http://www.gog.org.nz/2009/06/17/smacking-the-bare-faced-cheek-of-sue-bradford-and-other-manipulators-of-democracy/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:41:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.gog.org.nz/2009/06/17/smacking-the-bare-faced-cheek-of-sue-bradford-and-other-manipulators-of-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-1565 David Armstrong Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:26:59 +0000 http://www.gog.org.nz/?p=1775#comment-1565 The one problem with the phrase on which we will be asked to pass judgment is the word "smack". Nowhere is this term defined, and the careless (or perhaps malicious) misuse of this term in our media to cover almost all forms of physical violence that <strong>exclude</strong> smacking means that the term has been rendered useless as a means of conveying any useful meaning. How often have we seen newspaper articles that refer to "smacking" in the headline, but find that the accompanying article relates to beating with hoses, wood or whips, with nary a smack in sight? People who have been conditioned to believe in this cover-all definition will quite rightfully say the practice should be outlawed, whereas many who still recognise the narrower (and non-vicious) sense of the word will take the opposite course. Unless terms are properly defined, the referendum question as it currently stands is meaningless. The one problem with the phrase on which we will be asked to pass judgment is the word “smack”. Nowhere is this term defined, and the careless (or perhaps malicious) misuse of this term in our media to cover almost all forms of physical violence that exclude smacking means that the term has been rendered useless as a means of conveying any useful meaning. How often have we seen newspaper articles that refer to “smacking” in the headline, but find that the accompanying article relates to beating with hoses, wood or whips, with nary a smack in sight? People who have been conditioned to believe in this cover-all definition will quite rightfully say the practice should be outlawed, whereas many who still recognise the narrower (and non-vicious) sense of the word will take the opposite course. Unless terms are properly defined, the referendum question as it currently stands is meaningless.

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