*applauds*
Sep. 9th, 2006 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
krazykitkatFrom The Age:
I can't help thinking that if Clive James, a fellow traveller with Germaine Greer in the great exodus of Australian intellectuals to London in the 1950s and 60s, had made the same observations as Greer did this week about the outpouring of Australian grief over Steve Irwin's death it would have been viewed very differently.
To me, Greer's assertion - that Irwin was a cross between an old-time lion tamer, modern Peter Pan and dinky-di Aussie larrikin who had no place being canonised in life or in death - was right on the money. He'd lived as he'd died: a daredevil entrepreneur who had deftly ridden on the back of Paul Hogan's Dundee coat-tails all the way to the bank and good on him.
I've got no problem with how he made his money, his political persuasions or his fondness for shouting "crikey" loudly into the eardrums of unsuspecting creatures. His circus-like act entertained millions all over the world and there are surely worse things to do with a life's work. And I don't doubt for a moment that his motivation for buying huge tracts of land as habitat protection was in the best interests of the animals he shared a stage with.
The problem I have is the way this country has turned Irwin into some kind of wildlife saint in death when most of us seemed to have had scant regard for his antics in life and simultaneously turned with such vengeance on Greer for expressing a view that has been deemed to be out of step with those of ordinary Australians.
...
And the message has been heard loud and clear; if you're a woman of a certain age in this country - and a childless one at that - don't you dare step out of the shadows and shout out that the emperor might not be wearing any clothes. You will be shouted down and marginalised and your situation will be thrown back at you as a weapon.
In our increasingly family-focused Australia, the perspective of the lone childless woman is not only the least credible, but it seems it is also the least defensible of circumstances. It has become the most potent of dismissals and the most loaded and discriminatory of accusations that carries with it implicit allegations of heartlessness, selfishness and elite myopia.
...
Very little of the anti-intellectual hot air blown about this week has been about what Germaine Greer may or may not have thought about Steve Irwin. It had everything to do with a dominant male power-base telling women to be seen and not heard. Of marginalising a particular kind of woman and reducing us to condition and circumstance. Of reminding those of us who like to speak our mind to watch our step, to remember our place and to shut up and agree with the menfolk. We are all a lot poorer for the unsightly fallout.
ETA: Also a good article by Clive Hamilton.
I can't help thinking that if Clive James, a fellow traveller with Germaine Greer in the great exodus of Australian intellectuals to London in the 1950s and 60s, had made the same observations as Greer did this week about the outpouring of Australian grief over Steve Irwin's death it would have been viewed very differently.
To me, Greer's assertion - that Irwin was a cross between an old-time lion tamer, modern Peter Pan and dinky-di Aussie larrikin who had no place being canonised in life or in death - was right on the money. He'd lived as he'd died: a daredevil entrepreneur who had deftly ridden on the back of Paul Hogan's Dundee coat-tails all the way to the bank and good on him.
I've got no problem with how he made his money, his political persuasions or his fondness for shouting "crikey" loudly into the eardrums of unsuspecting creatures. His circus-like act entertained millions all over the world and there are surely worse things to do with a life's work. And I don't doubt for a moment that his motivation for buying huge tracts of land as habitat protection was in the best interests of the animals he shared a stage with.
The problem I have is the way this country has turned Irwin into some kind of wildlife saint in death when most of us seemed to have had scant regard for his antics in life and simultaneously turned with such vengeance on Greer for expressing a view that has been deemed to be out of step with those of ordinary Australians.
...
And the message has been heard loud and clear; if you're a woman of a certain age in this country - and a childless one at that - don't you dare step out of the shadows and shout out that the emperor might not be wearing any clothes. You will be shouted down and marginalised and your situation will be thrown back at you as a weapon.
In our increasingly family-focused Australia, the perspective of the lone childless woman is not only the least credible, but it seems it is also the least defensible of circumstances. It has become the most potent of dismissals and the most loaded and discriminatory of accusations that carries with it implicit allegations of heartlessness, selfishness and elite myopia.
