Thus, the problem with criticizing a woman for being appealing to a patriarchal beauty standard, you are, whether you like it or not, feeding the belief that women are catty. Moreover, it feeds the notion that conventionally attractive women cannot… Read More ›
Sociology
HIV needlestick hoax
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service says it has received thousands of calls from people concerned by a hoax email about HIV-infected needles found in a cinema seat and at an automatic teller machine. The email circulated widely across Australia… Read More ›
Boring consumerism
I took the tigling and some of her friends for a cinema and pizza outing yesterday to celebrate the tigling’s birthday. That was fine, lots of fun, actually. But because of the weather we had to stay inside the mall… Read More ›
I’m glad he said it
This is the most-viewed article on today’s SMH online: “All religions degrade women“. AN ANGLICAN archbishop has linked Taj el-Din al Hilaly’s inflammatory comments on women with the degrading image of “the sheila” in pub culture and the failure of… Read More ›
How I learned to stop worrying and love the Diebold machine
Scott Adams: I think about the history of ATMs when I hear all the nervous Nellies wetting their pants over electronic voting machines. I believe those worries are totally misplaced. Now don’t get me wrong ““ there’s a 100% chance… Read More ›
GOP: vote because you’re scared
The GOP message basically boils down to this: We have created a world so unstable and hostile with our unbroken string of blunders and unnecessary provocations, can you really risk electing someone new who will squander two weeks learning the… Read More ›
The veil dilemma
Speaking out against the veiling of Muslim women is hugely problematic because of the way niqab has been politicised, and also because the experience of North Africa shows that when Western feminists get shrill about Islamic oppression of women it… Read More ›
Wheels grinding slowly
Good news from India – a new law gives broad protections to women against domestic violence, specifically including the special violence that results when trying to get a larger dowry payment from the bride’s family. The framers of the new… Read More ›
Privilege and higher education
The SMH reports on the results of a study by ANU academics titled Why are high ability individuals from poor backgrounds underrepresented at university? RESEARCH has exploded some myths about university entry and performance – including the notion that richer… Read More ›
Reproductive Freedoms roundup
Australia’s abortion healthcare is superior but improvement has stalled due to stigmas on training programmes: It shows that the most common [abortion] complications occur far less frequently in Australia than in other western countries. Only 0.2 of every 1,000 abortions… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 