14 January 2007

The frightening schmerica

| johnboy
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Page four of the CT boys and girls, we’ll make the front page yet!

When Schmerica (who I believe is a young woman) commented on the dangers at Summernats a week ago she did worry that she’d cop some flack for her view that women should take some responsibility for their personal safety.

I doubt she was expecting to be described as either an “anonymous blogger” by the Canberra Times, nor as “frightening” by Annie Love of the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on the fourth page of the Sunday Times.

For what it’s worth Schmerica, we don’t think you’re frightening.

Having said that; thank you Eliza Young for crediting the source.

Oh, wait… what’s that? The online version you say? Miracles will never cease!

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Yay for media !

A fair assumption would be that the majority of male attendees at the Summernats work in the factories and workshops of the country. These are generally male domains, females considered an exception.

General lunchtime banter revolves around sport, cars, grog and sex. The lunchroom library will always include a raft of magazines, usually with scantilly dressed ladies on the cover. The cover models are overdressed in comparison with those included inside.

Whithin is a constant and overwhelming message that the ladies are proud of their assets, love to display them and are quite amendable to exciting the punters. The accompanying text is practically pornographic.

To be an interested observer whilst these magazines are read and discussed by a range of male age groups is an education.

Perhaps some consideration should be given to this ‘conditioning’ to explain the actions of the Summernats yobs.

Mooseheads… hehe

And Mr. Evil you are more than welcome to steal any attention that has ended up in my direction.

Dez, if summernats is where the biggest bogans go and get drunk, where do the smallest ones go?

but do they go to summernats?

Based on first-hand stories from friends, going back some time, a notorious ANU date-rapist is the offspring of an upper-class Victorian winegrowing family. Another is the son of a prominent academic. Another Canberra rapist is now a senior doctor at Canberra Hospital. It isn’t a bogan thing.

The summernats wouldnt have being complete without some type of sexual assualt related attack. No matter how fabricated it may end up,
Really, What can you expect when the biggest bogans in Australia all gather and get drunk. And people still seem to be suprised when it happens??

i agree Al that’s exactly what i was gonna say.

Awww shucks seepi.

I don’t want my taxes spent to encourage the ‘show us yer tits’ mentality either.

If summernats is a gfvot sanctioned and funded event women should feel safe to go there.

and the free speech example made sense to me.

yeah Al she aint blamless.

However the “show” us yer tits” mentality is encourage and was reported by the Sunday Times with photos. This should not happen.

God I hate it when an RA discussion disintergrates into a slag-fest between 2/3 people…
What no-one seems to have mentioned, is that this particular female was not – according to the first hand (sorry – second hand) account that was posted here when the story was first published – blameless. She picked a fight, and got a bunch of her male mates to fight it for her, then waded in herself, and got snotted. Sounded like she had it coming – not because she was just an innocent bystander trying to enjoy the event, but because she was a drunk bogan who used mates to pick on an innocent guy, and got caught out when he came back with his mates.
And none of THAT found its way into the CT reporting…

Well Lukergal, I am too busy working to worry what a wannabe fem-nazi who casts stones on one comment cares so I have plenty of character.

You can go and eat a tub of lard and parade your gutless PC values to Ms Love or not for all I care.

I have washed my hands of you and will wear the honor you bestowod upon me with pride given it took one deliberate comment 9reel ’em in boys!) to win said title.

I couldn’t care less about Summernats, and that comment (re me walking naked down the street) had no relevance whatsoever.

My silence was because I was too busy to check back and see if you had “slung another stone”. What you think of me means nothing to me, I would assume if you had any character, my opinion of you would have the same effect.

I think you are a dick, so therefore I am a hypocrite if I don’t get my clothese off? I rest my case.

Dawg I suggested that Lukergal would be a hypocrite if she did not (not you) on the basis that I was:

the most ignorant, ill-informed, uneducated, intoleratnt, Redneck, opinionated WANKER

Considering that I find it offensive that public money is being spent to promote a wet T-shirt contest suggests that I dont approve of wet T-shirt contets per se and that I dont see women as meat.

I guess her silence on the topic and her strongly painting me with a broad brush even when I come to women defence says something.

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:47 pm 15 Jan 07

Wow, I thought the comment was directed to me! Perhaps I should lay off the steriods…

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:45 pm 15 Jan 07

Nope – simply that what should happen and what does are two different things. Whether or not someone is ‘righteous’ seems irrelevant to me.

I don’t have the intention of making myself more righteous.

