Bad: The Michael Jackson Hysteria

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 pm, March 7th, 2019 - 187 comments
Categories: boycott, capitalism, International, Media, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , , ,

Radio networks in NZ, Australia and elsewhere have decided to terminate with extreme prejudice the music of Michael Jackson, following the release of a new documentary alleging the King of Pop committed extreme sexual crimes.

Like a disgraced Politburo official in a retouched photograph, Jackson is to be erased from the public consciousness.

How sad and pathetic is that?

We do not know with absolute certainty that Jackson himself has done anything wrong, though, obviously, there’s plenty of reason for suspicion.

We do know that Jackson’s music has definitely done nothing wrong.

So why can’t we be trusted to make our own decisions about what we listen to?

Why are new generations going to denied the chance to hear some of the greatest pop songs ever written?

There is a long history of banning music and generally it doesn’t work. My favourite example of this is the chimurenga music of Thomas Mapfumo, which often used cleverly disguised allegories about animals to criticise the racist Rhodesian government. Subtle, but still got him jailed, of course.

And, sadly, Mapfumo is still writing protest songs; this time chronicling the many disappointments of the Zimbabwean people since liberation.

Famously, Margaret Thatcher may have scuppered the UK career of Split Enz when Six Months on a Leaky Boat got the chop, but their popularity back home soared.

And in 1969, the idea that a woman might enjoy sex was too much for broadcasters worldwide.

The Nazis, of course, were quite keen on banning things. Books, art, ‘degenerate’ music; all verboten. Ironically, Hitler’s own paintings have , on occasion, been bought at auction by people who said they intended to destroy them. Again, you’d have to wonder what crime Hitler’s daubs have committed. 

Even the Beatles saw their records publicly destroyed when John Lennon controversially pointed out that, to some kids, they were bigger than Jesus.

Image result for burning beatles records

And I suppose we can look forward to Hauraki and the Rock banning Led Zeppelin.

Just kidding; they’re normal.

Just like this lot.

I do know what it’s like to feel a bit queasy about certain music because of the activities of the artists. I can’t listen to Radiohead or Nick Cave without feeling that their support for apartheid Israel has cheapened their music.

It’s complicated, I guess.

To be fair, I’m not a big Michael Jackson fan, I don’t often listen to the kind of stations that usually play his stuff.  So this isn’t going to really affect me or my listening habits.

However, I always thought the sentiments of this song, and the ground breaking video that accompanies it, were terrific.

I’m kinda pissed I’ll never hear it on again on NZ radio. That just doesn’t seem fair or proportionate to me.

 

 

 

 

187 comments on “Bad: The Michael Jackson Hysteria ”

  1. Incognito 1

    Pathetic posthumous punishment for alleged actions by a defenceless dead person.

    If you want real controversy about banning music from an artist (in an indirect way): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_controversies#Wagner's_music_in_Israel

  2. The movie producers are making a financial killing out of it.
    The only reason I can see for this fiction.

  3. AB 3

    It’s a misunderstanding of the nature of art.
    The artist’s personal virtue or vice has little influence over the art that gets made.
    That’s why (say) a repellent, Tory racist like Philp Larkin could produce something as staggeringly beautiful as The Whitsun Weddings.

    • Phil 3.1

      The artist’s personal virtue or vice has little influence over the art that gets made.

      Woody Allen’s entire filmography begs to differ.

  4. McFlock 4

    I think the position of the post fundamentally misunderstands why the stations aren’t playing his music. It’s not an ethical decision, it’s a marketing decision.

    I think that they think that people don’t want to listen to someone they think was probably a child molester. That some don’t even want to listen to companies that support that such a person.

    I think they’re right, and that this goes for folks who are adamant that the allegations are lies, as much as it goes for people who believe the boys. We can’t think ill of our heroes, and we can’t think good of the villains.

    There are other questions, too:
    Is there a double standard regarding gender and consent? Yup.

    Are there issues to confront as to why we remember and re-judge simply because a streaming company or studio financed a documentary, when much of it was public knowledge for decades? Yup.

    Whether those issue are “let it lie” vs “why did it take so long” is also a conversation to have.

    Jackson changed the game when it came to music and performance. I was never a huge fan, but I knew enough to know how influential he was. But there is that shadow of doubt. Am I boycotting his music? That would be easy to claim, as I hardly ever listened to him before. But if he pops up in the playlist, maybe I’ll be quicker to press “next”.

    This comment is badly structured and I apologise for that – it’s been worked on for a while, and probably needs an edit. I also wanted to avoid parsing the allegations/evidence/characters and getting into that sort of argument.

    • Jess NZ 4.1

      +100000

      Comparing this ban to political activism bans is fallacious.

      It’s pretty tone-deaf to dismiss the ban’s merit if you have no sexual abuse history touching your life – easy to say ‘his music didn’t do it’ if his music doesn’t remind you of the artist as a person and the clouds of smoke of suspicion and credible accusations even during his life.

      I grew up with Bill Cosby’s humour and some of it is embedded in our family jokes, never to be forgotten. It’s quality stuff. However, when I feel tempted to pity the old guy getting led off to jail, I think about all the (also) old women who had to spend their whole lives dealing with his attacks somehow.

      Also to consider is: how much MJ’s music DID contribute to his problems, which then rebounded onto others. MJ had a horrifically abusive childhood and freaky life by anyone’s standards, primarily to focus and profit from his talent so the world could enjoy his music. He was yet another superstar victim of superstardom, and he paid the ultimate price eventually.

      It’s a tragic story all around. When I (not very often) what MJ looked like by the time he died, I already feel squirmy. Pretty ironic he wrote a song saying “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white” when he destroyed his entire face trying to look white. There are several of his songs with similar second meanings in context of the accusations.

    • ropata 4.2

      Correct, MJ isn’t banned and this isn’t an exercise in destruction of art. In view of a recent documentary where 2 of his victims speak out in graphic terms, there is widespread public disgust at the man and the actions of his estate in covering up.

      If everyone is disgusted by Catholic Church, a sacred and venerated pop star like MJ is certainly not above reproach.

      A sick and twisted little man. I for one never want to hear the song “pretty young thing” ever again.

    • gsays 4.3

      I generally agree with what you have put, McFlock.

      The only distinction I would make that it is a commercial decision rather than marketing or ethical

      • McFlock 4.3.1

        fair call – I don’t really see much of a difference between marketing and commerce. both parts of the same cake that’s different from the ethics and morality cake.

  5. RedLogix 5

    A brave and well written post TRP.

    It is a tough question in some respects; there are boundaries that we do impose on artifacts such as Nazi memorabilia that speak directly to a repugnant ideology … but Jackson’s music in question here does not.

