I am bemused by Demi Levato buying into the ridiculous effort that some are making to reject gender by substituting in the place of 'he/she/his/her' the plural versions 'they, them, their' etc.
The last time this happened was the 'Royal We', when a powerful monarch like Louis XIV of France imposed their opinions on the rest of their courts by saying things like 'We are not amused.' Meaning, 'Don't anyone here dare laugh!' If you laughed before or louder than Louis XIV, you were likely to be exiled from his court, and so stricken from ranks of the nobility.
Grammatically, it is a matter of linguistic accident that English personal pronouns are gendered in the singular, but no longer in the plural. In French, for example, 'they' is still gendered in the plural: 'ils' for the boysies, and 'elles' for the girlsies. How will Demi get on if she tries to speak French?
There is a precedent in English where a singular noun like 'everybody' actually means 'all of us/them', so has a plural aspect to it.
We say 'Everybody left their umbrellas in the hall.' It is too complicated to say 'Everyone left his/her umbrella…' But that is the limit.
To extend this practice to the point where 'they' are supposed to be one single person, either or neither male or female; is a truly futile endeavour, and, to my mind, the height of folly.
If the gender-sensitive woke think this is a practicable measure, I think they are dreaming.
Normal people may not worry too much about what your gender is, but their natural speech patterns will keep singular separate from plural.
I think Demi's efforts are doomed to failure. People will not tolerate confusion of plural/singular.
Demi needs to find another gender-neutral singular pronoun.
Edit – I meant to write 'a powerful monarch like Louis XIV of France or Queen Victoria' but omitted Queen Victoria. Damn – I was not trying to present Louis XIV as of dubious gender… Try 'powerful monarchs like Louis XIV..'
But that example shows why Demi's idea it will not work. People will want to correct singular/plural errors.
we already use their as singular routinely, in part to address inherent sexism eg assuming doctors are make.
Their is way so simpler than some of the alternatives.
I do find a fair amount of the NB stuff performative and will be interested to see how many people still ID this way in ten or twenty years. For those for whom it’s more genuine or a tool to manage dysphoria or mental/social distress I think empathy and consideration is warranted. There are political boundaries to be debated too (still haven’t seen a good rationale for why NB males should have access to women’s spaces).
Maybe I am an old fogey, but I would instinctively avoid the 'their' thing by asking,
"Who is it?" (Or, "Who is your Doctor?")
Grammatically, 'their' is used as an easy way of avoiding the burden of having to say 'his/her'. This was so long before any thoughts of sexism, and as I said above, it usually went with singular nouns indicating a group of people, such as 'everybody.'
I agree that empathy and consideration are warranted, but I fear that only a minority of the population will take heed of that. The vast hordes will want to stay with his/ her where it is singular, and keep 'their' for the plural.
In the very long term, it is possible that a different English language will emerge, where 'he' and 'she' will have disappeared just as 'thou' and 'ye' have already died out.
But I don't think this woke thing of Demi's is going to work in the short term.
Gendered pronouns don't need to disappear. And you've figured out how to avoid gender assumptions for people in different roles.
I reckon the broad acceptance of a gender-neutral singular pronoun will come sooner than you think. For one thing, loads of Demi Lovato fans will now change their linguistic habits. Just as fans of Elliot Page updated their language. And people who aren't fans might not… but then, after a brief flurry of activity, non-fans will be discussing Demi Lovato just as much as before the announcement.
Funny how if it was a Maori place-name that was being misspelled or mispronounced according to traditional usage – there'd be all the usual suspects yelling 'racist' at anyone who dared demure.
But when it comes to butchering a fundamental feature of English – i.e the use of gendered cases – then suddenly you're all for it.
As opposed to deliberately mis-spelling an existing term as a careless or intended insult, the search for a gender-neutral pronoun in the singular is just another case of language being expanded to deal with concepts it wasn't previously equipped to address.
"Computers" are now machines on a desk, rather than people in another room hand-calculating complex math problems.
We have "robots" because "automatons" or "mechanical Turks" didn't quite denote the same thing.
We now have a multitude of terms for different atypical behaviours or neurological conditions, rather than assuming demonic possession or a uterus taking a walkabout through the body.
Heck, if you told Elizabeth1 that a "germ" was a microscopic monocellular organism, get ready for a demand to see a dictionar- oh, whoops, out of luck there, too.
Nope, you're right, anything that can't be clearly expressed in the patois of Chaucer is fucking abysmal.
The observable fact that we're not having this conversation in the 'patois of Chaucer' is sufficient evidence that languages do evolve over time. And that they might do so in an unconscious, organic fashion is entirely legitimate.
But then you get that social engineering, ideological butchering that Orwell wrote so eloquently about. Fucking abysmal indeed.
I generally keep out of fundamentalist disputes because the true believers only want to 'educate' you about their convictions.
You’re welcome to invent as many new categories for the endless range of human sexual variation as you like – but equally it’s none of your business if a large majority of us continue to use gendered terms as we see fit for our own lives and experience.
So how does subtracting out of the language the ineradicable distinction between men and women 'add' to anything?
Demi Lovato isn't outlawing gendered pronouns. Just choosing not to be referred to by them. Because they feel gendered pronouns don't adequately describe them. The new use of an existing term adds a new concept that can be expressed by the English language.
You can continue to ask to be referred to in whatever damned way you want, it doesn't subtract anything from you.
Yeah, English has a long history of being adapted and added to by its users. English is kind of founded on that ease of adaptability, borrowing and invention.
So the search for new words in English by English users to describe themselves and the things around them is entirely legitimate. It has been going on for centuries.
I believe Te Reo also borrows to describe things not of the Maori world. But it is up to Maori to administer their language, not for non-Maori to demand to be able to change it for their own convenience. That is colonial (and, by definition, racist) thinking.
So, the comment above yours shows ignorance and intolerance on two levels: a disregard for Maori taonga and the strong-arm behaviour associated with that, and also a disregard for people wanting to use their own language to help them describe their world.
I believe the motive for the attack was the mostly the latter, as some folk get mighty triggered by being asked to accept non-binary people.
And, it is not "woke" to criticise ignorant and intolerant views. Rather, it is vitally important for social and cultural growth.
Mechanical Turk? First thought, curiosity; second that must be racist, before I even know what it means. We are becoming hyper-sensitive, not just a bit more.
I don't want to look up something in every comment I read Sacha. I do prefer to spend time on Google looking at factual stuff to back up my comments, or add a view to them, or see what is going on elsewhere. If I occasionally present trivia I think that is a healthy thing now and then. Looking up mechanical Turk is not trivia I can be bothered with.
