love30stm

Certainly different alright not in a good way though

pricklykina

:r ofl:

sparkie down under

Now this post really did make me laugh out loud

waikatoguy

Oh yea .. NZer's are a gormless lot aren't they? They're so vile ... (insert laughing or winking smiley here)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/.../13/schools.uk

People ... HIV + people are ostracised in some some way all over the world. It's not unique to any one country.

waikatoguy

Do you think a transsexual would ever be elected into parliament in the UK as Georgina Beyer was here (and that in a very rural, farming seat) ? I don't know??

pricklykina

It would be naive to think that the UK is the land of milk and honey in terms of racism.

Genesis

Not all of them, just those who exclude children with HIV and then tell everyone else in the neighbourhood about the family's private business. Good and bad in all nationalities.

Genesis

Yes and there are gormless, vile twats all over the UK, Ireland and France..just about covers all the places I am from. And of course it would happen all over the world..what has that got to do with it? We are dealing with it happening here in NZ.

Genesis

And where is? All countries have light and darkness behaviour wise. In the Uk rascism is alive and well (well it was in Plodville) and it is in your face. It is here too in NZ but it is more subdued. Which is the more racist place? UK by a long way IMO. But we digress.

waikatoguy

True enough.
I shouldn't get so defensive, I realise that. It's ok (from my view) for you guys to slag off. But if you read through the thread, watch how it develops from a discussion about this HIV thing into a connection with how 'they' (ie kiwis as the third person) are not friendly, homophobic and racist.
I think the reaction of some of the parents is understandable, for what it's worth. Every parent wants to make sure their kids are safe. Can they be assured that if an HIV+ kid is playing in a playground, cuts themselves and bleeds, and another kid does the same, and the blood from the HIV kid is mixed into the blood of the other kid, that this is 100% safe? If they can't, as a parent, I would be inclined to think about taking the kid to another playcentre. It's just human nature, I think. Not saying it's right. But I can understand it.

pricklykina

Personally, I think it's dreadful to exclude the child. I was having a conversation with my ten year old about how it is almost impossible to get hiv from day to day contact. I would be more concerned about hepatitis c...far more virulent.

People get fearful about their kids and that is understandable. And fear often gets in the way of taking in new information, henve the doctor not getting heard at the meeting that was held.

What would other people honestly do if it was their kids?
I guess the best thing to do is teach kids about universal precautions. Afterall, you never know what people that you come across have anyway. Having spent some of my career working with people at high risk and who have HIV and Hep C, I haven't been overly concerned about contracting it.
It hasn't stopped me hugging, or patting on the arm, or any of the usual things that I do. I tend not to share toothbrushes with those I have just met so that keeps me quite safe too!

I told my daughter that you do end up with blood to blood contact with people, then flush it with water for ages and then tell someone.

scrubbedexpat094

When I worked as a midwife I treated everyone as if they had HIV/Hep C etc. Have treated many a woman with one or the other & was dealing with various bodily fluids on a daily basis. I haven't contracted either.

I hate ignorance & especially ignorance that leads to discrimination.

bourbon-biscuit

I read that article yesterday and I just didn't know what to say- for some reason, in my little world, I thought that level of ignorance/stupidity/nastiness (it's clearly not just one person, they must have all egged each other on) didn't exist.

If I had my child in that childcare I'd now be whipping them out so fast their feet couldn't touch the ground for FEAR they'd contract IGNORANCE. You've got to be very careful with ignorance and all its nasty attitudes- it can be contracted unknowingly from much less than a bite.

I agree 100%. Positioning people as "the other" is one foot along a very unpleasant path.

With the utmost of respect, Waikatoguy, I'd ask you reread that paragraph and consider whether a little ignorance has clouded your perspective. If we're going to take the level of caution against risk you seem to condone here, then we best stop letting our kids travel in cars, ride bikes, climb trees, go out in the sun ... oh a million things really. Wouldn't be much of a life, no?

PS lots of things are "just human nature" that we do not consider acceptable, it's really no excuse.

waikatoguy

Hi BB,
I actually don't condone it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't withdraw my child from the centre. I guess I was just trying to explain how it comes about. I think all that most parents are concerned about is number 1, ie their own child. You're right, if we took that level of concern we wouldn't let our kids do anything. All I'm saying is that if there is a centre with a known HIV+ kid, and another with no known cases, a lot (or perhaps just some) of parents would simply choose the centre with no known cases as the easy way out, simply because they would worry too much about their kid otherwise.
I hate that type of discrimination though, just as much as I hate homophobia and racism.

waikatoguy

The way I look at it is : I like to think those that choose NZ as their home is just as much a New Zealander as I am. After all, the number of expats, and in particular British expats is quite a substantial percentage of the population, and contribute a lot to NZ life and the way we live our lives as a nation. How do we know, for example, that at least some of the parents complaining about the HIV child were not British expats? So instead of 'they' (ie meaning those born in NZ, somehow distinct from anyone else living here), how about thinking as 'us' (ie everyone living here). We are all responsible for the good and bad things that happen here. Are we not? Just a thought. (Is this where we bring out the violins and have a group hug. lol)