Am I too PC?

I wrote this post in response to a blog tittled Being politically correct

 

 

Subjectivity, I admit it’s extremely hard to avoid, especially when you haul around bundles of zealous opinions like me. It’s something as a writer and student I  have to work  on and in turn this post may seem contradictory to a few of my previous opinionated rambles. But I’m going to say it anyway. On November 13, 2006 an article by Deborah Coddington titled ‘Asian Angst:  Is it time to send some back?’ was released in the North and South publication.  The article adopted a biased tone when reporting issues of race relations in conjunction with what was given the dogma of the ‘Asian crime epidemic.’  Coddington fundamentally listed one Asian related crime after another ignoring all contrasting information speaking with only one voice representing only one discriminatory message.    The title freestanding exudes hints of ethnic and moral battery.   

 

Although there was evidence of some attempt to create a balanced argument there remain only two quotes from citizens of Asian descent and approximately 450 neutralising words in the entire 6600 word article which talked exclusively of Asian issues.  Statements made in the article such as, Asian are seen in NZ to have “all-round fine citizenship,” are contradicted and unsupported by comments such as “The Asian menace has been steadily creeping up on us”, We can’t be seen as a soft touch. Personally my gut reaction is why the hell are taxpayers paying for these bastards.” and “as each week passes with news of yet another arrest involving a Chinese sounding name”

 

Following the realise of the article complaints flowed into the Press Council head courters. In a complaint by Tze Ming Mok a member of the Asia New Zealand foundation it was stated, “The article is offensive on several levels, and carried racist overtones. Further details maybe viewed in the original complaint letter, but in summary, the article contained descriptions that were objectifying and dehumanizing, which implied that Asian New Zealanders are not New Zealanders or are lesser New Zealanders than the rest of the population, and which included uncritical reproduction of anachronistic racial slurs such as‘Asian menace’and ‘Asiatic’.” Complaints not only against the racial bias but the reporting of inaccuracy were put forward.  Dr Grant Hannis stated “To obtain a clear picture of Asian crime we need to calculate the crime rate – the number of reported crimes as a proportion of the population. This is the standard statistical measure of the incidence of crime. The crime rate did not appear in thearticle or in any of the subsequent discussion. I have calculated the crime rate, using data for the time periods and populations used in the article.”

 

On the 11th of June 2007 the New Zealand Press Council ruled that the ‘Article Asian Angst’s it time to send some back?’  breached principle codes numbers 1 and 8 on accuracy and discrimination. Code 8 states that Publications should not place gratuitous emphasis on gender, religion, minority groups, sexual orientation, age, race, colour or physical or mental disability. Nevertheless, where it is relevant and in the public interest, publications may report and express opinions in these areas. The council responded by stating that the language used was “emotionally loaded” and that “There are serious crimes committed by individual Asians is not at issue but the failure to set this in context, both of other sectors of New Zealand society and of the Asian communities as a whole, cannot but stigmatise a whole group.”

 

Coddington responded firmly to the complaints and denied all counts of inaccuracy and discrimination stating “Dr Hannis is not comparing like with like. I find it interesting that someone who leads a journalism school at a university noted for its journalism training does not seem to understand the basic concepts in constructing a relevant and balanced argument. I stand by my article and the use of the apprehension statistics in the article.” In a frenzied web media response to the article online bloggers criticised Coddington. Reactions were harsh and included comments such as the following,  “You can see Coddington and Robyn Langwell examining the cake. How? How can we make sure that the racists eat the cake? But that no-one can prove that we fed it to them?” and  “We can smell the weakness in your stats, Ms Coddington, and it smells like Poisson distribution that’s gone off.”  One blogger noted that articles such as these had seem to be a recruitment from the past, not since the Asian Invasion article in 1996 had we seen such racial  hammering.  “When ‘Asian Angst’ was published last year, there was a widespread sense of disbelief that something like this was actually happening again – it seemed so anachronistic, a kind of journalism from another era, repudiated long ago.” Coddington ignored all interview requests concerning the public’s uproar but in a fleet to defend herself Coddington responded via her columns in the Herald on Sunday, calling the bloggers “insane,” and claiming that “heartland” New Zealand was behind her.

