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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 8th, 2023

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  • Weirdly, I know the answer to this.

    I can’t find the article now, but back in 2016ish, there was an article (in Variety maybe?) in which a journalist did an investigation on this.

    Back in the days of the Apprentice when trump was regularly made up by a pro for television, he was very happy with how they did his makeup and asked what made his skin look so much better. The makeup artist was using a high-end Swedish concealer and told him that was the secret.

    Unfortunately he’s an idiot, so he misunderstood the point of it, and ever since, he imports that concealer and uses it alone as an all-over makeup.

    I can’t explain why he thinks using it this way looks good, though.


  • I don’t know about other commenters, but I’m absolutely not uninformed, and this was in no way out of line given the context.

    Hakas have evolved from traditional war dances and are often performed at sports events, that’s true, but the Ka Mate is also performed in many other contexts (including at funerals and after separation of families) and should not be boiled down to simple intimidation – it’s more a show of resolve. Do you think groups of people meeting after a long absence are trying to threaten one another or that mourners are trying to intimidate the deceased? The meaning has nuance and is not a simple threat; it’s about the will to overcome adversity, and is basically the national anthem of the Māori’s iwi, which was fought for in this very Parliament, and which resulted in the Haka (Ka Mate) Attribution Act after colonisation. I honestly cannot think of a more fitting time and place to perform it than in this context.

    If you’ve only seen it in a sports context, I can see how you might think it’s simply a modernised war dance meant to intimidate an opposing group, but that’s a very reductionist view of it.

    From newzealand.com:

    Ka Mate is the haka often performed by the All Blacks. It begins with ‘Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora’, which translates to ‘I die, I die, I live, I live.’

    One can only imagine how Ngati Toa Chief Te Rauparaha felt when he first chanted these words 200 years ago. He had just evaded capture by a rival iwi (tribe) and was given shelter by another iwi, who hid him underground in a kūmara (sweet potato) pit. Ka mate tells this story, describing how Te Rauparaha shook off adversity to emerge from the darkness of the kūmara pit into the light.

    Te Rauparaha went on to evade capture a few more times and to become a great Māori chief and warrior, helping to expand Ngāti Toa’s territory across the lower North Island.

    You can read the origin of the Ka Mate from New Zealand Geographic – this is not a story of war and intimidation, but of perseverence and the will to overcome.

    And here’s a fantastic breakdown on the meaning and how to perform it from the Australian International School (AIS).

    Ka Mate shouldn’t be viewed as an intimidation tactic that’s morphed from war to sports, but as a deeply cultural story that absolutely has a place in New Zealand Parliament, and some overstuffed colonists being offended is disdainful at best.

    e: oh, I also meant to mention that, even long ago, haka weren’t meant to be simply war dances to intimidate and threaten in preparation for battle but, ideally, to head off the need for battle in the first place. A well-performed haka was in stead of battle, not just in preparation for one. The point was to not have to fight, but to impress and come to agreement. That’s nearly the opposite of what many people think these dances were for.












  • Thank you. There are a LOT of people like me, and many of them are children.

    I want you to know me because people are more likely to fight for friends rather than strangers. Please understand that I am trying to manipulate you, and I’m really hoping you’ll manipulate others this same way. A lot of people are about to die, and some are already dying.

    Please find and share their names and stories, and get others to do the same.

    We need to be honest with each other.



  • I’m happy to share my story with anyone.

    I have a combination of rheumatological and genetic issues, including RA, Sjögren’s, Ehlers Danlos, severe osteoporosis, and a couple of related issues that have caused severe GI and heart issues. I can’t digest fruits or vegetables (they come out looking exactly how they went in) so my diet is severely limited, and I have seizures.

    The drugs they’re saying I can’t have anymore include hydroxychloroquine, pilocarpine, prolia, and a few drugs meant to make my life more livable (tizanadin, gabapentin, mirtazapine, and ondansetron).

    e: I can’t travel because of the seizures and that being out and about exacerbates my heart condition (SVT and periodic sinus arrest – I have a loop monitor).

    I don’t take any opioids or anything like that, only things to keep GI cramps in check so I can at least eat a bit, plus metoprolol er and more paracetamol than is safe, because nobody is willing to even attempt to manage my pain at this point. I’m better at that through means that won’t ruin me physically or psychologically since I’ve had to for my entire life, since I was too small to have choices.

    e2: Let me know if you want to know anything else. (edited to be a bit more specific)