...
Very little of the anti-intellectual hot air blown about this week has been about what Germaine Greer may or may not have thought about Steve Irwin. It had everything to do with a dominant male power-base telling women to be seen and not heard. Of marginalising a particular kind of woman and reducing us to condition and circumstance. Of reminding those of us who like to speak our mind to watch our step, to remember our place and to shut up and agree with the menfolk. We are all a lot poorer for the unsightly fallout.
ETA: Also a good article by Clive Hamilton.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 08:55 am (UTC)Makes me despair that Julia Gillard could ever be elected leader of the ALP. I wish I could believe she would be.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 09:06 am (UTC)Just added another good article to the post.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 09:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 09:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 02:10 pm (UTC)In England a number of English people who lived in Australia asked me how I could stand the sexism, I couldn't respond, because I'd gotten so used to it, that it didn't register with me.
Until I got back. I guess it's like the frog in the hot water..
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 02:20 pm (UTC)But I definitely see it in general society attitudes and the media. And then of course there's the attitude that dismisses anything of an intellectual bent.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 09:23 pm (UTC)Yes yes YES. I wish I had the name of that little twit on Larry King. I have to keep an eye on the transcripts. I'm dying to write him a letter personally, and I think I shall enclose this article.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-09 09:32 pm (UTC)(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREER: You can feel a sense of loss about any death of a 44- year-old man with two small children. That is a very sad situation. I'm not saying that's not sad. I'm saying what might be over now is this kind of exploitation of animals. I really found the whole Steve Irvin (sic) phenomenon -- Steve Irwin phenomenon embarrassing and I'm not the only person who did or indeed the only Australian who did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germaine, can you name for me one person who agrees with you?
GREER: There's lots of other people who think the way I do don't you worry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not one person has come out and agreed with you have they?
GREER: Well, yes they have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germaine, you're making it up.
GREER: Look, all I'm trying to do here is have people rethink this whole issue. I'm sick and tired of programs that tell me that the world is full of wicked, nasty, powerful, deadly creatures. Why does Australia set itself up to be made into this hell hole? I'm sick and tired of it. It's absolutely unfair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: All right, Philippe Cousteau, John we'll come back to you, I know how you feel, Philippe Cousteau what's your reaction to that?
PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, GRANDSON OF JACQUES COUSTEAU: Well, Larry, I think it's -- it's -- obviously as everyone has been saying the timing couldn't be worse in such bad taste. I think if you want to talk about the exploitation and the encroachment upon wildlife we shouldn't be talking about a man who gave his life dedicated to the conservation of these animals.
We should be talking about deforestation and unsustainable fisheries and the things that happen all over the world every day that are really detrimental to the natural world, not to this great man.
KING: John Wiegel, are you shocked? I don't want to put words in your mouth. What's your reaction?
JOHN WIEGEL, DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PARK: Oh, Larry, I guess my reaction doesn't really matter but the going theory around the media at least in Australia is that this is a reflection of about six or seven decades of frustration in the love department or something. Something's not right with that woman. We just can't figure it out.
KING: Does she, Michael Hornby, at all even in a slight way make any kind of a point about the use of animals for one's own advantage?
MICHAEL HORNBY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE WARRIORS: Absolutely not. You know, Steve understood animals. He had a wonderful relationship. He knew where the line was and he was very conscious of that. And, you know, it's unfortunate that someone like Germaine Greer gets the oxygen to make these sort of comments. If anything, I'm a little bit embarrassed of being Australian, you know, because she is.
From here. Philippe Cousteau gets two thumbs up for being able to speak in a rational manner without resorting to personal attacks. The rest of them need to stop with the dick waving before I ensure they have no dicks to wave.
Hi, I'm really incensed about this, can you tell?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-10 05:27 am (UTC)I'm embarrassed to be Australian because of the way the idiotic media has carried on.