I'm off in a moment to see what person, group was behind Hitler. It seems that everything has money behind it so he probably had shadow backers letting the madman do the dirty work. There is a lot that we don't know about everything important. So MT will have to wait.
True – I can't see these offerings being taken up broadly, either.
Earlier on, I wondered if the fairly logical 'Ms' would take on for women who wished to be neither 'Miss' nor 'Mrs.' Mzz is not a natural sound for an English monosyllable, but the word is now accepted.
'Ms' however was a new word, not an irrational subversion of already well-defined words.
General usage will eventually determine what becomes accepted, so time will tell. Personally, I suspect that the majority of speakers will fail to adopt this 'they, their/ singular thing, and that it will not last long.
I just don’t want it imposed on me. I am a biological female. My title is Ms. And I want places in women’s sport for biological females. I also was change rooms etc for biological females.
i don’t agree that trans women are women. I respect their right to identify as a different gender. And have always been respectful towards the very small number of trans people I have come across.
"I don't agree Trans Women are Woman" doesn't sound very respectful to me, and I'm sure no-one is imposing anything on you. Your comment made me remember Bob the Builder from Tauranga, "I don't mind the Gays, as long as they don't shove it down my throat" As a biological Male I will never understand how it feels to be Trans but damn it I will try to not make judgment's on them and will treat them in a manner I would wish to be treated. However, I too am struggling with the idea of our Trans Athlete competing in the Womans Weightlifting but I don't know enough about the science to know if they have an un-natural advantage.
Red-blooded – I'm sure no-one is imposing anything on you.
You must live in a tight little world if you don't understand the way that demands for new categories of being, are being felt by people who want to maintain humanity in its ancient and recognisable form and groups. And make allowances and tolerances for the few people who are different. Not have it regarded as a social fashion, like a re-run of 1960's anything goes behaviour.
Actually I do live in a tight little world thanks greywarshark partly because of "people who want to maintain humanity in its ancient and recognisable form and groups". With maturity I am reveling in my grumpy old man status and as one of the few I no longer see the need to tolerate a majority, incapable of non-judgement and inclusivity. How wonderful it must be for you in your security of being in the majority that can relegate those of us who aren't, to being an "anything goes, social fashion"
Cheap slur solkta. When one turns an attempt to seriously discuss a contentious matter into a cheap joke rather than face up to being wrong it shows the limit to rationality in the matter.l
It helps to understand that trans women are biologically male, it’s their internal sense of themselves as a woman that makes them trans.
TWAW is a slogan, and a mantra, that is routinely used to promote trans activist politics including propaganda and suppression of debate in addition to its more even handed uses. There are people being fired, banned, deplatfirmed, harassed, abused and ostracised for saying that trans women are male or men. Whether one agrees with either side, there is no doubt that pressure and imposition is great. I’ve not seen anything like it in decades of politics.
Even people offering a compromise of trans women are trans women are being told to stfu in the worst of ways (and tellingly, it’s women saying this that get treated the worst and the left is sanctioning that).
by and large most liberal people across the spectrum have had no problem with trans women considering themselves women. Including feminists. The law was adjusted to support trans people via a legal fiction (that sex can be changed). But there were limits on this eg in the UK the law allows exclusion of trans women where that is warranted due to women’s rights. Think rape crisis centres.
the problem we have now is that there is a fast and largely undebated social engineering going on that creates a direct conflict between the rights of women and trans women. Should a woman’s refuge be obliged to house pre surgical transition TW (ie males who self indentify as women) with women who have been raped and beaten by males? Or should society continue to allow women to have separate spaces and for society to provide TW with refuges?
that’s one example, there are many others that illustrate a current conflict of rights between two groups.
Thanks again Weka, it is complicated indeed. In my limited knowledge I have been jumping to the defense of Trans Woman, assuming them to be Transitioned (as in Post Surgical Transition).
Having witnessed a friends Grandson, virtually from birth, identify as female and is now transitioning, I hail her bravery and respect her enough to now think of her as a woman , well young lady in this case and if she articulates to me a preference of pronouns etc I will attempt to alter my previously comfortable him/her she/he narrative. Have a great day.
Agree it is complex. And many people not involved in the debate likewise assume TW are fully transitioned. Most TW aren’t. There are social, political and legislative changes happening that don’t take that into account.
One reason why it matters is that the NZ govt wants to introduce self ID legislation this year to make it easier for trans people to socially transition. This seems laudable but there’s a huge conflict with women’s rights as self id allows any man to say he is a woman. This is already happening in many places in the world and discussion has been actively and forcefully suppressed. That alone should be raising alarm bells.
Unfortunately individual trans people like your friend are going to get caught in the cross fire. And it remains to be seen if women will get to retain their sex based rights.
Are we not allowed to say we don’t agree with something anymore? Otherwise we are not being respectful?
This of course is part of the problem.
We are human mammals and mammals have two sexes, man and women.
I understand that a very small minority of people don’t identify with their birth sex and they like Demi, are entitled to make this public and to ask to be treated respectively for it.
to you I might hsve sounded like Bob the Builder, but I didn’t use his phrase, so no not really.
we fought hard for Ms so a women’s title didn’t indicate her marital status. Have no problem with with other or some such being added when titles asked for.
we agree on women’s sport. University of Otago released something recently that shows trans women have an unfair advantage over biological women. Of course they do. They have greater muscle mass (even if they have transitioned) they have testosterone and likely other hormones and they have advantages of height and statute.
Absolutely Anker, you're allowed to disagree with anything you like, it is not connected to respectfulness (and before anyone else goes on about PC gone mad or Wokeness etc, don't bother with the latest Right Wing Lazy Slur, that's not aimed at you Anker) but you were the one who was, on more than one instance, highlighting how respectful you are which I simply thought denying a person their right to be who they are didn't seem very respectful. Agree to disagree. As intelligent Mammals we have found ways to correct other irregularities, Heart Defects, Siamese Twins, Cleft Palete, you name it. So if a Trans person has bravely gone through all that is required to be the Gender they assimilate to I will happily refer to them as they, or he, or she, whatever they prefer. I'm sorry but the "I don't want it imposed on me" was what reminded me of the "don't shove it down my throat" angle I found that humorous, no harm meant. Some of my best friends are …. etc (pick your minority.) They're all a bit red rag to a Bull to this old fella. But yeah, very happy to agree on the need for sporting competitions to be a test between people with equal chances and as you say I'm sure muscle mass, memory and testosterone can be considered making the playing field unequal.
