1933: Pranking the Authoritarians
March 18, 2019
By AHNZ
5 October 1933: It’s just a joke! From an era of rising tension and new seriousness culminating in global warfare. The mainstream culture had become overbearing to many of the lighter-hearted Kiwi larrikins who wanted their intense co-worker or uncle to chill out a bit. More and more, New Zealand’s mainsteam was filling up with authoritarian do-as-you’re-told people who were fighting a losing battle to contain their tempers.
In many instances tension had already boiled over during what was the middle of The Slump (aka Great Depression) and Kiwis had rioted and counter-rioted. The Physical Culture of being athletic and fighting fit was again in ascendency and many Kiwis were even admiring of what the Fascists in Italy and Germany were accomplishing in their own nations.
So, these little gag squirters were literally a way to pour cold water on the rising martial culture of severe strait-laced men and women. I imagine there was so much of this tension in 1933 that things like this were an ideal vehicle and sold very well. But we can’t solve complex social problems by trolling/triggering uptight people can we? No substitute for having a proper conversation as the awful results would demonstrate in yet another unnecessary war.In the framework of Moral Culture, this is SC (Slave Culture) squirting HC (Honour Culture) in the face while he could, just before being replaced as the mainstream. During a recession the best survival strategy is to be SC but 1933 was indeed the turning of the tide, the worst year. However, if someone tried a gag like this at the expense of an HC a few short years after he would certainly have had his lights punched out because HC had taken its place in our nation’s seat of consciousness.
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Ref. History Always Repeats; FB March 2019
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Anarchist History of New Zealand: When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first thing to be bought and sold are legislators.- P J O'Rourke
