Media7, the neat mediawatching TV show led by Kiwi blog legend Russell Brown, trained its eye on NZ’s crime-‘n-psychics hit, Sensing Murder.
Sensing Murder is one of the (relatively few) things that divides our happy household. The lovely stronger light is fond of the show, while I can’t stand it. I have been enthusiastic about other spooky psychic shows, such as Most Haunted. Heck, I even participated in table tipping with the Most Haunted crew on one occasion. The difference between Sensing Murder and Most Haunted, as Stronger has identified, is the element of exploitation. Sensing Murder revisits recent unsolved violent crimes, talks to all the friends and family of the victims, and films lurid re-enactments of the psychic’s visions of this final demise. It all leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
And I don’t for a moment think the psychics are convincing. The basic method is that a psychic turns up and is followed around by a film crew as they “feel” their way through the case. The show proudly announces at the beginning, “Only true statements from the psychics are affirmed!”, oblivious to the fact that this process is a cold reader’s dream setup – they throw out guesses, get the right ones confirmed, and discard the wrong ones. (At least, I hope the show is oblivious to this, because otherwise they’re being outright deceptive, and that’s just not on.) I suspect that the psychics are all genuine people who believe in their abilities, and even if they engage in a bit of cheating they’d just rationalise this as “helping things along”.
Anyway, the episode features the show’s producer taking on NZ media satirist Jeremy Wells, who outright calls the psychics “charlatans” who are deluding people for cash. I was interested to hear that the format is an import, but this is the first country where the show became popular – in other markets it has vanished from the airwaves. It’s a good watch if you’re interested in this sort of thing, and can be found on TVNZ OnDemand and YouTube. See also the Media7 blog and Russell’s Hard News blog.
Further reading: Stephen Judd explains why he is offended by the show and the infamous “skeptic becomes believer” episode deconstructed.
NRT Human Rights Petition
In December 2006, the United Nations adopted a major new human rights treaty aimed at preventing and punishing enforced disappearance.
New Zealand didn’t sign it.
You can help change this.
NZ political blogger Idiot/Savant of No Right Turn has launched a short, sharp campaign to petition the government to sign.
Unsurprisingly, given my affection for Amnesty International as a favoured charity, I support this goal wholeheartedly. I would really appreciate it if you download a copy of the petition, walk it around your workplace and get folk to sign it.
If you’ve never felt entirely up to speed on political disappearance and “the disappeared”, there’s a good overview on wikipedia. The list of places with well-known incidents includes Iran, Nazi Germany, Chechnya and Northern Ireland. It is a practice that undermines the most basic aspects of being human, let alone its terrible consequences for freedom and human rights. I believe the government should become a signatory to this new treaty.
I/S has set up a page for the campaign with further information.
Small Groups In Action
Today my Monday Psyc tutorial completed two weeks of action, during which they had tried to adopt more environmentally sustainable behaviours. They’ve been working away in their small groups, facing challenges and negotiating around them, and generally coming face to face with the difficulties of behaviour change even with the best of intentions. (And, of course, of the difficulties being increased when your enthusiasm is only lukewarm.)
It’s great. They’re all engaged and full of ideas, and learning a lot as they go. This is the second year we’ve run this programme, but it is much changed and improved this year with more effective links to social science theory and a better, more fun, basis for group formation and action. Last year it was a mixed success in terms of education, fun, and sustainable outcomes; this year it looks like a definite success in terms of education and fun at least. Still waiting on the sustainable outcomes aspect – how successful will their efforts be? There’s still one more two-week intensive behaviour change period to come, after the holidays, and then we’ll see for sure. My instincts are positive, though. The trick will be whether my thesis is supported – that people who identify strongly with their action groups will be more successful at behaviour change.
Its neat to see this going on. This has come a long way since my thoughts about small group actions first turned up on this blog in October 2006.
It feels good to be doing something concrete to work towards change.
