Names matter by Susan Grimsdell
Choosing the right name Betty Friedan made a very powerful point way back in 1963. If a problem has no name, it doesn’t exist. She was talking about the limitations on women’s role in society, and her work marked the beginning of awareness for most people – me for one. Another point to remember is that whatever name is chosen determines how the problem will be perceived. If we label poverty using words that indicate laziness and unwillingness to work, the perception is quite different from a label that indicates bad luck… Read More
Clash of generations by Susan Grimsdell
Mind blindness Two recent incidents left me puzzled and also upset. First, walking past the Olympic Pool in Newmarket where the footpath is not wide, and made narrower by obstructions along the curb, leading my blind friend who had her cane out in front of her as a signal to other pedestrians. We took up most of the width of the path. Ahead of us, a young woman came to a sudden halt and started texting on her phone, in the middle of the path, impossible for us to pass her. I… Read More
Family Covid by Susan Grimsdell
The media has been full of dire news about the devastating effects of Covid since it appeared on the planet a couple of years ago. Millions of people have contracted the virus, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Businesses have collapsed, governments have incurred enormous debt, families have been separated for even the most important events, like funerals and weddings. Inter-family feuds There has been deep division at the more individual, personal level too. Family parties have been disrupted when one or two members are against being vaccinated, and the rest… Read More
NZ farmers’ protest by Susan Grimsdell
Taking to the streets Hundreds of farmers recently took to the streets in their expensive tractors. The vehicles are big bullying things, and that makes me think the drivers are too. Sitting way up high, big wheels, the whole rig shouting – “I’m big and powerful and rich so get out of my way.” As far as I could make out, that was the essence of their protest – “This government is telling me what to do. I won’t have it. It’s my land, and I’ll say what happens to it.” Farmers… Read More
Tis the gift to be simple by Trevor Plumbly
The philosopher’s stoned Yesterday, I was relaxing in the armchair (the dreamspace), sipping rather a nice single malt, contemplating the vagaries of life and it occurred to me that there’s a degree of comfort about things when you’re approaching 80. Time was I used to think I knew it all, now I’m absolutely sure of it. Over the years I’ve read heaps of stuff by deep thinkers, academics, learned clergy and even educated drunks, but nothing tangible emerged from their musings and I’m now convinced I know a bloody sight more about… Read More
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