She has a point
May 30th, 2011 at 7:00 am by David FarrarMaia at Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty blogs:
The Labour Party’s Let’s Not game has been out for a few days.* I’m not linking to it, for reasons that will become apparent, but I do want to discuss one of the offensive parts of it.**
If someone puts their finger in someone else’s anus without their consent then that is sexual assault. This is still true if the two people involved are on a rugby field.
Ten years ago John Hopoate puts his finger in three other players anuses during a rugby league match. Apparently the people who were making this flash game thought “You know what we should do? We should animate this in an amusing way. That’ll help us win the election and be awesome.” Apparently people being violated without their consent is kind of funny if it’s men on the rugby field.
One of the basic rape-myths that help uphold a culture where sexual assault is endemic is that sometimes consent doesn’t matter. If you ever say that some people’s violation doesn’t matter – if you ever set some people up as unrapeable – then you, or in this case the Labour Party, are upholding that rape myth.
Now personally I’m someone who believes that humour will always offend someone, and I am sure Maia finds much of my humour offensive also.
But while it is rare that I might agree with Maia, on this occassion I have to agree it is inappropriate for a political party to make and promote an online game which jokes about sexual violation.
Maybe this is why Clare Curran was posting on Trade Me, telling people she didn’t like the game?
Tags: Labour
May 30th, 2011 at 7:06 am
The “Lets Not” game defines Labour DPF….
The mere fact that it made it further than its first joking thought in a Labour strategy meeting if you can call it that, sums the whole cluster f%#k up….
Labour, the gift that keeps giving…..
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 7:27 am
Well, Clare Curran is not as important as Trevor Mallard, Labour’s new campaign strategist, who once fantasised about inserting Heineken bottles into the anuses of overseas Rugby executives.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 7:33 am
This wouldn’t have happened under Helen Clark, and I doubt Phil Goff would have let it be rolled out had he been told about it in advance. Which suggests he wasn’t told, and he has no control over his party.
I disagree with Maia on everything, including the idea that a game like this upholds myths or has any effect on culture. Rapists aren’t looking for approval from disorganised opposition political parties. I will, however, defend to the death Maia and the Labour party’s right to voice their crass, utter stupidity. If only they would return the favour.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 7:53 am
Anyone want to run a book on how long it takes for the VRWC to spike this too?
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 8:04 am
“This wouldn’t have happened under Helen Clark, and I doubt Phil Goff would have let it be rolled out had he been told about it in advance. Which suggests he wasn’t told, and he has no control over his party.”
Really? You’re suggesting that it is more likely that this was rolled out without Goff seeing than that Goff approved it? I think that’s a very long bow to draw.
Incidentally, at the time it came out I said it was at times cringeworthy, and at times hilarious. Particularly the movie parodies stand out as reasonably well done, but the Hopoate bit is neither here nor there for me.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 8:32 am
SMOG = Social Media Own Goal
Labour has scored quite a few SMOG’s of late
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2011/05/smog.html
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 8:37 am
It boils down to what has been said for near 2 + years, Labour are beyond a joke, there has not yet been a word invented to describe Labour as it is at present…
So will use the words – Cluster Fuck
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 8:43 am
@ nasska – the Right doesn’t need to spike this game. Maia has dissed it, Clare Curran dissed it on TradeMe, and Labour supporters on Red Alert have dissed it. The Right just needs to sit back and watch the fun!
Popcorn anyone?
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Anybody else wondering what the hell? They have a very senior team member sitting at home in disgrace with sexual allegations swirling around him and they make poofinger jokes?
Vote:Then we have mallard frothing all over the net from his wheelchair while his ex girlfriend lurks on mouth breathing message boards disavowing the lot of them.
These clowns could not run a PTA never mind a very small country.
May 30th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Oh please! Maia thinks laying a sausage into a hot-dog bun is symbolism for extreme sexual violation….the woman’s a deluded nutter.She is a professional victim and rape junkie….ignore the mad bat.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 9:21 am
When I read about consent and fingers in anuses I thought more info had emerged about nocturnal Kilbirnie activities.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Hopoate is a thug. Not only was there the fingers in anuses incidents, but numerous other instances of on-field violence were perpetrated by him, resulting in him being the most suspended player EVER in the NRL. And just this year Hopoate was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for his part in a brawl in which a man died.
Why on earth Labour decided to associate their campaign material with him is beyond my comprehension. Total FAIL.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 10:12 am
While Hopoate is all you say he was Toad the point is that his fingering incidents have entered popular culture as a humorous historical oddity and that’s where it remain for most people who,unlike Maia,don’t spend their lives in a constant state of self satisfying,precious victim-hood.It may have been somewhat off for Labour to use it in their material but they were right that its seen as an amusing thing in NZ in hindsight.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 10:13 am
toad said
I agree with your sentiments toad, but you should have called it a “total SMOG”!! Mind you, the Greens had their own SMOG a while ago …
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Lets vote Labour!
Lets not.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 10:38 am
Claire’s Trevor’s ex girlfriend? Do tell…
[DPF: Not unless you want demerits.]
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 11:48 am
No happy mischief for you insider.
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
I don’t understand the mentality of people who vote Labour I really don’t, sexual deviancy aside.
Vote:A finger in the bum should be a court date if it isn’t with permission no matter where, when or by whom.
May 30th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Is this what Labour thinks digital media is?
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
lovely
Vote:May 30th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Barnsley Bill – ‘Pooh Finger’ LOL – cue raunchy sax music and silhouettes of dancing girls……
Vote:May 31st, 2011 at 6:39 am
. . . . Heh At least we could now google ‘mallard’ and’anus’ and be reasonably sure that what results is good clean fun . .
or something.
Vote:May 31st, 2011 at 6:39 am
I dare ya.
Vote: