Boom, just like that, the debate over freedom of speech versus hate speech has reignited over a column penned by the notoriously controversial Sir Bob Jones.
And when I say "notoriously controversial", I'm hoping he doesn't sue me for saying that. Freedom of speech and all.
Anyway, the upshotis, we have a petition, a petition to strip him of his knighthood. It's been signed by some 40,000 people, or as Sir Bob would call them, "losers".
His knighthood was awarded to him for services to business management and community in 1989.
They didn't save Campbell Live and they didn't get Mike Hosking axed from hosting the election, and they won't take Bob Jones' knighthood off him.
Sir Bob Jones in his Auckland office in 2014. Photo / File
And it doesn't matter how diverse the signatories are: Maori, Pakeha, it's irrelevant, it won't work.
Petitions don't work because they're just noise. I could literally pick an issue tomorrow and start a petition and campaign for signatures and when I had enough, tout for media coverage, saying "tens of thousands of people agree with me" and then ask the Prime Minister to look at it.
And then what? Nothing. Crickets chirping.
The most effective way to regulate speech is to hold the platforms who peddle it accountable. Stripping a man of a 30-year-old title awarded for business, just because you didn't like his "satire", doesn't actually change anything.
It's just petty. Don't like him, take his award off him. It's our knee-jerk tall poppy reaction to all things. Get offended, smack down the hand of whoever offended you.
And let's look at the offence. "Satirical' as it's alleged, comments which appeared to demean and offend Maori.
Satire is good when it's funny. This wasn't.
The fact Sir Bob thought it was, is up to him, but NBR publishing it? That's where the responsibility lies.
The media has a duty to act responsibly. The column was taken down from its online platform and pulling it showed maybe the NBR worked out the publication of it in the first place was a bad idea.
But perhaps it would've saved everyone a lot of money in the lawyer's offices if they'd worked that out a bit sooner. Like before it went to print.
But back to the petition. It's going nowhere.
We'll do far better as a nation when we get beyond the notion of revenge, and payback, and stripping people of stuff, and move to a more mature approach of just demanding basic standards.
When we can spend more time on that, and less time on signing petitions to take people's awards off them, we'll truly start to move forward.
Listen to Kate Hawkesby weekdays on Early Edition from 5am-6am on Newstalk ZB.
