• Let's run with the argument that it is the woman's fault for a moment... "Women shouldn’t be walking the streets late at night." Its quite easy to say that, surprisingly so in fact, but lets examine that statement (and statements of that ilk) in greater detail. The response to that question has to be: "why?" The answer lies in the implied extension of that statement: "Women shouldn’t be walking the streets late at night - because they might get raped and or murdered by men" The "by men" bit at the end of that statement might seem a bit heavy-handed on my part, but when you think about it... its pretty f'cking unlikely that any woman would get raped and or murdered by another woman, and despite the logic of that - I want us to look at the complete and fully realised "statement" that victim blaming uses. There are two main issues highlighted by the extension of the original statement. 1. IF YOU DO "A" THEN ITS POSSIBLE THAT "B" WILL HAPPEN. Its a bit of a non sequiter that a woman walking the streets late at night is likely to get raped, so its pretty crap advice really. Good advice includes things like: - Don't go swimming with sharks, or you might get eaten. - Don't walk through the African jungle, or you might get killed by a lion. - Don't play Russian Roulette with a gun or you will probably blow your own head off. But ""Women shouldn’t be walking the streets late at night - because they might get raped and or murdered by men" is crap advice, and here is why: The good advice given above is good because the results are a NATURAL consequence of your actions. No shark is gonna see you in the water and think to itself "no, I think I would rather have a salad right now", no lion will think to itself "there is a stranger in my territory, and actually - I am comfortable about that", and guns - well... they don't think at all, its just a statistical probability that your head is gonna end up with two extra holes in it if you play Russian Roulette. It is NOT a natural consequence of her actions that a woman might get raped and or murdered if she walks the streets at night. And here is WHY: Because the perpetrator has to make a CONSCIOUS DECISION to proceed with that action. To consider the alternative - that men have no choice but to follow their primal instincts to hunt and kill - is terrifying if given any credence, but mostly its a complete load of bollocks. Its a CHOICE, it is ALWAYS a choice to commit rape and murder. 2. ... BY MEN. - Not "BY another woman" - Not "BY the OPALS" - Not "BY the participants of a hens Night" If its gonna happen, then its gonna be a man who does it. So, we are aware of WHO is doing this, and the extent of our response is to blame the victim and lightly punish the offender (if they get convicted, nothing devalues a person's worth like seeing the person who raped 23 women get 35 years in gaol). That's it, that is ALL that our society does. We do NOTHING to prevent it from happening. Where are our role models taking a vocal and very public stand on rape? Ever seen a football player condemn another team mate for assaulting or raping a woman? Nooooooooo, it will be a f'cking cold day in hell before that ever happens. Where are the classes in primary school to indoctrinate male children that they must not rape or murder women? Sure, we have self defence classes for women... but while we are at it - why don't we just put a few more ambulances at the bottom of the cliff rather than a fence at the top. Our society is well aware of this problem, yet our society takes no proactive steps to address the root-cause of the problem. Instead it is easier for us to blame the victim, and it is this victim blaming which carries the inherent dismissal of a woman's worth as a person... because our culture finds it socially acceptable to blame the woman, and our society couldn't be bothered to get of its collective arse to do something very real about it. If men were being raped and murdered by other men at the same rate it happens to women, I bet this shit would be stopped overnight. - TYLER DURDEN
  • Tony is right you know. I was a little taken aback when I first read the "fat arse" commentary in the newspaper and wondered what the dickens. A bit of checking revealed the context. The point to make about female leaders such as Angela Merkel and Julie Gillard is they challenge the old boy's network and offer or model an alternative vision of public service by virtue of their position alone. - Rhoda
