Life will be the worse for humanities cuts

IN response to the news that the already depleted and diminished art history programme at Otago University is to be axed (forget the boxticking consultation process, for I am sure the deal is as good as done), a surreal mix of images from literature and film cameto mind.

The first involves Pastor Niemoller’s famous poem in the context of World War 2 Germany, in which he castigated a society which stood by while atrocities were being committed against various groups:

‘‘First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.

‘‘Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.

‘‘Then they came for me — and there was noone left to speak for me.’’

The next image is that of the Monty Python knight who keeps trying to fight, even as his limbs are amputated one by one.

Then I thought of the supposedly ‘‘futuristic’’ Terminator movies, in which emotionless mechanical robots take over the world and reduce humankind to a seriously endangered species.

That brings me to the last surreal image, of the equally ‘‘futuristic’’ Star Trek movies and the ‘‘Borg’’, a centrally controlled race of fearsome robots which ruthlessly ‘‘assimilate’’ anyone in their path.

All the disciplines of humanities are under attack from shortsighted bean counters. This is old news.

Those who might be expected to speak out, but remain silent, are undoubtedly wearied by the struggle to survive and the fear that the Eye of Sauron will turn upon them next.

I can’t help thinking that the ‘‘future’’ is already here and we shall all be the worse for it. Pat Duffy

Opoho

Glyphosate and beer

WHILE he may be correct about the absence of glyphosateresistant crops in New Zealand, I must disabuse your correspondent Trevor Norton of his belief that aerial overspraying of crops using glyphosate doesn’t occur in this country (ODT, 22.8.18).

It is routinely used by many, but not all, barley (and perhaps other cereal) growers to kill the barley plant at the end of its growing season.

This accelerates maturation of the seed and, as I understand it, is done to take the guesswork out of the vagaries of the weather as harvest time approaches.

A conversation with any grower of barley or brewer wanting to source uncontaminated malt will confirm the practice.

Enjoy that beer. Peter Clarke

Queenstown

‘Don Giovanni’ superb

THE Mayfair Theatre was ideally suited to Opera Otago’s Don Giovanni,

with John Drummond’s modern rewrite of the spoken interludes perfectly setting the scenes for some of Mozart’s most glorious music.

The tiny orchestra was superbly controlled and synchronised, live scene changes maintained momentum, and the demanding role of whoring, murdering Don Giovanni so convincingly delivered that the audience were torn finally between rapturous applause and moralistic booing.

Don Giovanni’s utter bastard was contrasted beautifully with powerful vocal female victims, which other male vocal power could not quite match.

I am glad not to have missed this triumph of a demanding production, rounded out with a fine choir and focused minor parts.

Lee Vandervis

Roslyn

Ban plastic bottles

THERE is a lot of talk about giving away our water.

What about our environmental footprint from the export of millions of plastic bottles? Robert Franklin

Bannockburn