GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Politics
CAN YOU NOT?
In a desperate attempt to feel needed and/or appreciated, the government and wider public service is now literally screeching at people through their phones and there’s nothing they can do about it.
At around 6.18 pm on Sunday all New Zealanders with a smartphone were sent an obnoxious “emergency alert test message” as a reminder that the government is still here and always will be.
While the message we all received said “Remember, these emergency mobile alerts are an additional channel to help keep you safe”, the general reaction around the country was something along the lines of “Argh wtf?? Oh it’s another emergency test”.
Some believe this is a simple case of someone in Wellington really just wanting to feel noticed and appreciated.
“It’s sad that it’s come to this,” said psychologist Naomi Turner as she re-read the emergency test alert on her phone. “With people switching off from politics and mainstream media, these government people now need to insert themselves into our lives directly via our phones.
“Part of being a public servant is that you’re literally a servant, which means you get no thanks, no reward and no accolades. Just need to do what you’ve been told to do. If the wider government want validation from the general public then I’m sorry, they’re simply not going to find it,” said Ms. Turner.
The forced emergency alerts are billed as “vitally important” and will “save lives”, but despite this, some kiwis are thoroughly fed up with the intrusion.
Hamilton-based beauty consultant Michelle Jamieson is now asking the question, “can you not?”.
“Like, why do we get emergency alerts when there’s no emergency? They say it’s a test right? Haven’t they already tested it? What’s changed?
“I get that it’s for safety, but could you actually just f*** off?”
The alert has been labelled a success in Wellington as millions of New Zealanders stopped what they were doing and spent several minutes thinking about the government, which was the main objective.
More to come.
