If it's Brown - it's going down...the unspoken, unwritten unfair law in Aotearoa media.
Three weeks on from the Law Commissions indepth report into alcohol laws and we have been flooded with stories in the media of how the use of alcohol and lack of respect Kiwis have for this legal drug is having on our communities.
The tragic death of student James Webster while incredibly sad, has really brought home to all of us - that we are in many ways living in oblivion when it comes to alcohol, it's consumption and consequesnces.
The ironic thing for me with the Webster death... like last year when the little girl in Henderson drowned in an uncovered storm drain...I found myself asking, what if this was a Maori or Pacific family this tragedy was happening to?
If it was that family and the community would've been torn apart and fingers pointed - I worked in mainstream media for 15 years, and frankly, the media organisations in this country have an unspoken, unwritten and unfair law - If it's brown, it's going down... I see so many examples every other day.
Sadly for our Pacific and Maori communities we live in areas where there is alcohol everywhere and it's presented as such a normal way of life.
One of the Law Commissions recommendations is to raise the age of drinking. Many commentators and even teens I've spoken to say it will not make a blind bit of difference.
In many ways I agree with them however, it means that in Year 13 many students turn 18yrs. The sheer reality is that you will know 13, 14,15,16 year olds who you may buy booze for.
It's this defacto aspect of the drinking age that is of concern for me.
What is stopping a Year 13 student going out at lunch time, buying booze then going back to school?
Many have told me it's already happening.
We have a competitive edge for sports in this country that has tranferred itself into our drinking culture...how much can you drink? how much did you drink at the weekend?...how old were you when you first got wasted?
If you at any age you have to drink to get that drunk there are other things going on that need to be examined
So what's the solution? in my opinion its the same thing for many other social problem we face in 2010 - it takes a village to raise a child and we have got to get more concerned, more connected and show more care for each other.
Technology is amazing, we can chat on line to someone in Iceland everyday and not even know who lives two houses down.
When I was growing up I couldn't wag school or talk back to a shop keeper because everyone in my community knew who I was and would gladly ring or pop in to tell my mother that they saw me sitting behind the gospel church with a boy at 10am...Thanks Mrs Si'ulepa...
Mrs Si'ulepa showed concern and connection and though I did not appreciate it at the time... as I was grounded for two weeks... it certainly reminded me that what I did, how I behaved and my actions was a reflection on not just me and my family but also of my community.
We were brave back then, unafraid to be concerned, unafraid to connect and unafraid to care.
My 16 year old babysitter told me last week that her group of friends think getting drunk is ugly and they wouldn't like a guy who was intoxicated.
She said they looked out for each other and if one of them was getting a little drunk they would give them water. She said they just wouldnt drink to that state.
It was actually nice to hear that from her as teens have taken a hammering in the media this week and she makes a very good point, look after each other.
So who was looking after James Webster? Who was being concerned, connected and caring for him?
