It’s interesting that politicians are now concerned about abuse – possibly because they support the new proposals to oblige social media platforms to restrict speech and for tougher penalties under the 2015 Harmful Digital Communications Act. However, it should be obvious to everyone that this abuse is normal; it is normal for public and political figures to become targets of threats, harassment and insults. This is the inevitable truth about politics.
Look no further than America, where abuse is part of everyday life. The biggest target of abuse was of course the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump. There were calls for his assassination, a modernised version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar produced with a veiled reference to Trump and ‘comedian’ Kathy Griffin photographed holding up what appeared to be his severed head. Democrats have repeatedly compared Trump to Hitler, as previously mentioned in another article, and Iran allegedly offered an $80m bounty on his head. In fact, if we’re concerned about anti-Semitic statements, we should have been concerned about how the New York Times depicted a yarmulke-wearing Trump being led by a dachshund resembling Netanyahu with a star of David around its collar, which was condemned as using Nazi imagery.
New Zealand has been no stranger to abuse and death threats against politicians. Everybody laughed when Steven Joyce had a dildo thrown at him, but we’re outraged when a politician is egged. And, if we’re talking about abuse, one of the biggest targets was John Key. He received abuse at a Waitangi protest, being called a scumbag, while his allies in the Maori Party were called Key’s ‘N#####s’.
What is particularly concerning is this focus on ‘misogynistic’ abuse that female politicians receive. The theory is that people attack Ardern because she is a woman. I find this hard to believe in a country that was the first to give women the right to vote. This kind of identity politics is simply to hide the fact that they have no responses to the criticism of their policies. I find parallels with how Obama couldn’t be criticised for his socialised healthcare policies and increasing taxation because he was black.
If the left are concerned about how misogyny restricts women, then maybe they shouldn’t have popularised the ‘Maggie Out’ chant that was used against Margaret Thatcher, ‘the most hated woman in Europe’.
If you want to see how politicians can use their powers to go after anyone they don’t like, then look across the ditch. In 2020 Jordan ‘friendlyjordies’ Shanks was charged with defamation by New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro and his producer was charged for stalking and harassment after approaching Barilaro about the issue.
Public figures are there to represent the people. Therefore, they must be willing to face scrutiny and sometimes criticism of their policies or personalities. To expose yourself to such a large audience is also exposing yourself to critics and opponents who will hate you. As the old saying goes, “You can’t please everyone.”
