whites. There's a lot to be said for looking different.
* same kind of incidents were pretty common in Palmerston North. I have a couple of theories about flatness.
Also, Stephen Judd cited the expat exposed thread:
someone in the Expat Exposed thread said that they thought New Zealanders were diffident or inhibited about expressing public disapproval. I think that's very true too.
I agree with this too, but I'm not sure how to counter it. If the objects of the abuse would rather just keep their heads down, what can the rest of us do about it? Ideas very welcome. Can we get an "it's not ok" public service campaign? I think that'd be very worthwhile, actually.
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The only thing you can't be literally buggered in is a chastity belt.
I really really hope that one day I'll be able to use that quote in a conversation.
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But I'm genuinely surprised to read that the "overall middle ground of this site" is counter to your point-of-view, to the point where it's no longer tolerable; that's not how I had imagined the average PA reader, or average reader of your posts in particular.
I have to admit, I thought the same thing.