You wrote very strongly about the protests and weren't having a bar of it. I agree. Someone else I follow and respect, Neale Jones, ditto. Not the content of the protest - which is chaotic and contradictory - but the manner of it. Repulsive and violent despite what they try to present. And it could be the weak minded aping what's happeni…
You wrote very strongly about the protests and weren't having a bar of it. I agree. Someone else I follow and respect, Neale Jones, ditto. Not the content of the protest - which is chaotic and contradictory - but the manner of it. Repulsive and violent despite what they try to present. And it could be the weak minded aping what's happening overseas. But is it something else? Not to accommodate it, but to understand it.
Thanks Glen. I've had a lot of feedback about that piece. https://thekaka.substack.com/p/misinformation-threatens-our-national?utm_source=url My main complaint is with the way the misinformation has been amplified, turbocharged and injected into the news feeds of 4m by Facebook and Youtube. I don't want to stop anyone publishing on either platform. My main problem is with the algorithms written by Facebook and Youtube to maximise engagement by offering up the most extreme content. Essentially, they turn the rantings of the street corner prophet into something everyone anywhere around the world can hear at a full 10 on the speaker. No wonder significant chunks of the population are now feeling extreme about things.
I'm dble-vacc'd and boosted and can't understand the anti-vac brigade, but I personally know a few people at the protest who are well-educated, sensible, and nice people who have a business that Covid boosts rather than hinders. And they've never been to a protest before. They're against the mandates, MIQ as it is, and blocking NZ citizens from their own country which they believe are a step too far and disproportionate to the risk. They report that the vast majority of people at the protest like them are concerned about government control & spin. And I think they've probably got a valid point. The Govt ignoring the protesters doesn't seem to be working. And the police know, the day they start dragging everyday, normal and reasonable NZ citizens off from parliament grounds and arresting them is a significant risk for further disruption. I think the best option for the police is to start towing some of the vehicles blocking the streets, as that's more clear cut and will probably be more readily accepted and supported by Joe-Public. Just my view.
I've walked around and through the protest several times with my mask on. Had no negative interactions, and a few people went out of their way to welcome me. I've not seen much evidence of the violence people have been citing - my main concern was that the (potentially valid) concern about government expanding powers disporportionately to the current risks, is the wealth of misinformation on boards and in conversations, as well at the ongoing quiet rumble I've seen on Convoy-associated-Facebook group of 'starting fresh' and 'setting up a new government' (if we were from the USA we might say seditious but that doesn't sound very Kiwi)
Yep. Some members of the media have taken moral offence at being abused and 'threatened' for being part of the media. While not pleasant, it's likely only from a few of the more disgruntled. And maybe it is timely that some of the media considered the moral impact and the 'harm' that some headlines and their reporting causes some people. Maybe the reaction they got is the logical response of those without the influence and the voice that many in the media enjoy. When people feel marginalised and maligned, then sometimes, at some point, they're going to hit back.
You wrote very strongly about the protests and weren't having a bar of it. I agree. Someone else I follow and respect, Neale Jones, ditto. Not the content of the protest - which is chaotic and contradictory - but the manner of it. Repulsive and violent despite what they try to present. And it could be the weak minded aping what's happening overseas. But is it something else? Not to accommodate it, but to understand it.
Thanks Glen. I've had a lot of feedback about that piece. https://thekaka.substack.com/p/misinformation-threatens-our-national?utm_source=url My main complaint is with the way the misinformation has been amplified, turbocharged and injected into the news feeds of 4m by Facebook and Youtube. I don't want to stop anyone publishing on either platform. My main problem is with the algorithms written by Facebook and Youtube to maximise engagement by offering up the most extreme content. Essentially, they turn the rantings of the street corner prophet into something everyone anywhere around the world can hear at a full 10 on the speaker. No wonder significant chunks of the population are now feeling extreme about things.
I'm dble-vacc'd and boosted and can't understand the anti-vac brigade, but I personally know a few people at the protest who are well-educated, sensible, and nice people who have a business that Covid boosts rather than hinders. And they've never been to a protest before. They're against the mandates, MIQ as it is, and blocking NZ citizens from their own country which they believe are a step too far and disproportionate to the risk. They report that the vast majority of people at the protest like them are concerned about government control & spin. And I think they've probably got a valid point. The Govt ignoring the protesters doesn't seem to be working. And the police know, the day they start dragging everyday, normal and reasonable NZ citizens off from parliament grounds and arresting them is a significant risk for further disruption. I think the best option for the police is to start towing some of the vehicles blocking the streets, as that's more clear cut and will probably be more readily accepted and supported by Joe-Public. Just my view.
Our "leaders" will be caught with their pants down if the covid crisis is allowed to end, it's all they've got.
I don't know about the NZ protest but I watch livestreams of the Ottawa protest.. friendly, peaceful and not a swastika in sight.
I've walked around and through the protest several times with my mask on. Had no negative interactions, and a few people went out of their way to welcome me. I've not seen much evidence of the violence people have been citing - my main concern was that the (potentially valid) concern about government expanding powers disporportionately to the current risks, is the wealth of misinformation on boards and in conversations, as well at the ongoing quiet rumble I've seen on Convoy-associated-Facebook group of 'starting fresh' and 'setting up a new government' (if we were from the USA we might say seditious but that doesn't sound very Kiwi)
Yep. Some members of the media have taken moral offence at being abused and 'threatened' for being part of the media. While not pleasant, it's likely only from a few of the more disgruntled. And maybe it is timely that some of the media considered the moral impact and the 'harm' that some headlines and their reporting causes some people. Maybe the reaction they got is the logical response of those without the influence and the voice that many in the media enjoy. When people feel marginalised and maligned, then sometimes, at some point, they're going to hit back.