Yippee! International Women’s Day
By Kyran O’Dwyer
Once a year, we have global recognition of a ‘cause’, whereby ‘World Leaders’ and ‘Very Important People’ get together at breakfasts, dinners and evening banquets to pay homage to the cause. This follows a tried and tested formula whereby Very Important People and World Leaders get together at Very Expensively Catered Events, with lots of media and celebrities, and;
- Acknowledge this is a serious problem.
- Acknowledge that little, if anything, has changed since last year.
- Promise to do better next year.
Cue drum roll, fanfare, back slapping and a final very expensive drink for these Very Important World Leaders to assuage what little conscience they have left, or provide the necessary stupor for them to have their well-deserved rest. How else could they possibly sleep?
There is a passage in Bryce Courtenay’s book, ‘Solomon’s Song’;
“I studied hard and learned to read and write and spent much time with the pakeha’s [white man’s] Bible. I learned that it was a good book from a merciful God and I found it so myself. But I was soon to discover that it was the pakeha’s Sunday book only and all the remaining days of the week the pakeha felt free to disobey the commandments of his own God.
It was then that I first realised that the pakeha’s word could not be trusted, not even on a Sunday, for it was not founded in his mana [impersonal supernatural power]. That his God was good only for births and burials and his word was as worthless as a broken pot.”
Like the pomp and splendour of a Sunday service, the importance and relevance of a National Day is celebrated temporarily, to be discarded either at the following dawn or the arrival of the next National Day. I’ll get back to God later.
March 8 was the turn of ‘International Women’s Day’. The annual ‘celebration’ of an international problem that is serious, just like all of the ‘International’ and ‘National’ Days.
Now, to qualify my remarks, I must state my credentials. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In the absence of any, I will resort to A. A. Milne for validation and verification of my entitlement to comment, which barely exists.
“Eeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh.”
You see, I’m largely pessimistic, often gloomy, bordering on depressed, definitely old, grey and, most definitely, stuffed. Not to mention I’m often described as an ass, which is as near enough to a donkey as I want to get. As for the anhedonia, I had to look that up.
“Anhedonia is defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions.”
As I’m not a politician in Canberra with access to an unlimited expense account, most of the ‘pleasurable activities’ provided as examples don’t apply to me. Once upon a time, I did, however, derive pleasure in participating in activities that helped change things that I considered unjust. Not often successful, but knowing I tried was important for my own peace of mind.
Anyway, getting back to Eeyore, the most important qualification, entitlement, empowerment granted to me by A. A. Milne to validate and verify my capacity to comment on ‘International Women’s Day’ were the two letters you may well have missed.
“HE”.
Having established my entitlement to comment, this is another gratuitous, patriarchal platitude to help make us all feel better about a situation that is wrong, that is not changing, and will be the same again next year when we do this all over again.
International Women’s Day should be all about gender inequality, discrimination, the types of crime disproportionately affecting women, their exclusion from many parliamentary forums (ostensibly due to ‘merit’ inadequacies), their absence from positions of authority, the disparity between pay and conditions in ‘gentrified’ and ‘feminised’ workplaces. The list is all but endless.
One ‘symptom’ of ‘the problem’, is the use of a descriptor that I find abhorrent. ‘Domestic Violence’. The very epitome of weasel words. As if, for whatever reason, the violent crime being committed is somehow palatable or acceptable because it happens in the sanctity of a ‘domestic’ setting. The very fact that you have a violent crime occurring in an environment that is meant to be safe because of its perceived foundation in trust, that is meant to be both loving and caring, makes it more, not less, heinous. The very fact that the perpetrator often claims that trust, love and care are, somehow, a part of their motivation for their criminal acts escapes me.
Here in Melbourne, the nightly news tonight will be focused on ‘violent crime’, as it was last night and will be tomorrow night. At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, we are heading to an election later this year. Guy has already declared law and order will be a main issue and the media are building up the perception of an exaggerated level of crime.
