Keyboard Warriors For Justice

I have to admit that Keyboard Warriors for Justice have occasionally caused me more than a frisson of anxiety though full of bluff I have invariably loudly claimed that they didn’t bother ME – oh no indeed! And that bold daring had at one time been genuine back in the distant past of John Key as Prime Minister - right up until the moment I was foolhardy enough to defend him both as a politician and as an individual. Not that I knew him as an individual of course because the only time he and I were ever in the same space was out walking in St Stephen’s Avenue several years ago. And NO – he did not even nod to me! Anyhow to cut a long story short the facts of the matter were that I was firstly roundly admonished and then when I did not immediately backtrack and admit his deficiencies I was told in no uncertain terms by several KW4Js that I was (and here I paraphrase) misguided at best and an ugly right wing bigot at worst and possibly even of the same filthy religious persuasion of those who persecuted the Arabs in Palestine. Well that was me well and truly told and as reprimand after reprimand rolled in I was most definitely brought into line. Who wouldn’t be?

My knuckles had been rapped in no uncertain terms so I rethought my previous position rather rapidly and even wondered if I should issue an apology. I decided against it not only because I did not want to draw further attention to myself but also because secretly (and I wouldn’t want to admit this to everyone) I actually had not changed my mind! Fundamentally I was still, despite the public castigation – and some might even call it bullying - an ugly right wing bigot and in the current climate that is not desirable. Being essentially of a cowardly disposition there is nothing I would like more than being able to don the mantle and the loveliness of a freethinking left wing liberal. You could say that it just isn’t in me and that’s a fact so what on earth can be done about it?

It’s clear that people like me are sadly in need of re-education because there is no doubt at all that some of our ideas are out of kilter with the more virtuous beliefs of those among us who are Good Right Thinking People. This has been brought into sharp focus recently with the continuing debate regarding Israel Folau. I have to be honest because I am definitely among those few who feel that Israel is as entitled to freedom of speech as the KW4Js even though his belief system involves the burning in hell of drunks, gays and fornicators and quite honestly the drunks and the fornicators understand that too because they are not complaining are they?

And whilst we are discussing unacceptable ideas, I am not altogether convinced that children identifying as Transgender should be encouraged to proceed with the idea of too much alteration of their persons. I am not proud of these notions I hasten to assure all who might be interested, but then I’m not proud of wanting to bring back hanging either. I just don’t understand what can be done about such grubby, sickening and anti-social beliefs – except of course to utterly deny them. Is that the way to go? We bigots definitely need to be brought into line and it’s possible that the initiating of Show Trials might help. We might even learn something from Stalinist Russia. I remember my grandmother commenting that `there was never a problem with the Russians all the while old Joe Stalin was in charge.’ Who thinks it’s worth a whirl?