They’re KIDS

Kiwiblog has once again carried a story about the shenanigans in Victoria’s student association, VUWSA. This time DPF is crying foul about the lack of journalistic integrity being shown by the student “newspaper”, Salient. Someone should tell David that Salient is a student newspaper…it wouldn’t even know how to spell either journalism or integrity.

There was also something a little ironic about the juxtaposition of a story about young Rory English’s alleged youthfully-invigorated homophobic outpourings on Bebo and a “serious” article about the goings on in the student association (as if these weren’t just kids taking life all too seriously). As most grown-ups who attend university quickly learn, student politics is about serious as a teenager’s crush on a pop idol and should be treated as such.

But, you know, I wonder about DPF’s motivations here. Why the interest in VUWSA? Why not stories about other university associations? Anyone who has studied or worked at several universities will confirm that the one thing they all have in common is that the student politics is consistently and uniformly facile regardless of where you go.

Could there be an alternative motivation for DPF’s ongoing fascination? Well, I think I am safe ground here speculating that young Mr Chris Bishop quoted by David is the same Mr Chris Bishop behind the “Keep it 18″ campaign and the very same Mr Chris Bishop who won Wellingtonian of the Year. I think I am also on reasonably safe ground speculating that Mr Bishop’s political leanings might well align with the National Party than other parties. Perhaps this A-Team thing is a Young Nat proxy war. Hard to know.

I know DPF’s birthday photos revealed another Chris with VUWSA connections. No not the tall blonde next to DPF - although she is a Chris - but that’s a whole other story. No, I am talking about this photo of Chris Whelan (second from the left) - the former Canterbury student president who, in the mid-to-late-nineties was VUWSA’s general manager. Maybe Chris, who now works at NZAID, couldn’t let go of his student association interest?

Maybe it’s a combination of things. One thing you can probably guarantee, there will be another VUWSA story in the near future if history is anything to go by.

We all get our five minutes…

Loud tut tutting happening over at Kiwiblog about Gaynz decision to out Bill English’s son’s allegedly homophobic remarks on the Bebo social networking site. The kid’s youth (14 years) and his hitherto low profile solicited widespread condemnation of Gaynz’ decision. Hell, people are even agreeing with Sonic! It seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup. Weirdly, DPF’s loyalty to English might, in this instance, result in highlighting and perpetuating a story that deserved to die when it was first mentioned.

David’s comment on the story was interesting. He admitted his own journey from conservative youth to liberalised adult. Good on him. However, I started to worry when he started enumerating his gay friends that the piece was turning into a “some of my closest friends are black” anecdote. Luckily for all concerned, DPF caught himself and assured readers he was not trying to establish his “credentials”. Still, he could have made the point without the count…so perhaps more cold-hearted readers might disagree.

Ironically, DPF also got himself a bit of five minute fame today when he appeared as a clue in the Dominion Post’s five minute quiz. You know you’ve made it into the popular consciousness when you become a clue. Notwithstanding DPF’s brush with quiz infamy, I suspect some of Kiwiblog’s more pungent respondents, like the egregious Redbaiter, will remain clueless - figuratively and literally.