Whilst crime should be addressed by government, this predominance of ‘home invasion’ and ‘car jack’ reporting is designed to instill fear in the populace, that they can’t feel safe in their own home, let alone walking or driving down the street. It’s simply a localised version of the ‘terrorist’ strategy. Inflate the threat and promise to address it. That this violation of the sanctity and safety of ‘the home’ is far more reported yet far less frequent than the less reported incidents of ‘domestic violence’ is a matter of some disgrace. Not on those impacted.
On our ‘leaders’ and their media handmaidens.
Women are dying on a frequent basis (both by murder and suicide) and the incidence of physical, emotional and psychological trauma is being better recorded. The damage done to children of these relationships is only just starting to be researched more carefully. The impact on friends and family of both the victim and perpetrator are being better understood. The cost to the economy is estimated in billions, not millions.
Men are affected by these crimes as well, but at, roughly, 75/25%, the ‘victims’ are predominantly female.
Why ‘domestic violence’ is not reported with the same fervour as the far less frequent crime and the almost nonexistent ‘terrorism’ is cause for speculation.
The Victorian government has had a Royal Commission into this criminal ‘domestic’ violence and have instituted many laudable policies which are fully funded. That is a good thing and, even more encouraging, the government has been seeking advice and recommendations from women to continuously refine and evolve their strategies and programs.
On the Federal stage? Funding has been stripped, resources have been reduced or removed and they don’t like to know about it, let alone talk about it.
‘DV’ was on last October’s COAG Agenda. It was removed at the last minute due to some ‘terror’ threat which required that the entire COAG agenda be replaced with ‘National Security’. ‘DV’ was not on the February COAG Agenda.
If that doesn’t make this federal governments priorities crystal clear to the reader, nothing will.
That’s only one of the many issues faced by women that have been overtaken by the ‘MeToo’ and ‘Time’sUp’ movements. The campaigns are, quite justifiably, receiving global attention and are largely focused on the media and entertainment industries. Both industries are alpha male (on steroids) in their structure and have an inbuilt protection system. Everything from ‘she was asking for it’ to ‘she didn’t say no often enough or loudly enough’. As always, there will be a few sacrifices of shameful males, some chest thumping and righteous indignation, then some shallow changes to protocols and we’ll all go on our merry way.
As we have seen from the furore, Weinstein isn’t the only perpetrator. Whilst the focus is predominantly on the media and entertainment industries, examples are being presented in other industries.
Why the melancholy?
Jimmy Saville.
Saville passed away in 2011 and allegations about his abusing arose shortly thereafter. After more than three enquiries, it was found his ‘power’ was so immense that many knew of his depraved behaviour over a period of decades, but did nothing because of his power, derived from his ‘celebrity’ and ‘commercial value’. Even after his death, it was incumbent on the abused to prove their ‘good character’ before a complaint would even be contemplated.
Very little changed systemically, but an outraged public was pacified and we returned to the same old same old.
Weinstein has been around forever, but it was not until October 2017, six years after the demise of Saville, that enough women came out to protest his depravity. Not the ‘lowly’ women who would never have a voice, but the ‘celebrity’ women, most often in the same trade as Weinstein. When those females spoke up, those males with power did everything they could to preserve the regime. Weinstein has been dealt with (to a point, as he’s not in jail yet) but the entrenched misogyny and sexism is merely lying low, waiting for the storm to pass.
In the six years between the Saville and Weinstein ‘stories’, nothing had changed. Male power has been institutionalised for millennia and will withstand temporary setbacks.
We can go into the history of this as much as we like. The simple truth is that this is a man’s world. The immortal words of Bette Midler from The Rose struck me all those decades ago and will likely remain with me until the day I drop.
