That’s all very grim reading. But it’s worth noting that while those 2000 bozos were protesting I-don’t-know-what in Wellington, more than 22,000 other outstanding humans around the country were being vaccinated that same day, joining the near 90% of the eligible population who have already had at least one jab. Whoop!
Just what I came here to say. While there are a lot of noisy nutters, I’m listening to the silent (vast!) majority who got their shots and quietly went about whatever business is safe for them to do at the moment. Carry on, true kiwis!
True, our local (and must admit dedicated) anti-vax protester at the park was far outnumbered by the people doing vaccinations in the adjacent pop-up, never mind those being vaccinated!
Loads to chew on today, the world is being dragged in several different directions of weird. I cannot for the life of me think why people imagine that a pic of their cat will help solve anything except brightening someone's day - I send dogpix for happiness, not to plant trees! Being always online seems to have warped many of us in a weird way.
The Travis Scott debacle . . . wow. How bloody dare he, and his partner, be so callous to humanity? People died, thoughts and prayers are going to do nothing. How's about maybe paying for funeral expenses, trust funds for their families, paying the extortionate medical expenses of the survivors? It's the least the man can do. I'm unbelievably mad.
The protest in Welly was frightening - it really seems to signal a change in the mood of protest in Aotearoa. We've had protest before, it's even been violent at times, but the mood here seems different (says this human in their little box in Auckland). Seeing media as the enemy and attacking them, the Americanisation of the protests . . . we haven't done this before really. We've always protested in a very Kiwi way - with hikoi, or with flour bombs, or facing up to police on the streets at Springbok tours, or sitting and singing waiata at Parihaka. This just seems different, and odd, and violent is ways that we haven't seen before. Our violence has always been aimed carefully and purposefully, thought out, and against things that were, well, actually really very wrong, like our own ethnic cleansing and land grabs or apartheid. This is different - this is seeing enemies in places where there really aren't enemies, bringing in anti-semitic themes, Nazi themes, weird American themes. Smarter people than me may be able to synthesise this into some sort of coherent theory but it just seems like cherry picking anything that might rile people up.
I'm not going to lie, I'm scared of how this has the potential to escalate. We had a relatively polite protest this week - they threw tennis balls not Molotovs - but where are we going? Can we derail this train before it reaches its destination of actual riots? I hope so.
I want to round out by thanking you for your apology. I did not comment on your last post because those comments, that screenshot, really bloody hurt. I'm a fat trans person and the internet world I live in right now is ugly. People are saying some pretty awful things about fat people who die of Covid. The trans world is reeling from the vile stream of consciousness screed posted by Lily Cade. What you wrote was not a big thing but . . . it was pretty crushing when seen in the context of everything going on in fat activism and trans activism right now. So thank you for reflecting, for thinking, for doing better.
Jay - and my apology, again, to you. I write these things quickly sometimes - and sometimes my examples and tangents go awry - as is the case here. You fucking rule. Thanks for being here, and putting up with me.
As for the train into NZ QAnon land - I dunno. I like to think we can come back. As Anna pointed out above, "It’s worth noting that while those 2000 bozos were protesting I-don’t-know-what in Wellington, more than 22,000 other outstanding humans around the country were being vaccinated that same day, joining the near 90% of the eligible population who have already had at least one jab."
Maybe one day I will write a super postive Webworm! Mind you, for a newsletter about Wormholes, that can be pretty difficult. But I do think we need to be reminded of the good, too. I'll ponder it.
The protest did have some rather Kiwi stuff to it, which warmed my heart a tad - a lost wee girl announcement and the guys picking up the piece of fence that had been knocked down and putting it back.
But I got very angry about the TV political editor who couldn't contain her over-the-top glee. What a silly little person! That sort of media presence should stop.
That was some seriously incohesive protest. What a mess. Anti vaccine, anti government, anti media, Trump, water reforms, qanon, Jacinda hate, probably some 1080 in there to and FREEDOM!! Quite a wide remit and I don't think they nailed it. 🙄
I genuinely feel concern for Jacinda Ardern, for both her physical safety and also her own mental health.
Lobbing tennis balls at the media doesn't seem like a particularly kiwi thing to do. I miss the days when we threw dildoes or flour to show our political disgust.
