Saturday, March 17, 2007

Marches are supposed to be our thing

I'm a bit put out that people are organising a march in Wellington that I disagree with. Occasionally other people organise demos (or people I know organise demos for causes I don't support - like Animal Rights. But I've been a Wellington activist for almost ten years, and I can only think of two marches that I didn't attend for political reasons (the police association march for higher pay, and destiny's creepy 'enough is enough' rally - I attended coutner-demos in both cases)

Although one of the Frog's parents wants to come. She'd take the frog and use him as a prop. She marched round the kitchen holding him by the ankles, hitting him rhythmically on his (nappy-clad) butt, while chanting:

2, 4, 6, 8
Beat the baby before it's too late

1, 2, 3, 4
I want to beat him more

The Frog is very into this plan; it's one of the funnest things he's done for a while (although he got ridiculously into the game and went up to the nearest grown-up and said 'beat, beat, beat').

11 comments:

  1. Ha ha, that's hilarious. You wanna teach the kids how to participate in a march as young as possible. Although, yeah, may be not THAT march...

    My illustrious career began when my older brother kidnapped me to take me on an anti-Springbok Tour march when I was nine. That got me hooked!

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  2. I remember well the first march I was responsible for - about a week before M day people started to tell me about the Act-organised march that was going to be marching in the opposite direction from us, on the same day an hour earlier. It was in favour of reducing the size of Parliament, which always seemed to me a very dispassionate issue for marching. I had horrific visions of placards clashing mid-Queen St, but they must have had next to no one attend because we never saw them.

    I always find it odd when right-wingers organise marches for their cause. Although it would probably be more honest than relying on their elite power to see them through.

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  3. Anonymous2:14 pm

    If the Right had all the power as sad leftys seem to think why is Labour in office and National and ACT not....?


    Think about bit small brains.

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  4. Anonymous6:48 pm

    oh you know you want to organise a counter-march for this one! i'll come :) haha my parents will be marching for their right to smack!!

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  5. I'd definitely go along to an anti-smacking protest if anyone knows of anything happening round Wellington?

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  6. Anonymous11:07 pm

    For people to march in the streets for the "right" to hit/beat their kids, makes me physically sick, and is basically reprehensible.

    I never thought I would say this, but I am ashamed that I am a New Zealander, and I am ashamed of our countrymen.

    It so insenced me that I now run a script from my webserver that bombs the e-mail address of any pro-smacking website I come across.

    One blow for non-violence I say..

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  7. Why would you want to teach children to "participate in a march as young as possible"?

    Isn't that tantamount to indoctrination? Wouldn't you be better serving their interests by developing their faculties of logical thinking and critical reasoning; facilitating the fulfilment of their individuality?

    It seems that many radical lefties and the bigoted religious zealots have a lot in common; neither seems to have a particularly firm grasp on their self-professed convictions and each latch onto causes on an ad hominem basis.

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  8. Actually participating in a march is often an act that involves considerable critical thinking, before, during and after, but thanks for your narrow-minded view that marchers are brain-washed.

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  9. Anonymous3:55 pm

    millsy

    >>One blow for non-violence I say..

    And a blow for freedom of speech.

    >>the "right" to hit/beat their kids

    Anyone who cannot tell the difference between a gentle slap and a beating is too stupid to reason with.

    >>I am ashamed that I am a New Zealander, and I am ashamed of our countrymen.

    I am proud New Zealanders see through this nonsense, which will do nothing to address child abuse. They also have facts and reputable studies on their side.

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  10. "Actually participating in a march is often an act that involves considerable critical thinking, before, during and after, but thanks for your narrow-minded view that marchers are brain-washed"

    Implicit in what I said was that for one's political participation to mean anything it is fundamental that your faculties of critical thinking and reasoning are engaged.

    My point was made in response to eugenie's comment that "You wanna teach the kids how to participate in a march as young as possible"

    The fact that they are children means, ipso facto, that they lack the cognisance to fully appreciate the nature and purpose of their contribution to activism. By dragging children along to a protest, and instilling in them an emotive, rather than reasoned attatchment to particular values hampers the fulfilment of their individual potential; indoctrinating children to believe that something is right, without them having the opportunity to apply these necessarily developed, or learnt (not innate) intellectual tools is a profoundly unenlightened thing to do, whether its christians or communists doing it.

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  11. Anonymous9:32 pm

    Well Adrian, whatever we let our children do, whatever we bring our children too, be it marches, riots, sporting events, church, watching tv, shopping, etc, etc we show them what our values are.

    Just because most people think that shopping is necessary doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

    So please next time you go shopping will you leave your child in a dark, padded room so that it's left without any impressions at all. Oh, wait that doesn't work either darkness and padded walls are impressions too :)

    Happy toddlerriots to all!

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