NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Steve Braunias' Secret Diary of the Woke Left

Steve Braunias
By Steve Braunias
Senior Writer·NZ Herald·
22 Feb, 2019 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

We must resist Jordan Peterson and his dangerous ideas. Photo / Getty Images

We must resist Jordan Peterson and his dangerous ideas. Photo / Getty Images

Steve Braunias
Opinion by Steve Braunias
Steve Braunias writes for the Listener and Newsroom.
Learn more

JORDAN PETERSON

Jordan Peterson's presence in New Zealand is worrying because it threatens many of the basic values of our society.

We, the woke left, who are very concerned about the importance of basic values, have a duty to condemn his sexist, queerphobic, racist and deeply reactionary views.

A very solemn duty. We must stand in unsmiling resistance to Peterson and his dangerous ideas. Ideas that appeal to people. Ideas that have made his book 12 Rules for Life a bestseller. Ideas that differ wildly from our ideas.

We know he is sexist because all the evidence points irrefutably to his being a man. We know he is queerphobic because that's such a great word. We know he's racist because duh. As for his reactionary ideas, they are legion, and they are very, very dangerous.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Let us condemn him for these views. But in a rational and sensible way. We've got the tar, did anyone bring some feathers?

BREAKFAST
Breakfast threatens many of the basic values of our society. For a start, rich people eat it.

JOHN WAYNE

Hollywood actor John Wayne threatens many of the basic values of our society. This is no mean feat considering the fact he died in 1979.

But we, the woke left, were only made aware this week of certain reactionary views that he expressed in an interview conducted in 1971, and we must get out of bed and take a stand on social media - not that we ever sleep because we're, you know, woke.

Wayne said, "I believe in white supremacy." He called the film Midnight Cowboy "a story about two fags". He said, "I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from the Indians…There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves."

These views are clearly racist and queerphobic and considering that many Indians were women, they are also sexist.

Discover more

Opinion

Comment: Will National unleash the Crusher early?

22 Feb 04:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

Capital Gains Tax: How much would it actually affect house prices?

22 Feb 01:29 AM
Entertainment

Everybody seems to hate the working title of the new Bond film

23 Feb 07:35 AM
Opinion

Steve Braunias' Secret diary of climate change march

08 Mar 04:00 PM

Let's make sure no one ever watches his movies again. Wait, no one does, anyway. But whatever. Bad guy. Threat. All that.

LUNCH
Rich people eat lunch.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Sean Plunket.
Sean Plunket.

SEAN PLUNKET

Radio talkback host Sean Plunket threatens many of the basic values of our society.

We should deprive him of oxygen. We should pay him no mind. We should also ignore Mike Hosking and Leighton Smith and Duncan Garner but on the other hand that would take away the satisfaction in condemning their reactionary views, and what's the point in being woke if you can't condemn people with contrary views?

DINNER
Actually, we're all good with dinner. It's when we can all sit down as a community and share our identical views.

SIMON BRIDGES

How dare Simon Bridges describe the Tax Working Group's recommendation that the Government implement capital gains tax as "an attack on the Kiwi way of life".

The leader of the National Party is way out of line if he thinks he can comment with any authority on the basic values of our society.

Capital gains is unearned income. Capital gains is something rich people sprinkle over their breakfast. Capital gains must be stamped out and so must Simon Bridges.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I will fight it every step of the way," he states on social media. But social media is where we express our views and they should not be shared by people like Simon Bridges or Jordan Peterson or Sean Plunket or John Wayne. We, the woke left, know better than them. We know better. We know better. We know better.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Politics

'Impossible': Northland iwi leader rules out settlement under this Government after Minister’s comments

18 Jun 03:28 AM
Premium
New Zealand

Top cop allowed failed recruits into police college

18 Jun 03:23 AM
New Zealand

Missing Phillips children's harsh winter: Fourth birthday on the run

18 Jun 03:13 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Impossible': Northland iwi leader rules out settlement under this Government after Minister’s comments

'Impossible': Northland iwi leader rules out settlement under this Government after Minister’s comments

18 Jun 03:28 AM

"[We are] just as staunch and ferocious in saying we hold sovereignty over our own.”

Premium
Top cop allowed failed recruits into police college

Top cop allowed failed recruits into police college

18 Jun 03:23 AM
Missing Phillips children's harsh winter: Fourth birthday on the run

Missing Phillips children's harsh winter: Fourth birthday on the run

18 Jun 03:13 AM
Melatonin to be available over the counter at NZ pharmacies

Melatonin to be available over the counter at NZ pharmacies

Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP