Ron Mark needs a hoodie

Youth Week Hoodie Day criticised
The highlight of this year's Youth Week is Hoodie Day on Friday but NZ First MP Ron Mark says it is sending the wrong message. The week is to be launched at Pataka Museum in Porirua this evening hosted by Youth Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Organisers said the highlight of events was Hoodie Day where people would wear the sweatshirt-type tops to try and break down stereotypes that only young hooligans wear them. Hoodies have hit political news before; in July 2006 Conservative Party leader David Cameron said people should "hug a hoodie". Mr Mark criticised the idea and said it was a misuse of the $35,000 spent on Youth Week activities. "I think it's a little bizarre that a Maori MP would be promoting black American gang culture as a way to try generate some positive messages about New Zealand youth," he told NZP

Dear old Ron Mark, he’s very hot right now with his helping a motorcyclist from bleeding to death, but he’s a bit staunch conservative for me and is missing the point here – young people are given a very bad media wrap in NZ, and the intent from this youth organization is to cut through and counter the stereotypes that all kids wearing hoodies are thugs – the issue is that a youth organization feel the need to break stereotypes so much so that they are doing this. Ron needs to chill a bit and see the wider issue rather than reflect the bias.