Top tweets about Eleanor Catton vs John Key
This is a selection of some of the more interesting responses to the row between Eleanor Catton and John Key.
This is a selection of some of the more interesting responses to the row between Eleanor Catton and John Key. The most recent are first. If there’s any good ones missing, please add them to the comments section. Another ‘Top tweets’ blog post will cover the #JohnKeyLiterature tweets. [Read more below]
I admire the criticism against Eleanor Catton that WhaleOil has done: - she speaks funny - she's an ARTIST - anyone can write a book
Wait so Sean thinks academics and/or writers are traitors if they say bad things about their country?
@EleanorCatton Standing right behind you - well done on speaking out. Even more proud of you than I was before!
Hua: 4. (noun) benefit, gain, asset. http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&keywords=hua&search= …
Looking at Catton reaction suggests quite a few Kiwis are no longer Charlie
If you breath the government regulated air then you have no right to criticise them...
Lorde was so ungrateful she called her record 'Pure Heroine' not 'Rockstar Economy Volume 1' #UngratefulNZers
ChubbyBlondeSandwich @MorganHopes
Isn't "you drive or walk or ride on roads how dare you criticise the government ever" the logical extension of that TP Union brainfart?
Next John Key will be criticising Lorde for not being proud of her address.
What I know about @EleanorCatton is - she's a superb conscientious flat mate, who spends lots of time in her room and always does her dishes
Shouldn't the so-called Taxpayer's Union be calling on the recipients of government largesse to vigorously maul the hand that feeds them?
Shouldn't they regard a grant recipient's favour towards the government as evidence that such bribery works?
Is there anyone mentioned in Dirty Politcs who HASN'T proffered their opinion on Catton today?
Shorter Taxpayers’ Onion on Catton: she should shut up because she got a Creative NZ grant that time.
Please don't leave us @EleanorCatton! We're very sorry! You're one of the best people we have! We can fire that guy! STAAAYYY
Martyn Bradbury @CitizenBomber
Via Annette Sykes ... Hua is a derogatory term used in Maori as a shortened version for the term pokokohua...
Oh you misheard me. I called her a "hoe", because she's raking it in. Sometimes I rake with a hoe. Because who has a rake?
A spinoff of saying hua is that Sean Plunket hopes his show will now start receiving Maori funding.
So there appears to be a heap of conjecture as to exactly what Plunket meant by hua. What I wanna know is why he thinks Catton is ungrateful
Grant Robertson @grantrobertson1
as for Sean. don't want to give him oxygen. But its really sad, ratings driven misogyny. and mixed in with bit of McCarthyesque nonsense.
We start going down a really dangerous track when we say people who receive govt money can't speak out against it. Hi, Problem Gambling.
What a great intellectual debate we are all having on non social media today!!!
It's John Key PM, not Key John-Il. Anyone is allowed to make political statements in NZ, even award winning writers.
Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
What was the problem with Key's rejoinder to Eleanor Catton's remarks? "I'm disappointed she doesn't have respect for the work we do."?
National to pass legislation under urgency to reclassify any winner of a major international literary prize as an enemy combatant
I kinda hope Lorde says something epic re Catton cos I think NZ would just implode.
That extreme word 'misogynist' featuring a lot in my TL this morning: users ought to think about what it means.
every author should be political. everything is political. catton isn't 'mixing art and politics' she's being a human being.
Sean Plunkett may have been calling Catton an ungrateful river if he speaks Mandarin Chinese. Although again, probably not.
Jessica Williams @mizjwilliams
FYI in the North East of Scotland, my turangawaewae, people say "hoo-er" all the time. It means whore. #linguisticclarification
Artists. Know your place!
Just saying, Sean Plunket may have been comparing Catton to famed All Black hooker, Andrew Hore. Although almost definitely not. Probably.
