Ahiahi mārie, welcome to The Spinoff Daily. Today on The Spinoff: The 21 painful stages of a free-speech firestorm, the bleak reality of working in rural mental health and the true story behind New Zealand’s emporium empire.
“King is the best example we have of what happens when someone with a god complex receives enough publicity and money to match their ego. Mike King was a comedian who advertised New Zealand pork. Then he was a comedian who denounced pork in all its forms. Then he was a man in the public eye willing to talk about struggling with his mental health. Then he was a man fundraising for awareness of mental health and suicide in New Zealand. Then he was the New Zealander of the Year. Then he was a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Then he gave it back because mental health wasn’t solved. Then he became the only man who could solve New Zealand’s mental health problems. Then he became the face of mental health with $24m in funding from the government to address the problem. And all the while, from when he was a comedian 20 years ago, a celebrity spokesperson a decade ago and a counselling organisation leader today, he has been saying some of the dumbest shit you’ve ever heard.”
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The King and his god complex
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