Most of this article is just bits of horror swirling in my brain. I have been thinking about Travis Scott though. Every gig I've been to has a weird crowd groupthink vibe - and at every gig I've been to, the artists try really hard to use that for positivity! Pick people up, get that man some water, step back from the barrier, help her get out. People enjoy the music, the buzz, and have a great time. Travis Scott's inaction is unforgiveable. Unusually for me, I really hope the legal actions against him succeed. He LET people die.
There's some really good TikTok posts by the amazing Imani of @crutches_and_spice breaking down the optics of AstroWorld and what has happened from a communications standpoint. There's also now light being shed on the fact that BetterHelp is taking advantage of the situation... It's dark, late stage Capitalism shit...
Dear David, you are a gem. Thanks for apologising and owning up to it when you accidentally get things wrong. We all do, all the time, and being able to say I'm sorry, and mean it, is worth so much (I'm not triggered by the word obesity, though it does make me feel bad seeing I fall under that BMI category). To the three things you mention in yet another amazing newsletter:
1) I will actually plant you trees if you send me photos with you and pets! Not everyone, but you and Webworm readers. You and your favourite furbabies will get your own section in my wetland when I restore it - especially seeing they won't be allowed anywhere near it, and we gotta make up for any wildlife they might have killed (I gotta put my own miniature panther and wolf pack behind a fence to keep them from the wildlife on our new land in the midst of bird paradise...). That's a promise, just give me time to implement it.
2) I hope Travis Scott gets sued into the poorhouse (and the Kardashian Klan with him) for putting his fans' lives into actual mortal danger. What an utter douche.
3) How on earth did you foresee this sad event in Wellington? Did you know something we didn't (probably, if you monitor Telegram)? Can you actually see into the future, even though you live in the past (timezones)? I remember smugly commenting on your last newsletter that there aren't anywhere near as many idiots in Aotearoa than in the US (proportionally). That is probably still true and yet, that potential super spreader event on our doorstep shook me to my core. I did NOT see that coming, despite your warnings. Not like THAT. Reading that online disinformation in Aotearoa has increased 100 FOLD since Delta got into the community makes this make a lot more sense, but it also deeply worries me. And the Nazi and Holocaust references are so bloody triggering and offensive, I am going to write an article on what throwing those words around nilly-willy actually does to actual survivors of actual Nazis and Nazi abuse. This needs to stop. I don't know how, but it adds such an insane layer of cruelty on top of the insanity, and as some rightly point out - those with those posters find themselves a lot closer to actual fascist ideology than the public health measures and government they are so ignorantly protesting. Gah. I wish we still lived in our bubble where we seemed to be the sanest and safest country on earth :-(
I guess I have just seen elements of the NZ populace tracking along with what America did so closely all year, that it was just inevitably heading this way. Then popping onto Telegram sealed the deal.
In saying that, I am so, so glad that Wellington didn't turn violent. But I see the terror risk assessment for NZ has gone up. Anyway - ugh. A few idiots ruining it for everyone.
Appreciate the tree offer. A lot of pet lovers on Webworm - you may regret the tree burden you may unleash on yourself!!!
I gotta plant a LOT of trees and shrubs and flaxes to make up for my years traveling the world! And as a behaviour change expert, I know that a public pledge like this is likely to keep me honest and actually do it ;-)
Two things - one, where do I find you to send pet pix? I want to claim my section of restored wetland with a Patrick tree (Patrick being my dog). Two - um. This is a bit awkward. I know you’re not trying to be rude, but chucking around “sanity” and “insanity” is, um, awkward. This isn’t mental illness (for the most part). It’s a load of unprintable words, but I just want to hold my siblings in the mental illness world close and not have us tarred with all this mess.
Apologies - you are SO correct. I suffer from mental illness myself (C-PTSD) but am still of a generation where these words come too easy. Sigh. Thanks for pulling me up. And send your pic to info@krakenholdings.co.nz and I will make sure that Patrick will get a tree when I plant them in my wetland early next year!
My unvaccinated coworker tried to convince me that Travis Scott was a Satanist on Monday and I had to just nod, smile, and say "I don't know that I agree with that."
It's just bizarre to me that that some people jump to "it must have been a blood sacrifice." The leaps of logic feel like their getting bigger.
I like that statement and plan to use it! “I don’t know that I agree with that”. Shifting the emphasis to different words in the sentence can certainly help me mock them without being rude. Thank you for this outlet, however minor, I need it!