“What are we ladies? What are we? We are waitresses at the banquet of life! Get into that kitchen and rattle them pots and pans – and you better look pretty good doin’ it too, ‘else you gonna lose you good thing. And why do we do that, I’ll tell you why we do that? We do that to find love – Oh I love to be in love – don’t you love to be in love?”
Memories of Ma and my sisters re-enacting that scene will haunt me, not because of their parody (which was hilarious), but the unfortunate absence of a singing voice between them for the ‘musical’ interludes (not that I can claim to be any better). Even then, though, the solution offered in the movie reeked of the patriarchal reality.
“Or do you say, “Fuck this shit! I’ve had enough of you, you asshole! Pack your bags. I’m putting on my little waitress cap and my fancy high-heeled shoes, I’m gonna go find me a real man. A good man, a true man.””
The only escape from one ‘waitressing’ ‘job’ was to find another one.
Even with all of this current maelstrom, there are narratives being planted to cauterize the damage. Does anyone think, for a second, that the only industries or occupations effected by this structure is the media and entertainment sectors?
We have a self-confessed pussy grabber in the White House, yet politicians would have us believe that he is the exception, not the rule, and his transgressions are acceptable because ‘He’s Donald’. ‘Boys will be boys’. ‘It’s just locker room banter’.
Even here, in modern shambolic Australia, with all of the allegations against (and confessions by) Joyce, we are told that the promiscuity is widespread but ‘we don’t want to go there’, because it’s private. ‘They’re just blowing off steam’. ‘They miss their families’.
This is about power, not a power imbalance. From the cradle to the grave, we have a gendered society. The rate of change has been glacial. As a child, there were boys toys and girls toys. There were boys clothes and girls clothes. There were ‘acceptable’ behaviours for boys and they were different to what was acceptable for girls. It seems passing strange that these conversations are still occurring in 2018.
In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s there were social movements that started to address this. Bra burning and contraception were two issues regarded as controversial, even horrifying for some. Having thought that so many issues had been addressed in the societal sense way back then, how can it possibly be, in 2018, that how women dress and contraception are still considered newsworthy, let alone controversial? And why is it that men are so often the most vocal?
The simple analysis would be that the conversations are fixated on what the female is wearing or the ‘morality’ of contraception, not the basic issue. A woman’s right to choose for herself.
There is little need to study the history. We have made a habit of reliving it, ad nauseam. Going back to the start of what we euphemistically refer to as ‘civilised society’, steeped in religious belief, there were two types of females, the two Mary’s. And God.
There was the virtuous virgin preparing to give birth and the woman of ill repute granted forgiveness for her sins.
How are women defined if not in the ‘Black and White’ of virtuous or scandalous? Those worthy of protection, exaltation even, and those whose actions are to be forgiven? Any entitlement they may have to rights is based on their ‘morality’, as defined by men.
No matter how dated that scenario is, it seems that the subservience of woman to man is very deeply entrenched everywhere you look.
Even though the MeToo and Time’sUp movements have achieved much, that conversation is already being distracted. The ‘unfairness’ of public naming and shaming is being talked about as much as the allegations are. The absence of any meaningful system to deal with everything from bullying and harassment to coercion and assault (sexual or otherwise) is an act of sabotage on any long term outcome.
Any such conversation right now is a wasted exercise. Our current government is simply not up to it. If any reader has any expectation of positive action from this dysfunctional government, I can only suggest serious medication.
There was a song by the Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin in 1985, ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves’.
“cause there’s something we forgot to say to you,
we say sisters are doin’ it for themselves
standin’ on their own two feet
and ringin’ on their own bells
sisters are doin’ it for themselves”
It’s nice to dream sometimes.
Imagine if women across Australia got together to form a National Women’s Congress. Where membership of the Congress wasn’t a matter of gender, but the nomination for membership could only be made by women. Between groups such as Change.Org and GetUp, forums such as this and crowd funding capacities, there is no need to wait for the ‘political will’ or the blessing (and, more importantly, financing) of VIP’s and World Leaders. I’d even hazard a guess and say many brothers would be more than happy to contribute dollars to their sisters, whilst keeping their mouths shut.