@LI_politico my understanding, and I'm no authority, is that hua is an abbreviation of pōkokohua, the strongest insult in te reo
No, no. I called Plunket a fuque'tarder. It's French for a kind of hat ducks wear. Obviously.
Of course we support @EleanorCatton's right to speak freely about the Govt's priorities. Labeling her a 'traitor' is absurd and offensive.
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
1. I think parts of the vicious response to Catton's criticisms is because she offers respectability to a critique - neoliberalism...
> Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
2. Which usually exists only on the margins. This isn't some no-name blogger, but a Man Booker prize winner and (former) national treasure
I think Sean Plunket probably just graphically illustrated Eleanor Catton's argument. Anyway, can we go back to #sotn ? t minus 15 mins
He called her a name. But was it an insulting name or a grotesquely insulting name?
@LI_politico my understanding, and I'm no authority, is that hua is an abbreviation of pōkokohua, the strongest insult in te reo
> CarrieStoddart-Smith @Ellipsister
@LukeTipoki @LI_politico hmm, heaps of my whanau use it in jest. But etymology is interesting. @temihinga do u know where hua derives from?
A radio bua - read boor, Called someone a hua - read whore. A debate then ensued, About if it was crude, Til Twitter forgot the uproar.
Thanks for all your feedback. Just to clarify, Sean Plunket said "hua" this morning.
"I didn't say she sold sex, I said her head should be boiled and eaten." "Story checks out!"
Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
What was the problem with Key's rejoinder to Eleanor Catton's remarks? "I'm disappointed she doesn't have respect for the work we do."?
@GraemeEdgeler Implied she was merely being partisan, and that as an artist she should stick to her knitting
> Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
@ShakingStick I cannot see how that is a fair reading of Key's comments.
Stephanie Rodgers @bootstheory
... I merely ask whether it's likelier Old Man Plunket was using a derogatory Maori term, or a common fake-Irish pronunciation of "whore".
"Tom Roa of Waikato Uni Maori dept said "hua" was a shortened version of "upoko kohua", which meant "may your head be boiled and eaten". "
Winston Aldworth @WinstonAldworth
Je suis Sean Plunket!
What @johnkeypm should have said: "We expect artists and writers to be out critics and conscience. But I prefer John Roughan's writing."
You can commen on Plunket's screed before @radiolivenz does what they did with Willie and JT and disable the feature. http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Sean-Plunket-Eleanor-Catton-a-traitor/tabid/506/articleID/69858/Default.aspx …
Has Giovanni Tiso logged on yet?
I'm angry with @EleanorCatton That book was far too bloody long, confused at the end and as for the astrological stuff... good grief.
I love Janet Frame. She had a perfect quote for today's "literary" debate: “Life is hell, but at least there are prizes. Or so one thought.”
>call NZ out on tall poppy syndrome >get called ungrateful >emigrate to a place that better values high achievement
@SeanPlunket calling @EleanorCatton a hooer or a whore is not acceptable & reason why women stay silent out of fear http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Sean-Plunket-Eleanor-Catton-a-traitor/tabid/506/articleID/69858/Default.aspx …
@medickinson @paulbrislen @SeanPlunket @EleanorCatton sean - did you call Eleanor Catton a whore? bit much even for talkback shurely?
> Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
@Zagzigger @medickinson @SeanPlunket some people hear "hua", others "hooer".
@GraemeEdgeler i don't speak te reo but my understanding is that hoor (celtic slang) isn't the same as hua (maori slang)
> Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
@avancenz none of these really seem to make much sense to me http://m.maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=hua&idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan= …
> Chris Bramwell @ChrisBramwell
@avancenz @GraemeEdgeler Hua is an old school NZ insult! I said it all the time as a kid - had no idea what it really meant
> Miriam Pierard @miriampierard
@avancenz Fair, but whenever I've heard the term hua used it's always been used with the intention of calling someone a whore
Miriam Pierard @miriampierard
Oh wow @SeanPlunket also called her an "ungrateful whore". Pronounced "hua", but that doesn't change the intent. Disgusting man
That Sean Plunket is a boor really doesn't need saying. But didn't he say "hua" rather than "whore"?
