Posts by Lilith __
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Speaker: Why we need to stop talking…, in reply to SHG,
There’s a clear inequality but I don’t give a shit about it. And I don’t see why I SHOULD give a shit about it.
Are you, or is anyone you know, on a benefit, minimum wage, or studying? Do you have a disability? Are you a sole parent, or on an average wage wanting to buy a house of your own? Do you have access to healthcare? Might you ever need surgery? Do you ever plan to retire? Will you ever need childcare, or schooling for your children? Do you want criminals to be rehabilitated before they are released back into the community?
If any of these situations could apply to you or those dear to you, you should care about inequality.
Also, many of us want every person in NZ to have a chance of a good, productive life. Accepting inequality means we accept that only some of us should have that chance.
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This song also goes back a few years, but still gives me the shivers. From the devastating film London to Brighton. From the album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words.
[sorry, digression]
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Speaker: Why we need to stop talking…, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,
That song's been on Easy Listening radio playlists for at least 15 years.
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Words matter, but it’s not just words that sell ideological product.
Remember when we had a Social Welfare department, back when that sounded like a good thing? Then when the government felt the need to apologise for alleviating poverty and hardship, we had Income Support, and then the euphemistic Work and Income? The public is not fooled by the Unemployment Benefit being called Jobseeker Support. We all know it’s the handout of our precious money for layabouts and no-hopers.
I think the cult of individual success has deep roots. It’s reinforced by the self-help and New Age movements, but it’s basically the class system in a new disguise. The greater the inequality, the greater the physical and psychic distance between rich and poor. The richer you are, the less you have to deal with the poor and unfortunate. The less you feel any common humanity or purpose.
The cruelest aspect of our class system is that we don’t believe we have one. We scoff at the Upstairs, Downstairs notion of “having ideas above our station”. We believe everybody can aspire to material success, and that victims of poverty are to blame for their own situation. And so we are divided against ourselves.
I think our consumption of mass media has a lot to do with the success of Neo-Liberalism, but I don’t think this is purely due to framing and spin: I think it’s also to do with our embedding within virtual media. We don’t have the time and opportunity to step outside that bubble and really observe what’s going on around us. Political hype is easily shrugged off if it’s contradicted by what’s physically in front of you. The growth in private transport and “sleeper” suburbs exacerbates this trend.
Wow, when I started writing this I didn’t realise I’d end up sounding like I hate the internet. I don’t! It has tremendous power to connect and transform. But.
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Capture: Sunrise City, in reply to Nora Leggs,
Newton sunset
So Auckland!
Here is a soft winter dusk in Dunedin.
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Capture: Sunrise City, in reply to JacksonP,
How dawn makes me feel.
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Capture: Sunrise City, in reply to Chris Waugh,
This morning
Hey! This is a NZ sky! What a happy change for you. :-)
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Rainbows are very red at sunset.
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For balance, here is a sunset. My beautiful Otago coast. Yes, those are swimmers.
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I’m not big on sunrises [those who know me will know this is an understatement] but on occasion I’ll admit they’re worthwhile. An autumn dawn.
