Dear Joe,

It is as you say, all a question of perception.
But it does seem that even in sport - some
men will choose to demean women rather than
regard them as the talented athletes that they
are - and as equals.

Makes one wonder how they treat their sisters,
wives, and daughters - and women in general.
They'll probably be the first to tell us that
there isn't a gender problem for them. It's all
the woman's fault. And in the cases of rape -
well "she asked for it."

It's all so familiar.

Dear Foxy,

I have a suspicion that the right-wing/conservative/backward sections of societies around the world - not just here but, of course, across the Muslim world (as suggested policy changes in Brunei attest all too clearly) and elsewhere, are resisting anything but token changes in women's rights. I'm not saying that conservatives here are as backward as, say, their counterparts in countries dominated by Shari'a Law, but they're getting there. Perhaps we should call them "Alt-Shari'a".

It must get up conservative noses that women's sport is so popular, that women are participating in higher education at much higher rates than men, even that women should get equal pay.

Perhaps some half-wit like Fraser Anning would dearly like to suggest that women are taking men's jobs and should have their voting rights curtailed because, 'obviously', they can't be trusted to understand how to vote properly. Perhaps, in the view of idiots like him, married women (as well as being dismissed from employment upon getting married) should have their husband's permission to open a bank account, etc.

A bit late for all that, fellas :)

Love,

Joe

Dear Joe,

I've never quite understood all the fuss about
women's rights - I've got to admit. I was never
into bra burning or having to fight for equal
pay. I've never taken part in any demonstrations.
And I cringe at some of the language that's used
by both sides of the debate. We need to be able to
sift the insults from genuine satirical comments.
Some of the comments are corrosive no matter
how tough you are. For Tayla Harris to log on and
see a torrent of abuse is dreadful.

People who argue about the point being "freedom of
speech," - a cause fought for the hardest by those
who have the ugliest things to say. It just saps
your energy - what's the point.

I don't like people who reduce human inter-action to tedious
name-calling - and on this forum that seems to be the norm.
Men who feel that women should know their place (ALTRAV
comes to mind) I suspect are of a certain generation and
background. Hopefully their children think differently.
We still have a long way to go with some people. The day
when you're judged by your character, your performance,
your merit - is still a long way off for some people.

The strange thing for me is to see people believing that what you think about a pic of a woman playing footy indicates where you lie on the political spectrum. In my view such people lie on the same cognitive plane as astrologers and criminal profilers. Yet another reason why I dislike identity politics.

Dear Foxy, if you don't like "people who reduce human inter-action to tedious name-calling", then you must immediately take umbrage at your lefty comrade Loudmouth, for stereotyping right wing/conservatives as "backward." Also, saying that men who do not think that males and females are equal "come from a certain generation and background" is stereotyping too.

And you are right about women buying whatever they want. One thing they don't want is magazines full of naked men. The reason being, that male and female sexuality is different.

It isn't hard to figure out why. If a woman has sex and gets pregnant, she and her family are left "holding the baby." So, it is in her own interests to be very selective in who she has sex with. Men can impregnate as many willing females as they want, unless they are prevented from doing so by a formalised contract to fully pay for the upkeep of any children which result in that sex. This is called "marriage" in civilised societies, and it was instigated to protect women from sexually irresponsible men. Although this institution has now been greatly weakened by left wing women such as yourself, who are trivialising marriage by making it available to homosexual couples, merely as an exercise in "equality."

As for your quip about people like myself blaming women who get raped for their own circumstance. I don't approve of burglars. But that does not mean that people should walk out of their homes everyday without locking their doors. To not lock the door would be irresponsible. Almost every man strongly disapproves of rape. But that does not mean that there are some tiny minority of criminal men who approve of rape. And responsible women should act in a way that takes that tiny minority of criminals into account. If a women wears "ferk me" clothes and wanders around the streets at alone night blind drunk, then if she is sexually assaulted, most men and women would have infinitely less sympathy for her than for a young teenage girl heading home from school

Like they said about Germaine Greer, she's burnt her Bra & now her pants are on fire !