Yes red blooded one, I have mentioned a number of times I am respectful to trans people who I meet. Probably I don’t need to repeat this again.
interestingly enough none of these trans women have said to me “I am a real woman and you have to agree with me”. If they did out of politeness, I would probably fudge it.
however the situation that is problematic is the activists, many of whom aren’t trans, stating “trans women are real women” who then require that I accept or concur with this statement, else it means I am transphobic. I don’t agree with this statement. To me it is anti science and I believe the acceptance of this statement erodes biological females identity and their sex based rights. I believe shutting down people through intimidation, which is happening in many countries is wrong, and I will stand up for my right to voice my opinion, especially when it is based on objective science.
btw I was told on this website by McFlook that I was being hostile to trans people because I described the statement trans women are real women as a mantra. But the dictionary definition of mantra is a statement or slogan that is often repeated. So how that is a hostile thing to say is beyond me. So I am not being respectful if I state my opinion based on science and I am hostile if I use the word mantra.
bring it on guys. Your attempts to paint me in this way only serve to illustrate my point that if women question trans ideology, they are cast in a negative light
Yes I suppose fudging it could be seen as being phoney when someone asks you a question and you think the answer could cause hurt. some would say it was well intentioned kindness or good manners even.
Personally I think everyone does this at times, ie fudges the truth when you think the truth will cause hurt. But maybe you have never done that.
very aware of the complaints against me during this debate. Phoney, disrespectful and hostile! Goodness me. Luckily I don’t agree with them, so it doesn’t bother me.
Why can't one say either anonymously or under a pseudo or real name the truth about something important to them and society though it is unpopular; but resile from saying it to a 'trans woman' face to face? It isn't phoney, it is just respectful to the individual. Why is that not plain to you solkta? Did your mother not teach you any manners, courtesy.
It is unpleasant being harassed by people who have something against you personally or your type – just getting a stare when there is nothing unusual about your appearance, registers. But saying it somewhere else to a group or family how you feel is quite reasonable.
There were some images taken by a Muslim woman of how someone had abused her and thrown things at her, and she said it had happened a number of times before. The attacker seemed mentally unwell in behaviour and aggression. The Muslim woman did not care for this face to face behaviour at all.
Just as much as someone might not care at all for online speech that targets and hurts them.
As for little familial, social, or workplace support groups to incubate bigotry with none of the 'other' around, well, it's surprising how long they can keep the old hatreds as an undercurrent in a community. But there are too many hot mics around these days to keep it bubbling to the surface, imo.
Oh yes I see what you mean. The spiritual origins of the word. But in terms of that a mantra held special powers.
nut I don’t believe that trans women are real women has no meaning nor do I think it has special spiritual powers. I think the phrase has meaning for those who agree with it. I just don’t agree with it.
not being a very spiritual person, when I think of the word mantra, I think of it used in psychology to help people build self esteem eg “I am a good person”. I think I mentioned that before. But to be honest, I can’t see the spiritual or the psychological meaning being hostile. Just my view
"I am a good person" has an explicit and direct meaning.
Mantra are much more about the vibe of the collected words and sounds.
"Here we go, here we go, here we go" is an expression of collective expectation that gets its power from a crowd of people repeating it, not from the meaning of the words (half the time the "we" aren't going anywhere).
"totality of the universe/jewel/sacred lotus/enlightenment" – well, one could meditate upon that for ages, and the chant helps, but it's a bit of a semantic word salad with a literal translation.
"Trans women are women" is a clear statement with an explicit meaning one can accept or reject. One person can state it once, or a crowd can chant it repeatedly. It's not a "mantra".
Are you saying McFlook that I am targeting trans people?
weird because someone who identifies as queer on this site told me they had the first discussion on this site (with me) that didn’t go into an argument
Are you saying McFlook that I am targeting trans people?
weird because someone who identifies as queer on this site told me they had the first discussion on this site (with me) that didn’t go into an argument
You know? That you can't even write down someone's user name correctly, to me, sort of draws a big fat disqualifying line through any comment you make.
As a site meant for robust debate, it's far too puerile to be taken seriously, so maybe do better?
Actually, I type-write in more than one language and when I don’t change the language setting/preference, it can be a real pain. Such is life for someone who’s (almost) bi-lingual. Some devices seem to remember everything I’ve ever typed in 🙁
As someone who sees behind the TS curtain, so to speak, I’d say that Anker does somewhat struggle with the technology and commenting here. I believe they’re trying hard so please don’t be too harsh in your assumptions and judgements.
I've consciously done it in the past, and though it's a cheap and easy laugh, I made a decision to stop it – Let your arguments and words do the put downs, and leave the brain dead comedy to morning radio hosts, who seem to excel at it.
Thanks Incognito. That meant a lot. Because it is true and the mis/spelling of McFlock name was an error. My apologies McFlock. I do struggle with technology, spelling and eyesight and I am often aware that I make typos on the Standard.
I don’t really go in for cheap shots like that and I do my best to play the ball not the person.
my experience on this thread is that is not what others are doing with me.
accused of disrespect, being like bob the builder, being a phoney, hostility, having a crap dictionary and IMO people getting very pedantic about the word mantra to try and back up the claim that I was being hostile.
I am here to assert my opinion and that’s what I did. I realised that some might not like my opinion, or want to read my opinion, because I made a typo with someone’s name.
I never thought too much about trans issues although saw a very moving and compassionate doco in the 80s about a trans woman. So I understood their suffering.
what I am against is debate being shut down, seeing other women, often elderly people who fought hard for homosexual and women’s rights, being excluded, having their views shut down, being trespassed from Pride, having the police called on them, mainly because they won’t repeat the statement trans women are real women. They merely want to debate the issue and preserve our sex based rights.
I do not accept the gender ideology trumps biological sex.
But again thanks incognito. I did appreciate you saying that about me and technology even though it exposes some inadequacy in me!
I don't always agree with you as you know Anker, but I do agree with you that gender ideology does not trump biological sex. That does not mean I support the abuse and violence meted out to trans persons. It should be treated with the same seriousness as abuse and violence towards anyone else, but I fear it often isn't. It's the… well you asked forit mentality at play.
And don't give up. In the end, honesty always wins the day.
For the record Anker, no-one accused you of being like Bob the Builder, I noted your comment "I just don’t want it imposed on me" reminded me of a comment he had made. (He, by the way, as you stated you didn't know who he was, was a National Party Member of Parliament from Tauranga yonks ago)
You came in as the provocateur with the statement "i don’t agree that trans women are women" so when some of us disagree with your statement, it's a bit rich to be pulling the Victim Card.
