Youth voting
When I was 16 I thought I should be allowed to vote. I thought I was mature enough, and I understood the real world. I was an idiot. I knew nothing.
Yes, I knew a lot about politics, and racism, and sexism, and I figured I could see so much more clearly than the adults around me, because I wasn’t blinded by learned bias. Bollocks.
I knew what I had been conditioned to know. I hadn’t learned enough, from enough sources to know anything. I hadn’t seen, heard or experienced enough of the real world to learn a damn thing.
I grew up alternately neglected and abused, angry, alone, aware of things no child should be aware of. I grew up lost and seeking something I didn’t even understand existed, let alone how to find. I grew up knowing things, but was still as ignorant as a child could be, about the real world. Because the real world was more than my world.
At 16, I had one brother in and out of prison, one in the army, travelling with the UN peace keepers to Bosnia and Somalia. I had parent in the police force and a parent studying anthropology and sociology. I had grandparent who had been an airforce lieutenant colonel, in WWII, in the pacific islands, an uncle who was a firefighter, and two aunts in banking. And social workers. So many social workers. I had “sources”.
I knew nothing.
Even by 18, when it was legal to vote, I still knew nothing.
More than 30 years later, I still wonder if I know anything.
But what I do know, is those 16 year olds that want the right to vote now, are the same little darlings that scream around the streets, till dawn, in over powered machines mummy and daddy paid for, gathering in the domains, and playgrounds, and unfinished subdivisions to admire each others souped up egos, and commit ram raids on malls and bottle stores at the behest of the adults in their orbits, and say “but it wasn’t my fault” when it all goes wrong.
Yes, for the most part, they were smart enough to figure out that covid wasn’t a conspiracy and the vaccines aren’t about government control. But when they don’t have the common sense to understand you don’t stuff 6+ people into a 5 seat car and hit the gas, and expect it to all go well, do they really have the sense to be part of selecting who represents us, locally, nationally and globally?
Let them vote, but only for their youth representatives. Too many adults don’t have the sense to vote for good general governance, we can’t expect children to.
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.2% Yes
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15.1% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
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