So you WANNA-BEn arrested...

A stunt at Auckland airport involving members of the crew of TV3 comedy show Wanna-Ben made media headlines across the nation last week. An individual dressed in a pilot's uniform attempted to gain access to a secure area at the airport. To their credit, security staff at the airport were on their game and the impostor was turned away. To date a total of six have been arrested in connection with the stunt.

I watched Wanna-Ben on TV last Saturday night. It was on just before the rugby world cup match (NZ vs France). The plot of this particular episode cast 'Ben' as an aspiring All Black, determined to make the world cup squad. His training program consisted of a series of spoof skits such as an interview with Len Brown on a train (training) and ambushing various NZ media personalities with a group hug from a rugby team (the media scrum).

At the completion of his training, Wanna-Ben presents his C.V to All Black coach Graham Henry then expectantly waits for the world cup squad to be announced. When he doesn't make the team, the next scene shows Wanna-Ben at the beach writing in the sand in an obvious take-off of the depression ad campaign that has screened recently. As the credits roll at the end of the show, the camera pulls back to a wide-angle shot which reveals the words in the sand. "F*#K YOU GRAHAM."

Too far Wanna-Ben.  The episode was quite entertaining for the most part, then it took a huge dive.  The final sequence was just bad taste.  There are some well defined taboos in comedy - just ask Raybon Kan.  The Kiwi comedian copped huge flak from the Jewish community recently for his stand-up routine which included a joke about how the Nazi's should be running Auckland's transport system as they were good at loading people onto trains.

Poking fun at people suffering from depression is on the list of 'things that probably aren't a good idea'.  After the recent hoax at the airport I think we can add 'impersonating a pilot' to that list.  

The pranksters are appearing in court next month facing a possible $10,000 fine or one year in prison. What do you think?  Should the judge throw the book at them or let them off easy?  

London Riots

Hello. I found an interesting blog on the London riots at rebelgriot entitled “Why are we leaving it to our children to bring accountability to the police and redistribute wealth?” The author makes some interesting points and certainly busted through my daily quota for a conspiracy theory. He claims that the youth of London are simply following the example set by the rest of society and “compared to their role models, the vast majority of the rioters have behaved impeccably.” I don't think I would describe the rioters behaviour as impeccable but I do agree that our role models are far from perfect. Our culture is consumed by consumerism, (Zygmunt Bauman makes this point rather well in this article) and accountability has gone out of fashion – or is it that as individuals we are only accountable to ourselves?

Here in New Zealand, things aren't always as rosy as they seem, yet as apathy reigns supreme it will be a cold day in hell before rioting breaks out in the streets. In 2009 we had a nationwide referendum on the merits of the recently introduced anti-smacking legislation. Despite an overwhelming 87% of voters opposed to the bill, our current government has done nothing. The voice-of-the-people becomes diluted and ineffective through the very system that claims to encourage it. What then should we do to fight injustice? This question is not easy or straight forward to answer.

Mark Duggan's death seemed to have served as a catalyst for a volatile generation who have everything but a cause. Through a lack of insight and creativity, protest turned to rioting. I can't agree with rebelgriot in saying that the looting was 'wealth redistribution'. The looters were mostly stealing electronic goods and novelty items—not essentials.

I hope this incident serves as a wakeup call. The issues at stake are varied, complex, and valid. Tony Blair is hardly going to go on TV and say, “Well, now that you've burnt down half of London we'll treat you with respect and fairness, put an end to poverty, racism, corruption, and discrimination.” Instead, the authorities are taking a hard line and handing out tough sentences to the perpetrators. Lets hope they deal with the cause, not just the consequences. I don't condone the actions of the rioters and I don't think they can rightly claim victory for their cause. Many were merely opportunists who took advantage of the situation for personal gain because they thought they could get away with it. Is that really so different from the way we all act?