Imagine if that Congress could use the Law Reform Commission to draft legislative proposals to put to Parliament.
Imagine if there was a Women’s Ombudsman, with all of the necessary power and resources to accept and investigate claims, from bullying to assault, and take them through to prosecution and restitution. The shoddy ‘name and shame’ model can only be dispensed with when there is a legitimate process to handle such complaints.
Imagine if women had their own superannuation fund. Many current funds have ‘death and disability’ and ‘unemployment’ provisions. With a Women’s Fund, the thorny issue of ‘maternity leave’ can be addressed through a superannuation provision. Funding for women who work full time in domestic environments could also be funded through this. It could address the serious imbalance in superannuation for women and could be used as a universal basic income for those engaged in raising children. Naturally, male membership would be welcome, even though their prospects of falling pregnant would rival the legend of the immaculate conception (and likely be as profitable).
Imagine if women had their own bank. There is a lending scheme in India created by some wealthy bloke to lend ‘micro loans’ specifically to women. After several years of experience, it has been established that the default level is next to zero and the borrowers have grown business and small enterprises that have made them self-sufficient and independent in a very patriarchal society. Such a bank could look at gender specific financing of all manner of things with due regard to the vagaries of full time continuous work, varying such things as the interest rate, fees and repayment period to accommodate the employment ‘breaks’.
Imagine if the minimum wage was set for graduates based on the level of their education rather than the nature of their degree. We know that certain industries are underpaid as the work force is largely feminised, so why aren’t we looking at legislating a minimum wage for graduates, regardless of their courses?
Imagine if we could remove the ‘stick’ of forced quota employment and wages parity and put in a ‘carrot’ instead. There is legislation proposed in the EU to restrict a CEO or Managing Director (the person in charge of corporations, authorities, departments, etc) to no more than 9 times the ‘mean’ salary of their workforce, in the hope of reducing the glaring chasm between the lowest and highest paid. It wouldn’t take much tweaking to amend that to the highest paid salary in an organisation being linked as a multiple of the female employee’s wage. Watch conditions change then!
Imagine if women had their own religion. (I did say I’d get back to God, though maybe not in this lifetime!) They could invite all the God’s to explain their position and why any particular dogma should be adhered to or take precedence over another. In the event the God’s don’t respond to the invitation, they could simply start their own church. Given the role played by most of the churches in the suppression of women and women’s rights, there seems to be little point in asking the blokes currently representing the various God’s for any input. That would be as silly as asking politicians to act.
This isn’t about a power imbalance. This is about women having bugger all power. To shift that culture, given the government we are stuck with, sisters gotta start doin it for themselves. As one sister said, “if the rules broke, disobey it until they fix it”. What she didn’t say was that if the rules are seriously broke, start your own rule book.
By looking at the ‘system’, we automatically look at it through its present form. We look to change what is there, rather than ask if there is another way. This ‘power’ thing has caused a lot of problems globally. Us old, grey, dumb ass males haven’t acquitted ourselves too well. In a final act of cowardice, isn’t it fair to ask our sisters to get us out of the Pooh (one more time)?
As a parting salvo, a very dear friend, long since passed, mentored me in an organisation. One of his best bits of advice was ‘Sometimes, you gotta get a bit of mongrel in you’.
Don’t even bother with the mealy mouthed offerings of those who created the problem.
Don’t look at things that are there and ask ‘Why?’ Imagine, dream, of things that aren’t there and ask ‘Why Not?’
