Random Politics

[Lightspeed]

It seems like people are responding to a trash as usual NZH article. The comments I've seen make it sound like he got fired for suggesting Santa couldn't be a woman, but really it was the guy was suggesting Santa's helpers should be women wearing skimpy clothes.

[fixed_truth]

The herald article. Has a load of direct quotes from the guy about excluding woman,
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12165296

"It is my responsibility that the people hired to perform the character of Santa Claus are able to be as authentic as possible in order to provide the best possible experience for children."
Baker said he took this responsible seriously, and only hired those who he believed could perform a "believable and accurate" representation of a traditional Santa.

A spokesperson for the Human Rights Commission said sex was a "prohibited ground of discrimination" under the Act.

But there were a number of circumstances where it would not be unlawful to discriminate on the ground of gender, like if the role involved counselling on personal matters, or a combat role in armed forces.

"For reasons of authenticity" was also included in the list.

Which is interesting because St Nic was Greek afaik. So if you can have Santa with different ethnicities then why not gender?

[Lightspeed]

I haven't read the article, RNZ cites it however, this being the relevant quote:

Neville Baker told the NZ Herald women should not perform the role of Santa Claus, and went on to say that Santa's little helpers wear a little skirt and top, something he said a man wouldn't do.

[xor]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

The herald article. Has a load of direct quotes from the guy about excluding woman,
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12165296

Which is interesting because St Nic was Greek afaik. So if you can have Santa with different ethnicities then why not gender?

Because Santa is a jolly fat man, AKA Father Christmas.

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

I haven't read the article, RNZ cites it however, this being the relevant quote:

If that's true then he's a dick and should be replaced by some other fattie with a beard

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by xor

Because Santa is a jolly fat man, AKA Father Christmas.

I guess that's progress from jolly fat white man.

[xor]

And this is why Labour will get rolled in the next election.

[fixed_truth]

What's the Labour Party got to do with any of this?

[Lightspeed]

A rallying cry for right wing extremists who will get behind Collins? I don't really see it TBH.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by xor

If that's true then he's a dick and should be replaced by some other fattie with a beard

Which is exactly what happened, right? The Parade opted to get their Santa from a different agency.

[fixed_truth]

Reading some of the outrage I can understand where the traditionalist are coming from if we're talking about there being a women version of Santa but a lot of people are against woman putting on a fake beard and suit and pretending to be Santa, which I don't get. Maybe a lot of people tell their kids that Santas at parades and department stores are the real Santa rather than a helper Santa?

[Jodi]

Oh my, my daughters would lose their shit if they found out that Santa was actually a woman just pretending to be a man to maintain a disguise.

[StN]

I think in my dotage I have started to agree with Shane Jones.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12167145

[pxpx]

It's fucking awful. Suffered through it multiple times. I'm not even (that) old.

[CCS]

I agree that it's a shitarse video. But doesn't Shane Jones have bigger things to worry about? He's got some trees to plant.

[StN]

Come now CCS - Shane is renowned for pulling his weight for the community.

[Juju]

"But he needs to stay well clear of having any opinion about my role in politics."

...says the guy who has no problem spouting his opinion about the guys role in corporate management.

such a choad.

[Lightspeed]

Putin and Saudi crown prince high-five at G20 summit


The state of the world in a handshake.

[Ab]

Yep, pretty much. Fuck.

[Ab]

I have David Farrar’s Kiwiblog in my morning RSS-feed-reading, and Reeder presents it nice and cleanly. Today i stupidly loaded the site in a web browser, and I present here for your edification a case study of why, on the Internet in this the year of our lord 2018, you should never read the comments.

https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/12/t...originals.html

[Lightspeed]

Is this irony?

Huawei arrest: China demands release of Meng Wanzhou

[Nich]

Maybe it's a bargaining chip to coerce China to join the Five-eyes.

I don't think there is any moral high ground stance here. Let's say US tried to take one such as: embedding spying into ubiquitous hardware is beyond the pale. Well, people might start talking more about how politicians worldwide are trying to make encryption illegal (starting in Australia with Assist and Access bill) and maybe that is just too openly oppressive to stomach in a normal society.

So perhaps the next news story will be that the CFO has been safely returned to China, and hey 5G networks will be rolled out for free across the globe! Cmon everyone get that new phone feeling!

[Lightspeed]

Maybe it's just a "hey, we can conveniently disregard rights and imprison people too y'know", to China.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters her detention was possibly a rights abuse.

"The detention without giving any reason violates a person's human rights."

ORLY?

[Nich]

Radical constructive hypocrisy

[CCS]

Originally Posted by Nich

Maybe it's a bargaining chip to coerce China to join the Five-eyes.

[DrTiTus]

[Now that John McCain and George HW Bush are dead], the US Federal Government has agreed to allow "9/11 truthers" to put their evidence of a controlled demolition before a Special Grand Jury.

I'm skeptical about any group or individual being named/prosecuted (because national security), but I guess good on the US Government for letting them go through the process?

[blynk]

Why does it matter if George Bush Snr is now dead?

[StN]

Perhaps it relates to why some of the Kennedy assisination documents were carried over in the embargo (or did Oliver Stone make that 50 year figure up?) because we have to wait for all the involved parties to be unaccountable/dead.

[DrTiTus]

Originally Posted by Ab

I don't see anything anywhere about all your information being deleted at the conclusion of the search. If they clone your device assume that your info is retained for ever whether you get the device back or not.

Ab was sort of right. Despite laws being in place for your info to be deleted, US Customs fails to delete personal data after search

[Lightspeed]

I'm not sure what's more upsetting in this clip. The dog mishandling, or Putin appearing like a human.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by DrTiTus

Ab was sort of right. Despite laws being in place for your info to be deleted, US Customs fails to delete personal data after search

surpriiiiiiiiise

[Lightspeed]

Private investigators used vehicle register to spy on environmentalists for years

Dodgy cunts.

[Nich]

Originally Posted by Ab

surpriiiiiiiiise

At the current rate, Australia border security wear their data retention policy as a badge of honour and just announce on their website:
"We ain't ever going to delete the data we scraped off your phone as you entered/exited the country. What you gonna do about it, cunt?"

[DrTiTus]

Yellow vests plan co-ordinated cash withdrawal from banks

[Ab]

Late stage capitalism yo

https://newrepublic.com/article/1528...onomy-its-hell

[Lightspeed]

AKA living in a plutocracy.

[DrTiTus]

Cam Slater (WhaleOil) partially disabled after a stroke

Paralysed in his right side, he's begun to appreciate the left more than he cares to admit.

[Lightspeed]

Damn, poor guy. He's young for a stroke, although his health never looked that great.

[Lightspeed]

I just read the article...

A "radio silence" approach had since been taken to protect Slater's privacy, while also allowing him to begin his recovery "without having to deal with vultures picking at his bones", the post states.

Projection much?

[Ab]

Call me cynical but I don't instantly assume that anything in that post is true.

[StN]

Yeah - timeframe fits when he was supposedly supporting Jamie-Lee Ross and the big root up rumours.