Bright Copper Kettles

Honesty - I know it is impossible to tell how honest someone is unless they are caught out in a lie. Wanting these characteristics and judging whether or not someone has these characteristics are two different things entirely.


Media - I agree that the media controls my impression. I agree the media is biased. It is difficult to avoid. I try and keep that in mind when I read something.

However, I don't watch tv or read papers (even online paper reading is very limited). So I guess my impressions are drawn from blog reading, which is also biased in its own way.

For example, my impression of Rodney Hide is pretty much drawn entirely from reading his blog and reading Sir Humphreys who are quite supportive of him. Yet, despite this media bias in favour of him, I still have a relatively negative impression of him.


Doone/BePop etc - I intensely dislike all the fuss about these things because it seems politically motivated and not necessarily in the best interests of people. It is not that I think they are unimportant, I just don't think they are the most important issues or particularly helpful for me in election year. I guess I am just self-centered and not really a political person.

I have never thought that Helen Clark has grace/mana. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who does. Winston Peters has charisma.


Are you implying that judging politicans on their personality/mana is a foolish thing to do because the media is biased and I will get a false impression?
 

"opposition MPs are forced to use populist dirt to attack Labour Ministers"

Does it work?

So are you saying that the very important problem with democracy in our country is the lack of independent media?
 

Is it that they are arrogant? Or that their idea of what is important is different from yours?

Whatever the source of information it is going to be biased. If you are involved in presenting information, whether it is writing for a paper or blogging you can't present everything. You have to pick and choose. And you choose what you think is important and/or interesting. Or maybe sometimes you pick what will sell.

I think that people in general will-turn/are-turning to more independent sources of information. Simply because of the drift to the interweb. It makes independent information much easier to publish/find. Of course there are the associated problems like the large amounts of information to sift through, accuracy and reliability, filters, and the omnipowerful google.


Oh dear. It seems like I have veered away from the political side of things again. But I'll leave this comment because I like the google thing.
 

Are you talking about the arrogance of newspapers and tv? My impression is that they aren't trying to communicate facts or represent different ideas. That they are trying to entertain/sell a product. Aren't they just businesses?

My personal experience of the world is probably not a good example. I really do not know what I am talking about as I haven't watched the news or read a paper for a long time.
 

i think mana is a good way of describing what you are trying to get at re: Gace - perhaps gravitas also does it? although that implies someone who takes things too seriously...

i also look for humility - an ability to laugh at yourself and not be too dogmatic.
 

Yes, I like the humility characteristic. Humilitiy and not taking yourself seriously...