blog

Academy Awards ambivalence

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:28:42 +0100

Fellow travellers, I am heartened to know that sassy sister Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director, and her film won Best Picture. This is certainly a highly empowering development for women all across the globe. And it's a nice coincidence that it just happened to occur at around the same time as International Women's Day.

But I am frankly appalled that she dedicated her win to "the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan. May they come home safe."

Safe? Safe? What a disturbingly hateful thing to say.

Also, Ms Bigelow does seem to be quite an appearance conscious woman beholden to lookism, and she uses her "attractiveness" to her advantage. This is worrying.

Certainly James Cameron's film Avatar reinforced the capitalist paradigm by being so hugely financially successful, and he is - like so many Hollywood males - part of the patriarchy. However, his film was an undeniably searing critique of America's desire to rule this world (and others) by ultimately having the N'avi win the battle against that appalling nation's brutal army (and in a loving way).

Dare I say it, this made Avatar a more Gaia-friendly statement. And that's why it should have won.

I know that some will accuse me of sexism for holding this opinion. It is an accusation I deny.

The human face of sheep farming

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:19:09 +0100

Fellow travellers, a lamb has been born with a human face.

Gaia has been sending us messages for a long time. And this has to be one of the clearest yet!

As usual, the "scientific" explanation - that the abnormality has been caused by a vitamin A deficiency - is completely inadequate. Look at the photo. How could that face not be trying to tell us something?

And what is the lesson we must learn? Clearly, that sheep are people too! And that we shouldn't exploit them as we do, stealing their wool from them and then callously using their flesh for food. They should be left to gambol naturally in the fields, enjoying the freedom and peace of nature.

And I think that Gaia is also making a more specific political criticism of this push by the appalling Sam Kekovich, Australia's "Lambassador". The timing is significant, don't you think?

Clearly, this is one act of UN related international diplomacy that She simply cannot support.

Ninja monkeys for Gaia!

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:35:06 +0100

Fellow travellers, as you all know I abhor violence. However, here is one event in which it is justified: A troupe of monkeys trained in martial arts have used these very techniques on their trainer!

What they were protesting is not clear. But I suspect that with the Copenhagen conference in full swing, they were raising awareness of climate change; telling those watching that Gaia would revolt spectacularly if we did not show respect to Her and make a global deal to end all greenhouse gas emissions.

And the event did occur in China, which was significant. That nation is fast becoming a major polluter, building 5 new coal fired power stations every week! Let's hope the people witnessing the brave attack first hand and reading about it in the media made the connection.

I believe that children are our future

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:50:19 +0100

Fellow travellers, we often hear from the reactionary right that academia has been overtaken by the left. Nothing could be further from the truth. Universities across the globe are still completely dominated by eeevil white peenie-wavers who are hell bent - or should that be straight? - on oppressing women, minorities and Gaia.

Take this latest so-called "experiment": Psychologists in California have looked into how young children cope with fears both real and imagined. They were read stories which contained "scary creatures" such as bears or witches.

Since when was a bear scary? That those masterminding these experiments were so determined to demonize our furry fellow travellers of the forest is deeply perturbing. Then there was the antiquated and appallingly negative portrayal of witches. I suspect Wiccans could possibly take this to the UN as yet another example of vilification.

That said, the study did reveal some heartening things. (I will not let my justified revulsion at the exercize's inherent sexism and speciesism stop me from gleaning insights, fellow travellers. Like all those on the left I am nothing if not rational.) One example of this was that pre-school children really looked on the bright side, preferring to see that the witch in the story was really nice instead.

Not only is this adorable, it's also very wise. And it's certainly a way of dealing with "threats" and "aggression" that world leaders should try for a change. I mean, imagine what would have happened if George Dubya Bush taken such an approach after the 911 "terrorist attacks". Wouldn't it have been wonderful if that hateful racist had said, "Osama, I can see where you're coming from. Let's sit down in a couple of comfy chairs and have a nice friendly chat over peppermint tea." If he had, we would be living in a much more harmonious and peaceful world today without a doubt!

Clearly, each individual shouldn't just aim to get in touch with her inner child, but her inner toddler as well! I'm proud to say that is something I have long strived to achieve, and with great success.

Feeding the forces of darkness

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:00:12 +0100

While our new Prime Minister has been a vast improvement over the last, sometimes he's just as appalling and reactionary. Take this new directive, encouraging women to breastfeed their babies for the first six months.

This is a clear attempt to enslave women yet again. Surely, it would be much more empowering for them if the men were made to perform this duty instead.

The Liberal Party, Zoo Weekly and Claire Werbeloff

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:47:39 +0100

Fellow travellers, I'm sure many of you will remember Claire Werbeloff, who enjoyed a brief period of "stardom" after pretending to witness a shooting at Kings Cross.

Well, she has made the news again! It seems that she has been asked to be a Liberal candidate for the seat of Bradfield. As this article says, that appalling men's magazine Zoo Weekly has offered to pay for her to run.

You know the Liberal Party is simply beyond hope when they are commissioning these appallingly sexist peenie wavers to choose their candidates. Still, I can't say I'm surprised ...

And conservative columnists say that the Labor Party is shallow and sexist, and too fond of recruiting celebrities!

Appalling. Just appalling.