 

Asian stereotypes are deeply embedded into New Zealand’s social assumptions. The racial thread labelled “the yellow peril” is still holds a significant position in New Zealand society.  Even citizens born in New Zealand whom ancestry arrived in the same period of early European settlers are told to ‘go home.’ Considering New Zealand’s racially stained attitude, it is widely believed that the figure heads of the publication formulated this article in an editorial quest to boost sales by connecting to their middle to upper class pakeha audience.  Charles Mabbett stated “My information tells me that the editor wanted this angle, and found a journalist who would provide it. That was atrocious.” Deborah Coddington strengthens this theory when she revealed during a heated interview on national radio that the article ‘wasn’t even my idea.’  As a result, The Asian Angst article was tossed into the category of unethical journalism and although sales may have peaked short term, the vast controversy’s following the article achieved nothing but eradicating damaged to the North and South brand.

 

 

I feel this article ‘Asian Angst’ had some interesting information to communicate concerning the Asian crime rate and that New Zealanders deserve access to this information, this is almost undeniable. It was however the execution of these important messages that needed to entail a more fair and unprejudiced slant. Does this make me to PC? Most probably.   Being politically correct may not be fashionable in today’s freethinking society, but if you were suddenly pushed into the minority group your views on this subject matter could inherit a new perspective.

 

 

Imaginary Bliss

 

 

What! There are now virtual worlds?!  After reading a blog titled  MyFaceBeBook I was inspired to catch a glimpse of just how far internet extremist are willing to push the stone over the line.  In my Google searches I stumbled across the words “meet new friends,” which lead to a webpage titled “There.com” At There.com you can literally create your own virtual world.  You can build a home, create a city, attend parties, fashion shows, start up our own business, adopt pets check out the clubbing scene and wait for it………you can even pay real dollars in exchange for virtual dollars in order to buy and sell pretend merchandise and real-estate through this illusory domain. Yes that’s right, PRETEND.  

 

Wow, ‘how exciting’ I thought to myself as I gazed at the two cartoon figures and they’re cute little PRETEND dog accompanied by the background image of their PRETEND dream home. I was so intrigued by the cutesy fuzzy pictures that I clicked on the ‘join now for free’ button and began to construct my very own imaginary world. The first step was to choose my avatar name and then I could decide which hair style I wanted out of espresso bob, cocoa Halle and blonde dancer. But not to worry there was a popup message assuring me I could change my style later with a larger variety of cuts on offer after you sign up. PHEW! Next was chocolate caramel or vanilla, I knew I was resemblent of a vanilla complexion, but what the heck, this is a virtual world, I can do whatever I want. So I went for the caramel skin tone to give me that sun kissed glow.

 

  Sounding pathetic?  I couldn’t continue, It was just too damn stupid, what’s creepy is that this isn’t even child’s play.  There.com is aimed at the adult demographic, the consumer groups with money to spend. But surely sites such as these gain little if not no success?  EEER! Wrong. There are actually hundreds of these virtual world sites which raise huge profits with sales rising up to $526 million in North America in 2006.  Additionally Screen Digest Limited in London predicts that 80% of active Internet users will join a virtual world by the end of 2011. These contextualised realms incorporate themes such as gravity, real-time, communication, visual gesture, sound, and forms using touch and balance senses to make the second life experience as realistic as possible. To me this type of internet frenzy commotion is straight up crazy.  I mean investing genuine green for virtual cash? Get real.

 

http://jokerscard.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/myfacebebook/

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070522_380944.htm

The PR Wave

The colours of Public relations have changed in today’s swamped world of new media. The emergence of the World Wide Web, blogging, online journalism and social networking has gifted the current PR realm a new medium to explore and employ.  Now almost every successful business is actively looking towards the phenomenon of the internet to help build company culture and create crucial relationships with not only direct customers but also bloggers and journalist who will in turn assist in portraying the company’s values through stories, articles, blogs and online media realises. A quote by Brian Solis a public relations executive states, “ Participation is marketing and by actively participating in both the online and real worlds, you forge relationships that will help your brand and social capital grow”.  

