{"id":1156,"date":"2025-03-21T08:19:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daveforcouncil.nz\/?p=614"},"modified":"2025-03-21T08:19:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:19:49","slug":"letter-how-times-have-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/?p=1156","title":{"rendered":"Letter: How times have changed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/a> Mar 21, 2025 PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

Letter: How times have changed<\/h3>\n

Dave Stewart<\/em><\/p>\n

It was good to read the report on Whakat\u0101ne District Council\u2019s processes and adoption of it\u2019s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Policy. (Beacon, March 13)<\/p>\n

As expected in the conservative corners of our social media pages, there was the predictable condemnation of the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n

As is now \u201cnormal\u201d when conservatives see something they don\u2019t like, they call it \u201cwoke\u201d. It seems that if conservative politicians want to rattle the dags of their followers that\u2019s all they need to say, and the flock will \u201cbaaaa\u201d as one.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it funny how times change.<\/p>\n

I remember when women weren\u2019t equal enough to have a bank account in their own name, let alone have a mortgage to buy a house of their own.<\/p>\n

Remember when All Black teams to South Africa couldn\u2019t include M\u0101ori. There was no disabled access to buildings, let alone toilets.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that long ago that loving someone who was the same sex as you was an offence that carried prison time and only recently are same sex couples allowed to marry.<\/p>\n

As we hear ignorant people attack diversity, equality and inclusion, don\u2019t be fooled into thinking this bigotry is something new. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s as old as time.<\/p>\n

And just as old is the attack lines used by conservatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWoke\u201d is the new \u201cPC\u201d, which replaced \u201ctrendy lefty\u201d, which was the new \u201cbleeding heart liberal\u201d, which replaced \u201cpinko\u201d, which replaced \u201ccommie rat\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth remembering that as the world has campaigned for people\u2019s rights, conservatives have always lined up on the wrong side, and lost. This is what happens when you abandon empathy.<\/p>\n

If you hear a bigot attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, ask them what it is they are against. Is it diversity, is it equality, or is it inclusion?<\/p>\n

And then ask them to tell you what they have against any of these things.<\/p>\n

I promise you it\u2019s a conversation that will bring a smile to your face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mar 21, 2025 If you hear a bigot attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, ask them what it is they are against. Is it diversity, is it equality, or is it inclusion? And then ask them to tell you what they have against any of these things. I promise you it\u2019s a conversation that will bring a smile to your face. . . . → Read More: Letter: How times have changed<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7411,"featured_media":407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Letter: How times have changed","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[121,129,128],"tags":[],"series":[124],"class_list":["post-1156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-press","category-letters","category-whakatane-beacon","series-dave-for-council","odd"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/57_plymouth_towcar_front.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/exposures.co.nz\/?feed=podcast&podcast_series=dave-for-council","embedCode":"

Letter: How times have changed<\/a><\/blockquote>