My point was simply stating her comment reminded me of someone else's comment. It's no more complicated than that. Please try not to read between my lines or put words on my mouth. I am quite capable of screwing up my own comments without others making stuff up.
I really don't understand how you can't see that someone can't be part of the LGBT community while throwing one of those groups under the proverbial bus.
telling lesbians that sexual preference is bigotry and they should learn how to like dick so they can date trans women.
Seems a fair stretch from someone saying that the term 'women' includes more people to insisting you have to be intimate with any of them. Some very confused thinking going on.
Indeed, but this is what is happening. Lesbian dating apps include trans women and lesbians are called bigots or banned if they say they want to date only women. This has been building fir a long time. It will get more well known now that the issue is starting to affect gay men.
can you explain what you mean by throwing one of those groups under the bus?
Again it is the shut down of the debate I object to, and the brutality with which some of those women who are progressive by nature have been treated. They were there first ie many of them are elderly and have fought hard for women’s and homosexual rights. Not that that is good reason for other groups to go.
but it seems if you don’t accept trans ideology, then you are silenced and excluded in vicious and sometimes petty and childish ways.
I am not a member of LBGT , but my advice would be to these women would be get out and form your own organisation.
When it comes to belonging to specific groups or using designated LGBTQ spaces yes. When i was at uni i spent time hanging out in the LGBTQ space provided by the student union (i'm bi). This space was there to provide a safe place for all LGBTQ individuals and attitudes presented by Anker would not have been tolerated there.
Sure, but that doesn’t answer my question and its an important one.
if lesbians who want spaces that are female only, should they be allowed them? Should such a group be allowed at Pride if they say nothing at all about gender id?
If lesbian feminists (with what used to be called a 'radical' position about interacting with men) want spaces that exclude transpeople, it would be good if they own that clearly with their words.
Call it 'FemaleSpace' rather than WomenSpace' perhaps.
Just don't expect that associating aggression with penises will do anything about lesbian intimate partner violence, for example.
Lesbians don’t want to exclude trans people they want spaces separate from *males. Do you see the difference?
women and lesbians are being prevented from using women centred language. Because some people don’t want women having their own spaces. And ‘lesbian’ IS a word that is already women centred.
not sure what your penis/aggression comment is about. Obviously a huge part of lesbian culture has nothing whatsoever to do with penises, and I doubt politicised lesbians need to have explained to them the various issues around domestic violence.
honestly Sacha you seem largely unaware of what is going on in this culture war.
solkta, you having avoiding clarifying despite multiple opportunities, I will conclude that you support spaces and boundaries for queer people but deny them for lesbians and other women who aren’t queer. Or something.
You have been trying really hard to put words in my mouth and i really don't appreciate it. You have been behaving like RL.
All i have been saying is that LGBTQ spaces are for all LGBTQ people. If L people want to have a separate space then that space can't be within LGBTQ space, ie Pride.
Also, inserting your posts out of time sequence is making all this hard to follow. As these aren't moderation notes this seems unfair.
As an aside, but related to this, there appears to be a cynical undercurrent flowing through TS. Although cynicism/scepticism has its place, especially when being vigilant and holding people in power (e.g. politicians) to account, it can and does spill over into the debate here on TS between ‘ordinary’ people who generally mean well and comment here in good faith. In my opinion, this has an overall negative impact on the discourse here.
Your dictionary is a joke. Maybe try one with a few more definitions of the word. With particular attention paid to the meaning of the sounds "often repeated".
I just want to thank Weka for her very reasoned debate on here. And for sticking to the issues and highlighting what is happening with some trans activists tactics
I too have heard of lesbian women being told they are transphobic for not wanting to have sex with people who identify as lesbians who still have dicks. I be heard this second hand from reliable sources
Frankly IMO what happened at Wellington Pride was an absolute disgrace. Shame on the organisers. I have commented about it elsewhere.
whoever suggested I was playing the victim card, well you are entitled to think that way. I was wanting to point out that some people weren’t playing the ball, but playing the women. This has never happened to me on the Standard before. I know I make a lot of typos, but no one had ever suggested it was deliberate. Thanks Sacha and Incognito for suggesting an alternative (correct) explanation.
thanks Anne for your comments. I had the impression we agreed more than disagreed, but I don’t come on the Standard expecting everyone will agree with me! I respect your contribution hugely Anne.
solkta, I would encourage women who don’t accept trans ideology to leave the rainbow community. I am maIt’s become very unhealthy for them. I hope they all join speak up for women. But Weka makes an excellent point about does LB etc have rules? Isn’t it just a community
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The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
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I am bemused by Demi Levato buying into the ridiculous effort that some are making to reject gender by substituting in the place of 'he/she/his/her' the plural versions 'they, them, their' etc.
The last time this happened was the 'Royal We', when a powerful monarch like Louis XIV of France imposed their opinions on the rest of their courts by saying things like 'We are not amused.' Meaning, 'Don't anyone here dare laugh!' If you laughed before or louder than Louis XIV, you were likely to be exiled from his court, and so stricken from ranks of the nobility.
Grammatically, it is a matter of linguistic accident that English personal pronouns are gendered in the singular, but no longer in the plural. In French, for example, 'they' is still gendered in the plural: 'ils' for the boysies, and 'elles' for the girlsies. How will Demi get on if she tries to speak French?
There is a precedent in English where a singular noun like 'everybody' actually means 'all of us/them', so has a plural aspect to it.
We say 'Everybody left their umbrellas in the hall.' It is too complicated to say 'Everyone left his/her umbrella…' But that is the limit.
To extend this practice to the point where 'they' are supposed to be one single person, either or neither male or female; is a truly futile endeavour, and, to my mind, the height of folly.
If the gender-sensitive woke think this is a practicable measure, I think they are dreaming.
Normal people may not worry too much about what your gender is, but their natural speech patterns will keep singular separate from plural.
I think Demi's efforts are doomed to failure. People will not tolerate confusion of plural/singular.
Demi needs to find another gender-neutral singular pronoun.
Edit – I meant to write 'a powerful monarch like Louis XIV of France or Queen Victoria' but omitted Queen Victoria. Damn – I was not trying to present Louis XIV as of dubious gender… Try 'powerful monarchs like Louis XIV..'
But that example shows why Demi's idea it will not work. People will want to correct singular/plural errors.
Me: my doctor is great
You: what is their name?
we already use their as singular routinely, in part to address inherent sexism eg assuming doctors are make.
