Our recent research shows that Australian women are actually 7% more optimistic than men about their career advancement opportunities which speaks volumes.

http://www.insidetrak.com.au/blog/optimistic-women-rolling-with-the-punches/

THEN another over riding fact is that articles like the original would not even be considered if the subject matter was men?

The likes of Patriot and his ilk are dinosaurs and perhaps not until they’re all gone will this sort of attitude die out. The facts of awful violence against women around the world speaks loudly about how men rate women and their right to the same human rights as they enjoy! The need for feminism thought, actions are just as necessary now as a hundred years ago - sex slaves, child sexual assault/slavery etc, extreme poverty that mainly affects women and children; financial power and ownership of own home etc; rights to education and freedom of choice of profession. We’re nowhere near achieving a world where equality is the norm. Those like Patriot are doing very nicely in a sexist world - why would he want change?

While we have this environment re women, we can denigrate them and not afford equal pay etc, and the same thing happens with aboriginal people. Keep making them out to be less worthy and capitalism flourishes! And huge profits remain the goal - at their expense!

if you were shopping around for a subscription to something that allows opinions that don’t match your own, then Crikey is the place.

However, as you seem so willing to judge and (as the article points to) take instant offence to anything outside your idea of correct, then I might hazard that your subscription won’t be missed.

As for the rest of you -

“There are those who deem this an exhilarating time in the history of feminism. Then, there are those of us who would prefer a return to core business.

But this conversation has become muffled in the year of Destroy the Joint”

This last sentence is key. It is all about the old guard and the paternal way of things, of which the Parrot (alluded to in the sentence) is front and centre. Whilst people are willing to take offence at a stupid article by a stupid columnist in an irrelevant, slowly dying rag, then the forces of paternalism are winning. This is the “core business” Razer is referring to, IMO.

Harmer’s piece went up around an hour after that exchange, and a lot of people reacted the same way.

So, why are symbolism and language important? Welcome to feminism 101: Concrete changes that lead to greater gender equality (and we have a long way to go, even in Australia) will only come about with cultural and psychological changes in how society (both men and women) view the role and worth of women. Language, rhetoric and symbolism should not be undervalued. When I am compared to a horse, or any other animal for that matter, it makes me feel worthless, embarrassed, and less confident to demand that pay rise, that promotion, that state sponsored childcare so that I can pursue my career, etc. It makes me feel like my ambitions to become a successful sportswoman are not taken seriously. Telling feminists to grow a sense of humour undermines the possibility for a real conversation. I can still have a sense of humour and be a femanist (see above pomeranian joke).

As to whether or not Crickey should have published the article - robust debate is never a bad thing. And Crickey should be open to publishing good quality journalism that examines issues, even feminist critiques, from all perspectives. But it must be good quality journalism, and I found this article to be a bit fluffy.

hook, line and stinker.

And it’s not funny, it’s lazy. Written quickly? That might be a defense but it’s not an excuse.

“In a piece nobody at News Limited expected any woman to read” … what, we looked at a part of the paper not for us womenfolk? Or was that a joke too? ‘Cos, if it’s a joke, then I’ve got no right to be offended, and if I’m not to be seen as a humorless feminazi then I should smile and move on.

Can’t wait for the follow up stories…. “Tele’s Sportswoman of the Year Covered by Handsome Stud” …pictures.

If, as you say, identifying s-xism is a marathon project then you’re not helping with this thoughtless effort. And I am baffled by the following sentence “One that provides more pleasure than it does practical end.” Crikey Crikey…. this is a poor effort.

I was left most stunned by the third last paragraph. The idea that somehow feminism should only focus on the ‘big’ issues, rather than the day to day experiences of women is something I would expect in the Tele, not here.