A Web of Lies

Kate Hannah does not represent New Zealanders in parliament or hold office in any democratic jurisdiction, as far as I am aware. So it’s impossible to know what gives her the authority to decide which people among us are a threat to civil society.

Nevertheless, in part of the documentary Web of Chaos, Hannah launches into conspiracy theories about women like me (women who like sewing and interior design), demonising us as being some sort of extremists.

Her slurs against the values of stitching and home-making come about with wild accusations about women sharing their crafts online; that they have very “Christian” and “pseudo-Celtic/Nordic ideologies” and that they use their “platforms” to “draw people in” to a set of viewpoints “that are very white nationalistic”.

Notably, she has not included craft-loving women with Maori ancestry into this pool of deplorables, nor has she included men who also like interior design, making it perfectly clear that both racism and sexism are intertwined with her next-level stupidity.

How can it be proven that all women who share their tips on knitting are white Christian women of Celtic ancestry?
Where is the proof that these markers ascertain a dangerous white nationalism phenomenon?

Where is the proof that white Christian Celtic ancestry per se is troublesome and indicates a risk to the public?

We all know that these women are not the people bombing concerts attended by teenagers, blowing up metro stations, driving trucks into crowded outdoor spaces or shooting up classrooms in schools.

We all know these women are not lone psychopaths hiding underground and accumulating immense arsenals of guns.

It’s an outstanding irony that her conspiracy theories prove that she has zero self-awareness that she’s the one peddling disinformation.

The reality is that Hannah does not respect the Bill of Rights; the legal foundation of our liberal democracy that states all citizens are free to gather, read, speak, act and think and vote as they please.

Strangely, her nonsensical portrayal of women who like yoga, knitting and healthy food for children prompts Hannah to shudder with horror as she reflects on her own white heritage.

Are we all supposed to be like Hannah, wasting our precious lives with angst over our heritage; the one thing that nobody has any control over?

People who live in the alternative reality of intersectionalism and spend their days ‘othering’ all white women who sew, fail to understand how outdated their moral panic is. Referring to women like me in such a stereotypical, one-dimensional fashion is not progressive. The definition of progress is development towards an improved or more advanced condition.

It’s dumb, discriminatory, backwards, low-thinking, ignorant and sinister to spread this conspiracy theory about women like me.

Hannah does not tread on this earth gently enough to understand the realities and individualism of others and thus Hannah has NO comprehension of the vital role creative pursuits can play. They help with the process of rehabilitation from mental and physical injury. They can be an economic necessity as thrifty DIY projects, and they provide the social benefits associated with sharing our interests, products and knowledge with like-minded people.

In contrast, Hannah prefers to use her time putting other women into imaginary boxes according to their skin colour and interests and dreaming up whatever she pleases to diminish, mock and slander them.

She has no hesitation in making disgraceful commentary on ‘children with blonde or red hair’. “Just stand back”, she says, as if these children all carry grenades.

Why would she do this?

She’s cheerleading a very self-righteous, very controlling political class that gets traction with their prowling, sinister witch-hunts, hitting on groups they don’t like to inform public narratives and no doubt government policy.

She fabricates illusions about women with sewing machines in the same frame as a clip on Nazi Germany. She tries to instil a sense of fear around women like me without any right of reply. And she expects me to put up with this assault, which is wrong, damaging and offensive.

She’s on the team that cannot abide individualism, the team that is thoroughly uncomfortable with freedom of expression and democratic debate, the team that has no bloody idea about the lives of real people.

Hannah has resources, she has a presence in the public narrative, she has backing from powerful people and as she pushes her conspiracy theories into our New Zealand culture, we become less harmonious, less loving and more divided.

Women like me do not have the power that Hannah has. Our only course of action is to make formal complaints. I have lodged one with TVNZ and if there is no satisfactory response, I will go to the Broadcast Standards Authority.

I would encourage others to do the same.