Poirot, Foxy I agree with you about the use of terms like that in this context.

The closest I can think of coming in the other direction is references to "the old boys club" when men speak on gender issues, a different sexist (and ageist) putdown used for what appear to be similar reasons.

We would be better without most of that stuff (or only an amount where it retains some comic factor) but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

R0bert

Foxy,

The point I was trying to make is not that there are bogans in each party, but in the ALP it would seem that bogans rule. From the coalition side, you can only find a few over the years, but bogans from the ALP are everyday occurrences.

How many times did people try to assault Juliar? Yet even Poirot thinks that booing at a funeral is OK. Clearly labor values are an oxymoron.

Dear Poirot and RObert,

Perhaps you're both right.

However, I have to be honest and say that I
don't find it offensive or look upon it as
a putdown when a man uses "endearing" terms
such as "darling, "sweetie," et cetera to
a woman. Neither do I object when I get
wolf-whistles when walking past construction sites.
I simply mouth the words - "Thank You," and walk on.
Sometimes I blow them a kiss and smile.

Of course I could be wrong and it might be intended
as you say - as a putdown. But then that's something
over which I have no control. I can only control
how I react to it. And I have to be true to myself.
Naive as it may seem.

'Sweetie'?, thank God for that! At last a solid FEMINIST ISSUE that posters can get their teeth into!

What is even more fortunate is that there is already a radfem solution from that land of rad fembots, Sweden, where scores of radfems have networked for years and spent a fortune of Swedish Krona on 'conference' knees-ups (there are long-suffering taxpayers everywhere) to arrive at a term that neuters gender when encountering women and the multiplicity of sexes approved of and authorised by feminists.

In Sweden the feminists have declared that 'hen' must be used henceforth. Of course Australia being the world's example par excellence of multiculturalism and reckless diversity solved this years ago. In Australia there is the rather apt term 'chooks', or more correctly 'old chooks', as the noun and even term of endearment, for the feminists left over from the previous Millenium.

Premier Joh Bjelke Peterson was ahead of the pack assuming that journalism studies would commonly accompany gender studies (as is now the case). Because Joh always referred to his meetings with journalists as 'feeding the chooks'. -History in the making. Nek minute, it is henstory in the making. Could that huge and forever growing Manual of Oz Political Correctness ever be wrong?

SM,

"....From the coalition side, you can only find a few over the years, but bogans from the ALP are everyday occurrences..."

Come off it...the LNP goes out of its way to appeal to the bogan element in society - which is why they pinched Hanson's agenda while simultaneously pushing her off the swing.

It's nauseating listening to people like Pyne (who's a great barometer for deploying these kinds of affectations) who decided it was great form "on the occasion of his condolence motion to Whitlam" to tell the nation his mum cried with delight when she heard he'd got the boot.

" My mother started crying. I have to let you in on a secret, she was crying out of joy."

That's almost as classy as him calling Shorten the "C" word over the dispatch box.

Save your faux sensibilities for your candlelight suppers...judging by the govt's performance so far - they're as crass as they come.

Foxy,

I have nothing against the word "sweetie" when it's used genuinely. Often when addressing young children, I use the word myself. It's then a genuine term of endearment.

When it's used by men on OLO to address a woman with whom they are debating, it's meant as a putdown.

Of course, you are at liberty to take it on board as some sort of endearing rejoinder (but I can assure that is not how it's meant)

otb,

Lol!...I read your first sentence (scintillating stuff!)

Excuse me if I don't bother with the rest - your tangents are tiresome.