Not that you didn't know that already, but I felt it needed to be said. What's really disturbing is now that TV3 has cancelled Sunrise, Paul Henry will be given validity to spew forth whatever un-PC nonsence he feels on inflicting upon the public.
I completely understand the justification for cancelling the show. TV3 is a commercial entity - unlike TVNZ they actually have to make a profit on their shows, and when Breakfast is almost doubling Sunrise's ratings most mornings, I understand that it's just not a feasible venture. I just think it's disappointing that in New Zealand we don't have enough public support in order to offer two substantially different products in this timeslot (although it has been argued relatively effectively that there just wasn't enough difference between the two shows). We can do it at 7pm (although they're both rubbish), why are we unable to do so in the morning?
I must admit, I did enjoy Sunrise. I felt they were beginning to get the formula right. Admittedly I'm pretty much exactly the demographic they were aiming for (A liberal 18-35 year old pakeha), but Oliver Driver and Carly Flynn were actually intelligent, had personality and were able to present both views of an argument relatively effectively. It was obviously coming a mile off that the show wasn't effective, and many argue (how very Fox News of me) that changes were needed.
And now of course Paul Henry rules the airwaves in the time slot. If one wishes to watch breakfast TV, they're gonna have to put up with this right-wing shennanegans. Even more reason I guess to listen to National Radio.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Chocolate day
Woke up and my beloved boy had given me a Guylian Easter Egg with praline chocolate bars. Days like this are why I love him as much as I do!!! Except he was very awake first thing in the morning, and forgotten that daylight saving had kicked in. Now, I'm sorry baby boy, but 7am is not a reasonable time to be up on a Sunday if I don't have to be. Ever.
So, a quiet day today. Not much happening in the world, what with it being Easter and all. Interesting piece on Mediawatch this morning (SG, you might like this) - more 50% of stories in Australian newspapers are driven by PR (wrap up of the findings here). Not that this is much of a surprise, but it does raise the question of how (or even if) this can be remedied. Probably a little depressing if one were looking at getting into journalism...
Be very interesting to see how this study compares to NZ journalism or US journalism.
So, a quiet day today. Not much happening in the world, what with it being Easter and all. Interesting piece on Mediawatch this morning (SG, you might like this) - more 50% of stories in Australian newspapers are driven by PR (wrap up of the findings here). Not that this is much of a surprise, but it does raise the question of how (or even if) this can be remedied. Probably a little depressing if one were looking at getting into journalism...
Be very interesting to see how this study compares to NZ journalism or US journalism.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
To continue the religious theme of Good Friday
In another example of the awesomeness of American hard-right Christianity, We have this rather depressing story... Doctor's killer sentenced to life in prison
In the spirit of full disclosure, and I realise that this is a bit of an easy out, as far as I'm concerned I am a guy and as such I have no right to dictate to a woman what she should be doing with her body. I believe that this is a hard enough decision for anyone to have to make and that it is very infrequently taken lightly. I've seen the havoc that is caused by having to make this choice and it aint pretty.
Being a gay man does put me in the position of an outsider in this argument to a certain extent - I am never going to be pregnant and the likelihood of me ever accidentally impregnating a woman is pretty damn slim. So the chance of me being in a predicament where I'm ever going to have to make this decision is about as likely as Paul Henry voting green. So really the only logical argument that I can take is pro-choice.
But I do respect those who believe pro-life, to an extent. Okay, perhaps respect is the wrong word, however if they believe that abortion is wrong, that's fine. Let them think or believe whatever they believe. However when they start forcing their opinion onto other people, this is when I begin to get pissy, especially when they're not the ones who have to live with the consequences of the action.
Shooting a doctor who performs abortions and using religion to back your actions up is completely, utterly and totally inexcusable. For a start, I doubt very much that God wanted him to murder anyone - cast the first stone, anybody? Love thy neighbour much?
In some respects, I don't blame the churches or organised religion for his actions. Let's face it, I doubt any of the major US churches would have condoned Roeder's actions. I think this is just a lone nutjob who has taken to bible bashing to justify his own actions.
This action has essentially achieved three outcomes; cost the US taxpayer a large sum of money, destroyed a life and a family and cost him his own freedom - at 52 with a 50 year sentence, the man will never step outside of prison, and rightfully so. He also hasn't achieved any of his aims, it's still not illegal, women will still get abortions and to a certain extent I imagine it's weakened his cause - this will help set back the cause of pro-life years, associating the cause with a murderer.
In the spirit of full disclosure, and I realise that this is a bit of an easy out, as far as I'm concerned I am a guy and as such I have no right to dictate to a woman what she should be doing with her body. I believe that this is a hard enough decision for anyone to have to make and that it is very infrequently taken lightly. I've seen the havoc that is caused by having to make this choice and it aint pretty.