    Indeed many artists will openly tell us that once they’ve launched their work upon the world, it takes on a life of it’s own, quite separate from anything it’s creator had in mind.

    If anything stories like this should remind us that the world is not divided between good and evil people; the line between the two snakes across every human heart. Jackson may well have been a very fine artist and deeply loved by millions; but like all of us, his inner life was the same chaotic jumble of motives we all draw upon.

    Yet astonishingly enough, from within each of us we can discover gems of great beauty and brilliance.

  6. Sam 6

    There is no reason to feel insecure about Micheal Jackson at this late, late stage. Only reason to catch feelings and reasons when ever a Micheal Jackson song comes on is because it moves you. I’m to grown for talking bad about the dead.

  7. Commercial radio is about getting people to listen to advertisements, not about music, culture or anything else. If Michael Jackson is suddenly highly unpopular with the station’s listeners for whatever reason, best he disappears off the playlist or there might be fewer people hearing the advertisements. Nothing personal, just business.

    • tsmithfield 7.1

      They assume he will be unpopular. But I bet a station that picked up the Michael Jackson songs would suddenly gain huge popularity.

  8. gsays 8

    I know it may not be a popular opinion but Bill Cosby’s early humour is still funny.
    for example: Noah, Buttbuck Slushball…

    Picasso was an arse, lets not have any painting burnings.

    In defence of Radiohead, Thom Yorke said that playing in Israel was not an endorsement of Netanyahu and his regime, as playing the US was not an endorsement of Trump.

    Thanks TRP for this, its three in a row on a provocative subject (MJ, Mark Taylor and Gun Club).
    I have been in step with your opinion on each, quite unusual.
    Keep up the good work.

    • Thanks, gsays. I do enjoy writing posts that have a philosophical or ethical element to them and they do seem to generate a lot of thoughtful and considered comments from the TS whanau.

  9. tc 9

    Media companies thrashing about being ‘relevant’ in the hope it wins them more ratings points IMO.

    They have no shame as it’s an undefendable reputation they can use and abuse. Marketing loves that.

  10. Chris T 10

    While I don’t particularly care about whether Jackson’s music is played or not played as it is dross, it is a stupid move.

    If, as was frankly pretty blimmin’ obvious the dude was a freak kiddy fiddler, his music didn’t do it he did.

    Same with Harvey “Can I play with my schlong in front of you” Weinstein and his movies.

    Fight Club isn’t suddenly an evil movie because of Spacey

    The whole thing is stupid hysteria

    Reminds me of the current rewriting of history in the US with all the tearing down of statues

    And the pick and chose who must be banned and who is alright is hilarious

    Where are the calls to change the name Washington and destroying half of Mount Rushmore, because two of the Prez’s were slave owners?

  11. marty mars 11

    Yep some put their own persinal pleasure above all else especially victims – bit like Jackson did.

    • mauī 11.1

      Jackson was a victim himself.

      • Jess NZ 11.1.1

        But nobody wanted to stop the cycle of abuse. They just wanted MJ to perform and make money, and he wasn’t stopped because of his artistic accomplishments. That’s what needs examination.

  12. Kevin 12

    If social media is anything to go by, people are pretty outraged by this.
    Public opinion is heavily in favour of leaving his music out of it.

  13. James 13

    Hosking was playing Michael Jackson this morning. #TopMan.

    • Muttonbird 13.1

      By not taking a stand against Michael Jackson, both he and you are enabling child molesters.

      Your definition.

      • mauī 13.1.1

        Seperate the man and his artistic achievements.

        • marty mars 13.1.1.1

          Bullshit. They are entwined. They are tainted. Change Jackson to Rolf Harris and see how you feel. It’s all just cos you like his music – yep it’s that superficial.

          • Kevin 13.1.1.1.1

            I have I missed something here?
            Has Jackson been convicted of something I haven’t heard about?

            • Jess NZ 13.1.1.1.1.1

              He was never convicted of actual sexual assault (multiple allegations, one accusation settled out of court, one jury finally returned not guilty), but some highly inappropriate behaviour was a matter of record.

              What would you think of, say, Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars, if he regularly invited multiple young boys to stay at his house? And also admitted he got into bed with them to go to sleep? Is that OK – no worries, nothing to see here? Can you even imagine that being allowed to go on?

            • McFlock 13.1.1.1.1.2

              We need a court order to not listen to music, now?

          • solkta 13.1.1.1.2

            Almost as superficial as Jackson’s music.

            • Kevin 13.1.1.1.2.1

              Does this mean we will now get everyone posting youtube clips to prove their superior musical taste?

              • solkta

                I didn’t say his music was inferior i said it was superficial. Some people like superficial.

                • Sam

                  Yawn, only superficial is you. You mention his songs but leave out the good ones :p

                  Anyway, he rightly deserves the whacko jacko name, as without his money he would have been institutionalized long ago. But hey, he’s a celeb. Normal people are crazy and disturbed, celebs on the other hand are “eccentric.” I would’t be surprised that if he hadn’t had his money and celeb status to hide behind he might have gotten the psychological help he needed.

                  For the rest, a talented singer and one of the best dancers of all time. Never seen so much talent wasted.

                  • solkta

                    I haven’t mentioned any of his songs. Pop music by its nature is superficial.

                    I do agree that he had some great dance moves. I wouldn’t rate his singing particularly. My comment was in response to marty talking about his music.

                    • Sam

                      Well Michael Jackson wasn’t the Prince of Pop for just his dancing. Perhaps Jackson did donate hundreds of millions to children’s charity just to be sleazy.

                      But him being a genuine child molestor, he was genuinely inapproriate and creepy.

                      Mike clearly had deep seeded emotional and mental problems, and his wealth and stardom got him completely surrounded by the wrong sort of people.

                    • solkta

                      The Prince of Superficial. Thanks for that.

                    • Sam

                      That contradicts itself.

                    • solkta

                      No it doesn’t.

                    • Sam

                      Fodder. Your arguments do not impress.

                    • solkta

                      It is you who have to put up an argument. You said that saying “The Prince of Superficial” was contradictory yet you give no reason.

                      And as for not being impressed, i think you have mistaken me for someone who gives a shit.

                    • Sam

                      I said all that did I? What ever. I know what I said because I know what I believe. And I believe in practising forgiveness after death.

                      If we had failed to practice forgive after the death of Hitler then we might well have slaughtered every last German. For the sake of victims and mental health, always show them the road to Damascus.

                    • solkta

                      I said:

                      The Prince of Superficial. Thanks for that.

                      Then you said:

                      That contradicts itself.

