'If children are being brought up to use expletives in their day-to-day language, how do they then express themselves when they really feel very strongly about something?'
See the light on traffic congestion
Recently visiting Paris (population 6.7 million and an almost equal number of annual visitors), it is a very congested city but it moves, albeit slowly.
It is an accepted way of life and culture, and no congestion charges. It moves because traffic lights are co-ordinated with synchronised phasing. This concept appears unheard of in Auckland.
A rare foray to the CBD recently, and traversing the short Queen St distance between Wyndham St and Victoria St East, took almost quarter of an hour. The reason - totally unco-ordinated traffic lights, short green light phasing and two pedestrian light sets operating totally randomly.
Many roundabouts have very poor visibility, particularly for right-turning traffic. This is dangerous for both motorist and pedestrian.
Observation shows motorists concentrating on their turning are taken by total surprise to suddenly being confronted by a pedestrian, crossing on a random green light.
Worse, some are brought up short to avoid a nose-to-tail when only halfway through the roundabout, thereby blocking the through traffic from the other direction.
Mayor Brown, now you have taken over Auckland Transport, prove your engineering prowess by minimising congestion and eliminating dangerous pedestrian crossings from roundabouts.
Ian McPherson, Birkenhead.
Sporting heroes
Hamish Kerr’s success at the 2024 Olympic high jump was given top sport billing in the Weekend Herald’s “Our Heroes 2024″ (December 7).
This was significant as the high jump is not the go-to choice of Kiwi sports enthusiasts. In fact, athletics in general has suffered a decline in popularity since the halcyon days of Peter Snell and Murray Halberg in the 60s and John Walker, Rod Dixon and Dick Quax of the 70s and 80s.
This is because athletics is essentially a lonely sport and, in particular, the high jump. This is not to suggest that other sports don’t have their lonely element.
Dame Lisa Carrington must have spent hours in lonely isolation training on Lake Pupuke. Whilst not diminishing Carrington’s record-breaking achievements, her successes at this year’s Olympics had an air of inevitability about them, such was her dominance.
Her loneliness in training was added to by the pressure of her instant and ongoing public recognition, which Kerr never experienced. There was a hint of what was coming when Kerr won gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.
But still he would have flown under the radar, unlike Carrington. The circumstances of both these incredible sportspeople could not have been more diverse but the pressure on both to win was the same - Kerr’s on that fleeting last jump and Carrington because she was expected to win.
Both deserve top billing.
Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui.
Bad blood
Let’s be honest with ourselves, the country is broke, perhaps in more ways than one.
As the Minister of Finance admitted in October, we’ve been living beyond our means. For how long she didn’t say but it’s patently obvious because the health sector can’t afford to pay hospital staff inflation-adjusted wages and salaries; we can’t afford new ferries and heaven help us if another major disaster or pandemic occurs.
What’s the solution? Borrowing more money which we can ill-afford? No! Hunker down, work harder and smarter. Switch the mobile off so we’re not constantly distracted while doing a job. Show people you care what you’re doing.
Bruce Cotterill makes some excellent suggestions in “Get the crash cart out, we’ve got a health crisis” (Weekend Herald, December 7). There is however a but.
Patients are also part of the bigger problem. Many ignore the advice of doctors and nursing staff to expedite their recovery. As an example a patient who required a strict dietary regime was found consuming large quantities of fatty, takeaway food. Others, in the blink of an eye, were outside with a fag in their hand.
Also, it needs to be understood that earlier high immigration rates are now leading to increased demand for not only hospital treatment but blood testing and more. Recently while waiting for a blood test I felt like a foreigner in my own country.
Paul Hickford, West Auckland.
Bad parenting
Having read Greg Bruce’s Canvas article on how he condones and laughs at his under 10-year-old’s use of expletives as part of their normal language, I feel that there must be many others who also think that this is bad parenting bordering on child abuse (December 7).
Most normal people feel that only the least literate and uneducated people in society use expletives in everyday language because they lack the intelligence and word power to express themselves without swearing.
I feel so sorry for kids one day trying to get on with others in conventional society and feel upset at the limitations he is placing on his kids’ ability to secure employment in the future. Has he not thought that they may not want to be restricted to working in unrewarding and menial jobs where the use of such language is considered unremarkable?
One would have thought he would prefer that they would be able to seek jobs from employers who would not consider employing someone who might upset their customers and other employees with what many people would consider bad language.
Even in a fast food restaurant on minimum wage, no employer would take on a trainee who might say “do you want f****** fries with that?” or deal with a customer complaint with “why don’t you just f*** off then?”
