Acclaimed dressmaker Dame Trelise Cooper recently designed a formal dress comprising six overlapping layers of material and dubbed it “Trail of Tiers”. Why? Because, in its overlapping layers it forms a perpendicular trail.
Let’s get the language cleared up. A tier is a layer. A trail is a path of common features. In other words the dress was aptly named. But as always there’s someone to take offence and contact the lapdog media.
In this case, unlike Dame Trelise it was an unacclaimed woman, described as a Professor of Maori Education at Victoria University, with that fine old maori name of Joanne Kidman. She complained to the media about the similarity of the name with a North American event 190 years ago. This involved the forced expatriation of native Indians, Kidman with ludicrous hyperbole described as a genocide. Apparently it’s known as the “Trail of Tears”.
Dame Trelise sadly fell into line and apologised. This is ludicrous.
Kidman is supposed to be an educationalist. As such she ought to respect language and recognise there’s a world of difference between “tiers” and “tears”.
An explanation. Probably attention-seeking or alternatively stupidity.
It’s time the media showed judgement and ignored this sort of nonsense.
25 Comments
Unfortunately Bob the MSM have been well and truly bought by our socialist queen and such drivel will only increase.
If Kidman wishes to preach about genocide then perhaps she could educate her students on the rampant raping, enslaving and cannibalism practiced by her forebears during the 19th century Maori tribal wars.
Now that was genocide on an industrial scale – never to be taught in our schools as it would upset our part – Maori population.
We cannot allow the truth to interfere with the fairy stories told to impressionable students today, can we ?
Ohhh so true John. If it doesn’t fit the narrative pretend it never happened. Apologists and Whingers anthem!
This involves a clash of two industries. On one side the private clothing fashion industry. A private endeavour unsupported by the taxpayer and totally reliant on the fickle market of fashion. On the other the grievance industry supported by the taxpayer and totally reliant on the fickle market of feeling ” offended”.
If I was asked to advise a young person on a future career the answer would be easy. For a better return and future job security for less effort…..the grievance industry wins hands down.
Likewise, I got educated educated a few month ago. When I unwittingly asked my Maori co-worker if he was XXX tribe. With great offence taken, he replied. “F off, they were our slaves, we ate them. I’m YYY tribe.” I was taken a back, by this comment, too this day I’m uneasy and unsure how to interpret hi comment.
On Twit, Jo’s Lynch mob followers commend her on her bravery for standing up for all those minority groups oppressed by the majority régime. Jo, in the forefront, squealing. Jo had no need to differentiate the meaning of the words “Tears & Tiers”. More important is her phonetic recognition of the historical event name. Clearly, demonstrating outstanding merit for academic expertise.
Disappointing, given Jo’s credentials. Was she didn’t twit, and contact our lapdog media, in Aotearoa’s native Te reo Maori. Again the news media have failed us. This simple step, would have been to go to press in te reo Maori, this would ensured Jo the full extent of coverage that she deserves.
IT must be in full SJW offence, now Jo has had IT’s 5 minutes of fame
The esteemed Professor should do her home work. The Florida case she refers to was originally called the Trail of Tears, because of the ffect it had on moving the native Cherokke to ‘reserves’ as i understand.
I had a look at Joanne Kidman’s twitter feed on this subject. I thought there would be a lot of tweets either expressing sympathy for Trelise Cooper in that she wasn’t aware of this event or telling Kidman to get a life and wind her neck in. Wrong!
Virtually every tweet was how disgusting it was, that she should have known about this and the usual vile abuse that you get on twitter. Occasionally Kidman would chime in as in one tweet “Colonial violence in floral polyester”. FFS!
I give up. The permanently outraged now rule the roost. In turn those who cause offence have to always issue a groveling apology. It’s time for the tide to turn. Sir Robert you are right. Trelise Cooper should have said it’s a play on words and people like Joanne Kidman should get a life and that she doesn’t give a hoot that it might have caused offence.
I promise you they don’t rule the roost, they just think they do. I can also assure you that not all tweets were in sympathy. A couple of people offered the entirely reasonable observation that the quickest and easiest course of action would be to raise it privately with Dame Trelise, rather than immediately resort to public guilt-shaming via the ever-offended twatterati.
These mingers are perpetually offended and immediately resort to epithets of identity politics, blindly flailing around and accusing people of colonial violence, genocide, racism, and (by far the most offensive of all) being white. How very dare they! Best thing is to ignore them, which Dame Trelise definitely should have done.
So will the proposed hate speech laws mean the end of your blog Sir Bob? Methinks that any aspersions or differences around the growth of apartheid in NZ will be at the forefront of this particular legislation
I call it the tyranny of the undeserving.
Is there no end to this? We either accept Maori Wonderfulness or live a life of shamefulness,
The perpetually outraged
Regretably our higher education establishments are catering to and for these brain dead twits and if the hate speech nonsence does eventuate let’s all bury them in comment that will really flood the system by the offenderaty at work .Maybee then a certain Little brain will see a real hornets nest he has created and endorsed and how pissed most of us will be As for Kidman herself how about letting us all know how Maori Education is any different from the norm and justify why it requires a Professorship instead of petty whinging and stirring up the offenderaty
Can someone enlighten me as to how this “Professor” gained her title as a teacher in a University, and what does she teach about the history she has made comment on. God help her students !!!!! JB
Who distributes titles of “Professor” and who are the students gaining what degree, as she “brain washes” them? God protect us from Universities that promote these stupidities.
