Rossco,
You are naïve.
You are a joke.
You have sexual hang ups.
You should not be taken seriously.

There is an enormous amount of women’s media, but it has become some of the most unreliable media in existence.

Even women involved in producing that media have come forward and stated that most of women’s media is largely fictional (see Spin Sister:- (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871810709.html?from=storylhs)
It is filled with anecdote, gossip, and exaggeration. Often articles are written on the spot with the most minimal research being undertaken beforehand, and that media is usually written to a formula designed to make women feel continuously ”victimised” and “oppressed ” (normally by those awful patriarchal males).

Some of the most sexist material ever written has also come from female authors, but this is often excused as being “satire”. Possibly the author may regard her sexist lines about male politicians as being “satire” also, but if someone questions women’s media, then it is usually said that they are misogynist, or they are trying to deny women “voice” etc.

Eventually, it reaches a stage where just how many articles written by female authors are reliable, how much is satire, how much is made up, how much is exaggerated, how much should be taken seriously, and how much is simply fiction.

In the case of “sex slaves” in Australia, no one can seem to find them, either because they are so few in number, or there are none at all, and one has to suspect that this article is just one more fictional article from a female author.

I'm staggered that posters to this forum don't think there are any sex slaves in Australia. Several were found earlier this year in Melbourne and the perpetrators were taken to court and jailed for lengthy terms.
If women come from overseas to enter the sex industry voluntarily, that's their decision. The women who are the focus of this petition are often sold into slavery by their fathers, uncles, etc as the family may live in abject poverty and can't see any other way to feed the rest of their families. Or it could be just plain greed. Or it is often organised crime gangs, particularly targetting vulnerable hill tribes in Cambodia for example. I have heard quite a bit about this (because I thought it was important to know the facts). If you would like to comment on this issue, can I suggest you familiarise yourself with the issues before making dismissive comments. Try: http://www.afp.gov.au/afp/page/Media/2004/0602sexualservitude.htm or http://www.projectrespect.org.au/ and remember, they're invisible because the people who are holding them want them to be. Don't blame the women.

"how many articles written by female authors are reliable, how much is satire, how much is made up, how much is exaggerated, how much should be taken seriously, and how much is simply fiction"

Although I doubt it will make the slightest bit of difference, the following statement:

"how many articles written by male authors are reliable, how much is satire, how much is made up, how much is exaggerated, how much should be taken seriously, and how much is simply fiction" IS EQUALLY TRUE.

Dont make such broadly dismissive statements about half of the population. You don't like it when women do so about men. Model the change you wish to see in others.

Meljay,
It is interesting that you have said that there are sex slaves in Australia, because they have been sold into slavery by their “fathers” or “uncles”.

If this is true, then obviously the “mothers” or “aunts” couldn’t be involved in any way, because they are female.

There has been every type of allegation made about males, from “All males are rapists”, to “All males don’t do enough housework”, and the problem now for so many female authors in particular, is that they have “cried wolf” far too often.

Any more allegations such as fathers and uncles selling their relatives into sex slavery, now go straight past many people, because it has reached the stage of allegation overload.

But if you do know of sex slavery, then report it. In that way people will know if it is real or not.

In the mean time, I’ll say that there are women in Australia who are selling their unwanted babies through an organisation that operates on the internet. I’ll won’t say how many babies are involved, or who is involved, and I won’t say if I have reported the matter to the police or not. I’ll just say that it is occurring.

Laurie,
I have looked at a considerable amount of literature by both male and female authors, and as a general rule, I now put articles by female authors towards the bottom of the list so far as reliability goes. That comes from the experience of having checked out the content of so many articles.

Oh Timkins, wouldn't your face be red if you knew how many writers use pseudonyms which disguise their gender? I write and get paid for articles under both male and female names, and I'm by no means alone in doing so. Am I authoritative and plausible when writing as a male, and not so when writing as a female? You do nothing more than make yourself look foolish with your rantings about women, and I suspect the wisest course other posters could take is simply to opt out of discussions in which you involve yourself. This is certainly what I'll be doing from now on.

Ah-huh! We have an impostor in our midst. Who is this masked woman/man who posts under the name anomie? This is quite fascinating.

Is that you Miranda? Is it Janet? Surely not Anne Summers. Perhaps Susan Maushart, possible, or maybe Pamela Bone - yes that photo in The Age, it could very well be. But what would Pammy be doing on this little forum? Doesn't make sense. Perhaps it's Bettina, she's into those odd sexual sorts of things. Or maybe it's Michael Flood. Now there's a possibility. Perhaps it's even Clark Kent! But then, the possibilities are endless.

Let's start a competition to see who can unmask this mystery writer.

But wait! It might be dangerous to expose this masked superhero anomie, who writes and gets paid under assumed personas. I wonder if the ATO knows? Anomie may even be an illegal immigrant who goes under many names hotly pursued by the Federal Police. Perhaps she/he is an illegal sex worker/slave. Apparently, there's millions flooding into the country right now - another serious social epidemic getting underway. And we only just got over the last grossly exaggerated three of child abuse, sex abuse and domestic violence. Now sex slavery too. It's all getting very complicated and scary.

We'd better leave anomie with her/his mask on. We wouldn't want to give her/him/it a red face by exposing whoever it is. They could look very foolish with their ranting here about our Mr Timken.

Anyway, can't be much of a writer. Doesn't know the plural of ranting.