15-02-2022, 11:14 AM
A lot of you seem to be making the same assessment mistake that our MPs have made, and that is thinking that the protestors are a rag-tag bunch of fringe types who are just there to cause a ruckus and have a bit of fun. If that was the case, then making it a little more unpleasant, by playing annoying music or turning on the sprinklers might have worked.
However, most of the people there (obviously there will be at least a few that fall into the category I described above) are there because they are fundamentally opposed to the vaccine mandates. A lot of them are vaccinated themselves, and there are a whole lot more vaccinated people around the country that support their efforts. Because, the protest is not against vaccines, it is against vaccine mandates/the vaccine passport system.
They are not there on a whim or for a bit of a laugh and, although being part of a cause they believe in deeply is rewarding, they'd also all rather it be over and to be able to go back to their far more comfortable homes. So, making their unpleasant situation a little bit more unpleasant won't do jack; they're already battling through discomfort, so some annoying music is hardly going to make them give up.
As for them being mentally deficient, bottom-dwelling, mouth-breathing virgins etc., they're well supported (both on the ground in Wellington and around NZ) by plenty of highly successful, intelligent, educated people (with kids, to address the virgin pejorative).
For the record, the protest isn't an action I'd have chosen, I'm not going to be joining them in Wellington and I do feel for the local businesses that have been negatively affected (interesting to read the Backbenchers owner's recent comments though sounding pretty close to supporting the protesters), but now that they've started I'm very much hoping they're successful in bringing forward the end of the vaccine mandate system in NZ. It worked for the Ihumatao protesters, and a win for the Wellington protesters would be far more beneficial to the general public of NZ than Ihumatao was.
However, most of the people there (obviously there will be at least a few that fall into the category I described above) are there because they are fundamentally opposed to the vaccine mandates. A lot of them are vaccinated themselves, and there are a whole lot more vaccinated people around the country that support their efforts. Because, the protest is not against vaccines, it is against vaccine mandates/the vaccine passport system.
They are not there on a whim or for a bit of a laugh and, although being part of a cause they believe in deeply is rewarding, they'd also all rather it be over and to be able to go back to their far more comfortable homes. So, making their unpleasant situation a little bit more unpleasant won't do jack; they're already battling through discomfort, so some annoying music is hardly going to make them give up.
As for them being mentally deficient, bottom-dwelling, mouth-breathing virgins etc., they're well supported (both on the ground in Wellington and around NZ) by plenty of highly successful, intelligent, educated people (with kids, to address the virgin pejorative).
For the record, the protest isn't an action I'd have chosen, I'm not going to be joining them in Wellington and I do feel for the local businesses that have been negatively affected (interesting to read the Backbenchers owner's recent comments though sounding pretty close to supporting the protesters), but now that they've started I'm very much hoping they're successful in bringing forward the end of the vaccine mandate system in NZ. It worked for the Ihumatao protesters, and a win for the Wellington protesters would be far more beneficial to the general public of NZ than Ihumatao was.