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Ban the Necktie; It’s a Symbol of Male Oppression!

Watching the Hanson/Latham mutual admiration society on “60 Minutes” last Sunday night…

Actually that’s not really true, I didn’t watch it. I happened to switch back to the channel accidentally and like most people, when you think you’re about the witness an accident, you find it hard to look away until that moment when you go: “Oh no, that’s just too horrible.” In the case of last night’s program, it only took about “60 Seconds” before I’d had enough and would have changed to almost anything had it not been for them flashing to shots of Pauline in her burqa.

Now, I know that Pauline’s point is that the burqa should be banned for security reasons. Of course, there is some truth to the argument that you don’t know who’s underneath the burqa and if it were a suicide bomber, you wouldn’t be able to get an accurate description so when you reached the Pearly Gates, St Peter would turn you away because you couldn’t describe your assassin…

Ok, maybe not.

Let’s be quite honest here. There’s no reason to specifically ban the burqa on those grounds. It would be one thing to make laws which insisted that faces couldn’t be uncovered in public; it’s quite another to be specific about a particular garment when there’s no evidence that anyone wearing a burqa in Australia has ever committed any atrocities, with the possible exception of Pauline and her destruction of the English language.

Now, I don’t really want to dwell on Latham and Hanson. I am aware of the difficulty of finding the balance between not allowing their nonsense to go unchallenged and ignoring people like that so that you don’t give them the oxygen they need. Of course, it’s hard to ignore them when “Sunrise” gives Pauline airtime on a regular basis and “60 Minutes” give them the “Married At First Sight” treatment. Of course, I’ll stick with Pauline, says Mark, as if I’d leave her party before the election!

Anyway, the segment reminded me about all those other arguments for banning the burqa that I’ve heard over the years. It does strike me as ironic that many of those I’ve heard arguing that wearing it oppresses women, are the same people who argue that feminism is just political correctness gone mad.

But when it comes to oppressive clothing, I couldn’t help but notice Mark Latham was wearing a necktie. I mean, why on earth was he doing such a thing?

Clearly the necktie is a symbol of male oppression. Men are forced to wear neckties which constricts the blood flow and that stops oxygen getting to the brain. If you think about it, most of the world’s problems have been caused by men wearing ties!

You only have to look at Latham’s statements about DNA testing of those claiming Aboriginal heritage. I mean nobody who had blood flowing freely to the brain could possibly be that stupid…

Ok, Pauline Hanson doesn’t wear ties but she’s an exception. It may be something to do with the chemicals she inhaled while working in the fish and chips shop, but if we could just ignore her for a moment… Actually, could we just ignore her forever.

Anyway, I don’t blame the men wearing the neckties. I mean it’s not really their fault. They were persuaded by people who didn’t want them to think for themselves and once they started wearing those ties, they couldn’t really see the damage that it was doing.

I think the best thing we can do is when we see a man wearing a tie and giving a speech, we should all shout: “Loosen the tie, there may still be hope. Quick, before the damage is permanent.”

But don’t do it to Latham. He may tighten his, just to show that he doesn’t need oxygen and that he can manage just fine on…

On second thought, do it to whoever you see wearing a tie.

sigh

How many days till that election? I don’t have hopes that Labor will solve all our problems, but I do feel that they may stop making them worse.

At least there’s a couple of Labor ministers who don’t have those blue ties stopping their capacity to think!

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20 comments

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  1. Jon Chesterson

    I lasted five seconds while I was surfing through the channels last night. These two peaches and cream are both as deluded as each other and for the love of god I cannot understand how any self respecting TV network could even contemplate such a nightmare. But then Nine Network are a commercial channel and they don’t give a shit what damage they do to people’s brains, or our electoral system, our democracy. In fact the more damage and confusion they can cause, the more misinformation and legitimising the business of absolute morons the better. You see I am not one of those who think democracy is is like a free range chick or cockerel farm, it’s not a farm at all, we’ve been warned of this before.