@avancenz NZ English is non-rhotic so it's pretty ambiguous. And what is "hua"? Born and bred here, never heard the word in my life.
> not all bugbears @thelittlepakeha
@saniac @avancenz it's te reo, most common meaning probably "egg" or "fruit"
> Morgan Godfery@MorganGodfery
@thelittlepakeha @saniac @avancenz yeah, it's Maori and super common in Maori/rural North Island communities. Means paua guts or paua.
I heard 'hua'.
Get the feeling twitter is *hoping* he said "whore". Because it's convenient when the guy you don't like is really disambiguously bad.
I have extreme doubts Sean Plunkett was using his Te Reo to call Catton an ungrateful berry, egg, roe or thought. #usingyourwords
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
why we still need feminisim when a man can go on national radio and call a woman - and a relatively powerful too - a traitor and who-er/hua
There are of course fewer more ferocious guardians of our national mediocrity than the exceptionally, proudly talentless @SeanPlunket.
What till they hear Lorde's next single, "I Hate New Zealand".
@secondzeit B-Side is remix of national anthem "God offend New Zealand."
@MattNippert @secondzeit Damn Lorde and her cushy Government job!
Ugh. Is there anything more cringe than New Zealand's response when we decide the nation's reputation is being threatened by some triviality
every success a national achievement & every criticism somehow besmirches the national rep. from catton to the Lego movie! We defy parody.
Remind me why I stay in this sneer filled little country?
people like sean plunkett make me hate New Zealand, not fiercely smart Eleanor Catton
brawl mccartney @AdamGoodallYes
so basically, by telling catton to keep her nose out of politics, key has basically proven her point. so good job him i guess
With regards to @eleanorcatton, as always the response of self-appointed mainstream New Zealand to its critics is: please don't be one.
The funniest bit is Establishment New Zealand thinking they're responsible for talents like Catton in the first place, and owed anything.
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
So, Catton is a "narcissist", "traitor" and "elitist spoilt brat". Don't ever say the right are not sensitive little parochials.
Kia kaha @EleanorCatton. Every time you use your powerful voice you have an immeasurable positive impact that all the hate doesn't show.
Oh okay - she's a good writer - but sje should be able to come up with a better cliche than tall poppy syndrome
Sean Plunket used to be amazing at asking hard questions of the government when he was on state-funded radio. What happened?
@secondzeit The more reason to be impressed by RNZ's editors & producers. Remember Mike Hosking could be good during his time on RNZ too
HarveySpectre @HarveySpectre_
Please people. Criticism =/= shutting down your freedom of speech.
Is Eleanor Catton turning into our own Natalie Maines?: A Dixie Chick Declares War on Nashville http://rol.st/14eyMEM via @rollingstone
Damian Christie @damianchristie
If you have a taxpayer funded uni job you can't criticise the (current) Govt. @SeanPlunket is either being disingenuous or a moron. Or both?
Lets not compare Eleanor Catton to Charlie Hebdo...unless Catton starts mocking minority immigrant groups
How many years was Sean Plunket "paid for by the taxpayer"? What a clown. http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Sean-Plunket-Eleanor-Catton-a-traitor/tabid/506/articleID/69858/Default.aspx … via @RadioLIVENZ
> Rachael King @rachaelking70
@secondzeit I am really uncomfortable with the notion that if you get government funding of any kind you can't question the government.
> Philip Matthews @secondzeit
@rachaelking70 Universities, especially. Which are expected to be the critic and conscience.
HarveySpectre @HarveySpectre_
Always something ironic about people self-anointing themselves as tall poppies to complain about TPS. Or is this tweet in itself an example?
Grateful for @EleanorCatton's words. Continuing a long - recently neglected - tradition of creative minds challenging the status quo.
