Beth, I agree with your sentiments and the way that you have expressed them. But the problem goes a little deeper, in that in a liberal society young women are entittled to 'express' themselves in this way. The pity is that they are motivated to do so.

Th only other thing I would remark on is: 'Noni Hazelhurt', do you mean Noni Hazelhurst? and if so 'academic?' At least it shows that I actually read your piece.

I've never been really interested in cars, except as a mode of transport, so I have never been to the Summernats.

Yet on the flip side of the coin, we will soon be seeing a comedy titled Cougar Town, and in the news papers, there are reports of a cougar cruise.

Friends would fill me in on what went on when the ladies attended male strippers, and let me say some of the behaviour of the ladies would make the guys who go to the summernats look like gentlemen.

The point is that both genders can behave in ways at times that would make a prostitute blush.

Deary me, next thing runner will be telling us that he agrees
with Pat Robertson, that the Haiti earthquake was caused by
their pact with the devil.

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/World/2010/01/14/Haiti_made_pact_with_devil_cursed_417344.html

We have an event over here in the West, which sounds similar, they
call it Revheads. Yes, its all about cars, tits and burboun.

Umm so what? They draw a large crowd, for those who are keen on
all that stuff. Good on them. Girls are free to go as a plain Jane
or old, then they will most likely be left alone :)

Why is it that women spend so much money trying to look younger, if
they want to be left alone? Methinks that they secretly thrive on
the power of being thought of as sexy. Typical female double speak,
I want to be left alone, but I like the fact that I'm considered
adorable.

Just hang in there girls, you are growing older, every single day:)
Not so long now and no guy will pay you any attention! That will
be a relief, I am sure.

Yabby writes

'Deary me, next thing runner will be telling us that he agrees
with Pat Robertson, that the Haiti earthquake was caused by
their pact with the devil.'

The irony is that the earth worshippers and politicians blamed man made global warming for the bush fires in Victoria. Both are faith based comments although the Greens try and justify their comments with pseudo science.

“women are being taught that their worth is in how many lewd comments they get …”

Women get taught many things in life and it is up to them to sift the truth from the lies.
It doesn’t say much for a woman’s intellect if she cannot see that such attitudes are wrong and that she is under no compulsion whatsoever to behave as if they were right.

If you want to dramatise the situation there is nothing like that tired old piece of rhetoric - ‘the objectification of women’. Exactly how do you objectify someone? A person is an object – everything that exists is an object. Does it mean to focus on a certain aspect of a person to the exclusion of all other aspects? If that is true then why is that necessarily a bad or disrespectful thing to do? If I am only interested in Tiger Woods as a golfer and am not interested in his family life, his affairs, his businesses or his hobbies am I objectifying him? Is my aim to hurt him in some way by not adopting a more wholesome approach to him? If I enquire about the local mechanic’s credentials to fix my car and take no interest in his wider humanity is that an objectification and is it a slight upon him? If I am only interested in sex with a consenting adult or in enjoying their beauty then why is that seen as such a bad thing?

If we want to change the behaviour of people because we do not like it then we should focus on that behaviour and give good reasons why it should not be tolerated. Hiding behind nefarious concepts like ‘objectification’ allows the accuser to imply aggressive or unjust behaviour that may well have no justification. It seeks to artificially inflate a situation to promote another agenda. In the case of this article it is another thinly disguised attempt to demonise men in particular whilst trying to appear concerned about inconsistencies in the values promoted by Summernats.

Never gone to the Nat's and never will. I dare say no one else who doesn't want to be there is being forced to go.

The Author seems to think that they have the only valid worldview, is able to speak for all Women. It's the evil mere male again.

Get over yourself if thats what these Men and Women want to do then I say go for it. If you don't like that sort of thing then do what I'm doing and don't go.

Posters stop feeding our troll "Runner".