Their is way so simpler than some of the alternatives.
I do find a fair amount of the NB stuff performative and will be interested to see how many people still ID this way in ten or twenty years. For those for whom it’s more genuine or a tool to manage dysphoria or mental/social distress I think empathy and consideration is warranted. There are political boundaries to be debated too (still haven’t seen a good rationale for why NB males should have access to women’s spaces).
Maybe I am an old fogey, but I would instinctively avoid the 'their' thing by asking,
"Who is it?" (Or, "Who is your Doctor?")
Grammatically, 'their' is used as an easy way of avoiding the burden of having to say 'his/her'. This was so long before any thoughts of sexism, and as I said above, it usually went with singular nouns indicating a group of people, such as 'everybody.'
I agree that empathy and consideration are warranted, but I fear that only a minority of the population will take heed of that. The vast hordes will want to stay with his/ her where it is singular, and keep 'their' for the plural.
In the very long term, it is possible that a different English language will emerge, where 'he' and 'she' will have disappeared just as 'thou' and 'ye' have already died out.
But I don't think this woke thing of Demi's is going to work in the short term.
Gendered pronouns don't need to disappear. And you've figured out how to avoid gender assumptions for people in different roles.
I reckon the broad acceptance of a gender-neutral singular pronoun will come sooner than you think. For one thing, loads of Demi Lovato fans will now change their linguistic habits. Just as fans of Elliot Page updated their language. And people who aren't fans might not… but then, after a brief flurry of activity, non-fans will be discussing Demi Lovato just as much as before the announcement.
Funny how if it was a Maori place-name that was being misspelled or mispronounced according to traditional usage – there'd be all the usual suspects yelling 'racist' at anyone who dared demure.
But when it comes to butchering a fundamental feature of English – i.e the use of gendered cases – then suddenly you're all for it.
"Butchering"? Overstatement, much?
As opposed to deliberately mis-spelling an existing term as a careless or intended insult, the search for a gender-neutral pronoun in the singular is just another case of language being expanded to deal with concepts it wasn't previously equipped to address.
"Computers" are now machines on a desk, rather than people in another room hand-calculating complex math problems.
We have "robots" because "automatons" or "mechanical Turks" didn't quite denote the same thing.
We now have a multitude of terms for different atypical behaviours or neurological conditions, rather than assuming demonic possession or a uterus taking a walkabout through the body.
Heck, if you told Elizabeth1 that a "germ" was a microscopic monocellular organism, get ready for a demand to see a dictionar- oh, whoops, out of luck there, too.
Nope, you're right, anything that can't be clearly expressed in the patois of Chaucer is fucking abysmal.
Thanks McFlock, esp that last bit, ha!
The observable fact that we're not having this conversation in the 'patois of Chaucer' is sufficient evidence that languages do evolve over time. And that they might do so in an unconscious, organic fashion is entirely legitimate.
But then you get that social engineering, ideological butchering that Orwell wrote so eloquently about. Fucking abysmal indeed.
"Orwellian" now?
Newspeak was about subtracting from the lexicon's ability to communicate concepts, not adding to it. Your analogy is double-plus fail.
Newspeak was about subtracting from the lexicon's ability to communicate concepts, not adding to it.
So how does subtracting out of the language the ineradicable distinction between men and women 'add' to anything?
'Ineradicable'? Have you not been following the last few years at least?
I generally keep out of fundamentalist disputes because the true believers only want to 'educate' you about their convictions.
You’re welcome to invent as many new categories for the endless range of human sexual variation as you like – but equally it’s none of your business if a large majority of us continue to use gendered terms as we see fit for our own lives and experience.
'Ineradicable' sounds pretty fundamentalist from here. Gender is not like geology.
In humans are indisputably male and female for all practical purposes. Biological ambiguity affects a very small minority in the order of 1 in a 1000.
You're welcome to all the gender variation you like – it's not something I'm interested in at all.
Then I suggest you do not talk about a "distinction between men and women" when you really mean males and females.
Like I said, you're welcome to whatever gender definitions you like, just keep your nose out of mine please.
Demi Lovato isn't outlawing gendered pronouns. Just choosing not to be referred to by them. Because they feel gendered pronouns don't adequately describe them. The new use of an existing term adds a new concept that can be expressed by the English language.
You can continue to ask to be referred to in whatever damned way you want, it doesn't subtract anything from you.
Yeah, English has a long history of being adapted and added to by its users. English is kind of founded on that ease of adaptability, borrowing and invention.
So the search for new words in English by English users to describe themselves and the things around them is entirely legitimate. It has been going on for centuries.
I believe Te Reo also borrows to describe things not of the Maori world. But it is up to Maori to administer their language, not for non-Maori to demand to be able to change it for their own convenience. That is colonial (and, by definition, racist) thinking.
So, the comment above yours shows ignorance and intolerance on two levels: a disregard for Maori taonga and the strong-arm behaviour associated with that, and also a disregard for people wanting to use their own language to help them describe their world.
I believe the motive for the attack was the mostly the latter, as some folk get mighty triggered by being asked to accept non-binary people.
And, it is not "woke" to criticise ignorant and intolerant views. Rather, it is vitally important for social and cultural growth.
Mechanical Turk? First thought, curiosity; second that must be racist, before I even know what it means. We are becoming hyper-sensitive, not just a bit more.
google is your friend.
I don't want to look up something in every comment I read Sacha. I do prefer to spend time on Google looking at factual stuff to back up my comments, or add a view to them, or see what is going on elsewhere. If I occasionally present trivia I think that is a healthy thing now and then. Looking up mechanical Turk is not trivia I can be bothered with.
I'm off in a moment to see what person, group was behind Hitler. It seems that everything has money behind it so he probably had shadow backers letting the madman do the dirty work. There is a lot that we don't know about everything important. So MT will have to wait.
Yet you felt compelled to say that the term must be racist. Why not just say nothing when you cannot be bothered researching the basics.
I’ll take them/they/their as singular over having to use these:
[image resized]
True – I can't see these offerings being taken up broadly, either.
Earlier on, I wondered if the fairly logical 'Ms' would take on for women who wished to be neither 'Miss' nor 'Mrs.' Mzz is not a natural sound for an English monosyllable, but the word is now accepted.
'Ms' however was a new word, not an irrational subversion of already well-defined words.
General usage will eventually determine what becomes accepted, so time will tell. Personally, I suspect that the majority of speakers will fail to adopt this 'they, their/ singular thing, and that it will not last long.
Must be lovely to be privileged enough to demand others accept one's own opinion of oneself as fact.