                      And i said:

                      No it doesn’t.

                      And you said:

                      Fodder. Your arguments do not impress.

                      So i said:

                      It is you who have to put up an argument. You said that saying “The Prince of Superficial” was contradictory yet you give no reason.

                      And as for not being impressed, i think you have mistaken me for someone who gives a shit.

                      No point in discussing any further since you can’t even follow what you are saying let alone what i am saying.

                      And i am completely fucking lost as to what Nazi war criminals have to do with me saying that Jackson’s music is superficial.

                    • Sam

                      Micheal Jackson is just too big for you. Perhaps you’d like to discuss what’s on the front page of the New Zealand Herald with the other geriactrics next to Eco maari.

                    • solkta

                      Since you have nothing to say perhaps you could consider not commenting.

                    • Sam

                      Take your own advise, discuss something else.

          • mauī 13.1.1.1.3

            So you can’t appreciate human genius if it comes from the mind of a (possible) monster? You may have noticed that some of the best minds have unique mental abilities that are often entwined with mental health issues. Because of their mental state unethical actions are much more likely as I see it.

            • Jess NZ 13.1.1.1.3.1

              Makes it a lot harder to celebrate and want to encourage, ah-yep. Especially since his issues may have derived from abuse as much as from genius.

            • marty mars 13.1.1.1.3.2

              He did music mate he wasn’t a genius. He was exploited and became the exploiter. He emotionally connected with people and it was all lies. His victims are the heroes and geniuses – to take that abuse from such an esteemed figure and still live to talk about it – wow.

              • solkta

                Ummm, i think there have been many music makers who could be considered genius. You can start with the great classical composers and work through to the contemporary:

                Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.

                (Oxford)

                Jackson though is very definitely not one of these.

        • Jess NZ 13.1.1.2

          And like so many other abusive artists, he wasn’t stopped because of his artistic accomplishments. How can you compartmentalise that, with any integrity?

          • mauī 13.1.1.2.1

            I guess I put him in a different category from other artists who seem to have deliberately used their power for their own ends. Jackson seemed to have his own mental struggles and I think he was led more by those than his privileged position.

            • solkta 13.1.1.2.1.1

              I can’t think of any more a “own end” than sexual gratification. He deliberately used his “power” to entice boys into his bed.

              • mauī

                Except you make out that his goal was to abuse and forget he was actually a man living as a 10 year old child with a home built Disneyland. Which raises more questions.

      • James 13.1.2

        I think you will find he has been found innocent of all charges laid.

        Quite happy to ignore that fact arnt you.

        Not surprising that an idiot like you gets his info from a tv show and ignored the courts.

      • Gabby 13.1.3

        He’s dead mutton.

    • Jess NZ 13.2

      So you’re being guided by Hosking? Hmmm, that should be the first clue it’s wrong.

    • Gabby 13.3

      #Horeskinvirtuesignallingsnofwake jimbo.

    • mosa 13.4

      IMO listening to Hosking is far more damaging than hearing Thriller or Billy Jean.

  14. esoteric pineapples 14

    No one seemed to have a problem with Gary Glitter and his music being blacklisted from radio, TV etc. Personally, I still enjoy listening to GG’s music and prefer it to MJ’s.

    • Glitter still makes a small fortune out of song royalties. In particular, one of his songs is a crowd sing along staple in American sports stadiums. However, he’s currently banged up anyway, so the dosh isn’t much use to him.

    • Same here re Gary Glitter’s music – still enjoy hearing it. Mind you, the lyrics to Do You Wanna Touch Me, about girls just pretending to be shy and and how a bit of whisky can get around that, has connotations that didn’t occur to me listening to it as a 12-year-old…

  15. tsmithfield 15

    I find myself in total agreement with the article.

    Jackson was acquitted previously of the charges, and those in the documentary gave testimony that contradicts what they are saying now. So either they were lying when they gave testimony, or they are lying in the documentary.

    I certainly don’t rule out the possibility that Jackson was a pedophile, and wouldn’t be at all surprised if he had been found guilty at trial. The point is he wasn’t, and all that is happening now is trial by media which he is unable to defend against given he is no longer here.

    Pathetic behaviour by radio stations etc. Probably most artists would have exhibited objectionable behaviour in some way or another. That being the case, we probably shouldn’t be listening to any music.

    • Jess NZ 15.1

      It would have been very hard to return a guilty verdict for somebody like Jackson at the height of his popularity and in that era, yet several of the jurors wanted to. With the same evidence, now, the verdict would probably be different.

      Yes, he can’t defend himself because he is dead, and the victims also can’t get resolution or a trial in today’s climate (as Cosby’s victims did) because he is dead. All that is happening now is a reexamination of history with a modern viewpoint. I’m not sure if you remember or have researched Jackson’s behaviour with kids when you try to dismiss the issue of ‘most artists would have exhibited objectionable behaviour’.

      Even then it was creepy. Now it’s almost unbelievable. If he was a pedophile as he seemed, is it really the main point to you that he wasn’t convicted then, because that is the most reliable indicator in history?

      • tsmithfield 15.1.1

        No objection with the documentary itself. As I said, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he had been found guilty at trial, and it wouldn’t surprise me if definitive proof came out showing he was a pedophile.

        What I object to is it becoming a defacto trial with people assuming that it is definitive proof of guilt, and taking moralistic actions on that basis. Especially when the evidence contradicts what was given at the trial, and there is no opportuntiy to cross-examine the witnesses about why they changed their tune.

        • Jess NZ 15.1.1.1

          I hear you! I am comfortable with what is happening because I feel strongly the original trial could not escape bias due to Jackson’s stardom. I think everyone knew it was happening but how could you do that to Michael?

          Like it or not (and many don’t), today we put much more weight on the stories of sexual abuse victims even without the independent corroboration that can be impossible to get due to the nature of the crime. People tried to get justice from MJ at the time, with the results you know. The only trial that is available now is a defacto one, with informal and nonbinding results such as radio stations stopping MJ’s music (for now).

          If he’s innocent, that would be unjust. If he’s guilty, that’s a pretty poor compensation for the victims.

    • RedLogix 15.2

      Indeed given there are no perfect people … we should probably ban everything. 🙂

    • Kevin 15.3

      This will be a first, but I agree 100% TS.

  16. Formerly Roas 16

    I have to agree with you TRP. Jackson isn’t the first to have questions raised about his behaviour and won’t be the last. Elvis was 24 and Priscilla 14 when he apparently began dating her. I’m not aware that his music has been banished from the airwaves. And then there is Woody Allen, one of the finest film makers of all time. Are his films somehow poorer because he made them? Some people can’t seem to separate the artist’s private life and from their body of work. It’s sad.

