Columns

Happy Families


It’s the month of May, which, aside from heralding the downward slide into assignments and exams, also happens to be New Zealand music month. To celebrate this, we’ve put together a music themed issue. The Copyright Amendment bill, the best New Zealand bands, the music venues in Dunedin, the most hilarious lyrics of all time, Feastock…we’ve got it all goin’ on. Oh, and not be out done by every other media outlet, we talk about the Royal Wedding too.

Late last Thursday, as we neared the end of our tether (I was wearing a Slayer t-shirt after all, surely a girl can be forgiven for a bit of angst), a number of interesting OUSA related things came to light. First, and of particular interest to the Critic staff, was the official and much anticipated release of the Planet Media Review Panel’s report. Second, some pretty prickly stuff went down regarding OUSA’s rather messy constitution (for those of you who have successfully avoided encountering OUSA-constitution-drama until now, OUSA made it into a mess last year and now is hurriedly attempting to fix it).

As many had expected, the panel’s report recommended that Planet Media become absorbed under OUSA. We discuss the report in depth on pg 10, and you can view the report online from our Facebook page. Before you get all worked up, or conversely, go dancing in the streets, be aware that none of these recommendations have been accepted. There’s still time to say what YOU think about the wholeshebang.
 
I could harp on and on about the recommendations, but there was something wonderfully compelling about the “positive” side of things, the so-called “commendations”.
 
“Commendation 1:
Critic is a good looking magazine which is well laid out. Although there is a lot of necessary advertising it does not take over the ‘look’ of the magazine. It is fresh and young and appeals to its target audience.

Commendation 2:
Critic has a high level of readership, with one magazine often being read by three different people, (according to submissions received)
 
Commendation 3:
The team at Critic is very happy working together”

Yep, that was it. Apparently, Critic isn’t a valuable way for students to get their first taste of journalism, or a forum for debate, or a worthwhile way to hold OUSA accountable, or, god forbid, an entertaining read as some people might have thought. Call me biased, but I’m fairly sure a Critic-hating, ACT-voting, VSM-touting creature could have written a more positive list.
 
So, to all Critic contributors, both paid and unpaid: thanks. You’re great. The Planet Media Review Panel might not commend you on your hard work and tireless efforts (unless, of course, you read the magazine or lay it out), but I bloody well will. It’s you contributors who make us, and it’s you contributors who will help Critic continue, regardless of what strange metamorphosis it undergoes.
 
As you can imagine, all this “excitement” made the “happy” team at Critic a little fractious. Ultimately, there was nothing that could save the day like a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from Justin Beiber. Yeah, listening to New Zealand music is really awesome, but sometimes you just need a little “Never say never” to pull you through a sticky situation (for all you h8ers and beliebers alike, see our Justin Beiber film review on pg 42). Happy working environment somewhat restored.

Alas, I have now used up the majority of my editorial space with yet another self-indulgent rant, but it would feel wrong to end without mentioning some quotable quotes from our politician’s mouths, most from the infamous Close-Up “debate” between Harawira and Brash. When asked whether Maori have a special place in this country, Brash piped up with a brusque “nope”. Harawira, meanwhile, was busy accusing Brash of being in a “redneck party or klu klux klan party”. A day later, Harawira was busy espousing the positives of remembering bin Laden as a man who fought for his people’s freedom rather than a mass-murderer, although it was never made clear quite who his “people” were. All in all, another highly entertaining week for politics.
 
See you later alligator,

Julia Hollingsworth