Flavell calls for the victims of suicide to be dishonored in death
Maori MP: 'Condemn' suicide victims
A Maori Party MP has suggested that children who take their own lives should be condemned rather than have their life celebrated - a call slammed as "absolutely disgusting" by a mother whose child took his life. In a controversial column in Rotorua's Daily Post newspaper, Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell suggested a "very hard stand" should be made on suicide. "If a child commits suicide, let us consider not celebrating their lives on our marae; perhaps bury them at the entrance of the cemetery so their deaths will be condemned by the people," he wrote. "In doing these things, it demonstrates the depth of disgust the people have with this. Yes it is a hard stance, but what else can we do?"
Our suicide rate tripled during the 1990s as the hard right economic policy as social policy agenda was implemented. Unemployment jumped to over 20% for youth in 1992 and it's now over 19% in 2011 - what makes Flavell's comments so outrageous is that it is the policies of the Government he supports that is generating the hopelessness that feeds suicide.
Flavell asks what else can one do rather than damn those who are weak and who fall and dishonor them in death, why not implement policy to strengthen the social infrastructure that can cope with those social stresses? How about you spend those billions you've handed over in corporate welfare to the people that actually need it instead?
Flavell would have John Kirwan say, 'rather than talk about your depression, know we will piss on your graves and spit on your name once you are dead'. Flavell shows all the bedside manner of Pontius Pilate trying to wash away the social carnage of his Governments decisions.
The insensitivity combined with the audacity makes Flavell a political suicide for wanting to dishonor suicide victims.
Now that's irony.
posted by Bomber @ 8:48 am
8 comments
8 Comments:
hey I just heard a dog whistle.
If one is to be generous to Mr Flavell, it may well be that he is frustrated and despondent at the high levels of youth suicides. This is one of those highly emotives issues where people scramble for all manner of possible solutions...
I've seen hundreds of kids glamourizing their dead mates by wearing t-shirts that say something like "John Smith -4.4.1993 - 8.7.2011-" With big pictures of their face blown up on the shirt.
Thats the kind of stuff that pisses me off about suicide, other than the obvious 'killing yourself' issue. Because it IS a big problem. Many elderley maori understand this problem, and they see it all the time. People at a tangi saying 'Faaaaark that was a mean tangi I hope mine is like that'. Well unfortunately for a lot of people, having a big funeral is as close to being famous as some of they are going to get. Its just like anything that society glamorizes - drugs, fast cars, alcohol, sex, and now suicide.
In my hometown there has been a spate of suicides from young teens - all of them from being dumped by their girlfriend. How pathetic is that? I agree with Flavell that something has to been done to try and make it less glamorous. Should we condemn those who commit suicide in death? We should condemn the action - and I guess that means condemning the actor. Would we praise somebody for their drunk driving if they killed themselves? No. We would still remember them, but we would accept they had made a mistake and most would speak out against it. Why is it different for suicide?
Bomber thank you ! Seriously ! Thank you . You have completely vindicated me and for that I give you high praise . Thanks to you , I don't feel so much like the obsessed lunatic i've often been accused of . I've been railing against the neoliberal scum that , like the parasites they are , have burrowed their way into our ( NZ/ Aotearoa ) hearts and minds and in that process have hollowed us out ! I've bored , frightened , maddened , frustrated , enraged and preached to all whom would listen , against their will or not to my fears for what I saw then as a rising , potent psychological threat to our lives , livelihoods and way of life . You're dead on the money ! If people don't stop and listen to you and your colleagues then take action they will be the worse for it . Once again thank you Bomber Bradbury !
"I've bored , frightened , maddened , frustrated , enraged and preached to all whom would listen"
you too... still, the more of us who try to force some sort of participation from our friends and fellow citizens the better I guess.
Unfortunately it seems more often than not, it's generally met with a raising of the eyebrows or mutterings of "communist". Unfortunately to the mediocre right have reds under their beds, any form of altruism is communism - no discussion!
Flavell is totally and disgustingly WRONG. How dare he make this kind of crass insensitive comment? If this is his idea of being a leader, shame shame shame. A turd has more mana. This is not an issue to be used as political fodder. You yourself, Bomber, have commented on his desertion of decency when he ousted Mr Harawira from the Maori Party. And Sam, those kids wear the t-shirts to remember their mates because they hurt also.
Flavell=Evil...now there's a t-shirt. For God's sake, get this guy out of parliament
Neoliberalism ... It does enjoy an enviable if not dubious position does it not . It's [sic] modus operandi is lies sheathed in truisms preached by money fetishists who espouse ' the good and just right to pursue freedoms and privileges for profit and power ' . The reason that from that seemingly simple minded ideal comes terrible consequences is that it's [ sic ] product is fuck loads of lovely money for a select few while the rest of us are carelessly ( deliberately ) damned . Explaining such a vaporous and covert concept is a bit like trying to describe fleas to a house brick . Neoliberalists will pull any trick in the book to defend themselves against criticism much less ( this is my dream scenario . ) Investigation , charges , sentencing , stripping of assets , public humiliation then imprisonment . Interestingly , if one polishes off the neoliberal bullshit veneer you find unapologetic fascism alive and well . Where there was once death squads and goose-steps there are now credit ratings and insurance premiums to strike fear into the hearts of people all the while brainwashing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment ) us ( Thanks MSM ) into unquestioning subservience .
WTF! Strange rambling postings on this one. I'm with Sam.
There are some kids who are called mongrels until the day they die and then they are deemed to be rebels and visionaries. Surely a little less opprobrium when they're alive and a bit less adulation when they're dead would restore a bit of balance. What ever the system is at the moment it isn't working well.
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