Thinkin’ about Friday Linkyin’
Have you seen the new Star Wars movie trailer? It is uninspiring! My childhood has been sacrileged and that! By George Lucas! So put him in the carbonite! Yes, freeze him! And his little dog too!
Over the last five years I have become increasingly conscious of the food I’m eating, and the role food plays in life. (Watching Jamie’s School Dinners gave me a lot of perspective, and it is a significant element of the work I’m doing both teaching and as a student.) I’ve been thinking a lot about the fairly complicated issues around food, without really having the head to put it together into something sound. That’s another of the reasons why I’ve been digging on the rise of foodblogging in my blog crew of late. Dan’s cooking blog, Freshly Ground, never fails to make me hungry with his excellent simple recipes, but posts like this one are the treasures I value most. Dan starts off riffing on Jamie and Gordon and Nigella, then drags it all into context and left me genuinely stunned and energised at the importance of caring about what we put on our plates. A great read.
The big geek dance hit this weekend past in San Diego, and it featured the first ever live appearance of a Fraggle. Fraggle Rock, it seems, was Jim Henson’s attempt to prevent war. Thinking back to watching that show as a kid, that seems right. (Also on the Henson tip: Sesame Street season 39 preview!)
Have you ever seen Winsor McCay’s 1914 animation, Gertie the Dinosaur? Take a few minutes to watch. It is, quite simply, wonderful.
And finally… Rest In Peace, Charlie Brown.
Politics and Media, Kiwi Style
More from the amusing circus that is NZ politics and media: front page of the newspaper of our capital city, The Dominion Post, is this article by Phil Kitchin. Key quote:
Contacted for comment yesterday, Winston Peters said: “Phil, I told you I’m not talking to a lying wanker like you. See you.” He then hung up.
Foreign types might ask, who is Winston Peters? He is our nation’s Foreign Minister. He is the dude we send to meet the dignitaries. He shakes the hand of your President or Prime Minister, he is that guy, and that is how he rolls here. Ooh yeah.
New Zealand is very proud.
Knoxville
Many Wellingtonians will now have heard that friends-of-this-blog Dave and Urs were at the Knoxville, Tennessee church that was attacked by a man with a gun a few days ago.
The man wrote a letter claiming that he was attacking the church because liberals and gays were destroying the country. While there is certainly more to the story, it is clear that the rhetoric of the right-wing media provided him with a structure and a rationale for his attack.
It seems to me that this is the inevitable result of a media environment in which it is okay to joke about assassinating a liberal candidate for the presidency, in which an extreme bigot is called kind and decent by the President and venerated in the media after his death, where a high-profile media figure explicitly identifies liberals as internal enemies, where countless slurs and attacks on left-wing views are broadcast and repeated daily.
There is a huge media machine working feverishly to create hatred towards liberals. How then can this violence really be any kind of surprise?
Dave, Urs, much love.
Always Been At War With Orewa
Further to the discussion about the film of The Hollow Men, which of course was sparked by former National leader Don Brash’s controversial speech in Orewa in 2004 (it has its own Wikipedia page):
I watched the late news on TV3 tonight. I don’t do this often, so maybe what I noticed is all old news to you, but it caught me by surprise. In the links, the chirpy attractive newsreader blithely described the Orewa speech as “Don Brash’s racist rant” and “an attack on Maori”.
Now, I wasn’t in the country at the time, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t how it was portrayed back then. It caused a massive surge in the polls for Brash and National, putting them right in the electoral game with one decisive play of the race card. It was so mainstream that the government even adopted some of the framing. It definitely was not racist – nor was it an attack on Maori. It was just common sense!
But at some point since 2004, everything changed. Now Orewa is so obviously a racist rant and an attack on Maori that a newsreader used those words in the most casual, unblinking tone. I wonder – is this the liberal media conspiracy, caught on camera at last? Or what?
The Dark Knight (USA, 2008)
Heath Ledger’s Joker is like New York City.
When I went to New York, I arrived on the back of literally years of glowing references. Everyone I knew who’d been there told me it was the most incredible city in the world, that I would fall in love with the place, that I would have an amazing time. When I got off the train I thought to myself, go on then, New York. You’ve been talked up a hell of a lot. Prove it.
