Friday 18 March 2011

Manichean ponderings

There are two types of people in Christchurch.

Those who agree with Vicki Anderson that the last thing we need so soon after the earthquake-enforced closure of schools, shops, and businesses is a provincial holiday forcing already struggling local businesses to close or pay punitive holiday rates.

And those who want everybody to go and hug each other while listening to Dave Dobbyn in Hagley Park and basking in the presence of local and international politicians, celebrities and royalty come to tell us how resilient and wonderful we all are.

You might guess which tribe I'm with.

I wouldn't resent folks the memorial service if it weren't a provincial holiday. We're all wired differently; no shame in being in the likes-to-hug tribe. I can't tell which side of the schism is light and which is dark. I'm probably on the dark side. But it's another day where everything, including daycare, is going to be closed. Why not run it on the weekend?

We just finished more than three weeks of entertaining the kids / keeping them too distracted to notice aftershocks. We're now just back to work. And know what? There's not a lot left in Christchurch for the under-five set.

Anybody piping up in the comments that I could always just take the kids to the big to-do at Hagley Park ... know that I may be trying to blow up your head using only my mind....

10 comments:

  1. Yup, my partner and I are with you Eric. We've got a business in New Regent Street which, at the moment we could really do with accessing and uplifting some urgently needed items. Every clown gets to loll through New Regent Street admiring the view, except us. And today and over the weekend, no one will be working on lifting the cordon.

    Not new complaints, but I damn well hope someone in authority is listening.

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  2. That is really the biggest problem with the memorial - the council attention diverted from far more important things.

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  3. Maybe it is because I live in Avonhead where we have been mercifully spared any direct effects from the earthquake, but I haven't met a single person round here who isn't really annoyed about today's public holiday.

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  4. John Key said Saturday was no good because people played sports... Go figure.

    At uni we are trying to restart the semester this week and we are already missing a day.

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  5. Unsure of appropriateness of yelling "Too Soon"

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  6. SH: Our area was not spared direct effects from the earthquake, but I'm pissed off about the holiday as well. May be economists don't like days were people are not working!!!

    EC: you could take the kids to AVE this afetrnoon.

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  7. Although the show day is despicable,
    there is a good peace about the City today

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  8. My pick is that they didn't make it a Saturday precisely because most people would be playing sports or doing other enjoyable pursuits to provide a large enough crowd for the self congratulating politcians.

    It's sad when the only way to drum up a crowd is to make sure nothing else is open.

    Really, anyone that wants to go and see a bunch of politicans and their friends needs to get out more.

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  9. I've just seen this: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4B1DFF644E2FDAFF

    So I'm a little less grumpy that us, business owners, have been kept out. I wish they'd posted this earlier than I wouldn't have gotten so grumpy.

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