Comments on: “You don’t throw a cup at your brother!”

By: Lyndon Hood - Not sorry, Wellington | Fighting Talk

Lyndon Hood - Not sorry, Wellington | Fighting Talk — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:07:25 +0000

Lyndon Hood – Not sorry, Wellington…

But then I saw this on Kiwipolitico and stopped feeling like I had a novel idea.

There was also one about John Key being satisfied with the size of his stimulus package. I’ve shelved that too.

I digress…

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:16:44 +0000

one very inportant point about the analogy is that children usual have parents who can intervene – physically if necessary – to stop the fighting.

Within a country there are parent-equivalents called Police who have the same role.

Between countries there is as yet no equivalent although the UN would ideally have that role and from tine to time coalitions do form to act as parents, whitness Bosnia and Afghanistan.

By: Anita

Anita — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:31:20 +0000

Jack N,

The TV advert about wife beating has tainted the expression “not ok” with dark connotations — images of sermonisers like Russell Brown giving us morality lessons on rules we all of us know and understand even if we don’t follow them.

Actually there are a whole bunch of people in NZ who think that physical violence (aka “discipline”) within the home is entirely ok, but that aside.

If everyone knows the rules:
1) Why aren’t we following them?
2) What can the government do to convince us to follow them?
3) What can we, as individuals, do to convince others to follow them?

By: Jack N

Jack N — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:08:45 +0000

Anita wrote:

But I know that I don’t care who started it and that it’s not ok to use the lives of innocents as leverage in a political power game.

The TV advert about wife beating has tainted the expression “not ok” with dark connotations — images of sermonisers like Russell Brown giving us morality lessons on rules we all of us know and understand even if we don’t follow them.

It’s not ok to preach it’s not ok.

Incidentally the wife-beating advertisement to meet full PC standards should have included a woman weightlifter warning it’s not okay to beat your husband.

By: Pablo

Pablo — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:33:35 +0000

Nice post Anita, and the analogy was great. Just be aware that in war the innocent are pawns in the propaganda game (as is the case here). That is why war is to be avoided, as it is the ugliest and primal of businesses–once it starts all bets are off, particularly the more desperate the struggle. In this case both actors are desperate.