If Demi wants to do this, up to them.
I just don’t want it imposed on me. I am a biological female. My title is Ms. And I want places in women’s sport for biological females. I also was change rooms etc for biological females.
i don’t agree that trans women are women. I respect their right to identify as a different gender. And have always been respectful towards the very small number of trans people I have come across.
Remember that pushback on "Ms", now it's pretty much a non issue, though there's probably still people who refuse to acknowledge it.
"I don't agree Trans Women are Woman" doesn't sound very respectful to me, and I'm sure no-one is imposing anything on you. Your comment made me remember Bob the Builder from Tauranga, "I don't mind the Gays, as long as they don't shove it down my throat" As a biological Male I will never understand how it feels to be Trans but damn it I will try to not make judgment's on them and will treat them in a manner I would wish to be treated. However, I too am struggling with the idea of our Trans Athlete competing in the Womans Weightlifting but I don't know enough about the science to know if they have an un-natural advantage.
Red-blooded – I'm sure no-one is imposing anything on you.
You must live in a tight little world if you don't understand the way that demands for new categories of being, are being felt by people who want to maintain humanity in its ancient and recognisable form and groups. And make allowances and tolerances for the few people who are different. Not have it regarded as a social fashion, like a re-run of 1960's anything goes behaviour.
Actually I do live in a tight little world thanks greywarshark partly because of "people who want to maintain humanity in its ancient and recognisable form and groups". With maturity I am reveling in my grumpy old man status and as one of the few I no longer see the need to tolerate a majority, incapable of non-judgement and inclusivity. How wonderful it must be for you in your security of being in the majority that can relegate those of us who aren't, to being an "anything goes, social fashion"
Freemasons, for example
Cheap slur solkta. When one turns an attempt to seriously discuss a contentious matter into a cheap joke rather than face up to being wrong it shows the limit to rationality in the matter.l
What slur? You are not even replying to me nor am i in this line of discussion. Pull your head in.
We have been mistaken for one another before.
cmon
It helps to understand that trans women are biologically male, it’s their internal sense of themselves as a woman that makes them trans.
TWAW is a slogan, and a mantra, that is routinely used to promote trans activist politics including propaganda and suppression of debate in addition to its more even handed uses. There are people being fired, banned, deplatfirmed, harassed, abused and ostracised for saying that trans women are male or men. Whether one agrees with either side, there is no doubt that pressure and imposition is great. I’ve not seen anything like it in decades of politics.
Even people offering a compromise of trans women are trans women are being told to stfu in the worst of ways (and tellingly, it’s women saying this that get treated the worst and the left is sanctioning that).
Thanks Weka, I literally have no Skin in the Game but how does it hurt a Biological Woman if a Trans Woman wants to consider themselves Women?
Or maybe I should just bow out.
I just wish people would live and let live.
That’s actually a really useful question.
by and large most liberal people across the spectrum have had no problem with trans women considering themselves women. Including feminists. The law was adjusted to support trans people via a legal fiction (that sex can be changed). But there were limits on this eg in the UK the law allows exclusion of trans women where that is warranted due to women’s rights. Think rape crisis centres.
the problem we have now is that there is a fast and largely undebated social engineering going on that creates a direct conflict between the rights of women and trans women. Should a woman’s refuge be obliged to house pre surgical transition TW (ie males who self indentify as women) with women who have been raped and beaten by males? Or should society continue to allow women to have separate spaces and for society to provide TW with refuges?
that’s one example, there are many others that illustrate a current conflict of rights between two groups.
Thanks again Weka, it is complicated indeed. In my limited knowledge I have been jumping to the defense of Trans Woman, assuming them to be Transitioned (as in Post Surgical Transition).
Having witnessed a friends Grandson, virtually from birth, identify as female and is now transitioning, I hail her bravery and respect her enough to now think of her as a woman , well young lady in this case and if she articulates to me a preference of pronouns etc I will attempt to alter my previously comfortable him/her she/he narrative. Have a great day.
Agree it is complex. And many people not involved in the debate likewise assume TW are fully transitioned. Most TW aren’t. There are social, political and legislative changes happening that don’t take that into account.
One reason why it matters is that the NZ govt wants to introduce self ID legislation this year to make it easier for trans people to socially transition. This seems laudable but there’s a huge conflict with women’s rights as self id allows any man to say he is a woman. This is already happening in many places in the world and discussion has been actively and forcefully suppressed. That alone should be raising alarm bells.
Unfortunately individual trans people like your friend are going to get caught in the cross fire. And it remains to be seen if women will get to retain their sex based rights.
This of course is part of the problem.
We are human mammals and mammals have two sexes, man and women.
I understand that a very small minority of people don’t identify with their birth sex and they like Demi, are entitled to make this public and to ask to be treated respectively for it.
to you I might hsve sounded like Bob the Builder, but I didn’t use his phrase, so no not really.
we fought hard for Ms so a women’s title didn’t indicate her marital status. Have no problem with with other or some such being added when titles asked for.
we agree on women’s sport. University of Otago released something recently that shows trans women have an unfair advantage over biological women. Of course they do. They have greater muscle mass (even if they have transitioned) they have testosterone and likely other hormones and they have advantages of height and statute.
Absolutely Anker, you're allowed to disagree with anything you like, it is not connected to respectfulness (and before anyone else goes on about PC gone mad or Wokeness etc, don't bother with the latest Right Wing Lazy Slur, that's not aimed at you Anker) but you were the one who was, on more than one instance, highlighting how respectful you are which I simply thought denying a person their right to be who they are didn't seem very respectful. Agree to disagree. As intelligent Mammals we have found ways to correct other irregularities, Heart Defects, Siamese Twins, Cleft Palete, you name it. So if a Trans person has bravely gone through all that is required to be the Gender they assimilate to I will happily refer to them as they, or he, or she, whatever they prefer. I'm sorry but the "I don't want it imposed on me" was what reminded me of the "don't shove it down my throat" angle I found that humorous, no harm meant. Some of my best friends are …. etc (pick your minority.) They're all a bit red rag to a Bull to this old fella. But yeah, very happy to agree on the need for sporting competitions to be a test between people with equal chances and as you say I'm sure muscle mass, memory and testosterone can be considered making the playing field unequal.
interestingly enough none of these trans women have said to me “I am a real woman and you have to agree with me”. If they did out of politeness, I would probably fudge it.
however the situation that is problematic is the activists, many of whom aren’t trans, stating “trans women are real women” who then require that I accept or concur with this statement, else it means I am transphobic. I don’t agree with this statement. To me it is anti science and I believe the acceptance of this statement erodes biological females identity and their sex based rights. I believe shutting down people through intimidation, which is happening in many countries is wrong, and I will stand up for my right to voice my opinion, especially when it is based on objective science.
btw I was told on this website by McFlook that I was being hostile to trans people because I described the statement trans women are real women as a mantra. But the dictionary definition of mantra is a statement or slogan that is often repeated. So how that is a hostile thing to say is beyond me. So I am not being respectful if I state my opinion based on science and I am hostile if I use the word mantra.
bring it on guys. Your attempts to paint me in this way only serve to illustrate my point that if women question trans ideology, they are cast in a negative light
Just because you wouldn't say what you say here to a trans woman face to face does not mean that you are being respectful, only phoney.
