Queer Greer
Germaine Greer, has-been feminist and admirer of naked teenage boys, is at it again:
GERMAINE Greer wants Australian women to be more outspoken, reject bad female role models, take control of their future and demonstrate modern feminism through pacifism, socialism and environmentalism.
Greer, who would like to "shoot" 4WD drivers, began her speech by attacking Holden over ads for the new Rodeo ute, in which a woman asks a man what his ultimate fantasy is, only to have him imagine driving off-road with a younger, slimmer and "entirely servile" woman.
Why does poor Australia have this problem? Well, apparently:
Greer, who said Holden would have based the ad on market research, said it demonstrated the problem of Australians, regardless of sex, not speaking out.
"Australians are naturally egalitarian, direct, honest, not eaten out by envy, but lazy and too slow to anger," Greer told a crowd of 300 women at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
She's right. Australians are too lazy to show anger. Aussie blokes never complain about the ads that show women leering at half-naked gardeners or pool-cleaners. Nor do they complain about the countless ads that show a female explaining to the stupid male how a bank loan works or that the dish-washer isn't for cleaning car parts. Us poor men have been victimised by the ad companies for years. Bastards.
Meanwhile, women are truly being victimised in undeveloped countries and, according to recent government campaigns, Australia suffers from an appalling rate of domestic abuse - real problems that should be targetted and fixed. But no. Let's worry about a stupid advertisement designed mainly for bogans.
GERMAINE Greer wants Australian women to be more outspoken, reject bad female role models, take control of their future and demonstrate modern feminism through pacifism, socialism and environmentalism.
Greer, who would like to "shoot" 4WD drivers, began her speech by attacking Holden over ads for the new Rodeo ute, in which a woman asks a man what his ultimate fantasy is, only to have him imagine driving off-road with a younger, slimmer and "entirely servile" woman.
Why does poor Australia have this problem? Well, apparently:
Greer, who said Holden would have based the ad on market research, said it demonstrated the problem of Australians, regardless of sex, not speaking out.
"Australians are naturally egalitarian, direct, honest, not eaten out by envy, but lazy and too slow to anger," Greer told a crowd of 300 women at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
She's right. Australians are too lazy to show anger. Aussie blokes never complain about the ads that show women leering at half-naked gardeners or pool-cleaners. Nor do they complain about the countless ads that show a female explaining to the stupid male how a bank loan works or that the dish-washer isn't for cleaning car parts. Us poor men have been victimised by the ad companies for years. Bastards.
Meanwhile, women are truly being victimised in undeveloped countries and, according to recent government campaigns, Australia suffers from an appalling rate of domestic abuse - real problems that should be targetted and fixed. But no. Let's worry about a stupid advertisement designed mainly for bogans.
posted by Engels at 10:07 am
8 Comments:
Precisely. I had no idea how bad domestic abuse was in Australia, and is it purely beyond my comprehension how women can tolerate it. I remain ignorant here.
I could kind of understand Greer's point if she said these ads acted as a basis to domestic abuse, but surely not? You would have a hard time making that link, no?
It's sometimes appears that people complain about the 'easy-to-solve' issues like sexist ads.
Hey :)
Just a reply to the "it is purely beyond my comprehension how women can tolerate it" comment..
A few of my friends here (In England) have suffered from domestic violence in the past - and whilst they have now left their husbands, there seems to be an ongoing theme as to how the men start it.
It appears that its done systematically - starting with something small such as a slap (which is often followed by apologies) - and it escalates into full on beatings. Therefore, the standards of the woman are dropped with regard to the severity of the beatings as they are systematically desensitized to it.
Often, accompanied with the beatings is psychological abuse where the woman's confidence is removed bit by bit until she is completely dependent on the man and lives in fear. There are feelings of guilt and the women are often made to feel that "they are getting what they deserve." Consequently, this makes them feel worthless and can cause them to be, for want of a better word "apathetic."
Whilst this appears irrational to those of us who haven't been through it, when you are living with that much dependency upon someone it can be hard to leave and take that step when all of your independence has been removed from you. Similarly, if a woman has children to think of also, it can be harder to leave and risk losing financial support etc which may leave them destitute.
I guess in this sense(to a man who has these screwed up ideals), adverts portraying women filling a certain stereotype (attractive, thin etc - bitches ;) lol) then consequently "ordinary" women are not able to fulfil these ideals (which can become part of the psychological abuse).
However, when we live in a society where sex is used to sell near enough everything, to suggest that this alone is enough to incite domestic violence is just fucking ridiculous! Its only the screwed up that would see it that way - and the men (or, indeed women) who are going to incite domestic violence aren't really going to be further influenced by a man dreaming of a thin woman whilst in a car...
I'm not sure what its like in Oz, but here in England there is a real inbalance in the way we treat domestic violence. There are only refuge centres for women - no men are allowed to enter these buildings and their whereabouts are always kept anonymous.
For men and their children who are undergoing domestic violence from their wife/partner/mother, there are no refuges whatsoever - not a single one. Whilst most domestic violence towards men is not reported (most men are too ashamed to come forward), there should still be a place they can go to.
Before Greer shoots off her mouth about domestic violence, she should perhaps look at both sides of domestic violence before automatically (nearly said rooting..) "cheering" for the woman's rights.
Its one thing fighting for women's rights - because we are kept at a disadvantage(e.g. 17% less pay, less employable because of possible maternity leave etc), but unless you can see both sides of the argument then she's no better than a male chauvinist.
Rant over :)
After I wrote my comment, I remember a friend who recently told me her ex - a complete prick who still plays in a band with my mates - abused her physically and mentally. She said she thought she could 'help him.' Then realised it was too late.
I dislike the Aussie term 'root'. You could always use the Aussie term 'barracking for'.
Possibly one of the more serious/poignant discussion we've had here...
The men who do that shit are usually losers with a deep-seated sense of insecurity, and yes, as jen has said, the psychological aspect of the abuse is usually even worse than the physical bits.
Oh, and Germaine Greer slipped into irrelevance sometime after the publication of the Female Eunuch.
Now she's just an aging pederest with delusions of grandeur.
I think Miss Greer could do with getting laid, perhaps then she wouldn't be so bitter..
No one is up for that job though, Jen.
Interestinlgy, Greer was married very briefly go a guy who later became the first male centre-fold, I think.
really? lol, I'm sure thats more than just a little ironic! Seeing as no one is up for loosening her up, perhaps she's best placed in england - that way when she gets angry and worked up over nothing she's not so out of place amongst us whinging poms ;) lol
Yeah, perhaps not out of place ;)
She's hidden at Warwick I believe.
I read an article by some lady who met Germaine, at Cambridge I believe, when she first arrived. Greer stood out by being a loud embarassing Aussie she said.
I think Clive James and Greer used to hang out together years ago in Sydney. James still seems to be sane.
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