This. So much this.

I thought I was reasonably culturally aware. I mean, I listen to Nat Rad & Radio Live in equal measure. I watch Fox and Firstline and the Daily Show and Southpark. I have friends with teenage kids and I engage and talk and try to get a sense of what goes on those strange brains of theirs. I have kids of my own and chat with all sorts of other parents about all sorts of stuff. I'm a bit of a gamer and know how to craft an enchanting table in Minecraft, but I own a big stihl chainsaw and have actually built surprisingly good quality tables in real life too. I've travelled, but I stay at home. I'm not dumb. I care about stuff big and small. I'm pretty liberal, sort of green, and vote this way but I have a soft spot for Rodney Hide.

I thought I was a person that got what the world is and knew how it worked and thought that things seemed to be pretty good, give or take the odd "next big thing I'm supposed to be fearful of" according to (insert left/right pundit/expert/commentator here). What I'm trying to say is, I thought I was informed, you know, worldly,

I thought I got it.

But this Roast Busters clusterfuck has just peeled the scab away and exposed a whole festering sore of societal ugliness that I can't understand. Or begin to think about how it can be fixed.

I really haven't got it.

Jonathan is right. It is depressing. The comments of support for Jackson and Tamihere. The Dick Cheneyness attitude of "Don't blame us, we're the good guys" by the police, the WTFness of some editorials and articles. The apparent pussyfooting around by the Government. It's beyond depressing, it's inexplicable.

I don't get why we've stuffed advertising and marketing full of images and ideas that young girls can never achieve but must aspire to be. Then we have the gall to criticise them when they try and fail with cries of Shame! Shame! Sluts! You look like your asking for it!

I don't get why we've allowed porn to become so normalised that kids, KIDS FFS, think that this is now how they are supposed behave towards one another in the sack. It's joked about on TV and radio. It's mainstream, it's funny. It's cool now!

I don't get why gender issues are still so fucked up. How magazines like Cosmo, Seventeen and their ilk that make so much money off fucking up our youth aren't treated as tobacco companies are for killing people and causing cancer. I mean look at this for crying out loud: http://whtbout2ndbrkfst.tumblr.com/post/64293859230/if-you-want-to-know-why-gender-stereotypes-exist

I think I need to wake up. I think New Zealand needs to Wake. The. Fuck. Up. There's no need for some ill-advised moral panic, no banning of dancing and blaming it all on rock music. But, what the fuck is going on? The child abuse, the baby killings, the rape culture, the sexualisation of our youth, the suicide rates, the bullshit we swallow from police and government about it......

Sorry, What am I going on about.....

Hang on where was I? Yes...right..oh yeah! Xero... how about that Xero stock price? How's your investment property these days? Isn't that traffic in Auckland terrible? Thank goodness the cops are out there making sure everyone is under the 4 kph limit this coming long weekend. Isn't it great that the competition for the All Black #10 jersey is so strong. Isn't Richie awesome.

There.....I'm starting to feel better already.

What of JT's statement that you had said you were going to create a scene on air?