A short rant about Australian politics

OK. I have been relatively quiet on the political side of late. It's been a big year for us here in Australia, where we are currently on our third Prime Minister after a leadership debacle and a long time of unwarranted unrest.

For those of you playing at home, I will give a quick overview. (Word of warning: I recognise that I am biased, but I figure that I'm doing better than The Daily Telegraph, and I have no interest in being an apolitical journalist. Also, if you are not from Australia - the Liberals or National Liberal Party is the conservative party and Labor or the Australian Labor Party are the left wing representatives. Also, Australia's politics follow the Westminster system of voting for your local representative of a party based on what they are promising for your electorate, rather than for the leader.)

In November 2007, the Labor party won the federal election with Kevin Rudd at the helm. Rudd was an excellent public speaker, and seemed to be a brilliant alternative for the stale Howard Liberal government. Rudd spoke to the youth. He promised more for the people about the environment, about issues that people really cared for. It seemed to be a change for the best. However, it wasn't long before reports started coming out of Parliament House that Rudd was incredibly fond of the potential power that the title of Prime Minister afforded him. By all accounts, he was micro managing projects at an unprecedented level that led to backlogs of work in countless Departments. He had a massive turnover of staffers. He wasn't making decisions on issues such as climate change, carbon tax, education, health. While he was good at forging links with China during the Mining Boom, he was not the effective, personable leader that everyone had thought he would be. The ALP was divided.

In 2010, then-Deputy PM Julia Gillard challenged the leadership and won with the support of the party, but without the support of much of the nation who seemed to think she had "stolen" the position. Gillard called a snap election and Australia was left with a hung parliament - the ALP held on to the lead once the independent members had given their preferences. Despite the fractured nature of the new Parliament, Gillard was actually a great PM. She communicated effectively. She listened to people. She seemed genuine. She was liked by the staffers and by the members of Cabinet. She passed reforms in education (as a result of the Gonski report) and health (Google "NDIS"). She passed an enormous amount of legislation that directly affected a lot of people in Australia, and mostly for the better. Unfortunately, hers was a tumultuous period of leadership.

Gillard's time as PM could be used as a textbook example of sexism and misogyny. Members of the media made disparaging comments about her figure, her clothes, her voice, her hair (but very rarely about her policies), her relationship with her partner Tim, her sexuality. On and on and on. "Shock Jock" radio DJ and all-round asshole Alan Jones commented that her father had "died of shame" at a Liberal function - as if that would be appropriate to say about anyone, let alone a serving PM. Jones also insisted on calling and referring to her as "Julia", when he had referred to previous leaders as "Prime Minister Rudd", "Prime Minister Howard", and so on. To her credit, Gillard was amazing. She kept her head held high and did not comment on much of the vitriol that was hurled at her for no good reason. In 2012 she gave a phenomenal speech in Parliament, labelling Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott a misogynist, bringing up countless examples of when he had either commented on her womanhood, or supported others in their disparaging views of women but then suggested that then-Speaker Peter Slipper be sacked from office because of his own misogynistic comments. It was one of the best political speeches I have ever seen, and rang true of the way in which women are still viewed in this country. Gillard was not a perfect PM. No one is. But she fought hard and was successful, even when confronted with information that had been fed to the media from members of her own party. Every time she brought up issues such as abortion laws or the roles of women, she was accused of playing the "gender card", as if she could have done anything else. In 2013, Australia was ranked 24th in the Gender Gap Index, which only shows how much work still needs to be done. Australian people didn't have faith in her because she was trying to do a man's job, even though she was better at it than many of her male counterparts.

Gillard's brilliant misogyny speech.

Earlier this year, the leadership problem surfaced once again. Rudd wanted to challenge the leadership in an election year, to claim back the title he rightfully saw as his own. He challenged, and won. The public perception of Gillard was at an all-time low, thanks to some well-placed PR showing Rudd in a good light and new negative stories about Gillard surfacing every day. It was horrendous. Gillard was liked by her staffers and her party, but hated by the public. And with Rudd and Abbott perpetuating the myth of personality politics, she didn't stand a chance. Rudd ousted Gillard, called the election when he felt like it, and lost by a landslide to the Liberal government handled by Tony Abbott (yes, the one labelled a misogynist by Gillard only a year ago). Rudd's losing speech sounded more like a winning speech: he'd lost the election, but he'd lost it as leader, which is all he'd really wanted.