Finally, if children are being brought up to use expletives in their day-to-day language, how do they then express themselves when they really feel very strongly about something and they have no words to use for that purpose? Smash things up or deal with it with their fists instead?
Greg, I seriously suggest that before they are much older you should explain to them that while this may be acceptable language in your home, they need to know that there are still many people out there who would think very poorly of them if they were to use it in public.
Richard Amery, Rotorua.
Lacking language
After reading the article by Greg Bruce I would not like to meet his children.
Hearing children swear is absolutely awful, swearing from anyone, to my mind is horrible. When I came to NZ 50 years ago with my husband and two daughters it was so different.
We didn’t hear much swearing at all. Now in every film or series everyone swears and it makes me cringe. There is no need for it, except in extreme circumstances. I worked in an accountants’ firm, which was my first job, my boss was standing in the middle of the big office telling a young guy off for something he did. Not once did he say the F word.
Afterwards I mentioned it to him and he said, people swear because they haven’t got a good command of the English language, so by swearing it makes them feel big and important.
I believe that to be true.
Mavis Fruin, Thames.
Bending gender
Joanna Wane’s entertainingly speculative article on “The Human Connectome Project” reveals that participants were “asked to self-report their gender as male or female” (Canvas, December 7).
But this phrasing is a contradiction in terms. Sex – as denoted by the categories “male” and “female” – is an immutable reproductive binary. Gender, however, is the subject’s chosen performance of whatever features of behaviour and appearance are socially and culturally designated in their society, at a given time, as having attributes of “femininity” or “masculinity”.
Any research study that is science-based would not allow the participants’ subjective gender self ID to be treated as synonymous with their binary and unchangeable reproductive sex.
Therefore the failure in this study to distinguish between sex and gender is a fundamental flaw in the design and reporting of the research. A deficiency that prevents any reliable science-based conclusions being drawn from this material.
It also calls into question the bonafides of the United States Institutes of Health – the study’s important sounding, but apparently scientifically sloppy, funding body.
Janet Charman, Avondale.
It is paramount to keep in perspective that the youngsters attending bootcamps are on the cusp of going to prison. These youngsters are not angels; they are broken and these boys won’t be easy to turn around. Opposition parties are not helping by putting the boot in. What they should acknowledge is that any opportunity to have youth avoid prison must be embraced. Perhaps those detractors need to spend a week in prison, then they might appreciate that any attempt to keep youngsters away from jail will have life-changing results for the better.
John Ford, Taradale.
The Prime Minister is adamant that the bootcamp is no failure. If two escapes and a death are success, I shudder to think what failure looks like.
Ken Taylor, Māngere.
Here’s an idea, Auckland Transport has been told by the Government to raise the speed limits that were lowered in the last couple of years. Instead of paying $75 million to replace the signs they could get replacements printed on reflected plastic with a stick-on backing. I’m sure that would be a lot cheaper.
Rick Vine, Ponsonby.
Several times every day I go past two golf courses. I have never seen anybody playing on them. This is prime real estate that could be more usefully utilised. On my travels I see far more people on the cycle paths than playing golf.
Paul Taylor, Burswood.
People keep proposing a sugar tax. Can anyone in government explain why they can’t simply legislate a maximum sugar content per drink?
Chris Elias, Parnell.
The admission by the new commissioner that there probably won’t be 500 new cops in two years is a classic example of politicians (from all parties) promising something to gain votes which is frankly unattainable. Some might say it’s aspirational, but really it’s just business as usual. Power is the aspiration, nothing else.
Hamish Walsh, Devonport.
Surely it’s time that the Government looked to protect buyers, particularly in the property market, by requiring that any deposits and the like are paid into a trust fund separate from any company that they are dealing with. At least then, if that company then goes into liquidation they would be able to get their money back in full.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
After six years of profligacy from leftist Labour/Green governments is it any wonder the current Government has to pull the collective belt in. Why is it the left always assume lunches will appear miraculously from nowhere?
Mike Newland, Matakana.
It is not often that an old biblical saying has a real ring of truth to it, but “on the road to Damascus” will literally be just that for many Syrians now that dictator Bashar al-Assad has finally been deposed.
Randal Lockie, Rothesay Bay.
While the Government is ending greyhound racing, and rightly so, they are working to reinstate the export of livestock by sea.
Neil Hatfull, Warkworth.
It was very pleasing to read Winston Peters’ statement that greyhound racing is to be phased out over the next 20 months. While some may see this as “devastating”, I’m sure the dogs who may get to live longer than they normally would, once their profitability has waned, won’t be among those so affected. I can almost feel tails wagging in joy and relief already.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Daniel Tarrant is harvesting tītī on Rakiura's tītī islands.