NZ Politicians capitalise on US alt-right politics

In the Star Wars movie Andor, there are a series of instructional quotes and scenes. One of those is how the ruling Empire propagandises a well connected, law abiding planet of proud and thriving people. (“Ghorman”)

The Empire’s Ministry of Enlightenment leaders get to work, twisting the Ghormans from the industrious, proud people they are, to caricatures of arrogance, selfishness, uncaring of societal protocols and community goals; and slowly over time, those images build up and into peoples’ minds.1

“Some of what you’re thinking about Ghormans exists, because we put it there. Hasn’t there always been something slightly arrogant about the Ghor?”

~ Shambo and Osar, Ministry of Enlightenment

Ultimately, in the show, the Ghormans are baited into mass protest, and physical assault is used as pretext for a pre-planned massacre.

Other galactic citizens are largely obeisant and supportive, after all no-one likes a Ghorman after the propaganda has been done.

I have been reflecting on the Charlie Kirk news of late, and one thing that strikes me is how much absolute control the right have over the media and narratives.

Besides the lengthy media coverage we saw, in New Zealand, Professor Mohan Dutta, a Massey University Professor, has been mercilessly attacked and ridiculed by right wing agitators for saying it was completely inappropriate for NZ Parliament to pay tribute to Kirk. (ACT’s motion to pay tribute to Kirk in Parliament was blocked)

Southland MP Joseph Mooney leads the charge, calling for Dutta’s firing, as others clamour to say Dutta should be deported.

But in New Zealand, academic free speech is protected under the NZ Bill of Rights 1990, Human Rights Act 1993, and Education and Training Act 2020 - something Mooney conveniently ignores. And Dutta never celebrated Kirk’s death or any political violence. It was Dutta’s free speech Mooney was targetting.

Any violent death is tragic; who remembered the Hortmans, who remembers the terror they must have felt, murdered by a Trump sympathiser with a face mask and an artillery of weapons in their own home, and the pain they must have felt, and of their loved ones that remain?

Melissa Hortman, who lived by the Christian faith, was not acknowledged by the New York Yankees, nor Chris Martin’s Cold Play. There was no Capital Hill vigil, no widespread prayers, no hankering about the dangers of political violence and the impacts to those that were harmed.

In New Zealand, Mooney is not the only one trying to politically capitalise on American style politics.

David Seymour, Winston Peters, Simeon Brown, the list goes on.

And again it’s not that Kirk’s death didn’t matter, - it’s regrettable - nor that anyone disagrees with the message that political violence is unacceptable - it’s not - it’s that we never see the same for others. And we never saw this type of American politics immersion so clearly and deeply thrust into this country - nor the attempt to sow America’s culture and politics into our own.

There are too many who could be mourned, there is so much political violence that could be condemned if we care to care.

What’s clear to me is that the right sets the agenda.

No matter the outcries or the outrage, or claims media is “woke”, we know that a majority of corporate media outlets, including CNN2 are run by the same people who support Donald Trump’s ideology. Ultimately, these are the real power makers, and while “lefty” commentary is allowed for ratings and shows, when push comes to shove, the right’s editorial control is absolute.

And anyone who doesn’t comply will be taken down.

This article runs through some of Kirk’s quotes

NZ dual citizen Peter Thiel’s man, JD Vance, told Americans overnight that those who dare critique Kirk, including any media who do, are hateful, “terrorist sympathisers”. “There is no unity!” he screeches, wrapping his words in patriotism and care, suggesting he will come after anyone who critiques Kirk, including non compliant media and their funders, as well as “raging left lunatics” in NGOs.

This is the same JD Vance who is overseeing American farmers fail en masse in the States, even as he is outed as an early investor in a company that acquires and corporatises farm land.

But the story will never be about that, nor the US$4.5 trillion of tax cuts under Trump, mostly to the wealthiest Americans - the narratives instead are being spun as about liberal agitators, left wing terrorists. Crackdowns on free speech are underway as Americans are being hunted, fired and soon to be officially persecuted, for not speaking up in the ‘right way’ about Kirk.

In NZ, Professor Dutta is not the only one being targeted. NZME’s NZ Herald, owned by the likes of former Centrist owner and Canadian billionaire James Grenon and National favourite Steve Joyce, features articles about business men who dared to say:

“We should mourn the violence, but not the man. And we certainly cannot eulogise a racist, sexist and bigot.”

The business leader has now walked it back.

Back to Andor.

• "Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear,"
• "The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it”

The alt-right are building America up to violent oppression. After Kirk’s murder, Democrat leaders roundly and vocally condemned the shooting and violence and called for political rhetoric to be toned down.

Republicans have used it as an opportunity to dial it up, attack the left despite them having nothing to do with the brutal shooting - and to try to make that movement global.

Everything is a pretext to something, something widely desired and forecast by those who pull the strings. As Elon Musk said this week, “you must fight or die” as he unhingedly calls the left “the party of murder”.

"The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it and that is the real trick of the imperial thought machine. It's easier to hide behind forty .. than a single incident." - Andor

I know I have spoken about this already but I cannot emphasise enough that you must be prepared for impending battle in America, and socialise NZ’s infiltration. It’s somehow comical that because we all have social media and freedom to read, post and endorse, that we believe that fascism hasn’t already arrived and isn’t pushing itself at speed.

Ignorance - a not-knowing of what is occurring - and a focus on their narrative, is the alt-right’s brilliant currency of power.

This is the context in which the New Zealand left also operate, and it cannot be under-acknowledged. Yesterday 1News wrote about how Americans are being fired / attacked for speaking up about Kirk, but there was zero coverage on Joseph Mooney.

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