The Fifa Women’s World Cup, like the Women’s Rugby World Cup, showcased just how far we’ve come in creating a better world, writes Diana Wichtel. Photo / Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
The Fifa Women’s World Cup, like the Women’s Rugby World Cup, showcased just how far we’ve come in creating a better world, writes Diana Wichtel. Photo / Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Opinion by Diana Wichtel
OPINION
As my hairdresser toils to turn back the tide of time, conversation normally involves dissecting Succession or – she took her boys to see it - unpacking the paradoxes of girl-boss femininity in Barbie. This time we talked football. When I told my partner, he looked sceptical. For decadeshis electronic enjoyment of epic sporting fixtures, any code, has been ruined by me strolling into the living room at a pivotal moment, going “Game? What game?”
He underestimates how much I picked up from Ted Lasso. But it took, lord knows, little expertise to enjoy the packed stadiums, the frantic fan zones, the happiness in the otherwise dismal Auckland winter air. The Fifa Women’s World Cup, like the Women’s Rugby World Cup, showcased just how far we’ve come. My son sent a photo of our football-playing granddaughter, 12, at Eden Park, mad with excitement. There are some areas of the world we are leaving her – women’s sport is one – which will be way better than the one I grew up in.
There are also more women in government. I’ll cling to that one step forward in the two steps back arena of politics over the next few weeks. This year’s shows the potential of being one of the more bizarre campaigns in my memory, including the Don Brash era, which produced one of the great pronouncements of local politics: “I don’t want any candidates to be talking about their testicles, to be quite frank,” he said. It’s the “to be quite frank” that does you in.
This year we’ve had Shane Jones on TikTok, singing about himself. “Put the ‘K’ back in the iwi” and “I took a billion trees and planted everywhere,” he warbled, gazing down on Northland from on high like the ghost of Johnny Appleseed or the Sun Baby from Teletubbies. His words are set to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, Tony’s jukebox choice in the final scene of The Sopranos. It was playing when the lights went out.
NZ First candidate appears in a TikTok video singing to the tune of Journey's classic song: Don't Stop Believin'. Image / Shane Jones
Also taking the WTF? route to winning hearts and minds: David Seymour, on Newstalk ZB, about the Ministry for Pacific Peoples: “In my fantasy, we’d send a guy called Guy Fawkes in there and it’d be all over, but we’ll probably have to have a more formal approach than that.” Just a joke, he said.
He refused to apologise. Asked for comment, he accused Newshub of “waging a war on humour”.
Act Party leader David Seymour accused Newshub of “waging a war on humour”. Photo / Alex Burton
“The only thing that statement reveals,” said Jenna Lynch at her most unamused, “is David Seymour’s level of maturity.” Asked about this rare misstep by a presumed coalition partner, Christopher Luxon pleaded, “Don’t imbue me with comments from him.”
Last year, when Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi mused about using karaka berries to poison Seymour – another ill-advised joke - Seymour declared his own war on humour, demanding an apology: “I’m genuinely concerned that the next step is that some slightly more radical person doesn’t think it’s a joke.” Classic. He clearly gets why such “jokes” should be avoided but it clearly doesn’t apply to him.
There’s Sam Uffindell on why we should admire his feminist cheese-shopping. “Not only is it an excellent way to get a bit of publicity with a National Party jacket on my back looking like the everyday man, it gives my wife a break …”
No show without punch, as my mum used to say. Chris Penk took a shot at Tova O’Brien for doing journalism. “Sorry, but your poor ratings crashed an entire radio station.” Luxon didn’t want to be imbued with those comments either.
So far, so normal. Never mind. As the rise of women’s sport demonstrates, things reach a tipping point and change you didn’t think would happen can’t be held back. Who knows, our political leaders might suddenly tip into growing the heck up. That’s unlikely, as the headless chookery continues, to occur by October 14. Still, too much at stake to be cynical. Better to take a football tip from silly old Ted Lasso. Believe.
