The Roast Busters: A Rant From A Kiwi

How does this sort of crap happen in New Zealand? We were the first to allow women to vote, a major step for women’s rights, something we as New Zealanders should be immensely proud of.

So how can something as appalling as the Roast Busters happen? Have we stopped teaching the children of this country that women are people too? That we own our bodies? Not anyone else? That just because some people have a vagina that doesn’t mean you can just force your way into it as you please? 

This is sickening. It is simply unacceptable, not just in New Zealand, but in the twenty-first century in general. We as a country cannot waver and sympathise with these brutes. How can we as a people face the world and, with pride, say “I am a kiwi”? This is something that should never have happened, that should never have to happen. 

It does not matter who they are; it does not matter who they are related to; it does not matter how old they are. It is wrong, and we all know it’s wrong. It’s messed up, it’s sick. They bragged about gang-raping vulnerable young girls (as young as thirteen). 

We’re taught in schools about sex, about how to protect ourselves (I remember learning about condoms and having to put one on a wooden phallus) etc. However, it seems we need whole lessons in health classes about consent - what it is and what it isn’t. 

The ones responsible -the Roast Busters themselves, the ones who knew about it and didn’t do anything(excluding the victims)- need to be brought to justice. 

Women are people too. It’s not right to call the victims of rape (gang or otherwise) a slut who was “asking for it,” that she was “put in her place.” Women have the right to own their bodies, just as men have the right to own theirs. We can’t own each others. 

These are poor times in which to be a New Zealander, to be kiwi, to in fact be human. We must persevere, we must fight for justice, for equality. 

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It's not as... eloquent... as my usual posts. But to hell with it. It's a rant and I wanted to let out my emotions in a way that wasn't necessarily  logical and well-formed as usual. This post can also be found on my tumblr btw. 

A Family Pet: Yet Another Life Claimed By Horrific Murder Spree in NZ

Any of you who have a pet dog or dogs will understand that they are not simply an animal that eats all your food and gives your house and all your possessions a fur makeover; dogs are your ugly, furry, child who walks on four legs. 

The comic "My Dog: A Paradox: by The Oatmeal is very good at portraying this bond between 'man and beast.' (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_paradox)

So, Keeping this in mind, imagine waking up in the morning, going outside to get the paper or breathe in the fresh morning air, only to find the skinned body of your precious dog who was missing, under the clothesline, her shoulder broken and ears as well as a paw cut off. 

~~

There exists in this world a (very likely more than a few) people who will do this. This is not the only case of animals. It seems there is currently a spree of sorts of some sick person (if you can call them that) mutilating family pets in Auckland, New Zealand. (more info can be found here -> http://www.3news.co.nz/SPCA-searches-for-cowardly-pet-killer/tabid/423/articleID/307339/Default.aspx). 

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http://www.deaddogrewardfund.co.nz/ 

This is the website set up to donate if you wish to do so or if you want to find out more. 

Resolutions: A Proposal

So within the first twenty minutes of being 19 I made toast. I’d say that’s a pretty good start, but it may be indicative of the rest of my being 19, which can’t be good.

In relation to this, I think instead of there being New Years resolutions, it should be Birthday resolutions or something. Since people are most aware of themselves and the things they’ve done so far in life, or the things they feel bad about not doing on their birthday.

Change is most palpable when you are being constantly reminded of the number of years you have occupied the world.

Depending on your age and time management skills etc, you “feel old” and bad about the lack of things you’ve done, or disappointed that you didn’t do more, or eager to do more than either necessary or even possible. So you feel more compelled to make a theoretical (or not) list of the things you want to do within the next however-long-it-takes. 

"God is great; hang the atheist bloggers"

“God is great; hang the atheists.” (Chant of some of hundreds of thousands in Bangladesh’s capital)

Humanity has progressed so far in rational thought and freedom, so much so that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18). It is a basic human right to be able to believe what you want, to openly believe what you want. I, as a female, am allowed to vote; I can ride a bike in public (whether I would or not is another story altogether :P); I can wear what I like. We have come to acknowledge that if a woman gets raped it is not her fault for dressing too provocatively, or for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it’s the assailant’s fault for being a sick in the head.

However, there are places on this “utopia” that are stuck well over half a millennia ago.