Of course, the idiot Kidman made no contact with National Treasure, Trelise Coope, prior to rushing into non-peer reviewed print.
So much for intellectual rigour.
Its a side issue, but the treatment of native Americans probably does meet most reasonable definitions of genocide. One particular event doesnt constitute a genocide so SRJ using the term hyperbole is completely correct. Its hard to imagine going through ones life with such a need for attention that any opportunity to point the magic wand of offense at another is leapt upon gleefully. Sad really.
Also… For the record-my wife has a PhD. A real one. In Engineering from a UK university. She is less than polite about the standards at several NZ institutions…Hard to believe…
My wife and I have travelled extensively throughout NZ, from North Cape to Bluff, and East Cape to West Cape and everywhere in between. We.ve been everywhere man. When you travel North of Whangarei, the maori flag is more and more prominent the further North you go. There is hatred and bitterness everywhere.
Apparently we’re to blame for their housing needs, jobs, roads, and anything else you can think of. It is a hostlie environment for non-maori, so much so, you’re not allowed (anymore) to eat your lunch in the North cape light house carpark without offending their gobbledegooks.. They even think they have their own police force and have the right to block roads. I have a daughter who is confined to a wheelchair for life. When she was 5 yrs old, I packed up my family (1989) and toured all of NZ, she visited every National and Forest Park in NZ, bar one. I carried her in a special pack on my back. one place we visited was in the Wairarapa, called Taumatawhakatangikoauuapokaiwhenuakitanatahu. I learnt to say this name and wrote it up on a large piece of paper and hung it in our house. Consequently my bright we lass learnt to say it. When at college, she had an old squaw teaching her maori culture etc, This old degenerate, cantankerous, curmudgeonly duck, posed the question: I bet nobody knows the longest name in NZ ? Like Hermione Grainger, my daughter immediately stuck her hand up. Well, did this sanctimonious old snapdraggon hit the roof. Not only was she caught out, but by a honkey kid in a wheelchair. I can almost guarantee that old witch had never ever been there or know the story behind it. My daughter has and did. The persecution was so bad we had to withdraw our daughter from that witches class. This is the typical hatred that has infiltrated our teaching institutions. Many of you will remember years ago a young lady studying nursing, who told the NZ nursing outfit to shove it where the sun don’t shine and went and done her degree in Aussie, earn’t more money at the same time. why did she do that? Because she couldn’t see the relevance in maori myths and legends, praying to trees, lakes, rivers, clouds, maui, tane, huhu grubs, etc had to do with nursing.
Kiddman —- your kidding? A professor of what? must be diatribe or cow manure?
I once heard Dover Samuels say that most of these cowmatuas are “Yellow Pages” Cowmatuas.
The trouble is that they get into such positions because institutions are so dammed scared to not employ them.
It was obviously a light-hearted pun on the original phrase without any intent to denigrate it. The response was pure “Look at me!” gate-crashing and should have been shown the door.
Alternatively she probably had never even heard the term until now, as, I suspect, few people generally have.
Who, for example, knew that Eskimo Pies was sufficiently offensive to our Eskimo community to justify dropping that iconic brand name. I haven’t met a single Eskimo bothered at all, the wokelets are just making up stuff to get offended over.
I noticed most borrowed book in University library catalogue, statistically has title “The Modern Feminist and how best to be Offended”.
Very sorry, but that is a true statistical fact.
The motive: To stick up for oppressed non-white people so you can look like a wonderful person. Aka, “being offended”.
I wonder who appointed the Professor to object on behalf of the First Nation Americans? Or does she consider them unable to express their own outrage?
If she though they would not see the insult from NZ, she could have passed this on to them in a spirit of anti-white solidarity… or not, if she was following the traditional academic trait of tolerance of diverse opinion.
Strange how it is almost always an academic with a european name, who expresses outrage on behalf of the original inhabitants of a country, very rarely the originals themselves.
Perhaps you need to have a degree in grievance studies to recognise when outrage is required? Or a need to say, ‘look at me, aren’t I virtuous’.
Isn’t it obvious to Joanna? All that Maori study, Phd wasted? Just as Whaka is procunced Faaka. Surely, Tier therefore, is pronounced Stare? Which in this context, I suspect was the intended meaning, when Dame Trelise titled her work.
I have it from a close friends daughter attending Victoria, that the University is now considering allowing minority group students be able to accumulate their offence taking. Their average score used to gain credits toward qualifications in feminist , cultural or social science and psychology courses.
In addition minority group lecturers will be able to accumulate “Offence leave”, (not to be confused with “fence leave” which usually refers to the expedient retreat from an electric fence following the relieving of ones bladder).
The Labour party has suggested offence leave apply to industry in general and for “Offence Taking” courses to train delegates in correct offence taking. It has also been suggested that these courses be provided in brail, sign language Te Reo , while a subsidy be provided to minority group and female delegates. Approval for caucasian males to attend, would need to be limited to those of a minimum IQ.
This will be another proud world-first for our country.