There’s a family of hooligans currently laying waste to New Zealand. It’s delightful to read about.
As a nation, we are crippled by a pervasive tall poppy syndrome, which means all our comedy must be deadpan and every one of our heroes is obligated to be taciturn, lest they accidentally let on they’re proud of themselves.
Since Monday, every major news website in the country has been covering every minor exploit of this crafty family on its homepage, and Kiwi Twitter has been reveling in each absurd detail.
At one point, news alerts were pinging phones hourly: The bad family has been sighted in a Bunnings hardware store and hassled by a member of the public! The bad family tried to turn staff against each other in an Auckland café before running away without paying! The bad family “rudely demanded” to use a random man’s scooter! The bad family was spotted throwing their toast on the floor!
Yes, there he was, the naughty, confident child—inexplicably shirtless once again, despite being at court—FLIPPING THE BIRD at media and assorted local rubberneckers.
As one friend confessed to me, watching the bad kid shout at Krista Curnow: “I have never in my life had that sort of confidence.”