    If you can’t show decency and respect, tolerance, reason, integrity, honesty and humanity, then you are not fit to vote let alone stand for Parliament. And you are certainly not fit to grand stand and cuddle up on national TV brainwashing the masses. There is such a thing called responsibility, with rights and freedom come responsibility – These two don’t have it, the Liberal and Nationals don’t have it, Morrison is an anathema, and Nine have demonstrated they don’t have it either, so I don’t watch it, very rarely – The world is polluted enough but I can keep my house sensible, thoughtful and free of such abuses, that is up to me.

    But Rossleigh you have excelled yourself with trivia, ‘Clearly the necktie is a symbol of male oppression. Men are forced to wear neckties which constricts the blood flow and that stops oxygen getting to the brain. If you think about it, most of the world’s problems have been caused by men wearing ties!’ What a load of rubbish, 50% of what was sitting in the chair on channel Nine last night was not wearing a necktie, and unless she had tied one for a growing member of her family, which I doubt, I don’t think she would even know how to tie one. Wearing a tie does not equate to identifying people who have created most of the world’s problems, but pathology and testosterone a far more reliable bet! Did no-one ever caution you not to judge a book by its cover, to generalise like that, causing some very good men to suffer your social affliction. I know there are fewer around today, either that or we are suffering from Darwinism, but don’t you think we scare off the good ones, attracting the bad is enough without flippant dress remarks like that.

  2. Phil.

    The only thing that would look good around Latham’s neck is a hemp rope. The black hood normally put over the head before the rope, could/should be used on Hanson. If Latham gets a seat in NSW in a couple of weeks, I am going to give up on Australian politics altogether because these space cadets will have won. Sometimes I think it’s Latham’s sense of humour working overtime , he is just being a scally wag or a bit of a rascal. Maybe he’s got the hots for Hanson. I mean she scrubbed up alright in dancing with the stars. Any port in a storm as they say. But no, this mouth in a suit is serious. He really is bona fide nuts.

  3. Aortic

    Jon, you say that commercial channels don’t give a shit what they do to people’s brains. Trust me, the people who watch commercials channels, particularly what is oxymoronically called 7, 9 and 10 news don’t have any brains. Unless of course you are interested in the latest highway crash or what brainless thug in the NRL has committed a drunken act of violence.

  4. Alcibiades

    Disclosure: One is not of indigenous or semitic ancestry.

    You only have to look at Latham’s statements about DNA testing of those claiming Aboriginal heritage. I mean nobody who had blood flowing freely to the brain could possibly be that stupid…

    Well if one recalls correctly you had to prove sufficient aryaness(sic) via certified documented genealogical family trees/bloodlines going back generations to be accepted into the SS, Gestapo or NSDAP, etc , otherwise no special priveledges and benefits of the State for you !

    Conversely, any supposed ahem, semitic, ancestry, even a single grandparent, was sufficient to lose all & any benefits & human/lawful rights, even revocation of German citizenship … even life.

    One does wonder where Latham got the idea for his obscene policy from ? Curious …

    Why the Fark are we still paying him a ~$80,000pa parliamentiary pension ?

    PS NSDAP & co. mentioned above all seemed to have a fondness for neckties too, snazzy black uniforms with black boots, and much chest tin & baubles, like our proud boys & girls in BorderFarce under Dutton, heh ?

  5. RomeoCharlie29

    Alcibiades, I would have thought Latham’s pension would be more than that, after all they are indexed and not at the stupid CPI used to increase ( or not) pensions for the Hoi Polloi.

  6. Zathras

    As I recall the conditions of the Commonwealth Super Scheme, Latham’s pension would be around 60% of his final salary averaged over the previous 3 years, indexed for inflation – plus the return of all his Super contributions as a lump sum (with interest).

    He would have been paying 5% into the Fund from the beginning but there are other options available, such as paying more into Super to increase the percentage paid out and so on.

    Strangely, he’s allowed to access that pension immediately and not wait until he is formally and officially declared to be retired (at age 55 for the rest of his generation).

    Conveniently he managed to get Howard to shut off that scheme for new parliamentarians but the previous ones plus all Commonwealth Public Servants continue to enjoy those benefits.

    With a shrinking membership plus a growing liability it’s no wonder the Government had to sell Telstra and establish the Future Fund to keep paying for it, especially after not funding it for a number of years to make their Budget bottom lines look better than they really were.