Being a gay man does put me in the position of an outsider in this argument to a certain extent - I am never going to be pregnant and the likelihood of me ever accidentally impregnating a woman is pretty damn slim. So the chance of me being in a predicament where I'm ever going to have to make this decision is about as likely as Paul Henry voting green. So really the only logical argument that I can take is pro-choice.
But I do respect those who believe pro-life, to an extent. Okay, perhaps respect is the wrong word, however if they believe that abortion is wrong, that's fine. Let them think or believe whatever they believe. However when they start forcing their opinion onto other people, this is when I begin to get pissy, especially when they're not the ones who have to live with the consequences of the action.
Shooting a doctor who performs abortions and using religion to back your actions up is completely, utterly and totally inexcusable. For a start, I doubt very much that God wanted him to murder anyone - cast the first stone, anybody? Love thy neighbour much?
In some respects, I don't blame the churches or organised religion for his actions. Let's face it, I doubt any of the major US churches would have condoned Roeder's actions. I think this is just a lone nutjob who has taken to bible bashing to justify his own actions.
This action has essentially achieved three outcomes; cost the US taxpayer a large sum of money, destroyed a life and a family and cost him his own freedom - at 52 with a 50 year sentence, the man will never step outside of prison, and rightfully so. He also hasn't achieved any of his aims, it's still not illegal, women will still get abortions and to a certain extent I imagine it's weakened his cause - this will help set back the cause of pro-life years, associating the cause with a murderer.
A holiday to 'celebrate' a guy being killed painfully 2000 years ago...
Happy good Friday to you all. I hope that Jesus brings you all the hot cross buns you could ask for, because that's what it's all about.
Seriously though at the moment, I'm sorta stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to religion at the moment, which really does show how easily I am influenced by what I read and what I see.
On one hand, I (to be honest) begun to read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. This is not an easy read, and I did try to perservere, I really did. Don't get me wrong, a lot of what he writes makes a lot of sense. And I consider myself to be in the same position he is, spiritually speaking, i.e., while, scientifically speaking it has yet to be proven that God doesn't exist, I have trouble believing in an Almighty Presence that controls the Universe, so, statistically speaking, probably around 90% atheist.
At some point, when I am older and have more patience, I'll try again.
On the other hand, I'm currently reading The Life of Pi - given, I'm only half way through, but the beauty that Pi views religion with is amazing. His ability to see the best in, while perhaps not people, but in religious ideals is truly breath-taking, and his ability to enjoy the three faiths really does make me jealous to an extent in my own lack of faith. Well, perhaps that's the wrong way to view it - I simply admire those that have faith.
I know I'm only partially through and there's more to come, but he definitely points out both the positive and negative of religion - the scene on the beach with the Three Wise Men is a good example of the exclusive nature of religions.
So yes, stuck between a rock and a hard place - I don't believe in a God per se, but there is a lot to be said for the beauty of a set of beliefs which preaches love of thy fellow man.
Ah book club, where would I be without you?
Seriously though at the moment, I'm sorta stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to religion at the moment, which really does show how easily I am influenced by what I read and what I see.
On one hand, I (to be honest) begun to read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. This is not an easy read, and I did try to perservere, I really did. Don't get me wrong, a lot of what he writes makes a lot of sense. And I consider myself to be in the same position he is, spiritually speaking, i.e., while, scientifically speaking it has yet to be proven that God doesn't exist, I have trouble believing in an Almighty Presence that controls the Universe, so, statistically speaking, probably around 90% atheist.
At some point, when I am older and have more patience, I'll try again.
On the other hand, I'm currently reading The Life of Pi - given, I'm only half way through, but the beauty that Pi views religion with is amazing. His ability to see the best in, while perhaps not people, but in religious ideals is truly breath-taking, and his ability to enjoy the three faiths really does make me jealous to an extent in my own lack of faith. Well, perhaps that's the wrong way to view it - I simply admire those that have faith.
I know I'm only partially through and there's more to come, but he definitely points out both the positive and negative of religion - the scene on the beach with the Three Wise Men is a good example of the exclusive nature of religions.
So yes, stuck between a rock and a hard place - I don't believe in a God per se, but there is a lot to be said for the beauty of a set of beliefs which preaches love of thy fellow man.
Ah book club, where would I be without you?
So this whole Ricky Martin thing...
Okay, to start off with, the Latin heart throb of the late nineties has decided to come out of the closet. The revelation started off on his blog that he is a, quote, 'fortunate homosexual man'. Of course, this has taken off in the twitter and blogosphere like nobody's business, hell, you're reading about it in a blog by a gay man in New Zealand.
Now, the way I see it, there are three important aspects to this story:
Firstly, short and sweet, Really? Did anyone NOT know this?
Second, the way that announcements like this is considered 'news' concerns me slightly. For instance, let's look at the Times coverage of this. ALL they've done is taken the pertinent, best written aspects of Ricky's journal, fluffed it out a little with their own wording and then presented this as news.