Je suis @EleanorCatton
Like say when politicians tell business leaders to stick to the shop keeping and leave politics to them what know stuff about it.
that's completely different, coz shopkeeping is the most important part of politics. Arts & Culture are less important, not relevant, even
An expectation grew under the Clark government that artists should act as national spokespeople. Et al did not play the game that time.
Kate Woodruffe @KateWoodruffe
Don't we all love a good whinge? Isn't complaining about our beloved NZ a national pastime? Give @EleanorCatton a break!
Little must be thrilled Eleanor Catton's eating all his airtime
I disagree with much @EleanorCatton said in Jaipur; totally separate from my ABSOLUTE respect for her being an electorally engaged citizen
Jessica Williams @mizjwilliams
.@winstonpeters on Eleanor Catton: "Just because you've written a book that won a prize does not make you an intellectual" @RadioLIVENZ
Brooke Howard-Smith @Brooke_hs
Turns out old people like @EleanorCatton & @lordemusic as long as they keep their mouths shut.
Sean Plunket labels Eleanor Catton "not very intellectual" Helen Clark was "too intellectual'" John Key is just right.
@mizjwilliams @RadioLIVENZ FWIW I think Eleanor Catton had every right to make her comments. Whether one agrees is another matter altogether
I'm glad @EleanorCatton found a great way to out all the mens in the politics arena who are uncomfortable with women speaking politics.
Be good to live in a country where we debate the issues not the person. @EleanorCattonraised some issues worth debating. #nzpol
I wonder if the people attacking Catton for expressing political views at the Jaipur Literary Festival realise they are very much like (1/2)
the people who attacked Salman Rushdie for expressing political views at the Jaipur Literary Festival. It's a strange echo. (2/2)
Catton's point - that she doesn't see herself as a paid-for spokesperson for a homogenous "NZ Inc" - has been proven by the blowback.
Holy Crappola Twitter! @EleanorCatton did name two other countries! Seriously NZ grow some self esteem & handle a critique or two! #nzpol
Writers should stick to talking about what they know: the fundamental cultural structures of their societies. And what's built on top.
I guess telling people off for caring about politics entirely suits Key's approach to the game.
Damian Christie @damianchristie
Had thought of launching State of the Unicorn address today to discuss societal dreams. Seems @EleanorCatton has stolen my thunder. (Again)
I wouldn't say the current government doesn't care about culture but my opinion is that they don't really appreciate it's value.
While I love that @EleanorCatton spoke out. I hate the way NZ politics is becoming so polarised and divided. Key's response doesn't help!
Eleanor Catton's work is not the kind of book i like, but good on her for being awesome at what she does and having a voice about politics
Jessica Williams @mizjwilliams
Hey all you people slagging off Eleanor Catton for expressing an opinion about the country she lives in! I SEE YOU.
Suddenly everyone's s culture-critic-critic.
I never knew the revolution would begin with shots fired by a Man Booker Prize Winner #ThingsToTellMyGrandKids
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@RuminatorNZ It hasn't. She's made a fool of herself.
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@RuminatorNZ Read what she said. Elitist spoilt brat & narcissist.
@MatthewHootonNZ Even if this is true, you know as well as I do that it's not the substance that's important but the idea behind it.
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@RuminatorNZ There is no "idea" behind what she said. She had a little tantrum.
@MatthewHootonNZ @RuminatorNZ A bit harsh thr Matthew. All Govts hv to be prep'd for criticism. This Govt doing sm good things & sm bad.
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@DeborahMTNZ @RuminatorNZ It's not the comment on the govt. It's the comment on her fellow citizens and pathetic generalisations.
I assume someone is collating the before/after tweets of people's opinions of Eleanor Catton?
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
but Catton is right: NZ is lead by shallow neoliberal politicians who don't care about culture. And we still suffer tall poppy syndrome.