  • Lee I agree with your summation. Actually I think Julia Gillard has greater potential to be a strong and compassionate leader than Ms Greer suggests. She has had the most diabolically difficult time of any leader in this country. First female PM. Disloyalty within own ranks. Corruption inquiries into a previous ALP state government in the most populous state. A hung Parliament situation. An extremely aggressive Opposition leader. A hostile media. And yet she has still managed to fight for important nation building legislation: education reform, national broadband, disability support scheme. In recent years she has reminded me of a computer game figure swatting at dragons and falling down into pits. Game over. No she is up again. I agree wholeheartedly that Gillard has been assailed by bad old fashioned Anglo-Celt sexism of a particularly nasty tone. I have written here before that I have been astounded by its ferocity and feel personally violated as do many others it seems. But if I vote at all this coming election it will not be because JG is a woman, it will be because I think she is an admirably courageous person who has shown herself to have visionary plans for this country. If I ticked the relevant box it would be because I believe she has the potential to deal humanely and sensibly with refugees and develop policies that put an end to the exploitation of the environment. She might even look again at media laws and taxation reform. Who knows what she could do with a bit of wriggle room. I have no allegiance to any political party, just admiration for certain individuals within parties. In my opinion Julia Gillard has shown she has what it takes to be a leader in her own right. - Dianne
  • @ Bridgeymah: "denigration of PM Gillard with her comment that “Ms Gillard wore unflattering jackets and had a “big arse”. Greer was NOT denigrating Gillard, she was exhorting her to ignore her male minders who were deciding her wardrobe. And rightly so - they were dressing her up in ridiculous Barbie doll jackets all pinched in at the waist, presumably to give the impression of an hourglass figure they felt would be more appealing to men. Greer was telling her accept her own body shape and stop allowing men to distort it and fashion it according to their own idealized tastes. She may have expressed herself clumsily but she was extremely frustrated, she was imploring Gillard - "Julia! Women are fat-arsed creatures! You've got a fat arse, get over it, stop wearing those ridiculous jackets." And guess what? She stopped wearing them! As usual the media chose to misrepresent what Greer said by sensationalizing the "fat arse" part and turning it into an insult. IT WASN'T!! It was ADVICE!! Just like saying to a male PM wearing a hairpiece to appeal to women - "Men go bald! You're bald, get over it, stop wearing that ridiculous hairpiece." - Tony W
  • @ MicheleS: "Serena Williams stated she did not blame the girl" And yet that's exactly what she did. Refer Oxford: blame: assign the responsibility for a bad or unfortunate situation or phenomenon to (someone or something) - Tony W
  • I seen a lot of this: anyone to read ur essay is already a convert. We all worried about this foreboding change, and I imagine no backward step at the time of election. Conservatives are so desperate to control govt they sure to fail. Look at Corey Bernardo's Facebook and grasp the horror. It will be ok. Fanks. - Andy Harris
  • It has got nothing to do with being a woman, Thatcher, Merkel, Helen Clark were all successful female leaders who commanded respect and won majorities in elections, so far Gillard has achieved neither and looks likely to suffer the fate of former Canadian PM Kim Campbell in the election by taking her party to virtual obliteration. I am afraid the choice is not now between Gillard and Abbott, that is clearly now no electoral contest, but between Rudd and Abbott, only Rudd can stop an Abbott government and by this time next week he will probably have the chance to resume the premiership he won in a landslde and lost because of ALP in-fighting, not the Australian people! - HYUFD
  • And if the male minders would let go of there grip of Julia like in her "mysogyny parliament speech, and not like her 'women for Julia' launch speech she will shine through even more. Julia is brilliant always when they do not speech write for her. I have a feeling Germaine you know exactly what Julia is going through with the constant media attacks . You are an amazing women who comes through as always comes through for the sisterhood. Cheers. - Emily C
  • There is a distinction between saying “it is inadvisable to do X (because it may lead to or increase the risk of Y)” and saying “you are not entitled to do X, and if Y happens to you then you’ve got what you deserve.” Reasonable people have no problem with the first type of statement: it’s not victim blaming and you have to be deliberately obtuse or stupid to claim otherwise. To assert that a person has, ex ante, alternative courses of action open to them that can reduce or increase their chance of being attacked isn’t to reduce the culpability of the perpetrator for attacking them, and it doesn’t thereby imply that the victim is themselves liable for being attacked. Besides showing intellectual dishonesty and/or infirmity, the “don’t blame the victim” campaigners show an unpleasant willingness to use the tragic misfortune of other people as an opportunity to push political barrows and grind axes. - MicheleS
  • Tracey: “So it’s her fault because she was drunk.” That’s your interpretation. Two footballers had evil intentions and a 16 year old girl was drunk. Serena Williams stated she did not blame the girl and most of her comment was concern about how it had happened, quote “your parents should teach you…”. Her parents probably did teach her but like many teenagers she ignored their wise advice and took a risk. What a marvellous reminder to young people that bad things can happen. - MicheleS
 
