Maxim and hate crimes
March 21st, 2004 at 12:53 pm by David FarrarPersonally I disagree with many of the policy stances on morality taken by the Maxim Institute.
But I find it disturbing the PM infers that Maxim is guilty of hate crimes. That is very strong emotive language against a group which has every right to lobby for its views, as every other lobby group does.
Maxim’s PR person, Scott McMurray, used to work for National in the mid 90s. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet, superb sense of humour and not at all judgemental. Linking people such as Scott, and Maxim pushing family values, as being akin to hate crimes actually just backfires on the PM in my opinion. And ironically on social issues such as civil unions, prostitution law reform, euthanasia, republicanism, secular state I am probably much closer to the PM’s views than Maxim’s.
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March 21st, 2004 at 1:54 pm
Where did she say she thought Maxim were “guilty of hate crimes”? She doesn’t even loosely infer it!
Let me quote directly from the article:
“Prime Minister Helen Clark, asked last month by gay magazine Express about Maxim “homophobia”, said: “We legislated against hate crimes. You just have to keep working over a long period of time on several values in society – that does not condone that sort of attitude.” “
Vote:March 21st, 2004 at 3:50 pm
She did not state it but in my opinion it is inferred, and the reporter also commented it was drawing a long bow, so he obviously thought it was inferred also.
She was asked about Maxim and her first response was to talk about hate crimes.
Vote:March 21st, 2004 at 9:05 pm
Rob –
Like David, I certainly don’t agree with the Maxim Institute on, well, pretty much everything. I actually looked up the Express interview Milne referred to (yes, a Tory who subscribes to a gay newspaper) and I think he’s totally correct — the inference was carefully coded but perfectly clear. Maxim have unfasionable – and to my mind wretchedly stupid – views on homosexuality. Of course, it’s much easier to write them off as ‘hate speech’; just as Maxim would rather write off all gays as ‘anti-family’ and obsessed with sex and a ‘homosexual agenda’.
Vote:March 22nd, 2004 at 1:38 pm
An inference is something YOU draw from the person’s words. In all the examples above, the verb you’re looking for is imply.
Vote:March 24th, 2004 at 12:05 pm
Bugger, you’re right Tim. The PM was blatantly implying that the Maxim Institute was guilty of ‘hate speech’, and the inference that Jonathan Milne drew was correct and fair.
Vote:March 28th, 2004 at 7:06 pm
Interesting letter in today
Vote:March 28th, 2004 at 8:42 pm Vote:
December 10th, 2004 at 2:20 am
I can’t believe that you people genuinely believe you are involved in an intelligent and relevant discussion. It is trivial, mindless, ungrammatical, gossipy drivel.
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