THE CULT OF POSITIVITY: THERE IS NO DEPRESSION IN NEW ZEALAND

Television One News featured a story last night about a group of New Zealand companies who have decided to confront the recession by not confronting it.

These representatives of corporate New Zealand, apparently punch drunk and unable to accept that their beloved 'free market' ain't working, have decided to stick their heads in the sand and pretend none of it's happening.

According to TV1 News;

The businesses have taken a unique approach to coping with the recession by banning any talk of it, following the example of a Wellington-based company which has outlawed the R word in its office.

The Wellington company in question is Trilogy. It produces skin care products. Trilogy staff who use the word 'recession' have to stick money in a swear jar.

Wow! Who would of thought the crisis of capitalism could be solved so easily? Does US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner know about this? He could have saved all that money he's spent trying to rescue US capitalism.

Apparently fifty other companies have decided to join Trilogy in The Cult of Positivity.

This widespread delusional behaviour by New Zealand employers must be of some interest to the psychiatric profession.

Ordinary workers though don't have the luxury of retreating into la-la land. They can't simply pretend they are not being sacked. They can't just stick their fingers in their ears and go 'aaaagh!' when the redundancies are announced.

In my vinyl collection I have a copy of Blam Blam Blam's 1981 single. 'There Is No Depression in New Zealand.'

This song was released against a backdrop of a deeping economic crisis, with rising unemployment, a wage and price freeze and a Sprinkbok tour looming on the horizon.

This song was a sharp satirical attack on the Muldoon Government's repeated claim that there was no economic crisis.

This time the crisis is far more serious and some sectors of corporate New Zealand have decided to do what the Muldoon Governemnt did and pretend that none of it is happening.

There is no depression in New Zealand; there are no sheep on our farms
There is no depression in New Zealand; we can all keep perfectly calm, Everybody’s talking about World War Three; everybody’s talking about World War Three,
But we’re as safe as safe can be, there’s no unrest in this country
We have no dole queues, we have no drug addicts, we have no racism,
we have no sexism, sexism, no, no

There is no depression in New Zealand; there are no teeth in our heads
There is no depression in New Zealand; we sleep in a well made bed
Oh but everybody’s talking about World War Three, yes everybody’s talking about World War Three,
But we’re as safe as safe can be, there’s no unrest in this country
We have no SIS, we have no secrets,
We have no rebellion; we have no valium, valium, no, no
There is no depression in New Zealand; there are no sheep on our farms,
There is no depression in New Zealand; oh we can all keep perfectly calm,
perfectly calm, perfectly calm, perfectly calm, perfectly calm...

Blam Blam Blam 1981, Lyrics:Richard Von Sturmer