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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/04/tony-abbott-daughters-big-brother
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Tony Abbott's daughters: are women just ornaments? | Tony Abbott's daughters: are women just ornaments? |
| (14 days later) | |
| Tony Abbott has a long and distinguished history of publicly reducing women to objects, but even I, who knows it all, spat my tea into my keyboard when he proudly paraded his daughters to the Big Brother housemates today. | Tony Abbott has a long and distinguished history of publicly reducing women to objects, but even I, who knows it all, spat my tea into my keyboard when he proudly paraded his daughters to the Big Brother housemates today. |
| After wiping the Krakatoa of tannic saliva from my desktop, I retreated to the office bathroom to ponder what the most appropriate response to “If you want to know who to vote for, I'm the guy with the not bad looking daughters" might be. Abbott may be prime minister on Saturday – should I puke violently? Or throw myself onto the tiles, keening like Hecuba? | After wiping the Krakatoa of tannic saliva from my desktop, I retreated to the office bathroom to ponder what the most appropriate response to “If you want to know who to vote for, I'm the guy with the not bad looking daughters" might be. Abbott may be prime minister on Saturday – should I puke violently? Or throw myself onto the tiles, keening like Hecuba? |
| If you haven’t seen the footage, I must insist that you do. Bear in mind that if the man flanked with babes like an oily ganglord entering a nightclub wins the election, he will not only set the policy agenda for this country but also supervise the presidency of the United Nations security council, just as war in Syria looks inevitable. Keep a bucket handy. | If you haven’t seen the footage, I must insist that you do. Bear in mind that if the man flanked with babes like an oily ganglord entering a nightclub wins the election, he will not only set the policy agenda for this country but also supervise the presidency of the United Nations security council, just as war in Syria looks inevitable. Keep a bucket handy. |
| If you truly can’t bear to watch the latest car crash in a Liberal election campaign that’s already rated women candidates for their “sex appeal” above their ability to discern “refugee intake” from a “traffic refuge island” and involved the gormless sexualisation of young female netball players, I’ll do my best to describe it again without gagging. | If you truly can’t bear to watch the latest car crash in a Liberal election campaign that’s already rated women candidates for their “sex appeal” above their ability to discern “refugee intake” from a “traffic refuge island” and involved the gormless sexualisation of young female netball players, I’ll do my best to describe it again without gagging. |
| All the lead candidates for the election sent a video message to the Big Brother house. The participants have been in the house for 47 days, therefore collectively winning the ultimate grand prize of so far having avoided all contact with the Australian election. | All the lead candidates for the election sent a video message to the Big Brother house. The participants have been in the house for 47 days, therefore collectively winning the ultimate grand prize of so far having avoided all contact with the Australian election. |
| Clive Palmer ranted like a rambling rich twit with so much money he could start a political party. Kevin Rudd spoke about his newfound conviction in the institution of equal marriage, and made two housemates cry. Christine Milne was … Christine Milne. And thence Abbott, flanked with daughters Frances and Bridget, goonish smile on his face. He appeared to be shockingly unembarrassed as he said “If you want to know who to vote for, I'm the guy with the not bad looking daughters". | Clive Palmer ranted like a rambling rich twit with so much money he could start a political party. Kevin Rudd spoke about his newfound conviction in the institution of equal marriage, and made two housemates cry. Christine Milne was … Christine Milne. And thence Abbott, flanked with daughters Frances and Bridget, goonish smile on his face. He appeared to be shockingly unembarrassed as he said “If you want to know who to vote for, I'm the guy with the not bad looking daughters". |
| The image of the man and two of his devoted family members is not offensive. In the context of a prime ministerial candidate offering up his own female children as an electoral treat, it is statesmanlike to the precise degree that greased-paper leaflets advertising a businessman’s nightclub in a suspiciously low-rent hotel. Which is, not at all. | The image of the man and two of his devoted family members is not offensive. In the context of a prime ministerial candidate offering up his own female children as an electoral treat, it is statesmanlike to the precise degree that greased-paper leaflets advertising a businessman’s nightclub in a suspiciously low-rent hotel. Which is, not at all. |
| And yet, this is the standard of commentary which Abbott has been able to set in his campaign. Commentators have written off the “sex appeal” comments and netballer flirting, just as they waved away his comments about “the housewives of Australia at home doing the ironing”. | And yet, this is the standard of commentary which Abbott has been able to set in his campaign. Commentators have written off the “sex appeal” comments and netballer flirting, just as they waved away his comments about “the housewives of Australia at home doing the ironing”. |
| As the admirable chief of the Australian army, lieutenant-general David Morrison said so unequivocally, “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept". It is the standard accepted by the Australian commentariat as they walked past Abbott standing in front of the “ditch the witch” poster. It is the standard being accepted when MPs bully the first female prime minister, going as far as making jokes about her being barren. | As the admirable chief of the Australian army, lieutenant-general David Morrison said so unequivocally, “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept". It is the standard accepted by the Australian commentariat as they walked past Abbott standing in front of the “ditch the witch” poster. It is the standard being accepted when MPs bully the first female prime minister, going as far as making jokes about her being barren. |
| It’s not Abbott’s Australian larrikinism which is on trial here. It’s not sauciness, or "blokeyness", or anything else but contemptuous woman-hating that Gillard, the flame-haired Cassandra of our Australian political epic, so very rightly denounced when she declared that the definition of misogyny in modern Australia was Abbott himself. | It’s not Abbott’s Australian larrikinism which is on trial here. It’s not sauciness, or "blokeyness", or anything else but contemptuous woman-hating that Gillard, the flame-haired Cassandra of our Australian political epic, so very rightly denounced when she declared that the definition of misogyny in modern Australia was Abbott himself. |
| Based on his behaviour in the campaign, I’m going to call it even more plainly: Abbott thinks women are ornaments. It’s a belief that extends to his colleagues, to women he meets on the campaign trail and – on goddamn national television – to his own daughters. And just what, if he becomes prime minister, do you think that will mean for you? On Saturday, Australia – what standard will you be walking past? | Based on his behaviour in the campaign, I’m going to call it even more plainly: Abbott thinks women are ornaments. It’s a belief that extends to his colleagues, to women he meets on the campaign trail and – on goddamn national television – to his own daughters. And just what, if he becomes prime minister, do you think that will mean for you? On Saturday, Australia – what standard will you be walking past? |
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