Yes I suppose fudging it could be seen as being phoney when someone asks you a question and you think the answer could cause hurt. some would say it was well intentioned kindness or good manners even.
Personally I think everyone does this at times, ie fudges the truth when you think the truth will cause hurt. But maybe you have never done that.
very aware of the complaints against me during this debate. Phoney, disrespectful and hostile! Goodness me. Luckily I don’t agree with them, so it doesn’t bother me.
Saying things anonymously in a public forum hurts people too. But easier that's true.
Unresolved fears cause the strangest behaviours.
Why can't one say either anonymously or under a pseudo or real name the truth about something important to them and society though it is unpopular; but resile from saying it to a 'trans woman' face to face? It isn't phoney, it is just respectful to the individual. Why is that not plain to you solkta? Did your mother not teach you any manners, courtesy.
It is unpleasant being harassed by people who have something against you personally or your type – just getting a stare when there is nothing unusual about your appearance, registers. But saying it somewhere else to a group or family how you feel is quite reasonable.
There were some images taken by a Muslim woman of how someone had abused her and thrown things at her, and she said it had happened a number of times before. The attacker seemed mentally unwell in behaviour and aggression. The Muslim woman did not care for this face to face behaviour at all.
Just as much as someone might not care at all for online speech that targets and hurts them.
As for little familial, social, or workplace support groups to incubate bigotry with none of the 'other' around, well, it's surprising how long they can keep the old hatreds as an undercurrent in a community. But there are too many hot mics around these days to keep it bubbling to the surface, imo.
Oh yes I see what you mean. The spiritual origins of the word. But in terms of that a mantra held special powers.
nut I don’t believe that trans women are real women has no meaning nor do I think it has special spiritual powers. I think the phrase has meaning for those who agree with it. I just don’t agree with it.
not being a very spiritual person, when I think of the word mantra, I think of it used in psychology to help people build self esteem eg “I am a good person”. I think I mentioned that before. But to be honest, I can’t see the spiritual or the psychological meaning being hostile. Just my view
[typo fixed in e-mail address]
That is an affirmation not a mantra.
"I am a good person" has an explicit and direct meaning.
Mantra are much more about the vibe of the collected words and sounds.
"Here we go, here we go, here we go" is an expression of collective expectation that gets its power from a crowd of people repeating it, not from the meaning of the words (half the time the "we" aren't going anywhere).
"totality of the universe/jewel/sacred lotus/enlightenment" – well, one could meditate upon that for ages, and the chant helps, but it's a bit of a semantic word salad with a literal translation.
"Trans women are women" is a clear statement with an explicit meaning one can accept or reject. One person can state it once, or a crowd can chant it repeatedly. It's not a "mantra".
Are you saying McFlook that I am targeting trans people?
weird because someone who identifies as queer on this site told me they had the first discussion on this site (with me) that didn’t go into an argument
Dunno about deliberately targeting. But I said "targets and hurts".
Are you saying McFlook that I am targeting trans people?
weird because someone who identifies as queer on this site told me they had the first discussion on this site (with me) that didn’t go into an argument
You know? That you can't even write down someone's user name correctly, to me, sort of draws a big fat disqualifying line through any comment you make.
As a site meant for robust debate, it's far too puerile to be taken seriously, so maybe do better?
Once could just be a typo.
Or auto-correct …
In a different language.
Actually, I type-write in more than one language and when I don’t change the language setting/preference, it can be a real pain. Such is life for someone who’s (almost) bi-lingual. Some devices seem to remember everything I’ve ever typed in 🙁
As someone who sees behind the TS curtain, so to speak, I’d say that Anker does somewhat struggle with the technology and commenting here. I believe they’re trying hard so please don’t be too harsh in your assumptions and judgements.
I've consciously done it in the past, and though it's a cheap and easy laugh, I made a decision to stop it – Let your arguments and words do the put downs, and leave the brain dead comedy to morning radio hosts, who seem to excel at it.
lol @ dimcognitwito![laugh laugh](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/teeth_smile.png)
I’m an open book 😉
Ha, I always imagined you as a readers digest in a dentist's waiting room.
Talking of open books, I haven't seen much of Thornton recently. What's up – Youtube run out of confirmation bias videos?
Love the music too.
'I Am Joe's Spleen'
As someone who dabbles in songwriting I can appreciate a tooth pulling soundtrack lol
More like
Oooh what goes on behind the curtain? Sounds a bit salacious to me. 😉
You’d be most disappointed! Then again, a dirty mind is a joy forever![cheeky cheeky](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/tongue_smile.png)
The sacrificial offerings do sound a bit interesting.
It’s informed consent so pretty legal.
Thanks Incognito. That meant a lot. Because it is true and the mis/spelling of McFlock name was an error. My apologies McFlock. I do struggle with technology, spelling and eyesight and I am often aware that I make typos on the Standard.
I don’t really go in for cheap shots like that and I do my best to play the ball not the person.
my experience on this thread is that is not what others are doing with me.
accused of disrespect, being like bob the builder, being a phoney, hostility, having a crap dictionary and IMO people getting very pedantic about the word mantra to try and back up the claim that I was being hostile.
I am here to assert my opinion and that’s what I did. I realised that some might not like my opinion, or want to read my opinion, because I made a typo with someone’s name.
I never thought too much about trans issues although saw a very moving and compassionate doco in the 80s about a trans woman. So I understood their suffering.
what I am against is debate being shut down, seeing other women, often elderly people who fought hard for homosexual and women’s rights, being excluded, having their views shut down, being trespassed from Pride, having the police called on them, mainly because they won’t repeat the statement trans women are real women. They merely want to debate the issue and preserve our sex based rights.
I do not accept the gender ideology trumps biological sex.
But again thanks incognito. I did appreciate you saying that about me and technology even though it exposes some inadequacy in me!
