New Zealand Listener Issue 28 2021

The best response to confronting speech is more speech, not less, according to philosopher John Stuart Mill. Seldom has that advice been more pertinent. The Government’s proposal to strengthen hate-speech laws has quickly degenerated into cacophonic confusion, so it’s important New Zealanders clarify exactly what we seek to be protected from. The answer used to be violence, not speech itself. Now the proposal is to reduce the prosecution threshold from violence to hatred, tipping its ambit into a dangerously subjective zone. Under existing law, only speech that leads to, or is clearly intended to lead to, violence is unlawful. The proposal to move these provisions from the Human Rights Act into the Crimes Act and toughen the penalties is uncontroversial. It’s the proposed wider net to catch speech that “intentionally incites/stirs up,…

“Smarter data” (July 3) highlights the issue of whether money donated to charities is getting to the right place. This is an important issue for IHC, one of the country’s largest charities. I have been an active member of IHC since the late 1970s and IHC has had big changes over that time. The most important change is that IHC is no longer IHC: it is now IHC Group. It includes two main companies: IDEA Services, which is essentially what IHC originally was, and Accessible Properties, which is a property-management company. These changes have been accompanied by a big growth in head-office staff, all of whom have grand job titles. IHC uses intellectual disability to elicit donations for IHC. People are sympathetic to those with disabilities and happy to make donations. However,…

FINALISTS Duchess of Cambridge: “I told Will I’m only interested in one type of carat.” – Tim Hambleton, Dunedin Duchess: “Ah yes, the vision thing …” – Simone Standsfield, Wellington Duchess: “These are leftovers from the Five Eyes Conference.” – David Scott, Gisborne Duchess: “Yup, carrot first, then stick.” – Chris Brown Duchess: “You need to hold them in your hand like this, otherwise Camilla will have your fingers off.” – Geoff Mercer, Auckland Jill Biden: “It’s Joe’s lunch. He’s hoping the betacarotene diet will give him that (famous) presidential skin glow.” – Bronwen Gunn, Levin Duchess: “These bunnies are smarter than the ones attending the G7 Conference.” – PM Lynch Biden: “I call them my trump sticks – I use them to ward off Trump supporters because they hate anything healthy!” – Joy Malloy, Coromandel Duchess: “Now you…

“Giuliani’s law licence is suspended so from now on, all of Trump’s personal and financial decisions will be taken by Britney Spears’ father.”– Bill Maher“I only really have one problem with the World Test Championship and that’s how the hell are you meant to drink out of a mace?”– All-rounder Jimmy Neesham“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”– Ursula K Le Guin, quoted in the Week“Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.”– Jean Rhys“I have a problem with people who take the Constitution loosely and the Bible literally.”– Bill Maher“To criticise a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But…

1. Which of these musicians spent time as a fully ordained Zen Buddhist monk? ❑ Bono❑ Leonard Cohen❑ Bob Dylan❑ Cat Stevens 2. Which of these is not thought to be formed through volcanic activity? ❑ Flint❑ Pumice❑ Obsidian 3. Which of these is not a pen name? ❑ Jane Austen❑ Robert Galbraith❑ George Eliot❑ Richard Bachman 4. Which of these dishes originated in Italy? ❑ Spaghetti and meatballs❑ Chicken parmigiana❑ Spaghetti bolognese❑ Pizza margherita 5. Which family movie includes the memorable line: “You’ll shoot your eye out”? ❑ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ❑ Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ❑ The Princess Bride ❑ A Christmas Story 6. Which Kiwi TV comedy series featured main characters Derek, Barry and Ray? ❑ Bro’Town ❑ Gliding On ❑ Letter to Blanchy ❑ Melody Rules 7. What is a term for someone who eats seafood…

i want to walk around with youand be looked at i liketo be looked atbut if you look at me the wrong way i will not like it it’s up to you to know the right wayi want to walk around by myself and be invisiblebut look at my reflectionin the windows of the shops i passi want to see myself reflected in your pupilsand a tiny image of you reflectedin the pupils of my reflectionand so on and so onuntil there are hundreds of usgrowing infinitely smallerdoing nothing but looking and even after all of thisi still get shy when i undressi think if you stop looking at me like that i might diebut then i get up andam alive againbut i will not let you look at me anymorei will…