A Media 'Smack Down!'

So, I’m a bit late to the party but I wanted to share a few of my highlights that have occurred since, what has now been dubbed as, the PM’s ‘smack down!’

I really very much enjoy a good feminist rant, especially one done by our female Prime Minister. I think it’s about bloody time that someone called Tony Abbott on his highly offensive, turn of the century, “shine ya shoes guv?” idea of women in society.

If not by the Labour party, at least by more sectors of the current press. If I have learned anything from watching the most current season of The Newsroom, it’s that journalists should definitely cut politicians down a lot more with smart questions about stupid, stupid comments. Like, the stupid, stupid ones Tony Abbott makes on a regular basis.

All the same, it was a woman in power that managed to bring ol’ Abbott to his knees. Here’s the thing though, the most disappointing, heartbreaking thing out of all of this that has managed to occur.

Gillard’s speech was entirely political. But am I wrong to think that the PM’s political timing should, in any way, take away from the power of the message she was bringing?

I’m a bit jaded, but I will certainly take optimism where I find it. And I found it in Gillard’s speech.

I will give the Australian opinion articles of the moment, credit where credit’s due. The speech was definitely one for feminists to jump behind and cheer on a Prime Minister whose policies they are probably neither familiar with or care about.

But does that really mean that ANY ONE is saying that the PM is now going to try and fall back on the sexism card every time she gets flustered in Question Time?

If she were going to do that, she would have pulled out the sex card from day one. And to be frank, I’ve never once seen her do it (until recently).

Even then she wasn't so much using the sex card as she was taking away the 'sexism' card from Tony Abbott.

I don’t believe Gillard is a victim and in every interview I’ve seen I don’t think she’s ever tried to paint herself as a victim. Well, not because of her sex anyway. Certainly, because of the tirade of an opposition leader like Tony Abbot, which is to be expected from any opposition leader (although Abbott really is in a class of his own).

You know what I’m offended by? A public sphere which in anyway pushes the agenda that Gillard somehow ‘set back women’s rights’ because no one will take her seriously now or ‘should have considered her male voters.’

This just enforces to me that we still have a serious problem with sexism in this country and it needs to continue to be seriously addressed.

To quote Crikey’s ‘Dog On the Moon’: “today we’re all offended by sexism.” And so we always will be.