    They sold off a money-making publicly owned asset just to guarantee their ongoing personal benefits and the rest of us are stuck with perpetuallly increasing costs.

    Nice one!

    That’s why it’s better to be in Government and get paid more as a Minister than a back-bencher to get that average salary up and also smart to leave before that average salary drops back down.

  7. wam

    Don dunstan got it right 50 years ago?
    Was it a tongue in cheek, Rossleigh???
    Got the usual violence from phil but?
    ps phon fielded in 61 seats for 370000 first preference
    the loonies in all 93 seats got 270000?

  8. terence mills

    wam

    Mark Latham in pink shorts !

    What an image………….

  9. Diannaart

    Rossleigh you have presented solid evidence regarding the impact on the cerebrum by tie wearing, it explains a lot, I would add bow ties to the list of repressive clothing … although a personal penchant for bow tie and nothing else …

    Apologies, cut to chase … as you alluded what is Pauline Hanson’s excuse for idiocy? Or Michaelia Cash? Melissa Price? And the sycophants such as Miranda Devine? Maybe it’s the brand of perfume?

    At least there’s not so many women … perhaps misogyny is merely part of the reason behind low representation by women on the conservative side of politics.

  10. helvityni

    Terence Mills, what about a safari suit…???

  11. Kronomex

    Keep the tie, just knot it around their face and stuff the whole lot in their cake holes.

  12. Alcibiades

    One Notion’s NSW election campaign funded by Queensland party loans The Graund

    Greens and electoral experts question whether the arrangement may sidestep tighter NSW campaign finance laws …

    Oops. Ashby & Pauline may have done it again … one time too many ?

    PS Alas Latham is almost certain to be elected …

  13. Geoff Andrews

    Surely there’s nothing wrong with Latham’s idea of testing for the eligibility of someone applying for a scholarship that’s meant for aborigines. It’s the same as a man being involved in a paternity claim: surely he has the right to ask for a DNA test.
    At least a test would eliminate that rare person: the white scammier.

  14. Diannaart

    Geoff

    That “rare person” would justify the expense, let alone the invasion of privacy of implementing such tests across Australia?

    As for paternity tests, these are usually requested by the DNA donor, are also rare and for family reasons. Not exactly on the same level as treating all First Nation people as frauds.

    Try thinking things through, I realise this is fashionable, when knee jerk responses are contemporary government policies (refugee detention, coal is good) however thinking through to the best outcome for people instead of punitive approaches would change the world.

  15. totaram

    Geoff Andrews: DNA testing isn’t as simple as you think. After all, some 90+ percent of human DNA is the same as that of a chimp.
    ” Chimpanzees and humans are closely related (sharing 95% of their DNA sequence and 99% of coding DNA sequences; ” from Wikipedia. Some more digging will uncover a lot more about the stupidity of that Latham idea. It isn’t even new.

  16. Patagonian

    More likely PoorLeaner is afflicted by long-term exposure to the chemicals used to dye her hair such a noxious shade of red.

    In regard to DNA testing, one look at A. Bott and the close relationship between chimps and humans is blindingly obvious.

  17. Alcibiades

    No DNA test exists for Aboriginality: Scientists (SBS News 16 Mar 19)

    Pauline Hanson’s One Nation earlier this week released a policy proposing to have the DNA of people identifying as Indigenous tested in a bid the party claims will put an end to widespread ‘rorting’…

  18. totaram

    Maybe, we need a DNA test to prove aboriginality, so that those who fail this test cannot access government benefits intended for aboriginals, which should be the highest priority for all benefits. Once we work this out, watch the likes of Latham suddenly change his tune. This demented person needs to have his head examined (literally – a MRI scan will do wonders).

  19. DrakeN

    totaram: “…which should be the highest priority for all benefits.”

    Really?
    Not the support of people who do not have the means/ability to support themselves?
    How many ‘rorters’ have been discovered as a proportion of all benefits recipitents?
    When you have the figures, compare it to the vast losses to the communal purse from activities such as the publicity stunt that Scummo conducted in going to Christmas Island for political chicanery.
    I think that you will find that the losses to the treasury from welfare ‘rorting’ pale into insignificance by comparison.

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