community. There is a daily diet of doom and gloom and violence and mayhem
filling the pages. I was quoted for many years on their pages, and so I know
that a very large discount rate must be applied to a great proportion of
what is fed to us as "facts".
With this introduction I want to comment on three matters which I have found
especially irksome recently in the Press.
One has been that it has been promoted that we arm the Police. I chaired the
Safer Community Council for a number of years, and got to know all of the
senior officers in this town pretty well. I haven't met a top cop I didn't
like. They work hard in our community, most work way beyond the hours they
are paid for. I had an incredible working relationship with Sandi Manderson
who was our brilliant District Commander (the first woman Commander in NZ).
I know how hard she worked for our community.
I never met a senior officer who advocated giving the Police more arms than
they have now. In my opinion it would raise the level of violence even more.
It would attract a different type of person to become cops. The sort of
person who will get their jollies from being able to carry a gun. It would
be a new form of violence on our streets. Look at the cops in USA. Ghastly
swaggering holster driven individuals whose presence is made more
intimidating by their firearms. We don't want that here. Ever.
Our cops have guns when they need them. Leave it at that.
My second point is regards to our young people. If you believed the paper
the middle of our town is awash with drugs and alcohol and everybody falling
all over the place. I must live in a different city. Yes I know lots have
too much to drink. Many of them didn't buy it in the Centre of the City.
They bought it at the Supermarkets and big booze barns around the City. They
come into the Centre, because that's what you do. Young people will always
congregate in groups. That's life. That's normal. The greater proportion of
our young people are fantastic. They look after each other and they don't
cause any problems. Yes they drink. Often to excess. Let he who is without
sin cast the first stone at them. Isn't the job of a decent society to look
after our young people as they learn how to grow a brain? Why do we rubbish
them through the media? I read many of the stories in the Press and look at
who has written it and smile to myself. I've seen many of them drunk, or
intoxicated, on many occasions.
What is it about our media. Don't do what we do. Let us sit at our computers
and destroy our society. That's our role. Well is it?
Alright I know they also do stories about another cancer kid who has
survived against the odds. Every now and then they celebrate some sports
person who has done well. Then they spend the rest of the time trying to
drag them down. But these stories are the exception rather than the rule. I
have spent a lot of time in the company of our young citizens. I am filled
with awe at their ideas and their passion. I actually prefer the company of
my kids and their generation than I do my own, often. Yes I know they get
drunk and smoke things which aren't good for them. So did I. I finally got
fed up with bad heads and not being able to get on with working as a
functioning human being. What happened in the middle was that the community
kept a watchful eye on me, and my mates. That's what a decent society is all
about. That's why I applaud the Christchurch City Council for its decision
yesterday to put more security cameras in Central Christchurch. That's part
of society taking an interest. The cops being seen on the streets is also a
good idea. That's been happening for some time. Sandi Manderson promoted
that.
It takes a whole village to bring up a child and that old line is as true
today as it ever was. The media fixation on how bad our young people are, is
often from people who have forgotten what it was like to be young, sitting
in judgement on the very few who are out of control. Let's celebrate the
bulk of young people. If they are as bad as portrayed then we have failed
them in the way we have brought them up.
The third point is that of how bad our economy is. I find it interesting to
meet lots of people in business who preface comments about their business
with the phrase "I know I'm not supposed to be doing well,
but..............". I know it's hard at the moment. There is no denying it.
However we have had one of the greatest runs of profitability in the
business community for decades. We are being impacted by the poor decisions
made in USA in an amazing show of greed in that country in the housing
market. Banks and lending institutions have made poor decisions. They are
attempting to recoup their stupidity quickly. We have had a history of not
respecting capital and savings in this community. Financial or human.
However, everything is not doom and gloom. Sure it's expensive to buy a
block of cheese in the supermarket. That's because the world price for this
commodity is high. The income from producing this cheese is flowing into our
economy as well. That bits seldom mentioned. Or celebrated. Many businesses
are doing OK. Businesses are keeping an eagle eye on costs. Cash is king.
Savings are being made. But it's not all bad. The banks are being
extraordinarily cautious. The housing sector got out of sync but that will
right itself. Most people get up in the morning and go to work. Sometimes
they have to change jobs because the old boss has closed down. However new
businesses are opening every day. The media focuses on the difficult bits.
Most journalists have no feel for the complexity of business. Those who
write the most realistically are either self employed, or have done some
time as a free lancer. Business is challenging. It is always hard. But our
society needs it and pouring cold water on it and dragging the entrails of
those who are finding it tough gets us nowhere.
Apart from these observations the weather looks cold, but sunny, out of my
window. My name was not in the Death Notices this morning, so life's a
breeze really.
Garry