The Satanic Panic stuff truly incenses me, as it's destroyed lives and we have known since the 1980s that it's *not real!* Sure you've got your stray Richard Ramirez types, but the actual Satanic Temple, of which I am a proud member, is simply an atheist org ironically mocking religion. So when this stuff does real world harm, it really gets to me.
Thank you for writing about all the things that have been on my mind this week. Plantatree was obviously a scam from the get go but it became viral because 1. It's pets - people love posting about animals even if no one asked haha, and 2 it is for a 'good cause'.. I wonder if people actually stopped to think if a tree would actually be planted. What really irked me about their post on their page was when it asked to be shared and reposted and something about they can't actually plant trees but if you shared then they would. Anytime someone openly asks me to engage in their social media with likes/shares/repost all I see is a red flag. Nobody cares about likes/shares/reposts unless they have an agenda with some kind of kickback. Influencer culture is so damned shameless.
As for Travis Scott, the video clips I've seen were hard to watch. I wonder if there really was more he could have done to prevent that or were the organisers more to blame for the poor security enforcement? I don't know what Travis is like but telling people to beat someone up for touch his shoe definitely incites violence so maybe he does want violence in his shows. RIP Chester, that video was so heartwarming. I guess there's my answer -- artists can do something.
The Parilament protest.. I dont even want to get into it. It depressed me seeing this shit in New Zealand. Calling for Jacinda's arrest and the hang Jacinda messages on the tennis balls is so at odds with who I thought we were. It was a sad day for NZ and I just have to remind myself that those protesters were only a very very small percentage of us.
As for the trees - I WISH PEOPLE STOPPED FOR A MOMENT BEFORE THEY SHARED ANYTHING. Most things shared online - on Facebook, on Twitter, on TikTok - are just mindless shares. An article where nothing has been read beyond the headline. A quote that no-one attributes. Bad links. It winds me up so much!
Despite the size of the protest at least is was relatively peaceful - doesn't seem like the conversation on telegram are turning into reality, at least for now.
The travis scott bit really makes me sad. I had never heard of him until this all happened.
I have gone to *hundreds* of metal and punk shows in my life. Dozens of festivals. One band i’ve seen 100x, another 78x, numerous others that i have seen upwards of 20-40x that i didn’t care enough to keep track. I have never once felt like my life was in danger. And I am almost always right up front on the barricade. A few times i’ve had the wind knocked out of me after a sudden crowd push, but it’s not common, and it’s never felt unsafe. just uncomfortable for a few seconds.
to see young kids, teenagers, and early 20s music goers losing their lives, or being severely injured just because they wanted to be in the crowd is so shocking and devastating to me. One of the victims was 14, the age I started going to shows regularly. I hate that what should be a solace and comfort zone turned into this.
You can’t perform and make money without fans. You won’t have any fans if you encourage them to harm each other at your shows. I truly do not understand.
Idk what the point of this comment is, other than to say that as a music fan I hate this. I know you’re also a big fan of metal… maybe it’s because taking care of your own is an inherent part of that community, but this just seems so unfathomable to me.
The metal and punk crowds are GREAT. In my experience, they look after each other. As do the bands. Avenged Sevenfold also stopped a gig - as you should when people are being crushed or knocked out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_X5CVCyo6U
I learned to mosh at the age of 55. My only issue about being in a pit with a bunch of sweaty young men was that they were way too nice to me. Metal fans are adorable.
I was at Suffocation (US Grindcore) and Decapitated (excellent Polish band). I looked at the pit and figured it was all governed by something like Brownian Motion. So I went in. I ended up right at the front, because people made way for me. Someone would shove me, I would shove back, then they would look down at me (I am 4’9”) and gently usher me further to the front. A Nice Young Man told me I was ‘metal as fuck’ which I think was a compliment. And I got to shake hands with the vocalist of Suffocation. Gosh though I was bruised for days afterwards
I broke my jaw at a Bad Religion concert in 1992 - it was my own fault cause I headbanged into the guy behind me! All the punks around me stopped, helped me get out safely and I was looked after by the medics immediately. Unbelievable to think that he continued on seeing what was happening to his fans. Sociopathic.