 

Companies are encouraged to first start up a company blog and social networking profile. Secondly to research relevant bloggers and journalist in order to determine the most effective and beneficial group of online writers to expose your companies message.  Thirdly to actively involve your company in the blogging domain by participating in online conversations, leaving constructive and positive comments, linking back to your company and also linking back to your most important contacts.  The reinvention of marketing and PR means connecting with your audience indirectly is crucial, therefore building offline relationships with writers is almost guaranteed to strengthen the commitment and interest bloggers and journalist will retain regarding you and your company. Attending tech networking events and or other social events where people in the web media industry may mingle will not only build your social capital but will present the opportunity for company figure heads to create that vital relationship which will further ensure web media buzz in regards to their businesses.

 

Despite the undeniable power of blogger relations which feed traffic, break and expose stories and increase user base, PR practitioners cannot ignore the significance of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Bebo.  Be gone with the days of questioners, telecommunications and loyalty cards. Now companies can discover just what consumers are thinking about brands and why they think it, both in the conversations that are provoked or merely casual genuine chatter between friends. By searching for your company, brand, product or competitor’s name in any of social network sites you can zoom in and see how they’re being discussed right from the comfort of your company laptop. Solis states, “Listening is as important as publishing. The best listeners make the best conversationalists. Reading and responding is critical to managing perceptions, sharing expertise, and building loyalty.”

 

It is as true as it is astounding, the bombardment of the internet has shaped a new future for marketing and PR. One which involves learning new skills and techniques but one which allows your company message to be put across in a subtle but effective way.  The vivid prospect for online marketing opens up a newborn sphere for corporate moguls across the globe.   

 

 

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/25/pr-secrets-for-startups/

 

 

Bebo Shmeebo

Social networking, the biggest craze of our time, closely followed by the thankfully fading fluro fad which came back from the eighties to haunt us all.  So, social networking has managed to mingle its way into millions of youngster’s lives on a global scale. But it’s not just youth who are hooked on sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo; the demographics are continually broadening as these tools become more popular. The ages are now more vast than most would think, in fact I have discovered my own aunties and uncles not to mention great aunties and uncles set up with personal profiles on social networking sites.  Popular? Yes! Great benefits?  Arguably so.  But in my opinion the negative consequences outweigh all positive attributes of social networking.

 We, the public, continue to reveal personal information for all eyes to see.  Freely we disclose address, date of birth, full names, photos of ourselves and others, phone numbers, hobbies, occupation, relationship status, dairy dates and the list goes on.  These factors open doors for sex offenders, thieves and fraudsters to zoom in on individuals targeting them for their next offence. By releasing sensitive information you are literally making it easier for potential offenders to seek you. Aside from this startling factor there are numerous other negative consequences in relation to social networking. 

One which I have had personal experiences with. You get home from a hard day at tech and you automatically switch on your lappy for a quick review of your Bebo or MySpace page. Before you know it over an hour has passed. Precious time which could have been used doing something constructive such as, study, washing, preparing dinner, catching up with friends (just to name a few) has been wasted.   It’s almost automatic to log onto your profile at least once a day. So instead of living life to the full our generation has been sucked into living part of our lives in a virtual world. A world which rips individuals further and further away from real life experiences. The future looks particularly grim as this issue will almost undoubtedly grow as long as technology continues to advance at such rapid rates.

Then there’s the chance of losing out on that desired job opportunity because your prospective employer searches your name online and discovers that photo of you staggering down the main street of town with a bunch of half unconscious hooligans while your dress is so delicately falling down.  More and more recruiters are researching potential employees and whatever you decided to post online could potentially harm your current or future career.  

I could ramble on about all the issues that arise from social networking, but my post would soon reach a word count that none of us desire to comprehend.  On that note I will finish up. I’m not telling everyone who reads this to delete all their social networking profiles and to protest against it.  My main message here is to ask you all to rethink how you use such tools. Moderate and consider what information your disclosing and most importantly don’t let social networking impair the way you live your authentic lives.

Links that inspired this post:

http://www.dogstreetjournal.com/story/3086

http://thefrequentview.blogspot.com/2008/08/newest-form-of-communication.html

My Relationship with the Net.

