And let’s not forget Australia’s own witch-burning of conservative women's advocate, Melinda Tankard Reist - a reprehensible cluster of behaviours by no means limited to men.

As quoted in Renate Kleins’ defence of MTR at: (http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/01/25/3415534.htm)

"So, has anyone found naked pictures of #mtr? She is rootable in that religious feminist way." (Duncan Fine, Tweet)

And this:

"Have an abortion, too. Then she'll really hate u RT @geofflemon: Going to watch porn this week to piss @MelTankardReist off #qanda." (Leslie Cannold, Tweet)

And this, as reported in the Age online by MTR herself:

‘[I receive] explicit descriptions of what a man (anonymous, though identifying as male) would like to do to me. And a couple of death threats. I am asked to send in pictures for 'arse' or 'boob' appreciation societies.’

Using bigger words, but no less vitriolic, is the anti-MTR (and supporters) campaign by anti-Christian, anti-'sheep' activist, Jennifer Wilson (http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3729758.html):

‘Their condemnatory judgment of women who do not wholly agree with them is an indicator of their emotional immaturity, as they attack like adolescents in a playground gang.’

Yeah, right. Witch-burning 101.

Robert,

What a blessing it was to read that list. I have to admit feeling a bit overwhelmed on learning it was women who invented the choc chip cookie, the square bottomed paper bag and the dishwasher. Just think of that. All this time I thought there wasn't really much swimming around in those big brains of theirs when in fact it was women who invented choc chip cookies all along. How wrong was I?

Thank God for women. And thank God for men like you with the courage, perspicacity and sagaciousness to point out to other men the greatness of women. Thank god for male graduates of women's studies classes too.

I'm rather pleased to have windscreen wipers on my car. Perhaps in protest at that one you could remove yours and hop out and wipe the windscreen by hand when the need arises.

I note that you listed a couple of minor points and ignored a couple of more significant ones (medical syringe, compilers for computers, fire escapes etc).

Never been in a women's studies class and from what I've seen of the views of those overly immersed in that stuff they are as off balance as those men who put women down.

Women have not generally had a lot of opportunity to be party to many of the big inventions or construction projects, the roles assigned by society have severely limited opportunities on that front for most.

Those roles were generally derived from previous practical necessities which had passed their use by date and morphed into "the way things are" type conventions. Conventions which as far as I can see have generally been as vigorously defended by women as by men.

Feminists who claim that it's all been a big conspiracy by men to oppress women annoy me but so to do men who put down women over consequences of past structures.

R0bert

robert,

There are no structures in place that hold women back. In fact, it is in countries which are the richest and most 'equitable' where women concentrate the most in traditional women's industries like nursing and teaching. The evidence points to the fact that when women are unencumbered by economic constraints they select jobs which cater to their inherent interests such as working with people over things. In poorer countries, where economic issues are paramount, women choose jobs which offer financial incentives over interest.

Women have had every opportunity to participate in the technological revolution, even invented a compiler (as you mentioned), but in the main they have chosen not too. It would be nice for women to take responsibility for their decisions occasionaly rather than constantly blaming men and some fanciful 'patriarchy', or have some patsy argue their case for them.

I note that when I talked about technology the thing that struck me was the comprehensive way it had transformed out lives. The way it had saved so many lives like with heart machines and so on. Yet put technology in the hads of a women's studies graduate and what do we get? A rant about some men's online comments. Talk about mediocrity.

Dane,
Agree fully.

Few women are enrolling in much outside of teaching, nursing and arts courses. All the heavy lifting is being left to men, and that includes just about everything outside of nursing, teaching, and arts courses.

How about, instead of whinging about men, feminists get together and figure out a way to stop obesity, or world hunger, or running out of oil, or develop a cure for cancer, or save the world from total debt.

Anything constructive will do.

Wow boys! I had no idea you were such an impressive lot. Fancy achieving all that with no support from the opposite gender.

It's been fun sitting outside you tree-house secretly listening to your catalogue of triumphs. But all good things must come to an end - it's getting dark and mum's yelled out to come in for tea (RObert's already home helping her set the table)