I hate being labelled. I don't like patriotism. To me both of these things smack of factionalism, which I can't stand. And yet most of the opinions I express would cause me to be labelled a liberal, and my first reaction to anyone dissing New Zealand is to smack them upside the head.
Despite my liberal bias, I have known and liked many people commonly labelled conservatives. People who proudly wear the conservative label are often great fun, especially for drinking and telling dirty jokes.
I love reading NZPundit. Sometimes it makes me scream with anger, especially the "Us vs Them" attitude. But a lot of it makes me laugh, makes me think, and makes me say to myself "I bet this guy Gordon is great to get on the piss with."
I've actually read quite a bit of PJ O'Rourke - he's a crackup. He once said something along the lines of:
"A Republican will tell you that you shouldn't make fun of disabled people, and he's right. A Democrat will tell you that you can't make fun of disabled people - which is untrue, as anyone who's ever heard the joke about Helen Keller falling down a well and breaking three fingers calling for help will tell you."
Funny is funny, and good people are good people - whatever political stripes they choose to wear.
Update: I take it back. Gordon's a cock. I can tell because he's banned me from tagging his site.
Posted by pearce at May 4, 2004 8:20 PM