There are some truly disgusting scum of the earth who have “hurt the religious feelings of the people by writing against different religions and their prophets and founders including the Prophet Mohammed,” (deputy commissioner of the Dhaka police, Molla Nazrul Islam). These horrible atheists have actually had the audacity to be atheists. How dare they blaspheme? They should be put to death.

(Sarcasm in case you couldn’t tell).

It saddens me that although we live in a time where we can find other planets we could inhabit, or discover entire species, there exist societies who are so insecure about their beliefs, so childish in their hatred of freedom and liberty, that they would demand death in hordes of hundreds of thousands to for these people for seeking out their own answers.

What’s worse is that no one is doing anything about it. There are apologists who condemn the protection of these people because they wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. These men are people, and they are being denied the right to live simply for not believing in god (or at least not believing in the right one).

"I've come here to fight for Islam. We won't allow any bloggers to blaspheme our religion and our beloved Prophet Mohammed." (Shahidul Islam, an imam at a mosque outside Dhaka who walked 20 kilometres.)

Being born into any religion/culture is not an excuse for justifying the condemnation of a basic human right. I am not an “Islamophobe”. I think we should all be free to believe what we want. I don’t believe in any supreme being, but there is very high chance that you, the reader, do. And that is exactly how the world should be. What I do not agree with, however, is the primitive belief that some people are less worthy of life than others simply because they don’t agree with us.

So, believe in [insert deity(s) here], don’t believe in [insert deity(s) here], I honestly don’t care. Just don’t, for the love of humanity and all that we have achieved, kill for your beliefs. 

Opinions Not Wanted Here

I feel the title of this post lends itself to a varity of topics, but I'll make do with this.

Politicians are not Gods, regardless if they think so or not. They are not these mystical beings who control every aspect of life.

They must be servents of the people. The only reason we have dictators and the like, is becasue the people are too lazy or too subserviant to do anything about it.

You may be thinking however, "but they'll get the military to kill dissentients." My answer to that is what about womens rights? Black civil right? LGBT not being persecuted? White men just didn't decide one day that these people should be able to do what they themselves were doing, did they? No! These groups of people fought for what they got, they literally gave their lives for the betterment of mankind.

In the same way, the people must fight for what the people want. You cannot expect a rich man to know what a poor man needs and can afford. The only people who know what is best for the people is, in fact, the people themselves. A gymnast does not expect everyone on the street to be able to do the splits, and does not think them idiots or uncivilised if they are unable.

Politicians must be like this, in the respect that they listen to what the people want and actually use these comments and such as guidelines. One cannot forgo the peoples wishes and needs, however I do understand that there are some things the people may want which may not be possible. At least tell the people why. Tell us why you do the things you do, and no nonsense answers either...

In short; the opinions of politicians are not more important than those of the people. 

Goddamn Dumba**es

If you find any of these questions "unanswerable" or difficult, I've got some bad news for you...

http://www.bored.com/crazythoughts/

Should provide entertainment of sorts for bit though.

P.S. I didn't copy and paste because I didn't want to read them again.

Christmas - God = Still Christmas

I'm an atheist and if I want to celebrate Christmas I will.
Although the Christmas we all know is rife with Christianity, it originates from Pagan tradition. One of these, and arguably the most important, is the date.
The bible does not state when Jesus was born, however historians believe he was probably born around September (it is unlikely he was born during winter and survived). The feast of the son of Isis was held on this day however; drinking, eating, and gift-giving were done during this festival (so we're not so different from the Pagans after all huh?). Also the winter solstice was celebrated in Rome well before Jesus' birth.
Pope Julius I declared that christmas was this day, most likely to make it easier for pagans to convert to Catholicism.
The tree was a symbol many people used to remind them that their crops would grow again.
Anywho, the modern X-mas we know today (most likely) comes from Germany. The first recorded decoration of a tree in celebration of J.C's birth was in 1521 in Germany.
But if you don't believe me search it on google or whatever you use and get over it. You tell me I'm not supposed to celebrate this holiday because it's celbrating an idea I don't believe in, but when someone doesn't celebrate it they're instantly condemned for being evil or whatever the hell it is you judge people who don't agree with you wholeheartedly as.
Merry Birth of Santa.
(Even though it's the 26th here).