@MorganGodfery @SteveTheSkeptic neo-liberal is a stretch - isn' she just saying that she doesn't get enough respect?
The insidious sexism hurled at @EleanorCatton is quite telling, isn't it?
> Elizabeth Knox@ElizabethKnoxNZ
@RozS_P @EleanorCatton Yes. All 'stick to your knitting' talk. #politicsforALLpeople
Maybe people should leave out E.Catton's @ handle when all they're doing is discussing it amongst selves. Too many @s on the dance floor.
Seriously, as a critic it offends me being shat on as a "tall poppy" hater and I wish @eleanorcatton would cut it out.
Sad but not surprised at the focus on @eleanorcatton's diss of the Government not the "Tall Poppy" stuff that's massively problematic.
Watching the neo-lib hot air balloons try to take down Catton without addressing her points or being overtly sexist is HILARIOUS.
edwardcrmiller @edwardcrmiller
I like @EleanorCatton way more now that she got both Mike Hosking and Leighton Smith use the word 'neoliberal' in a sentence (hers, albeit)
The pseudo intellectuals are all over Eleanor Catton like she's the new messiah. Of course she's gadding the world but would vote labour.
Key really is racking up the numbers when it comes to trying to discredit prominent NZers. Eleanor Catton, Nicky Hager, Dr Mike Joy.....
John Key does not care what Eleanor Catton thinks. The internet cares a great deal what John Key thinks about what Eleanor Catton thinks.
Phil Stevens @stevens_phil I think Eleanor Catton's only mistake was not using a vicious attack blogger to get her talking points out there.
Julius Pepperwood @Mighty_Kites
Weren't the people currently telling Eleanor Catton to STFU the same ones proclaiming "Je Suis Charlie" & freedom of speech after Paris?
What does Eleanor Catton think of Little's speech?
Is it me or is John Key's small ego hurt by Catton's fair but very blunt comment from yesterday?
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
Key, basically: politics is for those who play the game, not writers, and definitely not voters #rtpRT
> CherylBernstein @CherylBernstein
@MorganGodfery non-politicians with a point of view about politics: a. Knuckleheads; or b. Partisan stirrers. Either way, dismissable.
Shut up vs speak up: a very eloquent juxtaposition in my timeline just now. #stateofthenation #statusquo #citizenship
What a self righteous, condescending. Key's really delving to new depths of bull there rtpRT
At the end of the day it's sad Key mixes talking with things that he's ackshally good at, like not talking.
"At the end of the day it's a bit sad that @EleanorCatton is mixing politics with some of the things she is good at" - John Key @FirstlineNZ
@SachaMcNeil @LI_politico @EleanorCatton @FirstlineNZ 'Politics' a Greek word meaning of, for or relating to citizens. Except when it's not.
Richard Hills @richardhills777
So John Key is fine to stand in a Hobbit hole with Peter Jackson during an election but @EleanorCatton is not allowed to mix with politics?
Richard Hills @richardhills777
Funny that Key didn't mind Jona Lomu mixing politics & tweeting us to vote National on Election Day @SachaMcNeil @EleanorCatton @FirstlineNZ
Prediction re Catton speech: a right wing pundit will write a piece or claim on radio that there is a long-standing convention of not ...
... criticising govt when accepting awards, and point to All Blacks and other sports folk as role models.
Mike Kilpatrick @mikekilpatrick
It's not hard to read between the lines of all those bagging @EleanorCatton - it goes something like 'Get back in the kitchen, woman'.
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@pohutukawa @norightturnnz @dpfdpf @EleanorCatton she's just another sanctimonious narcissistic no-nothing leftie greenie
So @johnkeypm is 'disappointed' that @EleanorCatton is sharing her political opinions. He should imagine how I feel every time he shares his
Why is it that smart, articulate women like @EleanorCatton are told to shush but dodos like Gareth Morgan get NZH columns? #youknowwhy
Is Eleanor Catton's swipe @johnkeypm not an example of the very Tall Poppy syndrome she derides? Poppies work well in a bunch but wilt alone
> Mark Reynolds @MarkSReynolds
@ShakingStick Well her comment that ruling politicians "do not care about culture" simply doesn't stack up. It's a swipe, not a critique.
