Monday, March 05, 2012

Bitches

Anne Summers in the SMH is convinced public disdain for Prime Minister Gillard is because she's a woman.
Yet these issues pale before the avalanche of hatred that has at times almost crushed Gillard. At an anti-carbon tax rally in Canberra in March last year, angry protesters held up signs that said ''JuLIAR'' and ''Bob Brown's Bitch'' and ''Ditch the Witch''. It was a long way from the mockery that Australia's first two female premiers, Carmen Lawrence and Joan Kirner, had to put up with. ''Lawrence of Suburbia'' and ''Spot on Joan'' (a reference to her clothes) seem pretty tame by comparison. It was nasty and it was personal but it was also sexist for using the word ''bitch''.
No it wasn't, as noted in this letter:
IN REFERENCE to the placard ''Bob Brown's Bitch'', Anne Summers adds her name to those preciously choosing to see sexism where none exists. The English language evolves and in this context ''bitch'' means ''lackey'', equally applicable to both sexes.

UrbanDictionary.com is a reliable reference for this modern usage, where ''bitch'' is defined as ''a person who performs tasks for another, usually degrading in status''.

Given all we know about Julia Gillard's servile relationship with Bob Brown, the placard was factual and not a bit sexist. If roles were reversed, with Brown doing Gillard's bidding, the sign could have just as reasonably said of him ''Julia Gillard's Bitch''.

Mitch Geddes Killara
Actually, a sign calling Bob Brown "Julia Gillard's Bitch" would cause the same lefty commentators to cry "homophobia".

4 Comments:

Anonymous Lesbian Twin said...

Every criticism of a woman is sexist. There are some rare exceptions to this rule such as criticism of Margaret Thatcher, but criticism of progressive women is always motivated by the putrid sexism of redneck men. They cannot stand successful intelligent women such as Ann Summers.

When Finklenstein's report is implemented the wingnut press will be brought to heel, allowing space for civil discussion. We will see a flowering of public intellectuals and nuanced discourse.

Free speech does not include the right to humiliate women by criticisng them!

7:13 AM  
Anonymous HRT said...

Lesbian Twin wrote: Free speech does not include the right to humiliate women by criticisng them!

So, if a woman is adamant the sun rises in the west, does LS believe I can't criticise her belief, as this would amount to humiliation?

5:44 PM  
Anonymous Lesbian Twin said...

Spot on HRT. The concept is actually part of a more general idea that designated victim groups must not be humiliated. Criticism of them is hate speech, and as such illegal.

The conviction of serial offender Andrew Bolt was just the first salvo in this campaign. He is still spewing filth and if further convictions do not shut him up then the new government controlled press regulator will. Then they can turn their attention to hate blogs such as this.

Free speech is a tool of oppression used by white middle class males, a shibboleth the use to reinforce their social hegemony.

Protecting inferior groups within society will promote diversity and, indeed, a flowering of the civility and decency for so long missing from Western culture and society.

3:24 PM  
Anonymous Carbon Lifeform said...

My favourite placard at the Sydney rally was "Julia Gillard: Bending Australia Over For Bob Brown".

7:15 AM  

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