Finally, while I admire Ricky for choosing to come out of the closet, BELIEVE ME, I know how difficult this can be and I think he's outlined his reasons pretty clearly, what irritates me the most is that it's taken him, what, 10-15 years to do so?
I (as shameful as it is to admit this), came out while he was at the top of his game and absolutely adored him as a teenage boy. To this day, Private Emotion is one of my favourite songs. However, and I know retrospect is 20/20, my image of gay men when I was growing up in a small town in Backwater New Zealand was what I saw around me - older, slightly skeezy gay men. To have had a public figure who was young, attractive, popular and successful as a role model, well, I don't think it would have hurt...
Having moved to Wellington at 18 and immersing myself in what is a very liberal city, I now have plenty of openly gay friends and role models, people I have, and still do to a certain extent, look up to. Successful gay men and women in a range of disciplines. But for young men growing up, it's disappointing that it's still seen as a hindrance to one's career and aspirations. Ricky has come out and had support on a lot of fronts, and rightly so - as mentioned earlier, this is a difficult decision for him to have made. However, I can't help but think this may do more harm than good - if I was a young man thinking about coming out and I heard this, it might possibly push me back deeper into the closet - "Well, Ricky Martin chose to keep himself hidden to have a career, perhaps I should too?".
Or perhaps I'm totally off the mark. Perhaps our society has enough gay role models these days - Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Allan Cumming just to name a few, and maybe we've come far enough as a society, that this will be but a blip on the radar. I really hope that this is the case.
Now, the way I see it, there are three important aspects to this story:
Firstly, short and sweet, Really? Did anyone NOT know this?
Second, the way that announcements like this is considered 'news' concerns me slightly. For instance, let's look at the Times coverage of this. ALL they've done is taken the pertinent, best written aspects of Ricky's journal, fluffed it out a little with their own wording and then presented this as news.
Finally, while I admire Ricky for choosing to come out of the closet, BELIEVE ME, I know how difficult this can be and I think he's outlined his reasons pretty clearly, what irritates me the most is that it's taken him, what, 10-15 years to do so?
I (as shameful as it is to admit this), came out while he was at the top of his game and absolutely adored him as a teenage boy. To this day, Private Emotion is one of my favourite songs. However, and I know retrospect is 20/20, my image of gay men when I was growing up in a small town in Backwater New Zealand was what I saw around me - older, slightly skeezy gay men. To have had a public figure who was young, attractive, popular and successful as a role model, well, I don't think it would have hurt...
Having moved to Wellington at 18 and immersing myself in what is a very liberal city, I now have plenty of openly gay friends and role models, people I have, and still do to a certain extent, look up to. Successful gay men and women in a range of disciplines. But for young men growing up, it's disappointing that it's still seen as a hindrance to one's career and aspirations. Ricky has come out and had support on a lot of fronts, and rightly so - as mentioned earlier, this is a difficult decision for him to have made. However, I can't help but think this may do more harm than good - if I was a young man thinking about coming out and I heard this, it might possibly push me back deeper into the closet - "Well, Ricky Martin chose to keep himself hidden to have a career, perhaps I should too?".
Or perhaps I'm totally off the mark. Perhaps our society has enough gay role models these days - Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Allan Cumming just to name a few, and maybe we've come far enough as a society, that this will be but a blip on the radar. I really hope that this is the case.
An introduction
Okay, first post. Hows about we get the introductions out the way first.
My name is Corry. I live in Wellington New Zealand and have done for the last six or so years. I have an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Political science, graduating from Otago University, but started the degree at Victoria University of Wellington. I've worked in hospitality for the last seven years and absolutely adore the industry, but have decided that I need some sort of creative outlet, a way to expose the inner workings of my soul, so thought a dip into the blogosphere may be a way to get those creative juices flowing.
So I'm thinking I should set myself a few ground rules:
The Chronicles Commence...
My name is Corry. I live in Wellington New Zealand and have done for the last six or so years. I have an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Political science, graduating from Otago University, but started the degree at Victoria University of Wellington. I've worked in hospitality for the last seven years and absolutely adore the industry, but have decided that I need some sort of creative outlet, a way to expose the inner workings of my soul, so thought a dip into the blogosphere may be a way to get those creative juices flowing.
So I'm thinking I should set myself a few ground rules:
- My friends, family and partner are the most important people in my life, as such while they may be mentioned in passing shall NOT be named and shamed in any way, shape or form. I may take their stories and use them (all the time trying to give credit where credit's due), but they shall remain anonymous
- Public figures however are fair game. I'm not a gossip, but I think they tend to raise interesting discussion points
- This will primarily be on points of public interest, but may include the occasional personal story.
- Foibles of the media are a personal fun point of mine, and I will take great pleasure in pointing out media muck-ups. Watch out Hilary and Mike, you're first on the chopping board.
The Chronicles Commence...
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