Oh dear. I’m going to shut up now.
now there was a time
when they used to say
that behind every great man
there had to be a great woman
but in these times of change
you know that it’s no longer true
so we’re coming out of the kitchencause there’s something we forgot to say to you,
we say sisters are doin’ it for themselves
standin’ on their own two feet
and ringin’ on their own bells
sisters are doin’ it for themselvesnow this is a song to celebrate
the conscious liberation of the female state
mothers, daughters and their daughters too
woman to woman we’re singin’ with you
the inferior sex has got a new exterior we
got doctors, lawyers, politicians too
everybody take a look around
can you see there’s a woman right next to younow we ain’t makin’ stories
and we ain’t laying plans
don’t you know that a man
still loves a woman
and a woman still loves a man
just the same though
14 comments
Login here Register hereAwesome work, Kyran.
When I was born, there was NO no-fault divorce, women could not get a mortgage on their own, if married had to seek permission from their husband to travel overseas! (even if separated and this rule was only scrapped in 1983, from memory), what else, oh, had to go into the LAAAAADIES Lounge” never the “PUBLIC” bar, which was only for men – I have more than a few tales resulting from ignoring that particular piece of apartheid.
That was last century and I have much to be grateful for, as I find myself living in the 21st century – independent and relatively free – however I am not a young woman just starting out in a world which still objectifies women, treats them as less important socially, politically, publicly. As Kyran points out we still have a long way to go.
Loving this piece of satire from Van Badham:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/08/quiz-do-women-suck-or-is-it-the-world
yes, well said Kyran. Seems we need to legislate to get change, and that’s hard when there is a big gender imbalance in the parliament and in power.
How about women start a super fund that only invests in companies that have 50 per cent women on the board? Damn, it there aren’t any /s
But we could legislate that corporations be thus constituted. We license them to operate but their only sense of social responsibility is to make a big profit, screw the employees, replace them with robotics, screw their suppliers etc.
All while our politicians turn a blind eye.
Diannart, yes come a long way, a long way to go. Some of us blokes welcome further change in your direction.
Any time any man provides considered and genuine support for gender equality, it is a step forward. Particularly for boys and girls who will mature symbiotically – neither one at the expense of the other.
…girls who want to fly planes, boys who want to dance… still remarked upon because it is still remarkable, when it simply should be ordinary.
Thanks for this, Kyran. Damn fine post.
There would be some chance if diannaart’s “in a world which still objectifies women, treats them as less important socially, politically, publicly.” treats’ is treatable but a world that believes god created women to not be equal requires some skillful surgery.
Sadly I am a simpleton who cannot understand how women can believe in a male god who accepts men who kill women and children into heaven and provides them with women to bonk.
Who can hope to change such faith in the veracity of men?
There are snippets like earhart, the spitfire women or the comfort women or the skills of the british women in ww1 or the septics in ww2, how about three war heroes white rabbit, bullwinkle,.Yevdokiya Nikolayevna Zavaliy or from my youth fanny blankers keon heather mackay, dawn fraser there are many names all Aussie boys and girls should recognise by grade 5 naplan
Not much will change as long as religion treats women as the property of men – something to be coveted like donkeys or cattle – and demands they should be seen and not heard and are relegated to being mere baby factories to spawn yet more believers, even if it kills them.
You can’t change culture without changing millennia of an attitude that labels them as either virgins or “fallen women” and nothing inbetween.
These things say a lot more about the corrupt power of men than anything at all about women. They will never remove this big rock in the road to true equality but perhaps there are ways of going around it.
Purple Ribbon, Pink Ribbon, White Ribbon Day, so many causes, we’ll soon run out colours; the change is not in the talking, it’s in the actions….
Let’s be more selective when choosing our leaders…..perhaps young progressive women instead old conservative men, who fear change..
Maybe Dr Norman Swan was joking when he said ‘yesterday was Haemorrhoids Day’….( or was it kidneys ?)
On Thursday’s Drum on the ABC, ex-Senator Jackie Lambie echoed the words of other conservative women that we women should all just toughen up. Stop playing the victim. Men are just like that. Deal with it.
