Andrea Vance writing for Stuff implores us to stop using the diminutive “Cindy” when referring to the PM. Ardern hates it, so that should be reason enough to desist with the derogatory name-calling, right?
Vance says it’s okay to lengthen names, citing “Auntie Helen,” but it’s not okay to shorten names. Of anyone. How about Margaret Thatcher then?
“No-one dared abbreviate Margaret Thatcher’s Christian name to her face.
Her staff called their formidable boss Mrs Thatcher, or sometimes Mrs T when she was not present.”
To the best of my knowledge, no one in the NZ media has addressed Ardern as Cindy to her face since she became prime minister either. How about in print then, because the derogatory Maggie was more common in the MSM than Margaret.
“The tabloid press adopted the condescending diminutive Maggie and it stuck until she died in 2013.”
Both nicknames are derogatory so why is it okay for the British tabloid press to abbreviate Margaret to Maggie, but according to Vance, it is not okay to shorten Jacinda to Cindy on social media.
Both woman hated their nickname, which of course, is the whole point. British media were undeterred when Thatcher was an outstanding prime minister constantly under media attack.
“The only British prime minister in the 20th century to win three consecutive terms and, at the time of her resignation, Britain’s longest continuously serving prime minister since 1827, she accelerated the evolution of the British economy from statism to liberalism and became, by personality as much as achievement, the most renowned British political leader since Winston Churchill.”
Ardern is a lackadaisical prime minister well protected by a fawning media who hasten to smooth over her shortcomings. Ardern has little in common with the iron lady and should count herself very lucky indeed if she achieves a second term after her disastrous performance first time around.
The derogatory use of Cindy occurs outside the mainstream media.
NZ media differ from UK media in that ours does not like attacks on their princess whereas UK media sent vitriol Thatcher’s way throughout her entire 15 years in office. Ardern has the undying love of a fawning media who happily turn a blind eye to her poor leadership.
The NZ public has every right to voice their non-support of biased media reporting. If we feel misled we are most certainly entitled to express it. Vance is oblivious to the many failings of Jacinda Ardern.
Because no matter what she achieves, handles, or leads, they want to sneer and remind her that she is still just a girl.
This is seriously silly stuff. Ardern’s failings have nothing to do with her sex or her age and everything to do with competence. Vance is a good example of blindsided media who refuse to examine the facts while applauding a smile and sympathetic demeanour.
The media will just have to get over themselves because social media is a valid place of expression.
“Last week ‘Cindy’ was trending on Twitter, a backlash against confused Government messaging on Covid-19 testing. It crops up on comment boards and social media, even Judith Collins’ husband David Wong-Tung shared a Facebook meme that suggests we “Unite against CINDY-20”.
Its use is condescending and paternalistic. Ardern’s friends and family do not call her Cindy. In fact, she’d rather no-one did, telling the New York Times in 2018: “I just hate the nickname Cindy.”
I hate it too, because it is a putdown that is meant to belittle her.”
And belittling is the whole point! In the eyes of many New Zealanders “Cindy” has earned herself a jolly good belittling, and protest via social media is a direct response to biased media reporting.
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