strypey

strypey, 10 days ago

"But I do think that since the introduction of the Neoliberal “economic reforms” of the 1980s and 90s, New Zealand has forgotten that the purpose of an economy is not to make a few people very wealthy at the expense of the many, but to create the greatest good, for the greatest number of its citizens over the longest period of time."

#BryanBruce, 2024

https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/05/07/guest-blog-bryan-bruce-how-i-became-a-radical-by-standing-still/

#neoliberalism #Rogernomics #Ruthenasia

strypey, 10 days ago

I note that the parties now in government differ in their takes on this. Winston First, for example, was created to condemn the neoliberal economic shift. But unlike Bryan, they've always been nostalgic for the backwards social attitudes we associate with the 1950s (although they continued to be dominant here well into the 1970s).

(1/?)

strypey, 10 days ago

Meanwhile, the Nats too have mostly sung from the neoliberal songbook on economics, and the current regime is certainly doubling down on that. But like Labour, they're more of a mixed bag on social policy. They seem happy to let their current coalition partners wag the dog, whether that leads to Whānau Ora or treaty principles referenda.

(3/3)

strypey, 10 days ago

ACT, on the other hand, were created to celebrate and defend the neoliberal coup. At first they were mostly onboard with progressive social reform, claiming that economic and social 'liberalisation' were two faces of the same coin. But since about 2016, they too seem to have developed an enthusiasm for pushing back against progressive social reform.

(2/3)

strypey, 10 days ago

If the US builds its own digital great wall, what else might it block beyond TikTak?

This whole story is another example of what I mentioned here;

https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@strypey/112379078362535369

strypey, 10 days ago

@nicholas_saunders
> I for one, would prefer that our own national security aparatus spy on us rather than the CCP

Really? I'd rather ours spy on the CCP than on us ; )

Seriously though, I think what the comparison tells us is that the datafarming apparatus is an existential threat to democracy. If we don't want our political systems to become more like China's, we need to rapidly disassemble those apparatus. Not tinker with their ownership.

strypey, 10 days ago

"... younger medical colleagues who feared being labelled as transphobic if they spoke out... doubted there was sufficient psychological assessment before children were prescribed puberty blockers — to help distinguish those few who will remain transgender from those for whom it is a phase or whose distress has another cause."

#CharlottePaul, 2023

https://northandsouth.co.nz/2023/12/24/puberty-blockers-new-zealand/

strypey, 10 days ago

"A year ago, health agencies in Sweden, Finland, England, and France were re-evaluating the use of puberty blocking hormones. Since that time, Norway and Denmark have announced reviews of their approaches. Interestingly, in Denmark, an alliance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups has advocated for this change."

#CharlottePaul, 2023

https://northandsouth.co.nz/2023/12/24/puberty-blockers-new-zealand/

strypey, 10 days ago

As a counterpoint, here's the 1/200 podcast episode on The Cass Review and trans healthcare in Aotearoa NZ;

https://www.1of200.nz/podcast/1200-s2e73-the-cass-review-trans-healthcare-and-nz

#CassReview #TransHealthcare

strypey, 10 days ago

I definitely want to see social media replace recommendation media as the dominant form in network media. But I've come to believe there's also a place for media where we can consistently find the work of professional journalists. Which means we need, as societies, secure sources of funding for entities that employ and support fulltime journalist.

The big questions we urgently need to answer, are how do we pay for that, and - closely related - how do they secure editorial independence?

(2/2)

strypey, 10 days ago

As others have pointed out, in social media - like the fediverse - what people see is determined by what accounts they subscribed to (or "follow"), and what the people operating those accounts are posting. A platform stops being social media the moment the visibility of posts is determined instead by recommendation algorithms. At which point they become recommendation media.

(1/2)

strypey, 10 days ago

@sun
> I think the Daily Show used to show "dueling politicians" clips where the same politician is edited having a debate with themself

Jon Stewart's Daily Show was great. But when comedians end up as the only ones doing things like this, it's a sign that political journalists are not doing their job properly.

strypey, 10 days ago

Wow, this post elicited a few posts of delusional nonsense and gutter trash from the lunatic fringes of the US right. Are these posts by people who write like bots, or are they actually bots?

strypey, 10 days ago

@nosat
> the injections were toxic and have caused massive harm

Unsourced screenshots aren't convincing evidence of anything. Citations please.

strypey, 10 days ago (edited 10 days ago)

@nosat
If you had a single shred of evidence to present, we might have discussed it and learned something from each other. But as I expected, you have nothing to offer but - in the immortal words of the Bard - sound and fury, signifying nothing.

strypey, 10 days ago

@phil_stevens
> Context is everything and what gets lost in the "mad women" narrative is that those who campaign for evidence-based justice (social, environmental, climate) are repeatedly traumatised by the indifference of those who enjoy systemic privilege

Thank you! This is an itch I've been scratching at all day, trying to figure out how to word it ; )

@CarolynStirling

strypey, 10 days ago

@cloventt
> Aurora is doing some amazing mahi here in Ōtautahi

This is a single example of what Shane Jones and his Fast Track brigade have coming at them from a new generation of Direct Action movements. They are not alone either.

Veterans of preceding movements like Native Forest Action, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, Save Happy Valley, Coromandel Watchdog, and Save Manipouri haven't gone away.

strypey, 10 days ago

To paraphrase JFK, those who make peaceful environmental protection impossible, make monkeywrenching inevitable.

strypey, 10 days ago

@Hyolobrika
> Spare me having to read all that fluff again

If you're not willing to take the time to read the piece, why do you expect me to spend time discussing it with you?

strypey, 10 days ago

@Hyolobrika
> Why should I be harmless to people who want me dead?

Your bloody-minded slaughter of strawmen is tiresome.