Now, we've got the Liberal government that is threatening to lower penalty rates, privatise the tertiary education HECS debt (which would make paying the debt back for many people almost unattainable, myself included), and gives select information about refugees and asylum seekers in an hour-long statement once a week. The current Liberal party cares about women, but only really when they're having babies. Abbott is a terrible public speaker and can't think on his feet, so I'm wondering how long he is going to last as leader, or how long before he puts his foot in it on an international scale.

I am just so angry and so jaded. For the first time in my voting life, I didn't know who to vote for and I hate that my choice was taken away by people perpetuating the myth of personality politics and playing the game, rather than fighting for what is best for the country. Both Rudd and Abbott were parading their families around for press coverage - I don't care about Rudd's wife's weight loss, or about Abbott's daughters. This is the guy who told a magazine that he'd more or less made a virginity pledge with his daughters - which is fine, but don't tell the whole world about it and let your daughters be known by that. I just get frustrated that while the rest of the world is moving forward, Australia seems to have stagnated and likes the view of the White Male In Charge. I feel neglected as a young woman in this country, and I can't see a way for the tangled web of our current political situation to be unravelled.

Where the hell did I put 2012??

I know that this post is coming halfway through January, so I might have missed the boat on the whole "year that was" thing. However, I do have some thoughts on last year, and thought that I would share them. And where better than the interwebs?

2012 was a strange year for me. 2011 was so huge in my life, that the year following was always going to be somehow less. Which it was in some ways, but definitely not in others. The biggest thing that I noticed was how fast the year went. I am not exaggerating. In September, I remember putting up a Facebook status that was something along the lines of "I feel like I have misplaced August... how did September arrive so quickly?"... and I feel like that was only a couple of weeks ago.

 A poster by Percy Trompf. I wrote my thesis on Australian travel posters.

In terms of accomplishments, I did a fair bit in 2012. By managing to avoid thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life, I was able to complete my Honours year at Uni, in Art History. I have learned that the Honours thing is an Australian idea. It was an additional year on my BA, adding to my undergraduate without being postgrad. Anyway, it entailed the hardest coursework I have ever had to do (the History of Art History. Strangely, not really about art - more about why we studied it and how it developed. Lots of psychology and philosophy. I felt like my brain had been squeezed at the end of each weekly seminar), I wrote a 15 000 word thesis, and completed a year-long internship at the War Memorial, which I loved.

What I learned from this year in terms of my studies is that I am absolutely not cut out to be an academic. Don't get me wrong, I really like studying. I love reading. I like writing. But I don't like the combination of the first two in order to do the third, out of necessity rather than preference. I like variety. I don't like forcing myself to blog trawl or locate books on one specific subject. I like the hunt, but I got really sick of looking for things based on one subject for an entire year. I have a great respect for people who can dedicate their lives to one subject area, but I really don't think that I am one of them. While I love art, I also love literature, film, music, food, travel and people. I need a balance of these things to remain sane, and I don't think that academia is the way to achieve that balance.

That being said, it felt amazing to finish that thesis, and finish that fucking coursework, to hand in my final issues paper and to get my cap and robe and graduate. (On my birthday!)

Honours came at a cost, though. I didn't get to see much of my friends throughout the year. My family had to deal with cranky, negative, stressed and crazy Maddie far more often than the optimistic person that I normally consider myself to be. I don't like myself when I get to the pessimistic stage, and I spent far too long in that headspace in 2012.

Other than burying myself in books last year, I actually had a few opportunities to take time out for myself. In February, before starting the academic year, I went to Thailand for ten days with some of my Sheffield friends. It was fabulous. We hung out in the tourist traps, starting in Phuket town (a total dive. Most of the fun places in Phuket are on the beach) from where we took a taxi (read: a ute with a roof over the tray, and bench seats) via the airport to pick up the last of our troupe to Surat Thani and from there a ferry to Koh Phagnan for the Full Moon Party. We stayed on the island for a few days before taking a ferry, a coach and then another ferry to Koh Phi Phi. Adam and I headed home from there, while Floortje, Elizabeth and Shane carried on for another few days. It was so much fun though - I love those guys.

I went to several music festivals and concerts - Big Day Out last January, Groovin' the Moo in May, David Guetta in May, Hilltop Hoods in September, Parklife in October, Mumford & Sons with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and Willie Mason supporting in October, and Coldplay with Temper Trap supporting in November.