    • Jess NZ 16.1

      Some might say it is sad if you can compartmentalise an artist’s criminal abuse and continue to support and praise the artist. Even Woody Allen is finally seeing some consequences….

      https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/2/7/18215756/woody-allen-amazon-lawsuit-rainy-day

      Dylan Farrow’s story…

      “I have long maintained that when I was 7 years old, Woody Allen led me into an attic, away from the babysitters who had been instructed never to leave me alone with him. He then sexually assaulted me. I told the truth to the authorities then, and I have been telling it, unaltered, for more than 20 years. Why is it that Harvey Weinstein and other accused celebrities have been cast out by Hollywood, while Allen recently secured a multimillion-dollar distribution deal with Amazon, greenlit by former Amazon Studios executive Roy Price before he was suspended over sexual misconduct allegations?”

      https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-farrow-woody-allen-me-too-20171207-story.html

      • Formerly Ross 16.1.1

        Jess

        You talk of allegations as if they are fact. You have no way of knowing. If you don’t like Allen’s films, I feel sorry for you. Annie Hall and Hannah and her Sisters are both terrific films. About women, for women.

        You quote Dylan Farrow but not Woody Allen. Denials are rather boring I guess.

        https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/79151329-132.html

          • Jess NZ 16.1.1.1.1

            Sorry, but how does that link materially affect the discussion? Woody Allen was denied custody of Dylan Farrow evidentially due to the abuse, as shown in the cases at the time.

            He escaped charge primarily to protect the child, not because he was innocent. This is a matter of record, so whether another industry player steps up to protect his mate is hardly relevant.

        • Jess NZ 16.1.1.2

          Thanks for being patronising enough to feel sorry for me! Michael Jackson sang about women, too. Whether I like the art isn’t the issue under discussion – that’s for those supporting the status quo to defend.

          As for talking of allegations as if they are fact, I refer you to Dylan’s:

          ‘In the final legal disposition of the matter, a judge denied him custody of me, writing that “measures must be taken to protect” me and that there was “no credible evidence” that my mother, Mia Farrow, coached me in any way. A prosecutor took the unusual step of announcing that he had probable cause to charge Allen but declined in order to spare me, a “child victim,” from an exhausting trial.’

          Sounds like more than just allegations, no? If she hadn’t been ‘spared’ from an exhausting trial, would she have instead received justice?

          The link you posted repeats the misstatements that Dylan lists in her story (timing of custody battle). And denials are certainly easier…

          Here’s another rundown….

          ‘The Yale-New Haven Hospital Child Sex Abuse Clinic’s finding that Dylan had not been sexually molested, cited repeatedly by Allen’s attorneys, was not accepted as reliable by Judge Wilk, or by the Connecticut state prosecutor who originally commissioned them.’

          https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2014/02/woody-allen-sex-abuse-10-facts

          • Formerly Ross 16.1.1.2.1

            I wasn’t patronising. Why ignore great films about strong women because you have a prejudice against the director? If Hitler had painted the Sistine Chapel you’d probably complain about his use of colour!

            • Jess NZ 16.1.1.2.1.1

              You can’t even hear yourself, can you?

              Prejudice is ‘preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience’ – I have a reason to dislike Woody Allen that has a lot of evidence behind it.

              If you want to be more aware, there’s heaps around about why Woody Allen’s work and life is sexist.

              https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-why-i-will-never-watch-a-woody-allen-film-again-1063776

              • Formerly Ross

                You’re entitled to dislike Allen but his films are another matter. Indeed you may not have seen any of them. It’s a bit like hating a book that you haven’t read. I think it’s called ignorance.

                • McFlock

                  You’re entitled to dislike Allen but his films are another matter.

                  We’re not entitled to dislike his films?

                • Jess NZ

                  You really can’t help yourself – nobody needs your permission to dislike Allen or his films and the fact you even write that down is so telling.

                  • Sam

                    What ever you may think of a funeral or a documentary, it is not a free licence to act as judge jury and executioner.

                    • McFlock

                      hate to break it to you, but MJ is dead, mate. No executions happening here, just people choosing their own playlists.

                    • Sam

                      You’d love to break it to me, don’t deny it. Anyway thanks for the concession, cobber.

                    • McFlock

                      I’m not really sure that “concession” means what you think it means.

                    • Sam

                      Well I believe that victims have the right to cry wolf three times. I do not believe that gives victims authority to run criminal investigations. What do you believe?

                    • McFlock

                      I believe that anyone can investigate anything within their jurisdiction’s legal constraints (e.g. rights of media, constraints on private investigators, etc).

                      I believe that people can boycott and protest things based on what they believe. And that the level of belief upon which they do these things is entirely up to them.

                      I believe that corporations can decide to not buy services or products from something that might lose them money, within various socialist constraints. E.g. not invest in arms dealers, etc.

                      I believe that phrases like “criminal investigation”, “judge, jury and executioner”, and so on are irrelevant to whether a commercial decision is made, and are basically irrational hyperbole that distract from the fact that if there wasn’t money in it, media companies wouldn’t have taken Jackson off their playlist. They think playing him will lose them listeners and advertising revenue. There is no prohibition or ban other than their individual commercial decisions.

                      If playing his music constantly and saying “look, any protestors are fuckwits” would make them more money, he’d be on every damned station around.

                    • Sam

                      Media have already lost $600 million ad revenue to Facebook. Facebook are now discriminating against advertisers by telling them not to discriminate on who they target for job roles i.e. telling them how to spend their ad money and to spend more by not filtering. Therefore discriminating against those who want to target money, save ad money. It’s unreal. Just check face books Non-Discremination Policy. Don’t know when it went up, I scroll through from time to time looking for any changes and what the implications may be. So the market is chasing Facebook and the normies lagging behind don’t really know what’s really going on.

                    • McFlock

                      It’s still merely a commercial decision, however.

                    • Sam

                      Same face, different mask. Did it make you think for yourself? Commercial radio is hardly the first to promote me too and social justice. Banning Micheal Jackson is no reason to start.

                    • McFlock

                      You can still listen to his music. It’s just that some radio stations think that they’ll make more money catering to other listeners than to you.

                    • Blazer

                      spare a thought for…Bubbles ,his pet Chimpanzee.

  17. Stuart Munro. 17

    For my own part I’m glad for the most part not to have to make such decisions. I did find myself avoiding later Marion Zimmer Bradley or Arthur C Clarke however.

    • RedLogix 17.1

      Yes …. I’ve no problem with people making their own choices around this sort of thing. It’s the institutional bans and deplatforming I find troublesome. The question we should always ask is, who makes the decisions and where do the lines get drawn? It’s a slippery slope argument but one that many societies have slid down before much to their cost.

