Hoodies not just for hoods, get over it

Green Party MP Metiria Turei is delighted to support Youth Week and especially Hoodie Day.

“I congratulate all those young people who are recipients of the Celebrating Everyday Young New Zealanders Award. Like Dunedin's Mana Pounamu Award, this recognises the breadth of young people's contribution to their community. It is too easy to overlook all the good work that young people do and focus only on a few negative issues.

“It seems to be an historical tradition for older generations to denigrate the young - it happens to every generation to no benefit. Youth Week is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the exceptional qualities and achievements of young people, whether in scholarship, sports, arts or in community commitment or cultural connectedness. Celebrating young people will reap far more rewards that the constant barrage of abuse and hostility that they often suffer,” Mrs Turei says.

“Most young people in senior secondary school work part time, have significant sporting, community and whanau commitments as well as attending school and preparing for their future. New Zealand's young people take on significant responsibilities and are dealing with a rapidly changing world that treats them more as pariahs or consumers than citizens and contributors. The attitude of the young is remarkably generous given the abuse they suffer from too many older people.

“I think it is tragic to see older MPs make such disrespectful comments about young people who wear hoodies as exhibited earlier this week. Could the old codgers at least come up with something new rather than the boring old tactics of complaining about hems and hair length? Attacking the clothing taste of the next generation is so last century.”

Mrs Turei - along with fellow Green MPs Sue Bradford and Nandor Tanczos - challenges people to look beyond the stereotypes in a celebration of Youth Week and Hoodie Day at 1.30pm today on the steps of Parliament.