I agree completely about gigs. The times when I've felt unsafe (and I'm a short woman, so it does happen) I never felt like it was because the artists didn't care for my safety. This seems very different, and I'm worried that it's the same callousness that leads to the gross threats happening at these protests.
Thanks for the note at the end!! Those 2 things touched on my anxiety but I guess I’m used to regular people not really giving a shit about those things, or else getting angry when people point them out, so I automatically push it down and didn’t think to say anything. Appreciate it.
I’ve been telling people to stay home Tuesday and Saturday this week… Thanks for your coverage of this, I’m really reassured by your journalism. The fact that someone who specialises in this area is examining it clearly, and really getting to the bottom of it, helps me make sense of it and tempers the anxiety a bit. It’s really good, much prefer to read your coverage of the conspiracists than main media’s.
Thanks Rachael - in a way, I think looking into NZ with a bit of distance has helped. Glad that it's a help.
And glad the apology resonated. It's funny, I know what you mean - you don't want to feel like you're complaining, right? Or getting too "worked up" about a thing? I do that often. It's always hard to know - but yeah, I like to think this is a safe space to give feedback and I like to learn.
Sometimes in the blur of writing about a certain thing - and trying to be descriptive and alive in my language - I misstep, which then takes away from the topic at hand.
If you're poking into police procedure around the protests, I'm also very curious why there has been no vaccine mandate put in place for NZ Police, given their close interaction with the public. It also seems to be quite hard to get an answer as to how many police are vaccinated.
I read an article about this because I had the same questions. 77% are fully vaccinated as of November, and the mandate is “close to a decision” but the delay is due to a fear of police numbers taking too much of a hit. They estimate around 1200 could lose their positions.
Ah, interesting. If it's anything like the NYPD where they feared thousands would quit over mandates, they ended up with a grand total of I think 34 officers going on leave. I don't think fear of losing officers should necessarily be a factor when so many other public facing roles have had mandates put in place.
I also wonder how it comes into play when we move to the traffic light system with places like bars & venues requiring vaccination certificates, does that extend to police entering the premises too? If I have to deal with police, can I ask their vaccination status for my health & safety? It seems like having a mandate in place would solve these tricky issues.
Every time I read these emails I’m left shaking my head at humanity, but also incredibly thankful for the work you do. I’ve taken the ignore everyone route despite being enraged by the ‘if they can vaccinate the world why can’t they eradicate world hunger?? Huh?? Huh?? Wake up!’ Or my favourite ‘we are all one, this vaccination has caused so much division, we need to spread love and kindness’ (ahhh no, my prematurely born child with a weak immune system is just my priority you crystal wearing, essential oil selling f**khead). Aghhhh so much rage. I shall read the links provided for some fresh ideas and try to chill the fuck out. Crazy times, with no relief in sight. Off to plant a tree xx
Here I thought the pet picture thing was at least someone with good intentions who got in over their head but looks like it's just rampant engagement- harvesting. Always good to have my cynicism reinforced.
Don't be sorry, I wouldn't be paying for this newsletter if I didn't want someone letting me know when things on the internet are actually darker than they appear.
I know the guy behind Kony 2012. He was a good dude, with good intentions, but the whole thing going viral ruined his life, at least for a good while. I'm really starting to think that the internet/social media has done a hell more bad than good :(
That’s all very grim reading. But it’s worth noting that while those 2000 bozos were protesting I-don’t-know-what in Wellington, more than 22,000 other outstanding humans around the country were being vaccinated that same day, joining the near 90% of the eligible population who have already had at least one jab. Whoop!
Just what I came here to say. While there are a lot of noisy nutters, I’m listening to the silent (vast!) majority who got their shots and quietly went about whatever business is safe for them to do at the moment. Carry on, true kiwis!
TRUTH. Fair point.
True, our local (and must admit dedicated) anti-vax protester at the park was far outnumbered by the people doing vaccinations in the adjacent pop-up, never mind those being vaccinated!
Loads to chew on today, the world is being dragged in several different directions of weird. I cannot for the life of me think why people imagine that a pic of their cat will help solve anything except brightening someone's day - I send dogpix for happiness, not to plant trees! Being always online seems to have warped many of us in a weird way.