Well the internet first made its way to good old New Zealand on the same year I was welcomed into the world, 1989. It was also my home town Hamilton which was the first place in New Zealand to connect to NSFNET.  Soul mates? Not quite, but me and the internet have definitely had a love hate relationship since our lives here in New Zealand started in 1989. 

 

 The hate aspect of our relationship refers to my constant technological struggle with anything mechanical.  Let’s just say I have considered using my computer screen as a pen stabbing device on more than one occasion.  Then there’s the net junkie syndrome, which has proven to be significantly hard to shake. Becoming addicted to sites such as Bebo, Celebritygossip, YouTube and umm Dollzmania, can be time consuming, embarrassing and can ultimately lead to a deprived social life and dumb academic results. Thank goodness my addictions haven’t reached that stage, aha, yeah, anyway. 

 

Now for the love, I love all the new web browser devices that we are being introduced to in our Web Media class this semester. I didn’t even know tools such as Blogline, CoComent and Delicous existed.  I admit, my technological disabilities did make the process of learning about these tools a bit frustrating, but once your set up and have had a bit of a practice using the sites it makes browsing the web so much easier and more fun!  

With delicious I can organise and tag (bookmark) all my favourite sites, see what other people are into all around the world and even develop my own delicious user network.  We all know how popular and how important blogging is in today’s age. Well the conversations, discourses and comments surrounding these blogs are just as important as the blogs themselves. This is where CoComent comes into the picture.  Although I haven’t learnt a great deal about this device I know that you can trace and save all the comments and conversations you have with other bloggers.  Finally, RSS Feeds and Blogline. With these two systems you can guarantee you’ll save loads of precouis TIME, an asset all students need larger quantities of. RSS and Blogline enable you to feed all new information from your favourite sites so they travel to you. Yes the information comes to you, this means less net surfing and more time for you to study, work and party. YUSSS.

Truth

 This is a continuation of my recent post ‘Do you believe in god?’ If you haven’t had the chance to read this blog here is a quick catch-up.  I discussed the topic of religion and in particular the truth of religion. After watching a riveting documentary called Zeitgeist.  Also after examining a collection of my own research I discovered the existence of an ancient Egyptian god named Horus. Horus the god of the sun along with a vast number of other pre biblical gods attained many of the same attributes which describe Jesus and his journeys which are reiterated in the bible. In my first blog I left off with the question of why? Why do so many gods share the same unfolding attributes? 

 

History and science points to a conclusion that is completely astronomical. Virtually since the begging of human existence ancient civilisations have worshiped the sun. It’s easy to see why as the sun in its awe of greatness scares away the darkness gifting light to earth, radiates warmth and blesses crops with its nutrients.  Not only did earth’s earliest people adore the sun they learnt very early on how to navigate by using the sun and stars. They personified them, transforming the jewels of the skies into mythical figures, as seen in one of the most ancient conceptual symbols known to man, the Zodiac.    The Zodiac represents the 12 major constellations’ of the sky, with the sun as the central emblem. In mass media terms, the constellations translate to the horoscopes you read in women’s day like Aries and cancer ya know? They are enjoyed by many in today’s society, regardless of your gender I might add (don’t deny).  So how does the story of Christ relate to the 4^th to last page of women’s day? Well let me begin.

 

The star in the east is Sirius the brightest star in the night sky.  On the 24^th of December Sirius aligns with the three brightest stars of Aryans Belt, the three stars are named now as they were in ancient times, The Three Kings. The four stars which align on the 24^th all point to the place of the sunrise on the morning of December 25^th. This is why the three kings follow the star in the east to locate the birth of the son or as I like to say, ‘sun.’  Jesus’ death is connected to the solstices of the sun. As the sun moves from the summer solstice to the winter solstice the days become colder and shorter as the sun continues to moves further south for six months. People in ancient times viewed this process as death, the death of the sun.  Interestingly enough when the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky it pauses and remains without shifting for three days. During this time the sun dwells in the vicinity of the southern cross, only to rise again moving one degree north after the three day period. So there it is, the sun dies on the cross only to be resurrected three days after.  

