Monthly Archives: February 2011
In the Ruins of the City
‘The event itself has no purchase on the mercies of analogy or simile’, writes Don Dellilo, admitting the failure of writing at the very moment when it is needed most. The influx of the real has smashed the symbolic order. How can we signify when there are still bodies lying under the rubble? Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, Literary Criticism
All White, Black and Silver: NZ Sport in the Eyes of the World
The recent fuss about the winning of the Supreme Halberg Award by the All Whites has got me thinking about what sort of people we New Zealanders would like the rest of the world to think us to be. Make … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society
The Decline of Women’s Studies: A Case in Point of Why We Need It
Thursday night’s episode of Media 7 was fascinating, but for many of the wrong reasons. The show’s theme was the decline of Women’s Studies as an academic discipline at New Zealand Universities. This post discusses the show, and uses it as an example of why we still need Women’s Studies. Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, Politics
Cow vs. Hound: A Bucolic Entertainment
Black and White Dairy Cow No. 706 paused from her chewing and looked at her friend, Black and White Dairy Cow No. 693, who was contentedly devouring mouthfuls of grass. “Why don’t we get out of here?” “What do you … Continue reading
Filed under Fiction
Of Hot Chicks – or, Why Ukrainians Rock
Introduction There’s an episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon is off to join the men at a strip club. “Yay!” she yells, heading out the door. “Let’s go look at naked mothers and daughters.” Social commentary works best when … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, Politics
A Poem Like a Hand Grenade: James K. Baxter’s ‘A Small Ode on Mixed Flatting’
University is about to start back across the country; somewhere in Dunedin a father will be cursing his daughter’s queen size bed, while he slides it across carpet still damp from last year’s winter. A mother, standing by, will be … Continue reading
John Key, John Key, mincing his way to victory
The ramble below was quite possibly inspired by this delightfully intelligent piece by Steve Coogan, writing in the Guardian. It seems increasingly necessary to make the effort to speak clearly about the creeping, casual indulgence of unfunny joke-making by … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society, Politics
Before Facebook: An Office Drama, 1982
They were a particularly attractive bunch of roses and took pride of place on her office desk. They were an assortment of colours and gave the impression of being specially selected and picked. It came as no great surprise to … Continue reading
Filed under Fiction
On going straight, and other things
Some folks I know had their house burgled recently. Unpleasant business.
Nonetheless, they found themselves able to mock their violators the following day – when they noted that the foolish, know-nothing robbers had left untouched a $300 set of GHD hair straighteners.
I guess we simply assume, without really thinking about it, that all those girls have naturally dead-straight hair.
Funny though: when I was a kid, the opposite form of topological hair-control – the perm – was the thing. I used to marvel at the irrationality of it, when yet another girl would appear at school on a Monday morning, hoping that she’d be compared with Sheena Easton, but knowing in her heart that it was more a Ruth Richardson look that she’d achieved – and this, even after we’d all witnessed the same tragedy played out on numerous Mondays mornings already. It’s the “it won’t happen to me” conditioning. Sadly, it happened to everyone. Continue reading
Filed under Culture and Society