The Travis Scott debacle . . . wow. How bloody dare he, and his partner, be so callous to humanity? People died, thoughts and prayers are going to do nothing. How's about maybe paying for funeral expenses, trust funds for their families, paying the extortionate medical expenses of the survivors? It's the least the man can do. I'm unbelievably mad.
The protest in Welly was frightening - it really seems to signal a change in the mood of protest in Aotearoa. We've had protest before, it's even been violent at times, but the mood here seems different (says this human in their little box in Auckland). Seeing media as the enemy and attacking them, the Americanisation of the protests . . . we haven't done this before really. We've always protested in a very Kiwi way - with hikoi, or with flour bombs, or facing up to police on the streets at Springbok tours, or sitting and singing waiata at Parihaka. This just seems different, and odd, and violent is ways that we haven't seen before. Our violence has always been aimed carefully and purposefully, thought out, and against things that were, well, actually really very wrong, like our own ethnic cleansing and land grabs or apartheid. This is different - this is seeing enemies in places where there really aren't enemies, bringing in anti-semitic themes, Nazi themes, weird American themes. Smarter people than me may be able to synthesise this into some sort of coherent theory but it just seems like cherry picking anything that might rile people up.
I'm not going to lie, I'm scared of how this has the potential to escalate. We had a relatively polite protest this week - they threw tennis balls not Molotovs - but where are we going? Can we derail this train before it reaches its destination of actual riots? I hope so.
I want to round out by thanking you for your apology. I did not comment on your last post because those comments, that screenshot, really bloody hurt. I'm a fat trans person and the internet world I live in right now is ugly. People are saying some pretty awful things about fat people who die of Covid. The trans world is reeling from the vile stream of consciousness screed posted by Lily Cade. What you wrote was not a big thing but . . . it was pretty crushing when seen in the context of everything going on in fat activism and trans activism right now. So thank you for reflecting, for thinking, for doing better.
Jay - and my apology, again, to you. I write these things quickly sometimes - and sometimes my examples and tangents go awry - as is the case here. You fucking rule. Thanks for being here, and putting up with me.
As for the train into NZ QAnon land - I dunno. I like to think we can come back. As Anna pointed out above, "It’s worth noting that while those 2000 bozos were protesting I-don’t-know-what in Wellington, more than 22,000 other outstanding humans around the country were being vaccinated that same day, joining the near 90% of the eligible population who have already had at least one jab."
Maybe one day I will write a super postive Webworm! Mind you, for a newsletter about Wormholes, that can be pretty difficult. But I do think we need to be reminded of the good, too. I'll ponder it.
The protest did have some rather Kiwi stuff to it, which warmed my heart a tad - a lost wee girl announcement and the guys picking up the piece of fence that had been knocked down and putting it back.
But I got very angry about the TV political editor who couldn't contain her over-the-top glee. What a silly little person! That sort of media presence should stop.
That was some seriously incohesive protest. What a mess. Anti vaccine, anti government, anti media, Trump, water reforms, qanon, Jacinda hate, probably some 1080 in there to and FREEDOM!! Quite a wide remit and I don't think they nailed it. 🙄
I genuinely feel concern for Jacinda Ardern, for both her physical safety and also her own mental health.
Lobbing tennis balls at the media doesn't seem like a particularly kiwi thing to do. I miss the days when we threw dildoes or flour to show our political disgust.
I believe some protestors then asked for the balls back. "Please sir, can I have my ball?" New Zealand. What a place.
I’ll never forget that dildo hitting that silly face of his
Sometimes-Webworm writer Hayden did a deep dive into that - and it was a dog toy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN1zsOZ3Nas
Most of this article is just bits of horror swirling in my brain. I have been thinking about Travis Scott though. Every gig I've been to has a weird crowd groupthink vibe - and at every gig I've been to, the artists try really hard to use that for positivity! Pick people up, get that man some water, step back from the barrier, help her get out. People enjoy the music, the buzz, and have a great time. Travis Scott's inaction is unforgiveable. Unusually for me, I really hope the legal actions against him succeed. He LET people die.
Punk and metal crowds SO GOOD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN1zsOZ3Nas
That's how you fucking do it!
There's some really good TikTok posts by the amazing Imani of @crutches_and_spice breaking down the optics of AstroWorld and what has happened from a communications standpoint. There's also now light being shed on the fact that BetterHelp is taking advantage of the situation... It's dark, late stage Capitalism shit...
