Comments on: Fish-wives, Mr Premier?

By: Mothers Not Human: In The Words Of Our Premier — Hoyden About Town

Mothers Not Human: In The Words Of Our Premier — Hoyden About Town — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:48:09 +0000

[...] leader. We should have known when he appointed the chair-sniffer as Treasurer and sneered about fish-wives that he wasn’t really one for women’s rights, eh? Oh wait, we did. Who the fuck voted [...]

By: The Eleventh Down Under Feminists’ Carnival « WhyI’mbitter’s Weblog

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:23:42 +0000

[...] POLITICS In case you were under the impression you’re valued for your mind or success as a woman, Deborah presents an Important memo for women of substance and achievement and Melanie McFarlane presents Guest post by Melanie Macfarlane: When I Grow Up: Taking Career Advice from the TV at Larvatus Prodeo both posted at Larvatus Prodeo. Carol looks at homophobia as a way to keep successful women politicians down in The Hand Mirror: Guest post: We’re all lesbians now: undermining powerful women posted at The Hand Mirror, while over at Hoyden About Town, Lauredhel dissects the misogyny in a speech by Colin Barnett in Fish-wives, Mr Premier? [...]

By: Lauredhel

Lauredhel — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:12:59 +0000

Helen:

Women actually do fight fires, too.

Absolutely they do! However, volunteer firefighting isn’t a deprecated, woman-dominated volunteer class. Interestingly enough, firefighters, who are mostly men, are (deservedly, of course) hero-worshipped in our culture. People in women-dominated volunteering orgs, no matter how hard they work or how much they risk, are not.

By: shinynewcoin

shinynewcoin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:23:45 +0000

No, it wasn’t on the website, at least not that I noticed. Page 6 or 8, from memory. Uncomfortable pic, really weak story. It was only when I read the transcript you posted I actually understood what they were talking about. Which is par for the course for the MSM.

By: SunlessNick

SunlessNick — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:57:55 +0000

Mr Barnett’s chumly sneering lays bare his disdain for women working in community groups. He chose to couch his disdain in sexist language, choosing the word “wives” for women instead of their self-chosen term, “women”.

That word choice, compared to “Fishing Industry Women,” also plays down the women’s involvement in the industry they’re speaking about – as if they are interrupting a conversation they aren’t part of.

By: flyingblogspot

flyingblogspot — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:49:32 +0000

Well said, Lauredhel; regrettably, Barnett continues to demean many of us, and embarrass us all.

By: Meg Thornton

Meg Thornton — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:15:23 +0000

I'd like to apologise to the people of Western Australia, because unfortunately, Colin Barnett is not only our premier, he's my local member (and I use the term in its most euphemistic sense). All I can say in my defence is I didn't vote for the man, and Cottesloe is a blue-ribbon Liberal safe seat anyway. Colin Barnett is, however, an excellent example of the standard Liberal pollie - he'll say whatever the hell gets him into parliament, and then turn around and start asking his rich mates what *they* want to be able to do (for further details, see endless wrangling in the Post and the Chronicle - our two free local newspapers - regarding building height on Cottesloe beachfront; Mr Barnett campaigned on a five storey maximum, then went back on it as soon as he got into office) and be damned to the rest of us. Meg Thornton's last blog post..Living on the dole (which is more a curse than a prayer)

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:27:34 +0000

Women actually do fight fires, too.

By: Lauredhel

Lauredhel — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:22:52 +0000

The West also ran a story on this today but the sentiment seemed watered down a great deal, not sure if it was intentional or just as a result of general ignorance.

Do you know if it hit their website, or do you have any other details? I can’t find it there (I don’t have a paper copy).

By: shinynewcoin

shinynewcoin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:50:47 +0000

Great post. The West also ran a story on this today but the sentiment seemed watered down a great deal, not sure if it was intentional or just as a result of general ignorance.