Conservative "cave man" conspiracy!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:29:47 +0100

Fellow travellers, I'm sure that you are all sick and tired of climate change deniers insisting that those determined to stop the impending global catastrophe actually want to take humanity "back to the Stone Age" and "make us all cavemen". This is a contemptible and utterly false accusation! (But even if it weren't, what would be wrong with living more in harmony with nature, like our distant ancestors did?)

In any case, the many reich-wingers in the media and politics never miss a chance to promote this vicious lie. That's why I was immediately suspicious when I read about the arrest of the "Bondi Caveman", who is now being charged with rape. I know of this deeply wise and serene individual. And I simply cannot conceive of him committing such a heinous act.

He has shunned Western "civilization" and all its soul-sapping demands to live close to nature instead. As we all know, women are closer to nature than males are. So it is axiomatic that those rare men who are spiritually close to nature are also deeply in touch with their feminine sides. Therefore, they simply cannot commit sex crimes against women.

Obviously someone very powerful has framed him. But who? Who would have most to gain from associating the noble life of this peaceful "cave man" with brutal criminality?

Could it be someone in the Liberal Party? That is a possibility ... Perhaps it is Leader Malcolm Turnbull? He is the Member for Wentworth, after all ...

Somehow, I doubt it. Although still an appalling capitalist, he does seem to have an enlightened attitude to the environment. He endorses decisive action on climate change, and seems to have converted many in his party to his way of thinking. So it is unlikely that he - or any one of today's prominent Liberals - is the culprit.

Perhaps it could be someone from the Liberal Party of the past? That's more likely. And there's one who seems more suspicious than most: John Howard.

Think about it, fellow travellers: The Master of Evil certainly has the means, the motive, and nowadays the time to pull of such a diabolical act of deception! I think it's a lay-down misere that he is behind this conspiracy.

But what do you think, fellow travellers? Is it him. Or could it be someone from the mainstream media, which is now so utterly dominated by conservatives?

The age of bizarre

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:44:11 +0100

Fellow travellers, you may have read about this strange event, in which the reactionary, peenie-waving London Mayor "Bonking Boris" Johnson saved Franny Armstrong - climate change activist and director of the searing film The Age of Stupid - from an attack by several young women.

I'm sure that this "brave" act was completely unnecessary. Ms Armstrong surely could have protected herself had he not arrived so "heroically" on the scene. That's why these comments are so bizarre: "He was my knight on a shining bicycle."

If she were being ironic, fine. But that's not something the sassy Ms Armstrong is known for.

I suspect that she really was retreating to the gender role paradigms of the past. This often happens to women in right-wing, conservative circles - even ones who appear to have been completely attitudinally reconstructed. And while it is depressing it is hardly surprising. But for Ms Armstrong to surrender in such a way? This is more than a little perturbing, fellow travellers.

Oh well, at least he did arrive on a bicycle and not a carbon spewing car. If she'd said he was her "knight in a shining Rolls Royce", well, that would have been just too distressing for words!

The Melbourne Cup, the race that reveals a nation

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:56:34 +0100

Fellow travelers, it's almost appropriate that the horse who won this year's Melbourne Cup was called Shocking, because I found the whole exercize shocking in the extreme. In fact it wasn't just shocking. It was appalling!

Firstly, it was extremely elitist, as races invariably are. Finding the fastest horse was highly discriminatory, since horses have a lot more to offer than just speed. And I'm sure they don't judge themselves merely by that criterion. Were their values considered? Of course not.

If the organizers had to have some kind of competition, then they could have opted for one that was a little more progressive. Why not one for most well-nourished horse? Or most environmentally aware trainer? Or the horse with the smallest carbon hoof print?

Racism, too, pervaded the event, since there were no Muslim jockeys.

Similarly, the exercise was extremely sexist. I mean, where were all the female jockeys? And the treatment of women viewing the grotesque competition was also deeply misogynist. When viewing the race, I was reminded of John Lennon's searing "Woman is the DELETED of the World". One line of that song was particularly pertinent: "We make her paint her face and dance!" - although they weren't so much dancing as tottering about drunkenly in their absurd hats. And what was even more disturbing was the fact that a lot of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. It's truly depressing to see women participating in their own oppression - particularly when other species are being oppressed as well.

Which brings me to the event's appalling speciesism: Why did the jockeys get to be on top, riding the horses? It should have been the other way around! And fellow travelers, did you notice how afterwards they handed the prize to the jockey, then interviewed him. But the horse did all the work. Why didn't they ask him how he felt?

Appalling. Just appalling.

Are bikinis appropriate attire for a demo?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:35:35 +0100

That appalling oil spill off the Western Australian coast has prompted a brave protest in which sassy sisters in bikinis covered themselves in oil and paraded in front of the Perth offices of the evil corporation responsible for the catastrophe.

While I heartily endorse the statement that these feisty feminist fellow travellers were making with their protest, did they really have to confirm the dominant paradigm of phallocentric lookism to make their point? While they weren't quite participating in their own oppression - I mean, they are of the left; they are simply too self aware for that - they were getting dangerously close to it. Also, it perturbs me to think of the message they were sending to young pre-women who are still impressionable, and have not yet had their consciousness raised by feminsim.

Surely it would have been more powerful - and empowering - had they kept their clothes on. If they did think that semi-nudity was crucial to get the media interested, couldn't the male protesters have worn the bikinis? That would have made a statement about fossil fuels and gender stereotyping. It would have been a kind of "two for the price of one" deal then (and I don't mean that in a capitalist way).

What do you think, fellow travellers?