Also - there are now therapy app tie ins, with Travis Scott getting referrals and probably cash. It's all fucked: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWGnDM0Pi4d/
Irrespective of saving the world, posting cats saves the day often so here you go, fam - https://i.imgur.com/cpbbkC5.jpg
A+
Never have I been more rewarded for finding Waldo on the page!
Imma plant you a tree for that!
😻😻😻
Beautiful calico (of course)!
Dear David, you are a gem. Thanks for apologising and owning up to it when you accidentally get things wrong. We all do, all the time, and being able to say I'm sorry, and mean it, is worth so much (I'm not triggered by the word obesity, though it does make me feel bad seeing I fall under that BMI category). To the three things you mention in yet another amazing newsletter:
1) I will actually plant you trees if you send me photos with you and pets! Not everyone, but you and Webworm readers. You and your favourite furbabies will get your own section in my wetland when I restore it - especially seeing they won't be allowed anywhere near it, and we gotta make up for any wildlife they might have killed (I gotta put my own miniature panther and wolf pack behind a fence to keep them from the wildlife on our new land in the midst of bird paradise...). That's a promise, just give me time to implement it.
2) I hope Travis Scott gets sued into the poorhouse (and the Kardashian Klan with him) for putting his fans' lives into actual mortal danger. What an utter douche.
3) How on earth did you foresee this sad event in Wellington? Did you know something we didn't (probably, if you monitor Telegram)? Can you actually see into the future, even though you live in the past (timezones)? I remember smugly commenting on your last newsletter that there aren't anywhere near as many idiots in Aotearoa than in the US (proportionally). That is probably still true and yet, that potential super spreader event on our doorstep shook me to my core. I did NOT see that coming, despite your warnings. Not like THAT. Reading that online disinformation in Aotearoa has increased 100 FOLD since Delta got into the community makes this make a lot more sense, but it also deeply worries me. And the Nazi and Holocaust references are so bloody triggering and offensive, I am going to write an article on what throwing those words around nilly-willy actually does to actual survivors of actual Nazis and Nazi abuse. This needs to stop. I don't know how, but it adds such an insane layer of cruelty on top of the insanity, and as some rightly point out - those with those posters find themselves a lot closer to actual fascist ideology than the public health measures and government they are so ignorantly protesting. Gah. I wish we still lived in our bubble where we seemed to be the sanest and safest country on earth :-(
I guess I have just seen elements of the NZ populace tracking along with what America did so closely all year, that it was just inevitably heading this way. Then popping onto Telegram sealed the deal.
In saying that, I am so, so glad that Wellington didn't turn violent. But I see the terror risk assessment for NZ has gone up. Anyway - ugh. A few idiots ruining it for everyone.
Appreciate the tree offer. A lot of pet lovers on Webworm - you may regret the tree burden you may unleash on yourself!!!
I gotta plant a LOT of trees and shrubs and flaxes to make up for my years traveling the world! And as a behaviour change expert, I know that a public pledge like this is likely to keep me honest and actually do it ;-)
Two things - one, where do I find you to send pet pix? I want to claim my section of restored wetland with a Patrick tree (Patrick being my dog). Two - um. This is a bit awkward. I know you’re not trying to be rude, but chucking around “sanity” and “insanity” is, um, awkward. This isn’t mental illness (for the most part). It’s a load of unprintable words, but I just want to hold my siblings in the mental illness world close and not have us tarred with all this mess.
Apologies - you are SO correct. I suffer from mental illness myself (C-PTSD) but am still of a generation where these words come too easy. Sigh. Thanks for pulling me up. And send your pic to info@krakenholdings.co.nz and I will make sure that Patrick will get a tree when I plant them in my wetland early next year!
Hey, thanks for not taking that badly. It’s always hard to be pulled up. C-PTSD sucks, I feel for you there. I hope Patrick brings you joy!
Just saw Patrick. LURVE him <3
My unvaccinated coworker tried to convince me that Travis Scott was a Satanist on Monday and I had to just nod, smile, and say "I don't know that I agree with that."
It's just bizarre to me that that some people jump to "it must have been a blood sacrifice." The leaps of logic feel like their getting bigger.
I like that statement and plan to use it! “I don’t know that I agree with that”. Shifting the emphasis to different words in the sentence can certainly help me mock them without being rude. Thank you for this outlet, however minor, I need it!