All I was suggesting is that you act on your own comments before accusing others (such as LurkerGal) of being a hypocrite for not acting on your comments.

You have said that you contacted Chic and John. Good work, however I haven’t. This should not make you better, or me worse.

So you are saying that because I am not doing what you are suggesting and that I have suggested something and have done it but you wont that makes you more righteous?

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:08 pm 15 Jan 07

What should happen and what does happen are often 2 different things. Should a woman be able to walk anywhere at anytime wearing whatever she wants? Absolutely. Would a sensible woman who doesn’t want to be groped and harrassed walk through Summernats on a Saturday evening wearing very little, with a dozen drinks under her belt. No.

Simple, really.

The Tent Embassy thread and this one are two different things, let’s not mix Summernats with Tent Embassy. I was merely replying to your comment.

The fact that you would never go to OPH and say stuff like that is exactly why you were being hypocritical (whether serious or not).

And I do not feel like I have to contact Chic or John. Does that make me less of a man, or a free citizen? If something arose, like Chic condoning violent behavior, or John saying that the $300k went to supplying free beer for bogans, then I would make myself heard.

Dawg, read the Tent Embassy thing and post a comment about the racism there.

And of course I wont go to OPH and say that. that was my point. whooooosh!!!!!

As for summernats i have contacted Chic and John. what about you?

Let’s just agree that it was probably just a bad example with the gift of hindsight, although we will agree that it did have relevance in that it too was probably an inappropriate comment to make.

Now that we are back on topic…

Poptop, in this world people should be able to wear what they desire without being raped, or spit on, or groped (infact I believe it’s written in law). As an example it’s rather confusing.

Who is a hypocrite then?

Apparently you are. Until you stand on the lawns of OPH shouting racist slurs, you shouldn’t have a go at anyone for not doing what you suggest (The Summernats thing)

The Canberra Times really has been left behind by The Chronicle, hasn’t it.

Anyway, I’m annoyed that Schmerica has gotten all the attention – what about all the offensive things I’ve said?????

And “many others”. Proof?

Yes I thought about using “nigga” but it would not work in the Australian context. I remember Paul Hogan doing a sketch once where he was a “thrill seeker” and walked up to a bunch of Afro americans and said “Nigga” and then started running. If he had used “abo” would it have been as funny?

As for the pool threads, so what? I don’t like water cheats like some people here have claimed to be. I like opthers are angry and pissed off and that is why we have 12 inspectors trawling Canberra looking out for water cheats. A very good thing I say. It reminds me that I saw apartment blocks in Kingston watering their lawns in the middle of the day a couple of weeks ago: no exemption notice, no notice saying they were using bore water.

So are you going to do as I suggested for next years Summernats or are you going to complain to John stanhope via Ms Love about using public money to promote wet t-shirt competitions? No? Who is a hypocrite then?

Actually, it was the “abo” comment, some of your comments in the pool thread and many others. Not specifically related to this thread.

Absolutely nothing to do with the general comments on this particular thread.

Thanks Lukergal! You have proved my point that you have not read the rest of my comments in context. Or the rest of my comments about public money and wet T-shirt contests. Is that an apology I hear?

So if you feel like walking at next years Summernats wearing micro boy shorts and a halter neck top showing your midrife and in high heals because that is your god damn right, please do so. Just remember to post the picture and comments back here.

The Canberra Times [or, at least Eliza Young] seems unable to draw a distinction between a person’s behaviour being risky as opposed to getting what they deserve. This seemed to me to be the point Schmerica had cogently put. Indeed, Schmerica was expressing the very same fears as the crisis counsellors in the opening paragraph of the article.

In an ideal world women could wear [or not wear] whatever they chose and not be raped or groped or spat on or abused.

When this Brave New World arrives, I take considerable comfort that someone with the comprehension skills exhibited by Ms Love will be out of a job.

What is this CT you guys keep talking of ? 😉

the ct have definitely misquoted here.

i dont think anyone said rape or assault was deserved.

personal responsibility and common sense was mentioned.

cheap tacky journalism.

lurkergal – return to your village, they are missing their idiot.

I’m all for women walking down the street naked. It seems the Canberra Times is really struggling for a story these days.

Step aside Bonfire, RiotAct has a new “head-wanker”. Congrats Pandy, you are now the most ignorant, ill-informed, uneducated, intoleratnt, Redneck, opinionated WANKER I have had the displeasure of reading.

Apologies Bonfire, our sparring relationship was sweet, but couldn’t last forever. LG is a fickle creature and her affections must move on.

