Social media is more than rants and instant opinions

Alison Mau’s eschewing of Facebook (Opinion, January 17) reminded me of those people who, back in the 1960s when television first arrived in this country, made a virtue out of either not owning a set or watching it.

Mau is lucky to have a public forum to air her views on a weekly basis.

The attraction of Facebook for most of us is its immediacy – it’s not all about ranting and instant opinions. It has also helped me make contact with a schoolmate with whom I had had only occasional dealings with over the past 60 years.

John Capener, Kawerau

Kiwi values

American Magic team skipper Terry Hutchinson is ‘‘pleasantly surprised’’ at the way competitors, police and everyone else pitched in to help save his capsized AC75 boat after Sunday’s dramatic on-the-water incident.

I would respectfully point out to Hutchinson, that attitudes like ‘‘never giver a sucker an even break’’ and ‘‘the winner takes all and the devil takes the hindmost’’ are not part of the New Zealand psyche, in sport or in business. The all-hands-ondeck response is a natural part of who we are. We are Kiwis, we are better than that.

Hopefully, the architect of a large part of that selfish philosophy (in show business and politics as well as trashy reality TV shows since the 1970s) will be gone for good from the White House by the time this letter is published. Hallelujah!

Then, Americans, with new, decent and intelligent occupiers in the Oval Office who know what they are doing, can hold their heads up and say that they are way better than that as well. John Watkins, Auckland

Road Trips delight

Can I just say what a delight it was to enjoy the two Summer Road Trips in the Focus section (January 17)? The sharing of the writers’ memories struck a chord for this dedicated StarTimes reader and, I’m sure, for many others. A big thank you from here to both the writers and the editor; while summer lasts, maybe we could be blessed with more like these?

Maree Roy, Dunedin

Sniffing out rorts

The use of sniffer dogs to detect kauri dieback disease to prevent its transmission to Waiheke Island is great news. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is rightly delighted. His smiling countenance suggests another (and much easier) task for one of these lovely animals at Auckland Council and its council (un) controlled organisations – a rortsniffer dog. Make that a dozen rort-sniffer dogs, we wouldn’t want to overwork them. There isn’t much at Auckland Council that passes the sniff test but the cardboard cutouts who purport to be our elected representatives can’t smell a thing. Some welltrained sniffer dogs would seem to be exactly the kind of assistance they need.

Brian O’Neill, Auckland

Pricey power

I read with interest Olivia Wannan’s article about electricity (‘‘Is eco-friendly gas in your home just a pipe dream?’’, News, January 17).

I presume the subheading (‘‘Electricity is an efficient and cheap replacement for natural gas’’) is sarcasm and/or irony at its best.

New Zealand has the 21st most expensive electricity in the world out of 147 countries listed on www.globalpetrolprices.com/ electricity_prices

I currently pay about 34c per kw/h. I believe that most electricity in NZ is renewable, much coming from big hydro stations that were paid off by me and my fellow taxpayers years ago before being sold off to profitorientated investors.

If only we were in the same position as those lucky Norwegians: similar size, similar population, similar proportion of hydro and coming in at 92nd most expensive at only 14c per kw/h.

Ian McDonald, Palmerston North

Trump a symptom

‘Lies’ have frequently been in the news recently, and deservedly so. Donald Trump has proved an inveterate liar in his presidency, to no surprise. The ‘lie’ about the presidential election being stolen has incited startling consequences in Washington, DC. This ‘lie’ is so transparent that you would expect only a few desperate white supremacists would fall for it.

But no, many of his 70 million supporters still say they believe the lie. What we need to recognise is that Donald Trump, even with his recent incitement to violence, is not a leader in this; he is a symptom and symbol of a much broader and deeper malaise. This is the post-truth era where denial has become mainstream.

The stolen election lie is an exposed example of denial. It should really be called a ‘post

truth’ to indicate it is culturally based, not so much individually based.

Richard Keller, Wellington

MIQ complaints

It is indeed fiscally wasteful that two Defence Force organisations, and MBIE, spent time and money on the posturing of a self-described ‘‘scared’’ woman, supported by her (you’ve guessed it – lawyer) partner (News, January 17).

As a returnee she has travelled and should be aware how fortunate she is to be in a country not plagued by the violence of intolerance.

Her choice to return here was made in full awareness that a spell in MIQ would be necessary,

Had she not disobeyed the restriction on talking through the fence, the chat with the soldier would never have occurred.

Yoga does not need an outside space. Isolation certainly does not mean being able to physically talk to people outside the unit.

I invite her to reconsider her complaints.

J Thompson, Napier