      And I accept that different people will react differently. It probably relates to how strongly each individual can ‘compartmentalise’ in their thinking and emotional response. It’s an interesting trait that like all others has both it’s positive and negative aspects when taken to extremes.

      If you want an alternative to Clarke can I recommend Vernor Vinge?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge

      Vinge also wrote in the classic hard sf genre (as opposed to the fantasy mush which I can only tolerate when I need some trashy escapism), and as a real computer scientist his ideas convey both authenticity and a creative leap I find particularly compelling.

      • Stuart Munro. 17.1.1

        Sadly I think I’ve run out of Vinges – a Fire on the Deep was particularly good I thought, and his ex’s The Snow Queen series was superior too.

        I read a lot of both scifi and fantasy – there are a few standouts. Peter Hamilton and Paolo Bacigalupi seem to be pretty good. Abercrombie and Stavely are worth a look on the fantasy side if you prefer serious, but apparently lighter stuff like Pratchett or Eames can end up going in interesting directions.

        • RedLogix 17.1.1.1

          Yes .. A Fire Upon the Deep remains my absolute all-time favourite that I can go back a re-read with pleasure. The first one’s I read were The Peace War series and I’ve a big soft spot for them as well. The whole ‘computational bobble’ is such a truly inspired idea; part of me clings to the hope that one day something like this may be real.

          Also we’ve done then Pratchett/Baxter The Long Earth series as well (I’m blessed with a partner who loves sf as much as I do), and they do make for a pleasant journey indeed.

          But your other names I’m innocent of … I’ll track them down thank you. Cheers

          • ropata 17.1.1.1.1

            Stephen Baxter’s other SciFi (transcendent, resplendent, exultant, and the Xeelee series) is superior to that boring collab with Pratchett

            Iain M Banks’ Culture stuff is an absolute must read for any sci fi fan

            Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K. Morgan is damn good too

            Handy thread:
            https://twitter.com/Mikel_Jollett/status/1098703284909498368

            • Stuart Munro. 17.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes, Banks is wonderful.

              “… in Special Circumstances we deal in the moral equivalent of black holes, where the normal laws—break down;”

              • RedLogix

                Yes …. that’s an important point. Most of us think we are ‘good people’ mainly because we’ve never been in the circumstance where we might be bad and get away with it.

  18. Labour are now as compromised to our Chinese Overlords as …
    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/…/labour-are-now-as-compromised-to-our-chinese-overlord…

    You are worrying about some dead pop star and allegations against him that caused some radio stations to not play his music?

    • Sam 18.1

      It’s still interesting to tease out certain motivations. Inversion narratives don’t always come along like this y’know.

    • Stuart Munro. 18.2

      It seems the decision has been reversed, which speaks well of the coalition. The Kleptocracy was unable to admit it made mistakes, much less correct them.

  19. Puckish Rogue 19

    I feel you have to separate the artist from the art.

    Kevin Spacey is still a great actor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGiI-MuTWf0

    Richard Wagner is still a great composer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGU1P6lBW6Q

    Bill Cosby is still a great comedian: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=bputeFGXEjA

    Jerry Lee Lewis is still great performer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7SBF-35Es

    Michael Jackson is still a great performer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lvsBBNV-U4

    Charlie Chaplin is still a great performer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPSK4zZtzLI

    We can appreciate the art they created as long as we don’t condone their actions or allow them to go unpunished…even though they mostly do

    • Sam 19.1

      Bill Cosby may be a great comedian but Eddie Murphy is just, better. https://youtu.be/c1PGPv_Q9sU

      • Puckish Rogue 19.1.1

        Sure but thats not really the point is it

        • Sam 19.1.1.1

          >What’s the point in saying something valid to counter your argument

          • solkta 19.1.1.1.1

            You would look less stupid.

            • Sam 19.1.1.1.1.1

              You have misunderstood your own argument.

              • solkta

                My argument is that you look really stupid in this thread just saying stuff but not actually addressing anything. The point in you “saying something valid” would be to look less stupid.

                • Sam

                  I take concessions. You seem not to understand your own argument.

                  • solkta

                    I take concessions.

                    I don’t know what you mean by this. It doesn’t make sense. You can’t “take” a concession but only grant or give one.

                    • Sam

                      Concede everything before and after and I quote “No point in discussing any further since you can’t even follow what you are saying let alone what i am saying.” Concede and we can keep discussing.

            • Tuppence Shrewsbury 19.1.1.1.1.2

              Sam’s intellectual range is too limited to not appear stupid.

              • Sam

                That was funnier than a [Deleted].

                [I’ve no idea what you thought that comment bought to the conversation, Sam. Don’t do it again. TRP]

                • Sam

                  You can change what I said but telling me what to say or think doesn’t work the way you think it does.

                  • Tuppence Shrewsbury

                    try limiting the number of thoughts you have to manage to less than one. Coherence can only be achieved through inner piece

                    • Sam

                      Insulting and delusional. Your yet to prove it since the last time. Now prove it.

                    • solkta

                      What is a “yet”?

                    • Tuppence Shrewsbury

                      Prove what? I’m not at your beck and call.

                      Get back in your lane

                    • Sam

                      Don’t be a sore loser

                    • Tuppence Shrewsbury

                      @sam A sore loser about what?

                      Anyway, what kind of basement dweller are you to keep a tally of their self ascribed internet points and then gets all cocky and big headed about it?

                    • Sam

                      You keep making fascile and petulant claims with out proving anything by acting all confused and asking multiple more questions. It’s a basless argument.

      • Formerly Ross 19.1.2

        Sam, you shouldn’t mention Eddie Murphy unless you want to draw attention to the allegation of sexual harassment that was made against him.

    • What was the issue with Chaplin? I don’t recall him ever being accused of anything other than being a communist sympathiser.

      • Tuppence Shrewsbury 19.2.1

        Which is enough to be put in the same boat as the others TRP, you know that

    • Phil 19.3

      I feel you have to separate the artist from the art….

      We can appreciate the art they created as long as we don’t condone their actions or allow them to go unpunished…even though they mostly do

      This is, to put it mildly, a fucking bullshit attitude to take.

      For all the ‘great’ performers you’ve listed (add to that the likes of Weinstein, too) we have no idea of the countless brilliant performances and breathtaking art that the world has missed out on.

      These abusers have driven talented people out of their industries with their behavior, or irreparably damaged the lives of their victims who will never get another chance to fulfill their potential.

      Fuck abusive bastards straight to hell.