 

  Next, the virgin marry. It is easy to connect Mary to the constellation Virgo, Virgo in Latin translates to virgin.  Virgo also represents a time of harvest and is seen with a wheat grain in ancient Virgo symbols. In turn she is also referred to as ‘the house of bread,’ and get this, the name Bethlehem literally translates to, the house of bread.   Primitive cultures were very aware of the procession of the equinoxes. The time it takes for the procession to go through all twelve constellations signs are approximately 26,000 years.  Ancient society’s referred to every 26,000 year period, as an age.  From 1AD to 2150AD is the age of pieces the age in which Jesus lived and the one in which we still live in today.  As we all know the symbol of pieces is that of two fish. Fish symbolism is seen frequently throughout the bible, in fact as one of the miracles of Jesus he feeds 5000 people with bread and two fish, he also befriends two fishermen on his journeys who follow him.

 

Many more biblical chronicles such as the end of the world can be explained in an astrological sense.  But as for the 10 commandments these are derived directly from the Ancient Egyptian book of the dead.  The 10 phrases in the book of the dead exactly match the commandments which are preached in the Christian church. I have not stolen became Thou shall not steal, I have not killed/thou shall not kill, I have not told lies/ thou shall not bare false witness and so on……So with this small array of facts derived from a vast bundle, I hope I have inspired people to seek the truth, their truth, weather that be a religious truth or not.

Gods Own Country? Yeah Right!

“Nips, slanty eyes, bloody Asian drivers, go back to where you came from.”  It’s not just verbal abuse, but social exclusion and physical violence as well. What’s worse is that not only is the media discriminating against Asians in NZ, with the latest headline in North and South magazine reading, “Asian Angst: is it time to send some back?,” but the New Zealand Government is getting in on the anti- ‘Asian invasion’ movement  too.   Winston Peters is presenting his most recent racist campaign by bringing up the ‘Issue of immigration.’  Shortly after this campaign, a new Government policy was put in place that would see immigrants without university level English, refused entry to NZ.

But are Asians taking over our country? The answer is simple, NO! Resent statistics show that Asian and Indian immigrants combined, make up only a third of all arrivals to New Zealand, with 4,160 South African and English immigrants outnumbering the 3,512 Indian and Asian immigrants.  Additionally the concept that many Kiwis deem truthful, that Asian immigrants are stealing our jobs is completely and utterly fictitious. Statistics reveal that the increase in Asian immigration has either improved or has not affected employment levels in New Zealand. In fact Asians are finding it more and more difficult to find jobs when arriving in New Zealand, discovering that their advanced skills and qualifications are insignificant in NZ.  Despite pervasive work experience in Canada, Europe and Asia, Asoka Basnayake had no success in landing a job in NZ after applying for over 250 jobs.  Asoka who is now a coordinator for new migrants, says that  “There has been a disturbing increase in recent times in what I’d call conversational discrimination and particularly in relation to Asian immigrants. Although people’s qualifications and experience and skills have been assessed at the time they migrate to New Zealand, when they come here they find their skills, qualifications and experience are not worth anything”

 

So why do they just stick to their own kind?  This question constantly frustrates me. The truth is, after talking to a variety of Asian and Indian students, most want to fit in and try many things just to be socially accepted here in NZ. Many immigrants know more about rugby than the average New Zealander. They want nothing more than to be included, but have no choice other than to stick to their own people and culture, because we Kiwis push them aside, disregarding them as friends or even potential friends.

 

Anyone reading this knows there is no denying New Zealand’s blatantly racist attitude towards Asians. Many forget that a large number of the Chinese population arrived here at the same time as some of the first European immigrants. This leads me to my final point. Think about this and consider it carefully. The Maoris were not the first to arrive in Aotearoa, in fact the Maoris killed off the Morioris and used the survivors as slaves. Then the European settlers came along, stole land from the Maori and stripped the Maori of their culture. Asian immigrants are not trying to kill us all, or steal our land and culture. They simply want a chance for a better life. If this was really Gods own Country, we would embrace all cultures and people, because at the end of the day, colour and race does not determine a person’s spirit. 

 

Do you believe in god?