What a strange thing to hear, in person. What age was this dude?
I'm 27 and a she's a few years younger than me. I think she's 24 or 25. I think she is in that TikTok-spread conspiracy demographic.
The Satanic Panic stuff truly incenses me, as it's destroyed lives and we have known since the 1980s that it's *not real!* Sure you've got your stray Richard Ramirez types, but the actual Satanic Temple, of which I am a proud member, is simply an atheist org ironically mocking religion. So when this stuff does real world harm, it really gets to me.
Thank you for writing about all the things that have been on my mind this week. Plantatree was obviously a scam from the get go but it became viral because 1. It's pets - people love posting about animals even if no one asked haha, and 2 it is for a 'good cause'.. I wonder if people actually stopped to think if a tree would actually be planted. What really irked me about their post on their page was when it asked to be shared and reposted and something about they can't actually plant trees but if you shared then they would. Anytime someone openly asks me to engage in their social media with likes/shares/repost all I see is a red flag. Nobody cares about likes/shares/reposts unless they have an agenda with some kind of kickback. Influencer culture is so damned shameless.
As for Travis Scott, the video clips I've seen were hard to watch. I wonder if there really was more he could have done to prevent that or were the organisers more to blame for the poor security enforcement? I don't know what Travis is like but telling people to beat someone up for touch his shoe definitely incites violence so maybe he does want violence in his shows. RIP Chester, that video was so heartwarming. I guess there's my answer -- artists can do something.
The Parilament protest.. I dont even want to get into it. It depressed me seeing this shit in New Zealand. Calling for Jacinda's arrest and the hang Jacinda messages on the tennis balls is so at odds with who I thought we were. It was a sad day for NZ and I just have to remind myself that those protesters were only a very very small percentage of us.
Travis Scott is one of the least respectful artists in regards to his audience I've ever come across.
This is another great band doing what you should do when you see violence or drama in a crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_X5CVCyo6U
As for Travis Scott - it gets worse and worse: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWGnDM0Pi4d/
As for the trees - I WISH PEOPLE STOPPED FOR A MOMENT BEFORE THEY SHARED ANYTHING. Most things shared online - on Facebook, on Twitter, on TikTok - are just mindless shares. An article where nothing has been read beyond the headline. A quote that no-one attributes. Bad links. It winds me up so much!
Despite the size of the protest at least is was relatively peaceful - doesn't seem like the conversation on telegram are turning into reality, at least for now.
Did love this bit:
https://twitter.com/benmackey/status/1458189152810274816?s=20
Our politeness wins through our rabidness!
The travis scott bit really makes me sad. I had never heard of him until this all happened.
I have gone to *hundreds* of metal and punk shows in my life. Dozens of festivals. One band i’ve seen 100x, another 78x, numerous others that i have seen upwards of 20-40x that i didn’t care enough to keep track. I have never once felt like my life was in danger. And I am almost always right up front on the barricade. A few times i’ve had the wind knocked out of me after a sudden crowd push, but it’s not common, and it’s never felt unsafe. just uncomfortable for a few seconds.
to see young kids, teenagers, and early 20s music goers losing their lives, or being severely injured just because they wanted to be in the crowd is so shocking and devastating to me. One of the victims was 14, the age I started going to shows regularly. I hate that what should be a solace and comfort zone turned into this.
You can’t perform and make money without fans. You won’t have any fans if you encourage them to harm each other at your shows. I truly do not understand.
Idk what the point of this comment is, other than to say that as a music fan I hate this. I know you’re also a big fan of metal… maybe it’s because taking care of your own is an inherent part of that community, but this just seems so unfathomable to me.
The metal and punk crowds are GREAT. In my experience, they look after each other. As do the bands. Avenged Sevenfold also stopped a gig - as you should when people are being crushed or knocked out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_X5CVCyo6U
So, so good.
I learned to mosh at the age of 55. My only issue about being in a pit with a bunch of sweaty young men was that they were way too nice to me. Metal fans are adorable.
THEY ARE! Fuck I love this. Go you. YES.