The implication was that, if we want to play in the man’s world, then we must be able to tolerate objectification, expect flirting, ignore bad behaviour, be ‘feminine’ enough that no-one sees you as a threat yet tough enough to not only endure, but to fight to prove yourself – and, of course, make sure to look pretty while you do it.
Religion is a PART of the problem. It is a tool used by men, who may or may not be religious themselves to control women, children and other men.
Men require as much emancipation from other men as do women. Feminists have been repeating over and over that equality benefits the majority of all people – just not the parasites feasting on power.
We see here that a few good men ARE speaking out, we need more unison less division we need more good people, men and women in power- we are not given much of a selection at present as Helvityni helpfully pointed out.
If that means more small political parties and independents running – what is the problem with that? Clearly joining the major parties means having to relinquish values to “fit in” with the dominant dogma. Also a variety of choice would help reduce the impact of such populist parties as One Nation and their ilk.
That people are supporting very suspect parties rather than the old major parties, indicates the desire for change. For example, in the regions which are not being served at all well by the Nats, if an independent does get in and does a good job they tend to stay in for a long time, Tony Windsor (still achieving even though retired) and Cathy McGowan since 2013 to date.
One good change that is a achievable is to get off the binary mindset. We are diverse, we need to vote diversity.
….even Germaine had to join in the chorus of conservative men and women to criticise Gillard’s looks and her clothes. It seems to me that Jackie Lambie has been prettied up for her possible come-back…. Ms Julie is an ideal Lady for her side of politics, dressed to kill, and she knows the art of flirting, so handy when you talk to men like Trump and Co….
To be fair that this looking and dressing right is now expected by Australians even when it comes to our male political leaders; Mal is seen as more prime ministerial by the way he LOOKS and by the cut of his suits…Bill is deemed lacking in ‘suit-sense’…
It was not always thus; Keating was seen as a too elegant dresser…times are changing…
… and look how well that has worked… NOT!
Once again, conservative women pit themselves against all other women to be with conservative men… who’da thunk it?
If I have to play a role I’d rather work at a brothel where at least the pay is good, than as a tarted up ‘darling’ of the right.
Whoever coined the phrase “it’s a man’s world” needs to be hauled over a cactus bush. Twice.
When everything is divided by politics of Left and Right, the old bad behaviours/divisions stay entrenched…
Michaelia can say anything , no matter how bitchy about other women as long as they are from the Left; after all she is from the Right side…she is one of the few Mal’s girls…There’s no us anymore, it’s men and women, Left and Right…
I remember how in my old country, many many years ago, women in the Government from all sides of politics used get together and discuss positive outcomes for women and children, both boys and girls…
How about it ,Julie, Tanya, Pauline and the Green girls…
“Oh dear. I’m going to shut up now.”
With sincere apologies, I guess I lied. In my defence, this is perfectly acceptable behavior for old white asses. There were some interesting articles on IWD speeches, one of which was this.
“I always believed as I went to law school in the early 60s here in Melbourne that the future was ours,” she said.
“That once we had education, Australian women could move into the sunshine. That we would have that equality of opportunity that was guaranteed some years later of course in a Sex Discrimination Act.
“Unfortunately that has been probably one of the great disappointments of my life.”
While Australian women are the best educated in the world, pay disparities, harassment and family violence persist.
“We’ve absorbed the values of a male-dominated world, but we’re yet to receive the benefits. I think we’ve played by the rules for far too long. I’ve worn the pearl earrings and the snappy jackets, I’ve done everything that was required, but it isn’t breaking the cycle of disempowerment and poverty that traps so many women.”
“I think it’s time we rethought some of these rules, rather than play by the rules.”
No, it’s not Ms McManus. It’s that other radical, Ms Triggs. You have to read the full article to get the gist, the true context. But the part worth mentioning was this bit.
“We simply have to use our power as women across society to take that message to Canberra, or to Spring Street, to be sure that we achieve genuine equality not just at the top, but throughout society for those women. We need to bring our sisters with us, we need to leave no woman behind,” she said.”