One of my best friends (again from Sheffield) came out to visit from Germany in September - I took two weeks away from my thesis and work to travel around for a bit with him. We went to Sydney, Blue Mountains, Canberra, Brisbane, Fraser Island and the Gold Coast. It was amazing - I saw parts of my own country that I have never seen before, with a great friend whom I absolutely adore.

I finished off the year with another overseas trip. I had saved my butt off, and flew to Los Angeles the day after my birthday in December for a three week whirlwind trip, seeing things and visiting people. I went to LA, Virginia Beach, did a cruise of the Caribbean (going to Half Moon Cay, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Roatan, Honduras), Washington DC, Milwaukee and Chicago. I never wanted to come home, it was phenomenal. Highlights included Colonial Williamsburg, Roatan, New Year's Eve in DC, Milwaukee and the Art Institute of Chicago. I will definitely be heading back.

And now it's January 2013. I hope that this year is more balanced in many ways - I need to remember to keep perspective with most things. I am going to see my friends more, pay off my credit card and read as many books as I want to. It's going to be a good year.

The Dirtiest Word

Lately, there has been a lot of press about slut-shaming, and the judgement passed on people (mostly women) as a result of their sexualities and sexual lifestyle choices. The slutwalk phenomenon was started by feminist groups to raise awareness of the fact that it is the female victims who are more often blamed for sexual abuse and assault for wearing short, tight, revealing, 'slutty' clothes, rather than the attacker and rapist. Which is obviously ludicrous - if a crime is committed, you blame the culprit. For example, you don't blame the design of the iPod when it gets stolen, you blame the thief. This seems so obvious to me that I'm wondering why it's even an issue.

But that's not why I'm writing today.

I'm actually writing about virginity.

As a result of this 21st century brand of feminism that has really come about as a result of the old-world views clashing with new-world thought processes and understandings and fuelled no end by social media, the Toronto Slutwalk was initiated. On their website, they wrote about reclaiming the term "slut", saying:

Historically, the term ‘slut’ has carried a predominantly negative connotation. Aimed at those who are sexually promiscuous, be it for work or pleasure, it has primarily been women who have suffered under the burden of this label. And whether dished out as a serious indictment of one’s character or merely as a flippant insult, the intent behind the word is always to wound, so we’re taking it back. “Slut” is being re-appropriated.


The re-appropriation of insults is nothing new - as seen by the word "gay" being reclaimed by homosexual groups in the late 20th century, and a certain word used to refer to African Americans and People of Colour, that rimes with "bigger" and now appears in popular music, rapped by Kanye West et al. "Slut" is a good one to reclaim as well, because it is so well-known, is a verb and an adjective as well as a noun. The moral of this is that it's OK to dress provocatively because sexual assault is never the fault of the victim. Which I agree with wholeheartedly. As well as this, no one (and I am intentionally not referring to women only, which is something that I will elaborate on another time) should be judged on their sexual habits or lifestyle choices. If you choose and willingly consent to have sex with a bunch of different people, all the more power to you. It's no one else's place to judge you for that... and really, I don't see why it's anyone else's business. So claim the word slut, be sexually liberated, and don't feel condemned.

The message that I keep on finding in this conversation is that it's fine, good, accepted to be sexually active.

But what if you're not?

It seems to me, that there is this horrific double standard going on and no one even pays attention. The 'V' word has become the dirtiest word in the English language.

In 2002, Better Health Victoria did a survey that indicated the sexual activity of teenagers in Years 10 to 12, and which said that by the end of High School, more than half of students have had sex. They talk about it, they know the risks and they choose to make that decision. Within the first couple of years after finishing school, the percentage of people who have had sex skyrockets, so by the time they turn 20, the majority of people have had at least one sexual partner... and the people who haven't had any, aren't really talked about.

Virginity is not talked about. It's presumed that most people aren't virgins after they turn 20, and if they are, then it's a definite choice they have made - usually for religious or cultural reasons. It's assumed that they're "saving themselves" for marriage, engagement, or at least a long-term relationship. These assumptions are made, without the person in question ever being asked. And for some reason, it's never OK to pass judgement on someone for the clothes they wear or how many people they've slept with, but it is absolutely fine to make assumptions when someone reveals that they haven't slept with anyone, ever. And this is shown in pop culture, too.

