I want to be a politician.

Lately, as part of something I think of as my quarter-life crisis, I have begun to care about things. It's a very disconcerting sensation. Previously, I have only been directly concerned with things that directly influence me: how much I earn, my relationship status, the price of pies... but now, for some reason, obviously bread from a mind insane, I have become somewhat obsessed by a couple of concerns, not all that large, just, you know, something to be concerned about if you have the time. The couple of things, little things, minuscule, possible unworthy of your attention unless you can find the time in your busy schedule, that I am concerned about are the following:

1) The Media

2) Politics

3) Bias against academics

4) Absolutely everything else.

These are quite small and insignificant things, I agree, but I would encourage you to take some notice. The best place to take notice of these issues is, I would posit, the newspaper opinion pages. These pages contain such gems as:

"If the government is planning to change all European place names to Maori names, they should consider how this will impact pakeha tourists from other countries, as they will view us as a third world country"

or that from the minister of education came provably false claims about the rate of raise in teachers earning ability over the past four years,

or that in a recent mock exam given to 16 year olds a speech from our prime minister given at waitangi on waitangi day that stated that people were using the waitangi treaty as a crutch to avoid facing real life.

There are a great many more, but I admit myself as being too drunk from despair and wine to remember them.

I just ask that you read the newspapers, watch the 6pm broadcasts and think "why?" Why are they saying this? How does it benefit this or that person? What are the possibilities that we aren't being told about?

Now, more than ever, even more than in times of strife, when the change can be insidious instead of sudden, we need to be critical, questioning of what we hear and see.