Absent Diane9:19 am 15 Jan 07

yeah women should be careful… but any male that can’t control themselves should be sent to the test labs.

Not til Thursday week, Hasdrubahl. You don’t get rid of me that easily! :p

To Brisbane?

Oh, I see that you aren’t.
I should really read things properly.
I will go now.

Were you responding to me Thumper?
Because I believe that we’re in general agreement that Schmerica’s suggestion was rather reasonable and Ms Love is a bit off her rocker.

OMG could it be we are virtually agreeing on this issue?
*shock*

Ms Love’s statement is about as fractious as a radio shock jock, and perhaps therin is the intent behind the CT story.

Wannabe shock jocks aught to proof read VERY carefully what they are saying when they take a swipe at something, Ms Love’s credentials get wiped out by her rambling if not delusional commentary.

CT, Ms Love et al;
I don’t go to Summernats and I’m a boy. I don’t go on account of I’m not a bogan, and I have a strong belief that if you put more than 3 bogans together in a confined area, there’s bound to be trouble. DumbassSlackwittedTwits like CT posting a story suggesting that women be confident of walking naked through a populated area rankles of how shite you really are.

Again, I’m a boy. I would expect TO BE ARRESTED if I ever walked ANYWHERE naked, other than around the confines of my house, especially in my nude room.

Ms Love needs a severe wakeup call if she wants to continue providing valuable service to the CRC Centre – currently she’s delusional.

What was interesting is the Editorial in the Sunday Times. The attack they did on Chic was stupendous.

Will Chic Henry when holding out his hand for public money in future:
a) ban having wet T-Shirt contests and strippers; and
b) crack down on women flashing their tits by expelling them?

C’mon John Stanhope is it too much to ask that our public money be used responsibly? Or are wimin at Summernats just a piece of meat?

Most of the women I see around here can be confident they won’t be raped if they walk down the street naked. The men are more likely to run screaming in the opposite direction.

Well, on the plus side, maybe they were renting them?

A lot of people have already stated the obvious answer, so I guess I will share my favorite sentence from that article.

“Eros chief executive Fiona Patten said while more people frequented the sex shops in Fyshwick during Summernats, they were not purchasing goods.”

Well maybe Ms Love should walk down the main drag of Summernats, naked, and on a Saturday night and see if she still feels like she’s not going to get raped…

Schmerica, you wont if you dont go.

Oh great… I hope I don’t become a target…

I mean, nobody deserves what happened to her… but I stand by my comments.

See what I mean? i said something and I got the can for it. My responsibility to behave in the proper manner.

So wimin, like Miss Love, should be warning her sisters not to go to the Summernats because of the hoon element, rather than defending her right to walk thru the event naked with being groped.

do women get a discount seeing as they can only attend in daylight hours?

Woody Mann-Caruso7:36 pm 14 Jan 07

“Frack off abos”

A racist Battlestar Galactica fan? How charming.

And I should be able to leave my car and house unlocked, but it ain’t gonna happen.

There’s the real world, and there’s Ms Love’s world…

And, in an attempt to win bad taste comment of the week:

Definition of antiphrasis (look it up you bastards):
A counsellor working for a rape crisis centre is named Ms Love.

It is like my right to “free speach” (cough). i should be able to go to the Aboriginal Embassy and yell out “Frack off abos”. Of course i should not expect to be beaten up for it right? Get real people!

darkladywolf7:08 pm 14 Jan 07

I totally agree a woman should be able to walk down a street naked and not get raped.

But we all know that’s not reality and you do have to take responsibility for your own safety. At least as best you can. Stating that is ‘frightening’, but not for the view held; it’s frightening because it’s true.

The Drewster3:51 pm 14 Jan 07

Summernats on a Saturday night is not safe for anyone. It makes sense for people, whether your male or female, to be careful where you go. Men have absolutely no right to treat women badly just because they are pissed and hanging out with their deadshit mates, but the unfortunate fact is it happens at events like that, and although it sucks, as the other comments state, that’s reality.

I agree with mostly what she said. The fact she said Its just asking for trouble, was probably a bit much, however (sadly) the fact is there are sometimes places that just aren’t safe and occasions where a little common sense and protective behaviour is called for. It is unfortunate that said protective behaviour may have to be completely avoiding the place in question, but that’s just the way it is.

And for the record, I would have to agree with schmerica I dont feel summernats is a safe place for young females on a Saturday night, I dont care what anyone says, thats the reality

just goes to show how desparate the canberra times are, they cant even get their own fucking material

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