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The Forum > Article Comments > The myth of gender interchangeability > Comments

The myth of gender interchangeability : Comments

By Babette Francis, published 5/4/2013

To make the weight-lifting requirement for combat assignments gender neutral, how many pounds will be taken off the test?

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Suseonline, "Mothers are the least likely advocates of war in most cases. ...It's old men in parliament with 'shoot 'em up if they don't agree with us' issues that decide to create wars in the first place"

Those stereotypes of women and of your despised 'old men' suit your world view. But they could be no further from the truth as demonstrated by the voting patterns of women for PMs like ChickenHawk Menzies who proposed a war that the US didn't invite us to, ie Vietnam.

Contrary to your world view and prejudices, 'men' are not inclined to be warlike or vote for war. Also contrary to your world view, neither women nor women who are mothers are inclined to vote against war. Quite the opposite in fact, although some who might be affected immediately may be opposed to war.

There can be a number of explanations for the voting behaviour of women. It is surmised that women are more inclined to vote for war through women's concern for security and desire for continued predictability in their lives. That translates into an emotional need, reaction and priority to protect their status quo. "Send them" is easy. But sending the last born and watching the body bags come home over years is not.

For interest, women voters also strongly supported Joh Bjelke Peterson, who allowed police and police cadets to remove identifying numbers and names to beat up male and female students whose only offence was a quiet, sit down in Roma street after a legal march to oppose the Vietnam War.

We need to move away from the tiresome and irrelevant gender politics to challenge those who support war. Speaking of which, why Julia Gillard is involving herself in North Korea is anyone's guess, but I suppose she wants to look strong and willing (even if not needed), which is the way we have entered other conflicts.
Posted by onthebeach, Saturday, 6 April 2013 3:28:46 PM
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I don't know where you get your ideas from onthebeach, but women in this country have only been able to vote since early in the 20th century, and I wasn't aware that there was ever a time in Australia where women could 'vote' for war?

Are you talking about America? I'm not.
Were there actually many people at all in Australia who supported the Vietnam War?
I assumed it was the all-male parliament at the time who agreed for our men and women to go to Vietnam?

My grandparents talked about the Second World War too onthebeach, and they mentioned the white feathers, of which were also given to local farmers who had to stay home from the war ... but they were given to them by the old men of their towns, not the women. And it certainly wasn't the women who beat up some of these men.

It depends on who you talk to I guess.
Posted by Suseonline, Saturday, 6 April 2013 6:19:06 PM
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_feather

It may depend on who you talk to as to whether you hear the truth, perhaps.

Feminism has had a long tradition of preparedness to sacrifice men to the benefit of women.

I'd be happy for the Army to accept as many feminists as exist, whether they want to join or not.

Turn-about is fair play.
Posted by Antiseptic, Saturday, 6 April 2013 6:33:01 PM
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Suseonline,

I thought I was clear enough in saying that they voted strongly for leaders like Menzies and Joh Bjelke Peterson.
Posted by onthebeach, Saturday, 6 April 2013 6:34:14 PM
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Suse let's talk about the Nazis LOL.
Let's cut to the chase, your side sees the NSDAP as the benchmark for macho warmongering, so without further ado:
Who voted for the Nazis?
(electoral history of the National Socialist German Workers Party)
http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar6_Geary.htm
According to that article women were just as likely as men to vote for the NSDAP or social democrats but there were stark gender differences in the Leftist and Communist vote, men were far more likely to vote left or to change their vote from National Socialist or Conservative to Communist or Socialist than were women.
So given the choice German women preferred the right to the left, conservative over progressive, I wonder if we had an equivalent mix of viewpoints in this day and age whether the breakdown would look any different? It's well and good for you to make your previous statements, you're probably right but Australia in 2013 is not a democracy in the sense that the Weimar Republic was, we don't have the same range of tendencies on the hustings, we really only have centrist liberal and social democratic parties to choose from.
Posted by Jay Of Melbourne, Saturday, 6 April 2013 6:36:33 PM
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Well luckily Antiseptic, the Army accepts far more anti-feminists than they do feminists.
I remain old fashioned when I say I believe the actual fighting of wars is a man's occupation.

I was going to join once as a Nursing Officer, but someone told me it was very much a mans world, so I didn't, thank goodness...
Posted by Suseonline, Saturday, 6 April 2013 7:33:12 PM
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