‘Zeitgeist,’ a compelling documentary which many of you may be familiar.  The piece exposes many controversial topics and seeks to push the boundaries of which many educational documentaries remain a custom to.  As your senses tune into the work you are delivered an extremely biased but heavily researched collection of information and opinions.  The documentaries main ambition is to help us, the public, realise what is referred to as the ‘truth.’ It reveals many topics such as, politics, world banking, terrorism, war and my favourite…..religion.  Please if you are a religious follower do not be offended by the next few paragraphs, as I am simply acting on freedom of speech and portraying my opinions, beliefs and values.

Being raised as Roman Orthodox Catholic I have always questioned religion, not just catholic or Christian but religion on a world scale. As a young teen I spent a lot of time reflecting on my thoughts regarding religion and the ideas and actions surrounding this subject. It was through those reflections that I came to the conclusion that I did not need a bible, a church, a set of rules, commandants and rituals to find my god, or god like force.  I realised these were objects of power and control and Zeitgeist validated this for me in an informative and logical way.  

An ancient Egyptian god named Horus who was worshiped as far back as 3000BC was the anthropomorphisation of the sun, in retrospect he was the god of the sun.  Horus who was created by humans as a representation of the sun, giver of life and light, shares some astoundingly similar attributes with one of the most famous men in history, Jesus.  Like Jesus Horus was born on December 25^th, born of a virgin, his birth accompanied by a star in the east, was adored by three kings, at the age of 12 he was a child teacher, he was baptised at the age of thirty and thus began his ministry, travelled with 12 disciples, performed miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water, he was betrayed thus crucified, buried for three days and then resurrected, blah blah blah.  These attributes of Horus seem to repeat through the layers of time, history and culture. Gods such as Attis of Greece, Krishna of India, Mithra of Persia, Jao of Nepal, Indra of Tibet and countless more share the same general attributes as Horus god of the son or, dun dun dun! ‘Gods Son!’

 You may be thinking, but why these traits? Why crucified, why born of a virgin? To find out simply read my up coming blog post titled ‘Truth’ and I’ll tell ya aaaaall about it.

A VERY REAL, VERY FRIGHTENING, FUTURE FOR HUMANS

RFID?  Many of you are probably thinking what the *&%#.  Well my job today is to fill you in on this extraordinarily frightening ordeal.  RFID is a technology which has been in action since the end of World War 2 and is a radio frequency tracking device used to count and track consumer products and war supplies.  These RFID chips are also implanted into many credit cards and authorisation ID cards.  Currently all new American passports are being inserted with these micro chips in order to track your every move. 

 This intimidating device is not exclusive to the States, here in our own New Zealand, micro chips are being implanted into all new Australian and New Zealand passports. Just the other week, I received my new Australian passport and was alarmed to find it came with a complimentary micro chip! It is said that by 2008 every American citizen will be forced to obtain a federal FRID identification card, in order for the government to keep 24 hour surveillance on all of its citizens. 

 You must be thinking, what about human rights, a little privacy? These questions are extremely challenged as I move onto my next, I like to call ‘interesting,’ detail.  It is speculated that the American government’s final plan is to position RFID technology on a global scale of human tracking. For all humans and newborn babies to be implanted with a RFID chip which will control your money supply,  travel, identification, literally your whole technological world. If and when micro chipping becomes apart of everyday life, it lends a tremendous amount of power to the government. Gifting the men behind the curtains control over our lives and the ability to track each living individuals every move.  

 

 Ultimately if government officials can obtain such power as to force and or persuade every human being to be implanted with such a chip, then the power to turn off or deactivate our chips is just as real.  This act of total world dominance is a very real scenario. In fact families in America have already agreed to be the first dummies for such implants. Advertisements have been created and realised to help brainwash or persuade citizen to oblige to the implanted chips. What’s scary is it is predicted that in time humans will demand such chips as the American Government continue to build a manipulating social agenda with the help of mass media.  The FRID implants will have various positive effects, but the total demolishment of human rights, freedom and privacy overshadows the convenience of FRID.

 

I have added some important links concerning this topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh8CGhR4Vlw

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNPDgudPmXE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPqUUR5OFJg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US-GcgHL2HM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAvQcYcvyaw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJnooBWNcSQ&feature=related