Accidental Anthropologist

I finally got to Europe in 1994 – a rather belated OE.  My soon-to-be wife and I returned home to begin 1995, pregnant with elder son. We settled, staying put in NZ. Save some brief trips to the USA, Sth Pacific islands and Aussie for family or work, I’ve been fully kiwi’d in matter and kind for 25 yrs.  So a 2 mth break last year was an absolute treat, a trip to Lisbon via Qatar and Ireland, homeward bound via a chum in France and friends in London.   Go on, flight shame me. Qatar – 2.5 million or so people on a small spot of land where the desert meets the Persian Gulf.  300,000 Qatari’s in residence, an arab kingdom where monarchy calls the shots and the 2 million or so interloping Africans, Sri Lankans, and Indians, muscle on down in the hot sun doing the menial stuff, no doubt grateful for the opportunity to upgrade their thirdworldness, & make some $ on the back of the local gentry’s exploitation of mother natures geological bounty.  Ireland, and an easy chat wit

Back on th blog, first one in couple of yrs.  Lots has happened - Trumps normalized fear, Britains in divorce, David Attenborough’s stagediving like a walrus cos mother nature’s squeaking … The age of despair ?   Not for me, quite the reverse.  I spent my downbuzz allowance 2 – 3 decades back when we hit the gas on global development, and shoved, shouted and celebrated as allaboutme.com repeatedly took first prize.  Aspirational units everywhere, men fingering fliphones, currency traders, wall to wall shoulderpads, shiny suits - an entrepreneurial wonderland - you know the story. Nixon, Reagan, Thatcher, Clinton, all trailing bridal parties, cashed up the agreements on financial controls and boom we were off untethered. Well some of us. Despite, ‘Hey you with the sad face, come up to my place and live it up’, it  was just sad. I couldn't shake the Lorax off my back.  So why so chirpy now ?  People talking bout ecology, growing their own food, equity, own