      • ropata 19.3.1

        Exactly. Every time MJ’s music plays it’s abusing his victims further.

        “I feel you have to separate the artist from the art….”

        What rubbish. Echoes what Muldoon and rugby boofheads were saying when the Springboks came here in 1981 and NZ tore itself apart.

        “You’ve got to separate sport from politics”

      • RedLogix 19.3.2

        Fuck abusive bastards straight to hell.

        Another way to look at it is like this; it’s up to our legal institutions to deal with people who transgress our laws, and it’s up to me as an individual to be compassionate. By making this distinction I don’t have to get entangled with judging and hating; but I can also demand our justice system operate fairly, even-evenhandedly and with cool dispassion.

        Also John 8:7

        • Formerly Ross 19.3.2.1

          I think it’s called hating the sin and loving the sinner. Of course in this case we don’t know if Jackson broke any laws. But clearly there are those who are quick to demonise the guy on the basis of unproven allegations.

          • RedLogix 19.3.2.1.1

            Oh I suspect there is enough reason to think Michael Jackson’s life was so extreme and different to anything you or I could imagine, that we should not be too surprised he fell prey to the idea that the ordinary rules of life did not apply to him.

            Above all else there was a Peter Pan quality to him, a deep-seated denial of adulthood, that strongly suggests an abdication of responsibility, a refusal to accept the burden of maturity. Maybe this was the seat of both his genius and folly wrapped in one.

            I’m no great fan of his music, but you cannot deny his artistic influence. Pretty much most pop artists since have been trying in vain to emulate him.

  20. Augustus 20

    We might need to ban the Beatles too. Didn’t Ringo Starr publish a song called ‘You’re sixteen’? Sixteen is not a child (almost), but it makes me cringe listening to a dude his age (then) fawning over an adolescent.

    • There’s been a ton of ‘age of consent’ songs, Augustus.

      Sonny Boy Williamson’s Good Morning Little Schoolgirl springs to mind as well. And there’s Gary Puckett’s Young Girl, the Grateful Dead’s Mexicali Blues and any song named Jailbait.

      Speaking of the latter, there’s this horror from Trump supporter Ted Nugent:

      http://www.metrolyrics.com/jailbait-lyrics-ted-nugent.html

    • mary_a 20.2

      @ Augustus (20) … perhaps some male music artists compose/sing their music from the perspective of a younger guy, seeing a sixteen year old girl as some male teenagers would.

      • KJT 20.2.1

        Correct, I reckon.

        As it is teenagers who start buying their music, most pop seems to be aimed at a teenage world.

  21. Cinny 21

    Very informative post TRP, kudos.

    Found out a few things I didn’t know about some musicians whose music I love (dang), cheers for the links in your post.

    With that in mind, the radio’s stance on MJ appears targeted as.

  22. How far do we take compartmentalizing things- including art from the artist?

    How far do we normalize and exceptionalize?

    How long do we put a fiery protective hedge around someone just because shes lesbian, hes black , that bunch over there are useful political minority’s – or because someone has a beard and wears eastern style clothes it reminds us of long hazy summer days and a delightfully misspent youth?

    If they are criminals then they are criminals. Except in this case we are speaking prematurely as nothing has been proven, … so far.

    “Get On Home” sung by members of the Manson Family – YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4bSgeYaAaw

  23. Jess NZ 23

    ‘Separating the art from the artist’ to me reeks of the same distancing used in ‘why should I care today about wrongs my ancestors did to your ancestors?’

    I.e. the artist might have done bad things to other people, but I still want to enjoy the art without guilt, so separate separate separate…

    I’m surprised it’s so popular on this forum.

    • marty mars 23.1

      It’s a manifestation of priviledge imo. Also a derirative of a subset-western mindset of ‘no one fucks with my rights to do what I want’.

      • McFlock 23.1.1

        It’s a bit of a rude awakening when one has to consider boycotting something one actually likes.

        I had that with Louis CK – I really fucking liked his comedy. As an average, middle-aged, privileged but unspectacular guy, he spoke directly to my angst with his observational comedy. But then it turned out there wasn’t as much exaggeration as one might think. Fortunately, now he’s a dick who seems to have lost his observational talent, so my virtue is now safe without me being inconvenienced in any way 🙂

        • WILD KATIPO 23.1.1.1

          Yeah well ta -ta’s… same as Rolf Harris, dontcha think?

          Everyone’s favorite childhood funny guy.

          Singing about his ‘third leg’ FFS!

          As times change , so does whats acceptable as humour. Moreso when and if its proven they were scumbags in disguise.

          jake the peg – YouTube
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJleJbn9G6Y

          • McFlock 23.1.1.1.1

            Nah the third leg isn’t so bad. And the LCK jokes from back in the day were still funny (if they had been jokes, not memories).

            And Cosby’s stuff would still be funny today, if it were created by someone without his track record.

            Social mores changing what we find funny (like black and white minstrels or Mickey Rooney’s travesty in Breakfast at Tiffany’s) is a different issue to discovering that a particular work was created by someone who was e.g. raping or murdering folks at the time they were creating something of beauty.

            • RedLogix 23.1.1.1.1.1

              Given this New Puritanism sweeping the West … we may have to ban the 60’s and 70’s altogether. 🙂

              • McFlock

                Very few things should be banned, if anything.

                But if radio stations want to keep customers, some things stay on the shelf. “The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan”, for example, will probably never be played in its entirety on TV or radio. We won’t hear Katy Perry on a classical music station for another hundred years.

                Let some things sit on the shelf until the wounds are not so fresh.

                Apparently some people have burned Rolf Harris paintings. I’m conflicted over that. Let them sit in storage for a while, though.

                • RedLogix

                  Banning and expunging is exactly what ISIS have done, desecrating and demolishing anything they deemed ‘un-Islamic’. Humanity has yet to make a full accounting of what we’ve lost because of them.

                  Then there was the sacking and burning of Constantinople, where we lost a major fraction of the works of art and literature in existence.

                  And then what should we do when confronted with Greek works of art featuring and celebrating their very normal practice of pederasty? As you say, time has passed. Yet it’s not hard to imagine someone even today calling for their destruction.

                  Part of what makes art work is it’s ability to confront us, often uncomfortably. Art is meant to lie just a little outside of normal, otherwise it’s just sanitised and boring. If the follies and failings of the artist is part of that narrative, it is our choice to face it or not.

                  • McFlock

                    I am put to mind of a museum curator in the 19thC who apparently knocked all the willies of the classical statues. A hundred and fifty years later people glued them back on.

                    But again, very few things should be banned. But banning is different to not playing them because you’ll lose customers.

