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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

All Blacks beat KiwiRail

Some 'ugby oaf couldn't handle his piss and was being a dick. And he's still on the team.

That occupied the first six minutes of both major television networks' news broadcasts last night. I saw an ad for sheep dip, or drench, or whatever, in the break. Welcome to New Zealand.

The only blogger I noticed who had anything to say about whatever that bullshit was all about that occupied the minds and held the attention of the nation's media - was a chick.

I don't really know, and I certainly care even less, about whatever the story was about. I don't want to waste my time on it. But these media decisions are curious. The government buys back the entire national railway system and launches this multi-billion dollar project - to be overseen by a former Prime Minister and nemesis of the government - and what do TV3 and TVNZ lead the news with? A minor All Black's minor penalty for minor embarassment. New Zealand.

Do you love the picture? It's like an '80s reunion. Reading Bassett's book on Lange makes you realise all these characters, Anderton, Goff, Wilson and Caygill, Lockwood Smith, McCully and all the others popping up from time to time, are really hangovers from the 70s and 80s; searching for relevance in this day and age.

5 Comments:

At 2/7/08 8:05 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

searching for relevance in this day and age.

Couldn't agree with you more.

 
At 2/7/08 8:20 pm, Blogger FAIRFACTS MEDIA said...

Well said Tim.
But earlier yesterday I blogged about this country's obsession with sport, which distracts us from the real issues like government and the economy.
I said sport was the opium of the masses.
www.nominister.blogspot.com

Lindsay Mitchell said as much ealier which gave me the inspiration.

 
At 3/7/08 7:37 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Using the term 'chick' for a woman is not only outdated, but also patronising and misogynistic.

Apart from that, totally agree with your sentiments - sport is way over emphasised in NZ and often over shadows topics and events that are far more relevant to the 'general public'.

NS

 
At 3/7/08 8:54 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm, don't travel much Tim.

Sport is obsessed about in every country, not just NZ, so you don't need to have some sort of cultural cringe.

 
At 15/7/08 11:00 pm, Blogger Anna said...

I'm the 'chick' who wrote about Cowan. You might note that I was writing less about Cowan himself than about social attitudes to drunken misbehaviour and alcoholism - quite important issues, I think.

 

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