Comments on: Now that’s really going too far

By: gigglewick

gigglewick — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:43:40 +0000

Thanks for the plug Helen.

I’m sure I’ve developed a range of interesting rage-induced tics over the last week.

I know a bunch of women who are keen footy supporters at a range of levels, and am sure they could use their skills to equal benefit elsewhere.

the fact that he clearly didn’t think that argument through is no excuse for him being given a national audience weekly to peddle what is at best a misrepresentation of women and at worst, misogyny and sexual harrassment.

By: Rayedish

Rayedish — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:56:46 +0000

I like the point you were making with the jutxapositioning of those various wrongs. Words fail me about the majority that you listed but I think that Miley having to apologise for being manipulated is really sad. Where are those that are supposed too protect this very young woman from this sort of manipulation?

By: Helen

Helen — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:37:17 +0000

The apples and oranges thing was the point. While the first examples have been involved in (or, in the case of Yoo, facilitating) murder, rape, torture, deprivation of liberty etc, while li’l Miley has been involved in… a softcore photoshoot. And she not only felt moved to apologise, but according to the news reports, was forced to. As opposed to, for instance, the teenager who kicked the Goth girl to death, or Herr Fritzl, who by all accounts have not had to make any public atomement to their victims.

Consider also that Miley individually has done no harm, but harm is done incrementally to a broad class of people – girls and young women – by all the minor incidences of these kind of portrayals, taken together. But it’s the celeb-industrial complex which is causing the damage, along with the toy manufacturers and the clothes retailers and the magazines… they weren’t made to apologise.

By: matilda

matilda — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:20:25 +0000

Thankyou Helen, i knew you’d rise to the occasion. Now if i can just return to the subject of this thread: you’ve grouped some horrific events/behaviours with the VF photo shoot. Could this be a bit like comparing apples and oranges – when both fruit have gone rotten but in their own way? I just think that while no-one was physically harmed in the VF incident, a young girl, a minor, was clearly manipulated into posing suggestively, to satisfy the (male) media & the public’s appetite for nubile, pubescent female flesh. It appears this may have occured with the compliance of her adult family members – her carers. The psychological damage from being made to feel that her self-worth & her public appeal is primarily tied up with her body, rather than her other talents, is already palpable in that she’s being made to feel responsible for the whole shoddy episode. Let’s hope Miley has a strong mind and parents with some kind of moral compass who don’t want to further exploit her. Maybe there’s more of a parallel with the sam newman stuff, don’t think i have to join up the dots.

By: Helen

Helen — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:27 +0000

Gigglewick tells it like it is. In the latest edition of our local paper, there is a sad article about the drought of little kids in the local AFL junior team. I WONDER WHY.

By: Helen

Helen — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:15:49 +0000

Where do you start? Just a quick observation: I saw him last night on the Footy Show by accident, and was struck by his slitty-eyed, compressed-lipped, finger-jabbing meanness and spite. He completely outed himself in that session; while Gary Lyons wasn’t exactly a paragon of clued-ness, Newman was an utter disaster. With his comment of “women aren’t appropriate on Boards”, or words to that effect – I don’t have a transcript – he just dug himself a deeper hole. Unfortunately, the women in the live audience just simpered; they seem like a mass case of Stockholm syndrome, those people. Like a “celebrity” can do no wrong, or something. Then the ridiculous comments on news.com.au (I’ll hunt them out later) – absolutely stockholm syndrome to defend someone who obviously hates you so much.

This follows hard on the heels of the BB episode 1 where Big Meathead muses to the camera that he hopes there won’t be too many women, because then he couldn’t possibly have a decent conversation.

Right. I despair of Australia and its people when I watch too much TV.

By: matilda

matilda — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:59:22 +0000

But surely this is an eg. of the sexualisation of young girls? Sure the mag should have apologised for manipulating a minor but going by her words, it sounds like the young person is genuinely embarrassed now.

Thought you would have been onto ugly sam newman by now. His latest dumb utterance was that women shouldn’t even be directors of footy clubs. Where do you start with someone like that? Good on the women who are taking a stand on this one, i say.

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:16:34 +0000

Sorry if I was not sufficiently clear in commenting on AOF’s comment, but I think her use of “archetypal” referred to Murder in Australia, not male-female relationships across the board.

Unfortunately, a woman is at most risk of death at the hands of her spouse or partner at or after the time of leaving the relationship. Therefore, when I hear of such a murder, I think “there it goes again”. That’s kind of archtypical.

Here’s an interesting link; I keep meaning to blog it but never get around to it.

http://www.philcleary.com.au/literature_murder_arena_mccarthy.htm

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:24:00 +0000

I’m with Ozzie on this one. Yes, far too many women suffer violence after relationships break up. Far too many. Nevertheless, to posit that the use of violence instead of words is “archetypal” on the part of Australian men is simply wrong on a purely quantitative level; on a rhetorical level, it’s at least arguably offensive.

Similarly, Helen’s analysis that the use of guns by Australian men against women is “maybe” not archetypal? Doesn’t hold quantitative water.

By: Seven things meme « Republic of Moreland

Seven things meme « Republic of Moreland — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:40:31 +0000

[...] POSTSCRIPT: I forgot to pass on the curse and nominate 5 people. Please put your list in the comments section below or someone close to you will die. Or else you’ll suddenly find Amanda Vanstone sexy. The cursed 5 are: Bane of Malakas, Faith, Robert Hollingworth, Bogan, and Stella. And anyone else who wants to have a go. This means you, too, Helen. [...]