                    • marty mars

                      Yes I haven’t heard of a ban. People can still hear the songs and buy his music. All his fans who don’t care about this will keep on keeping on. But somewhere an abused person will lose some hope that they will be believed.

                    • greywarshark

                      Somewhere, someone will be hurt so we can’t do some action because of that? It is a possibility – so hold back because someone may have a bad memory. Better stop thinking, stop talking.

                      Life is full of bad memories. They either relate to something that happened personally, happened to a friend or family, or you hear about it on the daily news.

                      Don McLean on Prime Time talks about how we try to cope with all the things that are happening, everything jumbled. Things not so different today, this was in 1977.
                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uljqQm2mkTw

                    • McFlock

                      It has nothing to do with “bad memories”.

                      It has everything to do with whether people will change to another station if “Billie Jean” comes on the radio.

                    • Sam

                      Apart of the conceit of the mythos of Michael Jackson is because his fan base can be oblivious to Michael Jacksons whole history which is unbelievable even if you can some how segregate the pedophilia it is still an unbelievable life and that’s the point of a myth. A myth is to get you to realise things and not to convince a durry of criminal evidence. But that’s the thing about this type of confusion because once it dissipates you can’t return to it, and of course when you try and return to it you will meet a corpse because Michael Jackson is dead. Michael Jackson is not a creepy old man any more because he’s not alive.

                      In the whole way, a victim of sexual abuse can resonate distress, the body of a corpse can resonate peace but of course the victims can not find the peace they want because they can not get back to the Never Land that they want. When we describe some one in disillusionment then we describe them in a state of despair, they are sad and experience loss because it is a negative state. But notice at the heart of being disillusioned is the loss OF illusion. We are losing the fog of confusion cast over by being groomed and Michael Jackson fans will lose that sense of belonging that they had because no one belongs in Never Land any more.

                      Of course we should make moral reflections and arguments but the myth of Michael Jackson is saying something lies deeper that carries out responsibilities as a mega hyper star, it is important stuff. But it can ultimately be rendered meaningless if you’ve lost meaning and morality in life and I would argue that it is different and deeper than simply living a purely moral existence.

      • Jess NZ 23.1.2

        And such an interesting set of blinkers for otherwise compassionate folks!

        When the product is a sports shoe or computer, when vulnerable women and children are abused in the process, compassionate people everywhere will protest and boycott.

        But when the product is a song or film, the emotional link to the art or artist makes fans resist the rightful condemnation due to the victims of the process. Fans feel like they have some real personal connection to the artist and art, so would lose out by admitting the wrongs done.

        • marty mars 23.1.2.1

          Yes – mostly hidden but can show its face every now and then. Everything is cool until it hits my personal then it becomes all about MY rights. Until then it is just a thing over there. What is compassion? Not sure apart from it is not comfortable, you put energy into it.

          For me the weird thing is the subjectiveness of the value judgment – he’s good, he’s bad – a bit like arguing about his haircut.

  24. McFlock 24

    Separating the artist from the art is a bloody stupid practise, anyway.

    Sometimes we’ll never get the context of the artist, but the fact is that understanding the artist and their context at the time of their creation improves artistic appreciation. Look at van Gogh – millions of people are drawn to his work by the paintings alone. Others have heard about his death, or something about an ear, and that lends an aspect of passion that makes the strokes more intense. Others know of his time in the asylum, and how he created most at those times, so it becomes an expression of insanity or a battle through it. And then others know more of the context of his studies and whose shoulders he stood on and what he and his crowd were trying to do, and that leads to more understanding.

    When we observe a creative work, we have our pre-existing knowledge of other works, and our pre-existing knowledge of the creator ant their work. Sure, all pieces can stand alone, but that’s the most meaningless aspect of it.

    The more we know about how a work was created, in what milieu, the more we appreciate two creations: the one before us now, and the one the artist strove to create. Picasso might have said that everything he created was perfection, but most others would have a bit more class and admitted that they reckon the next one will be a bit better. We don’t look at art just to see the statue, we look at it to see what the artist was trying to reveal.

    I’ve seen pictures of Michelangelo’s unfinished marble sculptures, perfectly formed hands and figures half sunk into rough marble blocks. Pretty cool by themselves, but also pretty cool to imagine what works lie beneath the rough-hewn surface, but he didn’t have time to release them from their prison.

    • RedLogix 24.1

      Separating the artist from the art is a bloody stupid practise, anyway.

      On the other hand the entire point of truly great art is that it transcends the limitations of the person who created it.

      Indeed it’s obvious that the most creative among us also tend to be the most eccentric individuals, often at odds with the conventionality around them. Their lives are often difficult, risky and easy to judge; yet from within them something unique and valuable emerges.

      • McFlock 24.1.1

        Sure it transcends the limitations, but the context in which they were created still adds to the appreciation.

  25. mary_a 25

    I remember a song from the early 1960s, Go Away Little Girl, about an adult male being tempted by an underage teenage girl. As far as I remember, at that time it was fairly popular and being in that same age bracket (15/16), I certainly did not put any sexual connotations on the song and neither did my friends, nor our parents, who if they did, didn’t mention it, which I’m sure they would have done. I don’t think it was ever banned from public airplay either.

    Then there is the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, namely Aspects of Love, where an adult male Alex is finding it difficult fighting off being tempted by Jenny an underage girl “… you don’t want a lover in a jail cell …” as Alex sings to her. Another point is much earlier in the musical, Alex as a teenager is seduced by Rose, eventually to become Jenny’s mother! In fact in my opinion for all it’s worth, the storyline is bordering on incest! Plenty there to make a song and dance about and point the finger, but most people, myself included take it for what it is, a musical based on a novel and enjoy it.

  26. Yeah and here’s another one from an acclaimed movie [ art ] Apocalypse Now.

    All about the great anglo american western imperialist alliance complete with its rousing WHITE mans music from that beloved Jew baiter and composer , Richard Wagner beating up on on those far eastern Asiatic types… if you wait a few seconds more you’ll even see John Wayne flying into view complete with half chewed cigar in his mouth framing his square lantern jaw and brandishing his M16 in obvious eagerness to get into the fray…

    Enjoy the artistic flair the producer had…

    Apocalypse Now- Ride of the Valkyries – YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqtehtSB0LI

  27. SPC 27

    The radio stations are just managing a temporary PR problem with one of their artists sometimes on their playlist.

    The dumb thing was mentioning that they had done so – no one would have even noticed otherwise.

    Most people who tune into a radio stations to listen to music do so via specialist music stations around the world. The rest Spotify, I Heart playlists, You Tube etc.

