By MIA FREEDMAN
How many times can the words “deeply offensive to women” be said in a single week? I’ve lost track. The past few days have been astonishing, depressing, and exhausting as the news spews an avalanche of sexist incidents that range from the puerile to the grotesque.
The menu describing our PM’s most intimate body parts in explicit terms as though she is meat.
The Socceroos coach ‘joking’ that women should shut up in public.
The radio announcer questioning Julia Gillard about her sex life and her partner’s sexuality.
The defence force scandal revealing an organised network of more than 100 high ranking soldiers distributing obscene images of women they’ve had sex with along with graphic, revolting descriptions.
But you know what? I think it’s been a good week for women. And I say that without sarcasm.
While like many people I’ve been left reeling by each successive story of sexism, I’ve also been strangely buoyed by one thing: we’re talking about it. We’re condemning those involved and we’re treating the topic as worthy of public debate.
There have been consequences. The radio announcer has been sacked. The socceroos coach was stalked by the media and forced to apologise in a humiliating press appearance.
The defence force chief David Morrison immediately stood down the main perpetrators of the email sex ring, gave a blistering smackdown to all those involved and delivered a ‘get out’ message to anyone in the ADF who thought sexism was acceptable.
A generation ago, none of these incidents would have even come to light let alone be condemned so resoundingly. They would have remained backroom jokes, implicitly condoned and without consequence. All at the expense of women.
I don’t believe for a moment that we’re seeing a sudden spike in sexism in this country. The jokes, the off-hand remarks, the dissemination of degrading material is nothing new.
What’s new is the way sexism is no longer being allowed to stay hidden in dark corners.
So why not? Quite simply, two things have changed.
The first is technology. What could once be kept in-house can no longer be contained. On the wings of social media and a voracious 24 hour news cycle, dodgy words and deeds can now immediately reach an audience of millions in minutes.
What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. It gets uploaded to Youtube.
The second thing that’s reframed sexism is Julia Gillard. With her misogyny speech, she brought a word and an idea that was once confined to feminist circles into mainstream conversation.
Prime Ministers have the power and influence to do that. Whether you voted for them or not, the gravity of office means a Prime Minister can shape public thinking and help to reset attitudes. John Howard did it with gun control. Kevin Rudd did it with the apology to the Stolen Generation.
And Julia did it with sexism. By calling out the sexism as she saw it in front of the parliament, the media and the world, she put it on the table. Shone a light on it. Suddenly, we were debating what sexism means. We were sharing our experiences. We were arguing about the definition of misogyny. And feminists were thrilled.
Because you can’t fight something nobody will acknowledge. The first step towards changing an attitude is to admit that attitude exists.
This is how societal standards of behaviour change. This is how we learned it wasn’t acceptable to pinch a woman on the bum at work. And it’s not just sexism. Racism and homophobia have come under the same microscope in recent years.
The fact that the fall-out from ‘jokes’ about apes consumed public debate for a week is a GOOD thing. Because not long ago they would never have been newsworthy. Anyone who dared complain about such a thing would have been mocked and derided for having no sense of humour and condescendingly told not to get their knickers in a twist.
Not any more.
And whatever you think of Gillard and her politics, bringing sexism into the light in itself is not playing the ‘gender card’. It’s a community service and one that is clearly very much needed.
Top Comments
Best line ever:
"What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. It gets uploaded to Youtube."
This is becoming so nasty, I decided to comment anonymously; I fear where it may all end.
As I read Mia's original article, I was encouraged. I thought: At last some reasonable comment, but I have been dismayed by the mostly partisan and often unpleasant posts that have followed it.
I am an old woman (days away from 88 years), but I have never known such denigration of women as during this last week or so! Not only women; there has been racism and homophobia that seems to become more vile with every passing day. And barely a word of apology or plea for decency from Tony Abbott, with whom - let us be honest - much of this sexist attack on our Prime Minister started. (I cite the placards defiling her in front of which he stood; his feeble sort-of-apology at shock jock mocking of her father's death, the Menu-that- no-one-knew- about at the $1,000 a head Mal Brough fund-raiser for only 20 people... I could go on, but enough...
Australia generally has become a very ugly place: the ADF scandal, football thugs and violence and violent sex. I was a teenager in the war; I served in the army, we girls lived in tents inside a rough palisade: there were romances but we were treated with respect... Now I can only think 'Poor fellow my country'.
I could go on, but will end with two remarks:
1.Union leaders are neither 'bosses', nor 'thugs'; they are 'Union officials', and the unions provide one way for educated, dedicated workers to represent working people in the community, including Parliament - just as the law/finance/Liberal internship provide entry for many Liberal MPs.
2. And I may be decried for being sexist here, but I am pleased for one thing; at least we seem now to be spared TV images of the Opposition leader in budgie smuggling lycra - not to mention the daily 10 second grabs of him in hard hats or whatever; 'performing' all manner of 'jobs' - a ritual that seemed to me to belittle the men who had to perform those same jobs for 40 hours a week, year after year, for a living.
But then I am just an old lady, and my past was another country
Ok I'll bite. Tony a is not responsible for mal brough, a restauranteur whose establishment he did not frequent, a shock jock, or someone at a rally who is (poorly) exercising free speech. Only one in that list is a member of the liberal party and even he is not responsible for the actions of a venue he patronizes. Unions may have noble intentions but their bosses are hardly acting in a manner which demands respect. And when attempting to make a logical argument it's generally best not to make nasty sexist comments about budgie smugglers.
Thank you for your comments. I agree that some comments do become very nasty and personal, which I think demonstrates how society does not believe in respect for others opinions. I don't have to agree with somethng that is said but I don't have to attack the person who has said it.
I agree completely with you on your description of Union leaders, I work for a union and I can tell you we are not thugs, we have very clear rules as to how we behave. I have worked in health for years and then progressed onto union work to not only to protect other workers but improve health services for all.
I am university educated and am expected to maintain further education. I hate it when I hear the description of unions as rabble rousing thugs. I acknowledge some union behaviour has not been perfect, but this could be said about every area of society. Anyone who does wrong deserves to be punished, but do not assume everyone in that field is the same.
Nor is the PM responsible for most of the things she is accused of (by you, among others). Works both ways you know.
I'll bite too Kate 76 and I agree with your comments.
Perhaps A Guest would prefer if people drowned in the surf rather than have Tony Abbott appear in the correct garb to save those people and perhaps A Guest missed the link to the clip of Julia Gillard yelling out abuse in Parliament at both Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey.
I disagree absolutely that Tony Abbott started any sort of sexist attack on Julia Gillard and why, pray, would Tony Abbott need to apologise for something Alan Jones said at a private function or for a menu which had nothing to do with Mal Brough Joe Hockey or himself?
A Guest may be in favour of the whole of the government benches being occupied by ex union officials but I prefer to be governed by people who have the welfare of all Australians at heart.
I am not much younger than you A Guest and have experienced much the same life situations but we obviously have a different version of those times.