I don't always agree with you as you know Anker, but I do agree with you that gender ideology does not trump biological sex. That does not mean I support the abuse and violence meted out to trans persons. It should be treated with the same seriousness as abuse and violence towards anyone else, but I fear it often isn't. It's the… well you asked for it mentality at play.
And don't give up. In the end, honesty always wins the day.
For the record Anker, no-one accused you of being like Bob the Builder, I noted your comment "I just don’t want it imposed on me" reminded me of a comment he had made. (He, by the way, as you stated you didn't know who he was, was a National Party Member of Parliament from Tauranga yonks ago)
You came in as the provocateur with the statement "i don’t agree that trans women are women" so when some of us disagree with your statement, it's a bit rich to be pulling the Victim Card.
We are ALL entitled to our opinions.
If you weren’t saying Anker’s view is like Bob the Builder’s what was the point of the comparison?
My point was simply stating her comment reminded me of someone else's comment. It's no more complicated than that. Please try not to read between my lines or put words on my mouth. I am quite capable of screwing up my own comments without others making stuff up.
I really don't understand how you can't see that someone can't be part of the LGBT community while throwing one of those groups under the proverbial bus.
So it’s like a club with membership rules?
The community that’s telling lesbians that sexual preference is bigotry and they should learn how to like dick so they can date trans women.
Everyone throwing everyone under the bus at this point.
Seems a fair stretch from someone saying that the term 'women' includes more people to insisting you have to be intimate with any of them. Some very confused thinking going on.
Indeed, but this is what is happening. Lesbian dating apps include trans women and lesbians are called bigots or banned if they say they want to date only women. This has been building fir a long time. It will get more well known now that the issue is starting to affect gay men.
Yes I think it is best those women leave LBGTQ.
can you explain what you mean by throwing one of those groups under the bus?
Again it is the shut down of the debate I object to, and the brutality with which some of those women who are progressive by nature have been treated. They were there first ie many of them are elderly and have fought hard for women’s and homosexual rights. Not that that is good reason for other groups to go.
but it seems if you don’t accept trans ideology, then you are silenced and excluded in vicious and sometimes petty and childish ways.
I am not a member of LBGT , but my advice would be to these women would be get out and form your own organisation.
[typo fixed in e-mail address]
Mod note for you 🙂
So it’s like a club with membership rules?
When it comes to belonging to specific groups or using designated LGBTQ spaces yes. When i was at uni i spent time hanging out in the LGBTQ space provided by the student union (i'm bi). This space was there to provide a safe place for all LGBTQ individuals and attitudes presented by Anker would not have been tolerated there.
Is it ok for women to have their own spaces with the rules being biologically female?
The community that’s telling lesbians that sexual preference is bigotry
I don't know of any LGBTQ groups making statements like that. I don't personally know any individuals who have said or would likely say or think that.
So your ok with lesbian only spaces that exclude trans women?
Those would be a L space not a LGBTQ space. Anker was complaining about Pride.
Sure, but that doesn’t answer my question and its an important one.
if lesbians who want spaces that are female only, should they be allowed them? Should such a group be allowed at Pride if they say nothing at all about gender id?
If lesbian feminists (with what used to be called a 'radical' position about interacting with men) want spaces that exclude transpeople, it would be good if they own that clearly with their words.
Call it 'FemaleSpace' rather than WomenSpace' perhaps.
Just don't expect that associating aggression with penises will do anything about lesbian intimate partner violence, for example.
Lesbians don’t want to exclude trans people they want spaces separate from *males. Do you see the difference?
women and lesbians are being prevented from using women centred language. Because some people don’t want women having their own spaces. And ‘lesbian’ IS a word that is already women centred.
not sure what your penis/aggression comment is about. Obviously a huge part of lesbian culture has nothing whatsoever to do with penises, and I doubt politicised lesbians need to have explained to them the various issues around domestic violence.
honestly Sacha you seem largely unaware of what is going on in this culture war.
You might want to look at how you got from “lesbians want female space separate from trans women” to “lesbians want to exclude trans people”.
@weka
Excluding trans woman from a lesbian group is making a statement about gender id, obviously.
solkta, you having avoiding clarifying despite multiple opportunities, I will conclude that you support spaces and boundaries for queer people but deny them for lesbians and other women who aren’t queer. Or something.
A functioning command of the English language.
In English trans women is not equivalent to trans people.
I hardly ever see lesbians saying they want to exclude trans people.
@Anker
They were there first ie many of them are elderly and have fought hard for women’s and homosexual rights.
No they weren't "here first". Trans activists have been around as long as any.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Rupe
@Weka @2.54pm but under my post @12.31pm
You have been trying really hard to put words in my mouth and i really don't appreciate it. You have been behaving like RL.
All i have been saying is that LGBTQ spaces are for all LGBTQ people. If L people want to have a separate space then that space can't be within LGBTQ space, ie Pride.
Also, inserting your posts out of time sequence is making all this hard to follow. As these aren't moderation notes this seems unfair.
You’re welcome!
As an aside, but related to this, there appears to be a cynical undercurrent flowing through TS. Although cynicism/scepticism has its place, especially when being vigilant and holding people in power (e.g. politicians) to account, it can and does spill over into the debate here on TS between ‘ordinary’ people who generally mean well and comment here in good faith. In my opinion, this has an overall negative impact on the discourse here.
Your dictionary is a joke. Maybe try one with a few more definitions of the word. With particular attention paid to the meaning of the sounds "often repeated".
Me Flook….. dictionary definition of mantra…..
cambridge dictionary “a word or phrase often repeated and that expresses something that people believe”
you will need to quote me what your dictionary says.
I have never heard it used without a positive association.
but my list is growing
I am
hostile
disrespectful
a phoney
like Bob the builder (whoever he is)
and my dictionary is a joke!
Also in Cambridge, funnily enough. Top entry. Intrigued your copy only has one definition under the word.
Calling an earnest belief a "mantra" suggests no meaning behind the sound, the only benefit is from repetition.
Often licked, never beaten.
I guess we'll soon be speaking of pluralists and singularities..
Physicists already have the second one via their social engineering in the mid20C. Apparently the rules mean that it can't be used for anything else.
What rules when feelings reign?
I am sure somebody else must have already coined the phrase: ‘Anarchy rules’, or ‘Anarchy reigns’…
A stake in the hearts of etymologists.
Bloody bourgeois lot!
Snob mob.
And a pin for the entomologists.
We need more of those now we’re all socialists with a hive mind following orders from the Queen.
sweet