It’s lucky we weren’t on air last week, because we probably would’ve been sacked.
I mean there are only so many swear words tolerable on air, but expressing the rage of Aucklanders right now would use up a lot of them.
I get the overwhelming sense now that people are angry, and over it. I mean they were angry and over it a while ago, but it seems to be gaining momentum. There’s less empathy for lockdowns and teams of 5 million talk, and more rage.
Rage against those breaking the rules, border breachers, gangs.. don’t even get me started on the gangs.. the incomprehensible rules we are supposed to be following, the lack of a plan, the needlessness of all this.
All of it. It’s rage inducing. And it’s landed in Auckland, as well as Northland and Waikato laps this past week, that we're potentially not getting out of this anytime soon.
Some people mistake rage at lockdown as being about first world problems like not being able to get to the hairdresser, but it’s actually so much more than that.
It’s watching your mates' businesses and livelihoods go under, it’s watching your local cafes and restaurants begging for custom as they desperately try to ‘pivot’ and serve up some kind of takeaway.
It’s families separated, elderly isolated, young people starved of any kind of normality, students suffering, kids missing school, people struggling with their wellbeing. Watching people burn through all their savings just to stay afloat. It’s a lot.
Which is why the PM’s little tiki tour roadie with her fiancé splashed all over the news like some kind of cheesy home movie, felt like a tone-deaf slap in the face this weekend.
As they winged their way through the provinces encouraging vaccinations, did we really need the side bar of the PM popping into her childhood home for a tour, regaling her social media audience with tales of her past?
Sure, do that anytime we’re not suffering through a pandemic with some of the strictest restrictions in the world, as she proudly told us the other day. But her joking and laughing about Clark eating her pie, I mean, read the room.
This whole Covid response has been so lacking in any kind of understanding of life on the ground in Auckland, which by the way is her hometown, that it’s become quite a galling disconnect.
Whoever thought this was good PR to have the PM galivant around provincial New Zealand like it’s some fun 'trip down memory lane' roadie, missed the mark. Sure, do a vaccinate tour, but let’s not make it a political and personal branding exercise at the same time.
It also left a gaping hole in terms of any accountability to answer any questions about the two women absconders around Northland, or front up on the 60-case number jump yesterday.
Cancelling press conferences when it suits and instead manufacturing curated PR stunts through the PM's home town to giggle over pies, shows total arrogance and disregard for all those doing the hard yards.
Kate Hawkesby is a political broadcaster on Newstalk ZB - her articles can be seen HERE.
6 comments:
Hey Kate, you tell 'em girl! Let's all get on with life. The weddings missed, the family gatherings missed and the concerts missed. Life is to be lived. It's becoming ridiculous.
Take a leaf from the book of the French and the Dutch. People have been openly defying the rules en masse and in Amsterdam I gather the police have just about given up trying to enforce them.
Excellent Kate. An accurate summary in my view.
Jacinda is first and foremost a career politician and she will do ANYTHING to protect her image. But as the mounting list of cock-ups and policy disasters grow even the MSM are struggling to cover up for her.
Maybe she's hoping Clarke's new TV show - Moving Houses, or something like that, will take our minds off all the bad things. Jacinda may think tenants who are being kicked out by their landlords, who have decided to sell up, might find it interesting and pick up some tips. But sorry, for the rest of us it's going to take a lot more than a publicly funded, third-rate program starring her partner to do that.
Clarke may be trying to resurrect his career in light of his wife's recent political performance. Can I suggest another programme - Moving Country. A one-off special, starring our own PM, featuring her move to the UN in New York. I would definitely watch that and throw a party at the same time.
Sound Familiar?
People with this behaviour were most likely treated as if they were superior or above others during childhood. These expectations can follow them as they become adults. They tend to brag and be elitist.
They are aggressive, dominant, and exaggerate their importance. They are very self-confident and aren’t sensitive.
Sense of Entitlement
A common sign is the belief that they are superior to others and deserve special treatment. They believe that others should be obedient to their wishes and that the rules don’t apply to them.
Manipulative Behaviour
Another common trait is manipulative or controlling behaviour. They will at first try to please you and impress you, but eventually, their own needs will always come first.
When relating to other people, they will try to keep people at a certain distance in order to maintain control. They may even exploit others to gain something for themselves.
Need for Admiration
One of the most common signs is a constant need for praise or admiration. People with this behaviour need to feel validation from others and often brag or exaggerate their accomplishments for recognition. They also like to feel appreciated to boost their ego.
Lack of Empathy
Lack of empathy is another sign. This means that they are unwilling or unable to empathize with the needs, wants, or feelings of other people. This also makes it difficult for them to take responsibility for their own behaviour.
Arrogance
These people already see themselves as superior to others, so they may become rude or abusive when they don’t receive the treatment they think they deserve. While they hold themselves superior, they may speak or act rudely toward those that they deem are inferior and treat them with contempt.
Can also fit most of the present Labour Cabinet Members.
See also: Narcissist.
Sooner or later people with integrity conclude their credibility is at risk by being employed by an organisation that trades in lies and misinformation by government produced propaganda. (or is the money too good)
You are braver than me Kate! I would rather poke myself in the eye with a burnt stick than watch Adern on the TV. That Cardigan Bay smirk and the moving hands puppet show make me want to jump out of the window, pity I only have a single storey house.
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