  28. peterlepaysan 28

    Radio stations do what they do in search of ratings. It’s nothing to do with moral rectitude. It has nothing to do with the worth of the listening experience.

    Musicians, like all other artists are buskers. I am being polite.

  29. Delia 29

    Like separating racist rugby tours from politics? I mean come on. People can still listen to Michael Jackson, radio stations can do what they like.

  30. Muttonbird 30

    The Michael Jackson Simpsons episode is removed from all platforms, yet still James backs the great entertainer over his child victims!

    When will James stand up for the victims or does he continue to deny there are any?

    Remember that according to James if you don’t make a stand then you are complicit.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/03/michael-jackson-s-the-simpsons-episode-pulled-from-air.html

  31. Sam 31

    Ok so Micheal Jacksons niece, Brandy Jackson in an interview is claiming the timeline in the documentary is false. She was gaining out with one of the accusers in the documentary during the time he claims to have been a victim and that Micheal Jackson had set them up. She’s been thrashing this propaganda film. Interviews here https://twitter.com/sweet_legacy/status/1100834378832379904?s=21

    I’m going to just call out that I’m going to put all of Micheal Jacksons tracks on blast till Sunday you bitch ass niggers.

    • McFlock 31.1

      It’s nice that you need to believe in his innocence to do so.

      Timelines or whatever, I just can’t figure out how a boy would know specific odd details of a grown man’s penis.

      • Sam 31.1.1

        It’s Saturday, and you proper help that I am sorry to say I am neither qualified nor coherent enough to give. Good luck.

      • Sam 31.1.2

        Well, I was wrong. Michael Jackson is a pedophile. Didn’t watch Leaving Never Land on HBO but there’s a one hour interview with the director and the two victims, and Oprah Winfrey. The entire audience are sexual abuse survivors and as the interview is going down and the details are rehashed there’s people in the audience just nodding there heads and audience members coming up to speak and there all like speaking the same language almost and as a fan boy I was trying to be more mature and passionate and as I pursued this miss frame I became even more frustrated as opposed to becoming more mature.

        As Oprah said no other star shown brighter than Michaels and she began diving into the mythological biography and reflecting on the victims early life in Never Land and looked at Never Lands mythos as apart of the grooming process and other ways of grooming and manipulating and how to control the victims and there parents and even the community and the total confusion of being locked in a love affair with Michael Jackson and trying to satisfy the confusion by being close to Michael and having lots of sex with him. It’s all in Oprah’s interview. For every one who doesn’t believe the victims, Oprah’s interview is a must watch. My friend actually dragged me into the room and made me watch it and I’m glad she did and I’m sure others will be glad to have watched it too.

    • Jess NZ 31.2

      1) I’d be shocked if his family and friends didn’t come out to defend his reputation. It should be possible, if appropriate, for MJ’s estate to sue the doc makers for libel.

      2) Back in the day, Michael’s own marriage to Lisa Marie Presley was said to be a cover as Michael really didn’t seem like, shall we say, the type to need a wife. Wifey didn’t exactly come from a traditional family setting herself 🙂 So the claim that MJ set up James and Brandy to date could be 100% true and still be meaningless as to MJ’s innocence.

      • Formerly Ross 31.2.1

        It should be possible, if appropriate, for MJ’s estate to sue the doc makers for libel.

        Why should it be possible? Of course, if the doco makers had made their doco while Jackson was still alive, he most definitely could have sued them for defamation. I am curious why they didn’t do so.

  32. I’m content, as is the leftist way, to pay due respect to the accuser’s allegation, whatever the situation.

    I couldn’t care less about radio bans, but if people still want to listen to a paedo child molester’s records, they still have their ipods and itunes.

    Shamone.

  33. greywarshark 33

    Radio stations around the world are doing this. Joined up mindlessness. Oh that the sins of radio jocks are forgiven and forgotten! Hypocrites. While the media keeps calling the shots as to who has erred and weakened, their own omissions are screened. They can pick you up, steal your life, publish all the things they can find about you and imagine and embellish some; then they can plunge you downwards exposing you to a relentless barrage of expose’s and sensationalism.

    Voracious media are complicit in some people’s mental problems and addictions.

  34. Formerly Ross 34

    I’ve always enjoyed listening to Ben from Jackson. Youtube it is. It’s a funny world when a 14 year old singing a song is politically incorrect.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwKWiZAuHoQ

  35. Formerly Ross 35

    These accusations weren’t new. On two other occasions, Jackson was hit with lawsuits alleging abuse. But in 2005, Jackson was acquitted of criminal molestation charges, which did not involve Robson or Safechuck. Robson testified at the trial, saying he had slept in Jackson’s room many times and nothing happened. Safechuck gave a similar statement to investigators when he was young.

    It’s odd that many people say believe the chidren, but in this case they don’t want to beleve the children because the accusers – when they were children – denied being abused.

    Both Robson and Safechuck later filed lawsuits, claiming large sums of money from Jackson’s estate. The lawsuits were dismissed.

    https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a26594085/michael-jackson-accusers-wade-robson-james-safechuck-lawsuit/

  36. infused 36

    If you watched it, you wouldn’t be defending him.

    • Muttonbird 36.1

      The commenter known as James defends Michael Jackson and denies there are victims.

      It makes a mockery of his faux outrage at some comments on this forum. The two positions are contradictory. But then James is both muddled and hypocritical, in spades.

  37. SPC 37

    Something unpublished on another blogsite .. placed here.

    If one looks at the long list of right wing and “non woke” males employed by these two private media groups, the argument made here looks faintly silly.

    “NZME & NZ Radio are run by … micro aggression policing millennial culture groupthink … .”

    Really, you find the instance you cite as sufficient proof to assert that.

    The radio networks are just managing a PR problem of one of the artists they rotate on playlist – during an news cycle.

    “thought crime censorship” …

    how is not playing some music making anyones thoughts a crime, or censoring the thoughts of anyone? .

    “In the post #MeToo cultural landscape” …

    we are not in a post me too landscape – it’s still a thing. Women are not going to be shouted down that quickly.

    “where accusation is the new evidential threshold”

    In fact women being silenced until they can prove something is the very essence of censorship to protect the powerful. It’s a bit like the name suppression that only the powerful get.

    “outrage olympics the virtue signalling of choice … book burning presentism is the new cultural revolution … Woke social media lynch mobs are the custodians of the neo-Salem witch trials.”

    Frankly this is hysterical and demonstrably irrational. You sound like someone pretending to be the victim of others seeking justice – a bit like National in their oppositon to a CGT.

    I suppose all those facing their privilege being challenged tend to react in similar ways.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 hour ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 hour ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    2 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    8 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    10 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T04:52:41+00:00