Craig Minns
I have looked briefly at both Barbara Pocock's and AWALI's web pages. Is there anything in particular you think I should read?

Sarah, I have read Daphne Patai's book "Heterophobia" and a couple of interesting things stand out.

First is the use of 'inflammatory analogies' this tactic triggers the more emotive part of the brain and over rides the more logical reasoning centers. The example she uses if I remember correctly was how the claim makers, equated sexual harassment being equal to rape. So sexual harassment now becomes associated with rape.

The other thing is about how the 'claim makers' once one particular claim has been made and accept, they then go out and find further examples, sometimes down to the microscopic level.

Sexual harassment is suppose to be repeated, unwelcome behaviour, however even a one off instance, is now construed as sexual harassment.

I am now of the firm believe that even if we had equal female representations in government and on boards, and all the other things that feminism wants, feminists will still continue to claim that women do not have equality.

Wolly B
I have never heard sexual harassment being equated with rape. However, if this happens, it is most definitely an incorrect association.
You may or not be right about what may happen if we had equal female representations in government and on boards.
I propose we all (both men and women) work towards equal female representations in government and on boards, and then we will see if you are indeed correct.

Dr Russell, the problem is that laws which seek to modify human behaviours that have a wide range of expression must inevitably be coercive and coercive laws will always have unintended consequences. If those laws are intended to construct a social outcome, as harrassment laws are, then the potential for unintended negative consequences must be given a great deal of consideration. A man who has a complaint made about simply trying his luck after misreading the situation may be seriously traumatised by the experience, for example. There is also the potential for priming, creating a potential for heightened tension that distorts what should be normal platonic encounters.

Another problem I see is that making strong laws based on the social mores of a particular time and culture seems to be more at home in a conservative than progressive ethical framework regardless of the intent behind them.

I haven't looked at the AWALI work in a year or so, I'll do so a bit later and get back to you if you like. Perhaps the latest series has made a liar of me :).

Sarah, you state, "Firefighters have far fewer non-English speakers, female or overseas-born workers than any other emergency service in Australia despite lots of research showing the benefits of a diverse team in firefighting."

Please advise what fool researcher has come up with this garbage. We must get them out of the research industry before they do too much damage.

Perhaps you would like to explain how having a fire fighter or an SES worker others could not talk to, or even warn of danger, would be a good idea.

You could also perhaps advise the advantage of having a small woman as a paramedic.

When my mother needed to be taken to hospital, the lady paramedic had no chance of moving her 3 meters across a lawn by her self. It was she assured me too dangerous for me to do it, so she called a second ambulance. Half an hour later, even with the second female paramedic, they could not do the job, & despite their instructions, & probable insurance worries, allowed me to do it.

There are many jobs ladies are not fully equipped to handle as well as men, but affirmative action garbage, & feminist agitation means we now have them incompetently so engaged

Dr Russell, Whats better; to experience mild sexual harassment or to be dead?

"I've never seen icing conditions. I've never deiced. ... I've never experienced any of that. I don't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls. You know I'd've freaked out. I'd have, like, seen this much ice and thought, oh my gosh we were going to crash."

Those are the words (contravening sterile cockpit regulations) of a chatty female first officer whilst at the controls of an c.70 seater passenger aircraft in severe weather conditions typical for winter in the NE USA particularly around Buffalo. Four minutes later the aircraft did crash killing all on board.

How many of the now dead passengers would have stepped on board had they known such a conversation was to take place during the flight.

The first officer also retracted the plane's flaps. From the UK Daily Mail "An expert on stall recovery working for the plane's manufacturer, Wally Warner, told the board retracting the flaps would significantly increase the potential for a 'secondary stall' and make it harder to recover."

Needless to say the investigation tried to shift as much of the blame that it could to the male captain. If I'd been the captain I would have, at the risk of a sexual harassment charge, told the FO to shut the f*!k up and concentrate on flying the approach.

http://tinyurl.com/momkyc9