Whilst I would agree that women have to use their power, I’d no more dream of wasting my time in Canberra than think of flying to the moon. The more I read about the occupants of those once hallowed halls, the less I am inclined to read. If I could make another suggestion, you don’t negotiate with imbeciles. You get a club and beat them into submission. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
Australia’s population is about 25mill, of which about half are women. Our workforce comprises, about, 12.5mill Australians (without going into full/part time or under/over employed numbers), of which nearly 60% are female.
http://theconversation.com/more-women-than-ever-are-in-the-workforce-but-progress-has-been-glacial-54893
At the moment, the largest union in Australia is the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF) with 268k members. They are not renowned for their militancy. I can only speculate that the majority of the membership would be female.
The Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) has 840k members and $43bill in assets. They claim;
“…, we’ve learned a thing or two about looking after our members. And as a specialist industry super fund dedicated to people in health and community services, we know what makes our members tick.”
Again, I can only speculate that the majority of their membership would be female. Their website certainly suggests that they have many progressive and proactive gender equality programs in place.
That super fund has the legal and financial resources to amend their trust deed to accommodate ‘maternity leave’ claims provisions, as but one example. Given the demographics, the potential is enormous. To conduct research through their respective memberships, to poll women, formulate policy, do cost/benefit analysis on massive social reforms, it’s endless. Free from the constraints of politicians who can only tell you what they can’t do. Given the market potential and advantage on offer by such changes, how quick would the other Super funds change? If you put those sectors together and, in particular, have an overarching body representing women across Australia, you wouldn’t go to Canberra to negotiate.
You would only go to Canberra to give them draft legislation and an invoice! You don’t negotiate with imbeciles.
If women had a National Congress, can you imagine the power they would have in a ‘market’ economy? If, as a collective, they targeted corporations with either ‘name and shame’ or one day boycott’s, how quick do you think a corporation would roll over? Whether it be pay disparity or sexist behavior, employment discrimination or simply glass ceilings, how quick would they act?
There is always comment on the apathy of Australians and the lack of political engagement in all forms of media, not just here.
Most of the people I speak to aren’t ‘politically savvy’ in the sense of knowing or caring who the players are and what their latest idiocy is. Most do know the hardship of trying to earn a living, of trying to accommodate rising costs with a reducing income, of having to work out which things they will have to go without to pay for that unexpected or forgotten cost. They don’t see their reality as being a political problem.
Many people seem to think the only opportunity to voice dissent is at an election, and even then, the dissent is expressed in the context and contest of a political duopoly.
Maybe I’m naïve, but I don’t think the average Australian give themselves enough credit and I’m certain that most have no idea of how much power they have.
In the off chance you missed it, our political illuminati and their media handmaidens have had their knickers in a twist for a while now about GetUp and the unions. It has absolutely nothing to do with the campaigns being mounted, which are dismissed with some throw away line and belittling comments. It is about the power these groups may have if they get too well organized. Political parties have had reducing membership for a decade now (LNP 53k and Labor about 48k, both less than half of what they were 10 years ago). GetUp has over 1mill participants, Change.Org says they have over 2mill paricipants. Both say they are growing and their campaigning and financing is becoming more refined and targeted every day.
“The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union will join with the Maritime Union of Australia and the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia with around 150,000 members and $150 million war chest, it already has been dubbed a super union.”
Two of those unions have a nasty habit of actually taking action. Now that they are combined, those in Canberra are trying to retrospectively ban the merger (due to the ineptitude of Cash, but that’s another story). What if they set an example where people actually start protesting en masse? What if more than 10% of the workforce start joining unions? Have a look at the comment section in this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/08/unions-urged-to-consider-unlawful-industrial-action-to-fix-wage-crisis
It’s about the power.
Thank you for your interest and the considered comments and thank you AIMN for the opportunity. Take care