Categories:  Astrology

HOOPLA HOROSCOPES WEEK OF NOVEMBER 8

Your weekly Hoopla Horoscopes, brought to you by prophet, astrologer and natural-born storyteller, Rob Brezsny.

Week beginning November 8, 2012

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This is not prime time for you to rake in rewards, collect hard-earned goodies, and celebrate successes you’ve been building towards for a long time. It’s fine if you end up doing those things, but I suspect that what you’re best suited for right now is getting things started. You’ll attract help from unexpected sources if you lay the groundwork for projects you want to work on throughout 2013. You’ll be in alignment with cosmic rhythms, too. Your motto comes from your fellow Scorpio, writer Robert Louis Stevenson: “Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): On a beach, a man spied a pelican that was barely moving. Was it sick? He wanted to help. Drawing close, he discovered that ants were crawling all over it. He brushed them off, then carried the bird to his car and drove it to a veterinarian. After a thorough examination, the doctor realized the pelican was suffering from a fungus that the ants had been eating away — and probably would have removed completely if the man hadn’t interfered. Moral of the story: Sometimes healing takes place in unexpected ways, and nature knows better than we do about how to make it happen. Keep that in mind during the coming weeks, Sagittarius.

 

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A farmer in Japan found a 56-leaf clover. Well, actually, he bred it in his garden at home. It took effort on his part. Presumably, it provided him with 14 times the luck of a mere four-leaf clover. I don’t think your good karma will be quite that extravagant in the coming week, Capricorn, but there’s a decent chance you’ll get into at least the 16-leaf realm. To raise your odds of approaching the 56-leaf level of favorable fortune, remember this: Luck tends to flow in the direction of those who work hard to prepare for it and earn it.

 

 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The largest bell in the world is located in Moscow, Russia. Called the Tsar Bell, it’s made of bronze, weighs 445,170 pounds, and is elaborately decorated with images of people, angels, and plants. It has never once been rung in its 275 years of existence. Is there anything comparable in your own life, Aquarius? Some huge presence that has never actually been used? The time is near when that stillness may finally come to an end. I suggest you decide how this will occur rather than allowing fate to choose for you.

 

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Are you interested in experiencing a close brush with a holy anomaly or a rowdy blessing or a divine wild card? If not, that’s perfectly OK. Just say, “No, I’m not ready for a lyrical flurry of uncanny grace.” And the freaky splendor or convulsive beauty or mystical mutation will avoid making contact with you, no questions asked. But if you suspect you might enjoy communing with a subversive blast of illumination — if you think you could have fun coming to terms with a tricky epiphany that blows your mind — then go out under the night sky and whisper a message like this: “I’m ready for you, sweetness. Find me.”

 

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The data that’s stored and disseminated on the Internet is unimaginably voluminous. And yet the 540 billion trillion electrons that carry all this information weigh about the same as a strawberry. I’d like to use this fun fact as a metaphor for the work you’re doing these days — and the play, too. Your output is prodigious. Your intensity is on the verge of becoming legendary. The potency of your efforts is likely to set in motion effects that will last for a long time. And yet, to the naked eye or casual observer, it all might look as simple and light as a strawberry.

 

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1 Responses to this article

  1. Meagan Patroni November 13, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Hi Hoopla!

    I really want to share some news with you – and invite you to share it too… so that together we can DESTROY THE JOINT!

    By now you have heard of the fall of Alan Jones…because of his abysmal comments regarding the PM* and because he thinks women are “destroying the joint.” *regardless of your personal politics, a person’s sex should never be the reason to doubt their capability.

    Newsflash Alan. Women and MEN do not tolerate sexism.

    So… here we are…destroying the joint…with burlesque!

    This event is proudly produced by Aloha Creative Productions and Australian Burlesque Calendar as a fundraiser for ZONTA – an international organisation for the advancement of women in society.

    Aloha Creative is a company directed by journalist, (event, radio & audio) producer and performer Meagan Patroni. She has been destroying the joint since her birth in 1982 – with her loud mouthed antics – determination and neglect for shutting up!

    Australian Burlesque Calendar (audience of over 100,000) is run by Dusk Devi Gold –photographer, journalist, burlesque promoter and Jedi. She has been destroying the joint since the dawn of time, with her words, actions and images and pities the fools who think being strong is a wrong.

    Unfortunately, sexism exists and it’s here, based on fear and we won’t get used to it. Ever.
    Women don’t want to be treated like men, we want to be treated like women with the same social, economic, political and human rights as any other sex that inhabits this universe.

    …and some of us feminists like having our physical doors opened for us because as Meagan Patroni says; “it’s just etiquette. I open all my own doors of opportunity.”

    Vive la difference between the sexes but ditch the inequality. We want sex without the ‘ism’!

    Aloha Creative and Australian Burlesque Calendar invite you to join us and, in doing so, stand up and show that HUMAN BEINGS do not tolerate sexism!

    JOIN US sisters and brothers, lovers and warriors! Help us build a better world by helping us DESTROY THE JOINT!

    Tickets available via MOSHTIX: http://admin.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/destroy-the-joint-a/60728

    Performers and producers are available for media!

    Contact: Meagan Patroni (Event Producer)
    M: + 61 417 915 937
    E: meagan@alohacreative.com.au

     

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Comments

  • TYLER DURDEN: Let's run with the argument that it is the woman's fault for a moment... "Women shouldn’t be walking the streets la...

  • Rhoda: Tony is right you know. I was a little taken aback when I first read the "fat arse" commentary in the newspaper and wo...

  • Dianne: Lee I agree with your summation. Actually I think Julia Gillard has greater potential to be a strong and compassionate l...

  • Tony W: @ Bridgeymah: "denigration of PM Gillard with her comment that “Ms Gillard wore unflattering jackets and had a “big...

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