@MarkSReynolds ok. Is Key's response that she should 'stick to what she's good at' Tall Poppy cutting? Which was the focus of her speech.
> Mark Reynolds @MarkSReynolds
@ShakingStick I haven't seen him say that. I have read this coverage: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/65463098/eleanor-cattons-problem-with-new-zealand …
> Mark Reynolds @MarkSReynolds
@ShakingStick By implication she says Culture Minister @maggiebarrynz is a money hungry politician who doesn't care about culture. Poppycock
Interesting that the Right response to Catton is basically "she shouldn't say that" rather than "that's not true."
How many trees were sacrificed to produce Green-aligned Eleanor Catton's prize-winning book? #HypocrisyMuch
Eleanor Catton @EleanorCatton
I spoke twice without pay at Green Party events; donated one signed book & $500; bought two tshirts & one bumper sticker at no discount. 1/2
> Idiot/Savant @norightturnnz
@EleanorCatton (unlike hacks like @dpfdpf or @MatthewHootonNZ who work for parties but are sold as neutral commentators in the media)
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
Dear @norightturnnz I don't work for any political party. Don't tell lies please @EleanorCatton @dpfdpf
> Idiot/Savant @norightturnnz
@MatthewHootonNZ Guess all that stuff in the Hollow Men about you working for National was fiction then?
> Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
@norightturnnz and, from memory, that book didn't claim I worked for the nats. Unless you mean the 1990s when I worked in beehive
Imagine just how beautiful a garden full of tall poppies in bloom could be. @EleanorCatton
Sorry @EleanorCatton, but if there's a threat to culture in this country it's not the government. It's us taking it all for granted. (1/2)
If #Eleanor Catton thinks it's nicer to live overseas than In NZ, what's stopping her?
Eleanor Catton @EleanorCatton
I also admire many things about the Labour Party, & would have voted for a Labour MP if I hadn't been in the gerrymandered Epsom electorate.
what I live for: seeing an incredible & plain brilliant woman like @EleanorCattoncompletely lampoon John Key & his whole rotten government
Eleanor CattonVerified account@EleanorCatton
I spoke twice without pay at Green Party events; donated one signed book & $500; bought two tshirts & one bumper sticker at no discount. 1/2
> Eleanor Catton @EleanorCatton ·
I'm not a member of the party, but I applaud their vision, leadership, and integrity, and in the last election they had my vote. 2/2
Imperator Fish @ImperatorFish
Enraged that @EleanorCatton has expressed an opinion. But problem with burning her book is that I'm not sure how flammable my Kindle is.
Have those demanding Eleanor Catton declare a "conflict of interest" about disliking the govt declared their own "conflicts of interest"?
Less than three hours after Key talked sweetly about @EleanorCatton, yes, #JohnKeyLiterature is top trending on NZ Twitter Credit @RozS_P
It was sad 2day 2 see a NZer whose fictional account of life in this country which transfixed millions get into an argument w Eleanor Catton
There's an interesting dynamic in @EleanorCatton deriding both neoliberalism and the collectivisation of her art http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/pzEq1u3frRLWQehmXjyzHL/Eleanor-Catton-In-the-last-year-Ive-really-struggled-with.html …
After that from Eleanor Catton I am not expecting her to get a Xmas Card from the PM after her rant
Andrea Vance @avancenz 17h17 hours ago
Ouch. Eleanor Catton says NZ dominated by: neo-liberal, profit-obsessed, v shallow, v money-hungry politicians who do not care about culture
Bryce Edwards
Wed, 28 Jan 2015
Wed, 28 Jan 2015
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Top tweets about Eleanor Catton vs John Key
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