A week later I emerged from NYC breathless and amazed and in love with the place, and I remembered that thought a week earlier. It lived up to the hype – and it did it so well I even forgot that I’d been primed to marvel at it.
Same thing with Ledger’s Joker. You’ve heard already the Oscar whispers, the reverence from his fellow cast, and the rave reviews on line. All the hype. But when you see the film, you’ll forget about the hype and disappear into the experience of watching this performance and afterwards you’ll think back and realise, It is all true.
There is much to love about The Dark Knight. It balances its action adventure with its character exploration and its themes with its drama better than anything out of Hollywood in many years. It isn’t perfect – the plotting requires incredible contrivance for villainous plans to work, and that doesn’t sit right with the gritty tone – but when you’re watching you just don’t care. If LotR established that the hugest blockbuster could still have a heart, then this establishes that the hugest blockbuster can still have a brain.
Esteemed patron of the additiverich collective expressed dissatisfaction with the meanspirited cynicism on display, and I find it hard to argue with this point, except to say that it didn’t bother me.
So. Highly recommended. Go see.
Shihad!
After solving the postcard mystery I of course made a point of getting along to the gig. New Zealand’s greatest rock band once again showed their class, delivering a storming set to a delirious home crowd. Included a couple of songs I’ve never heard live before, an acoustic performance which I’ve never seen them do before either, and copious guest appearances from friends and members of the opening acts.
(Bonus cool: Karl of the ‘had joining openers the Mint Chicks to fill out the band for their anthem, Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!)
I was grinning pretty much the whole time. Everyone sang along the whole night. They played Screwtop and it was awesome. They played One Will Hear The Other and it was awesome. It was such a happy gig!
Still NZ’s best live act. Rawk.
(Turns out Off-Black was there as well, he has words and photos!)
Trouble Is My Business (NZ, 2008)
Trouble Is My Business is a movie profile of one man and his work. The splendid Mr Peach, an Otara boy born and bred, is the Assistant Principal in high-deprivation South Auckland, his home neighbourhood. His school draws on a mostly-Pasifika population, the sons and daughters of parents who migrated in the 60s and 70s to take up low-skilled jobs. As a student manager, he spends his days chasing down student after student, seeking them out when they ditch school, collaring them if they’re acting up or fighting, and then steering them as best he can towards a good outcome.
The camera followed him for six months, and showed that he was good at his job. He showed a deep respect for the students in his care, mixed with a fierce enforcement of high standards. It was a potent mix and the students seemed to respond.
This was an observational documentary and while it won’t blow your socks off it does have enormous charm and is very engaging. I am reminded of some of the great docos I’ve watched that were much like this but stumbled on to a great unfolding story that gave the film structure (like The Heart Of The Game from a few years back). TIMB didn’t have the fortune to stumble into a ready-made narrative, but it fashions some great content from what was caught on camera.
The director, Juliette Veber, took a bunch of questions afterwards, mostly from teachers who’d come along to see the film. One of them was a teacher who felt strongly that the film created a false image of Pasifika youth as being universally troubled without exploring – on the spot, Veber handled this question fairly well, saying that she avoided going into details to protect student privacy, and she had to work with what Mr Peach encountered. The answer she really needed was this: I hope there’s another film that comes along and delivers those aspects of the story, because this one can only tell one small part. And Veber is entirely justified, I think – her film is very evenhanded and, in fact, incredibly sympathetic to kids who are exactly the sort of young people harsher regimes would see as lost causes.
I’m never going to forget the look in one kid’s eyes as he was brought face to face with the boy he’d been fighting with – his eyes were huge and brimming with fear and deep, deep messed-up emotion. It wasn’t anger, it was something else. That look by itself speaks volumes about how far from the truth are the simple stories so beloved in talkbackland of mongrel kids just growing up rotten.
Also, I would have liked to have seen Mrs Peach. I imagine she’s hardout.