Content Note: discussion of rape jokes
You know that old chestnut. COMEDY SHOULD BE SACROSANCT. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO JOKE ABOUT ANYTHING. TO ANYONE.
Sociology
Savita Halappanavar dead when an abortion could have saved her
She was miscarrying at 17 weeks gestation, there was no way to save the dying foetus, but it still had a heartbeat, so the Catholic doctors refused to terminate the pregnancy, allowing septicaemia to develop and eventually kill her.
Friday Hoyden: Sekai Holland
The current Zimbabwean Minister for Reconciliation, Healing and Integration has a long history with Australia, going back to her days as a university student. Sekai was here this week to accept the Sydney Peace prize, and give its associated lecture.
DCI Peter Fox calls for Royal Commission into paedophilia within the Catholic Church
For people to sit back and say it’s not going on, they’ve got their head in the sand. The greatest frustration is that there is so much power and organisation behind the scenes that police don’t have the powers to be able to go in and seize documents and have them disclose things to us.
Conroy backs down on internet filter
It’s good to see Stephen Conroy finally face the facts: his filter proposal was about as clever as equipping a blue whale to pursue a vulture.
The 54th Down Under Feminists Carnival is up!
All the details on the latest edition, and how to submit to the next one!
Toxic culture in university colleges
A 2009 post from Mary (almost exactly three years ago) is getting a lot of hits today, and I’m deducing that it’s because of searching on St Johns college at the University of Sydney due to this SMH story: Culture of anarchy at a college in crisis.
Argument is the human condition, but public argument is not (until the Internet arrived)
A fascinating long post from Clay Shirky on the information age’s transformation of the media landscape, via @Colvinius who referenced it as part of his 2012 Andrew Olle Media Lecture.
Bananas in Pyjamas teaching you to like ‘bad boys’ and clean up all their mess
File this one under: Don’t let your cranky, feminist mother watch your TV shows. So, my three year old son was watching an episode (‘Super Bear’) of the Australian children’s show, Bananas in Pyjamas the other day and I walked… Read More ›
Is Australia more feminist?
The Australian prime minister Julia Gillard’s labelling of the leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott, a “misogynist” has become the focus of intense debate both in Australia and here in the UK. What has been most striking for me is… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 