I was at Suffocation (US Grindcore) and Decapitated (excellent Polish band). I looked at the pit and figured it was all governed by something like Brownian Motion. So I went in. I ended up right at the front, because people made way for me. Someone would shove me, I would shove back, then they would look down at me (I am 4’9”) and gently usher me further to the front. A Nice Young Man told me I was ‘metal as fuck’ which I think was a compliment. And I got to shake hands with the vocalist of Suffocation. Gosh though I was bruised for days afterwards
Love this story! You are metal AF 🤘
Love this <3
I broke my jaw at a Bad Religion concert in 1992 - it was my own fault cause I headbanged into the guy behind me! All the punks around me stopped, helped me get out safely and I was looked after by the medics immediately. Unbelievable to think that he continued on seeing what was happening to his fans. Sociopathic.
I agree completely about gigs. The times when I've felt unsafe (and I'm a short woman, so it does happen) I never felt like it was because the artists didn't care for my safety. This seems very different, and I'm worried that it's the same callousness that leads to the gross threats happening at these protests.
Thanks for the note at the end!! Those 2 things touched on my anxiety but I guess I’m used to regular people not really giving a shit about those things, or else getting angry when people point them out, so I automatically push it down and didn’t think to say anything. Appreciate it.
I’ve been telling people to stay home Tuesday and Saturday this week… Thanks for your coverage of this, I’m really reassured by your journalism. The fact that someone who specialises in this area is examining it clearly, and really getting to the bottom of it, helps me make sense of it and tempers the anxiety a bit. It’s really good, much prefer to read your coverage of the conspiracists than main media’s.
Also, that Scott story is terrifying goddamn 😦
Thanks Rachael - in a way, I think looking into NZ with a bit of distance has helped. Glad that it's a help.
And glad the apology resonated. It's funny, I know what you mean - you don't want to feel like you're complaining, right? Or getting too "worked up" about a thing? I do that often. It's always hard to know - but yeah, I like to think this is a safe space to give feedback and I like to learn.
Sometimes in the blur of writing about a certain thing - and trying to be descriptive and alive in my language - I misstep, which then takes away from the topic at hand.
If you're poking into police procedure around the protests, I'm also very curious why there has been no vaccine mandate put in place for NZ Police, given their close interaction with the public. It also seems to be quite hard to get an answer as to how many police are vaccinated.
I keep poking. OIA requests move... slowly!
I read an article about this because I had the same questions. 77% are fully vaccinated as of November, and the mandate is “close to a decision” but the delay is due to a fear of police numbers taking too much of a hit. They estimate around 1200 could lose their positions.
Ah, interesting. If it's anything like the NYPD where they feared thousands would quit over mandates, they ended up with a grand total of I think 34 officers going on leave. I don't think fear of losing officers should necessarily be a factor when so many other public facing roles have had mandates put in place.
I also wonder how it comes into play when we move to the traffic light system with places like bars & venues requiring vaccination certificates, does that extend to police entering the premises too? If I have to deal with police, can I ask their vaccination status for my health & safety? It seems like having a mandate in place would solve these tricky issues.
Every time I read these emails I’m left shaking my head at humanity, but also incredibly thankful for the work you do. I’ve taken the ignore everyone route despite being enraged by the ‘if they can vaccinate the world why can’t they eradicate world hunger?? Huh?? Huh?? Wake up!’ Or my favourite ‘we are all one, this vaccination has caused so much division, we need to spread love and kindness’ (ahhh no, my prematurely born child with a weak immune system is just my priority you crystal wearing, essential oil selling f**khead). Aghhhh so much rage. I shall read the links provided for some fresh ideas and try to chill the fuck out. Crazy times, with no relief in sight. Off to plant a tree xx
Planting a tree is a pretty good place to start regaining sanity, methinks.
Here I thought the pet picture thing was at least someone with good intentions who got in over their head but looks like it's just rampant engagement- harvesting. Always good to have my cynicism reinforced.
Sorry :(
:)
Don't be sorry, I wouldn't be paying for this newsletter if I didn't want someone letting me know when things on the internet are actually darker than they appear.
Same!!
Everyone sharing pictures of their pets on Instagram are the same people that shared 'Kony 2012'
I have a Kony 2012 tee I found in an opshop! God I love it.
I know the guy behind Kony 2012. He was a good dude, with good intentions, but the whole thing going viral ruined his life, at least for a good while. I'm really starting to think that the internet/social media has done a hell more bad than good :(
Should I Google what Kony 2012 is?