If people are virgins for religious, cultural or moral reasons, that's great, and I really admire the strength of conviction that some people have. But for others, it's not so welcome, and becomes a major secret - I have heard of people feeling like they have a big "V" branded on their forehead, when no one else should ever even care. It's the Closet of the 21st century - in a world where sexuality is seen in everything from movies aimed at teens to prime-time advertising, it becomes a much bigger issue than it needs to be. While the "SlutWalk" occurred to prove a point, there would never be anything like that for people who are virgins by choice or because it's just the way it happened because it's so secretive. When thinking of virginity, words like "pure", "clean" and "gift" are thrown around, which is plainly bullshit leftover from an older society. We have moved on, but that means that some things have been left behind.

In the TV show Community, Alison Brie's character Annie reveals that she's a virgin in the first season - and Yvette Nicole Brown's character Shirley refers to her as a 'unicorn'. In the 1995 movie Clueless, Tai calls Cher a "jealous virgin". And Lena Dunham's show Girls, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) reveals that she is a virgin in the second episode, and is incredibly embarrassed by it - so it's a major plot point when (spoilers) she has sex in the season finale. Is this seriously how we view virginity? As something to be embarrassed of and derided for? And if it's not a source of negativity, it's just not spoken of at all. There is a massive taboo that exists around the entire idea, and I just don't understand why.

When someone who's in their 20s reveals that they are a virgin, the main reaction - other than surprise - is to ask 'why'. As if there has to be a concrete reason. For some people, it just doesn't happen. Has anyone seen the movie The 40 Year Old Virgin? In that, when asked the question, he says "I don't know... it just never happened.", which is then followed by a montage of scenes where he was obviously so close, but never got there. He is so embarrassed by it that he stops hanging out with people outside of his work and his elderly neighbours.

I just don't understand why it's an issue. Why it's assumed that it's a choice made for whatever reason - and I feel that women have the weight of history here, with the concept of "saving yourself"; for guys it seems to be much more of an embarrassment than a choice. Why is it OK to ask "why" someone is a virgin, but not OK to ask "why" someone isn't. Why no one talks about it, and virgins in their 20s who aren't necessarily waiting for anything feel like it has to be a secret.

Virginity and sexuality are not commodities. The 'V' word shouldn't be shunned, because if it's horrific to shame people for their choices to have sex and dress in a sexual manner, then it's just as bad to have people feel shamed and embarrassed for not having sex or dressing in that way. Let's reclaim Virginity in the same way that we're reclaiming Slut. Because they're both big issues, so neither should be ignored in favour of the other.

Workplace bullying

At the moment, there is a case going through the Victorian courts in regards to workplace bullying, wherein the family of one teenager who was seriously bullied is pushing for a change in the laws that would make bullying a crime. This is all well and good, but now an employers' group is questioning the necessity of changing the legislation on the basis of one case (which you can read about here). The triggering case to begin with was the suicide of a 19 year old waitress, Brodie Panlock, who was seriously bullied by her coworkers. The business in question was later fined around AUD$300 000 for this. The proposed changes to the Crimes Act would mean that workplace bullies could face up to ten years in prison.

As much as Brodie Panlock's story is horrendously sad, I'm actually inclined to side with those opposed to changing the legislation. Let's face it, bullying is already a delicate and difficult issue for employers to deal with, and by introducing stricter laws, it veers towards impossible for employers and business owners to deal with this kind of situation without involving the law.

I am also of the opinion that quite often, it is within the power of the victim to remove themselves. There are places both within their own workplaces and at a higher level where the bullying activities can be reported; if they don't feel comfortable with that, then as adults they have the ability to remove themselves from their job. Australia's job market is not currently in the position where, if choosing to leave one job, they will find it impossible to become re-employed. I am not saying this condone the actions of the bullies or to put their actions on the shoulders of the victims. But jobs are not necessarily permanent, and really - at what cost stay?

I will just reiterate: I do not want to trivialise Brodie Panlock's story. It is incredibly sad that a young woman got to the point where she did not think that she had any other options, and my heart goes out to her family. It's just that I can't help but feel that perhaps her death could also be attributed to an underlying mental illness, that was triggered by the bullying. Maybe, in cases such as this, more time could be spent into removing the taboo around mental illnesses such as depression that can lead people to make decisions to end their lives, rather than changing laws and removing any control the business owner or manager may have had.

Wow. So it has definitely been a while since I've come on here. I thought I'd forgotten my password, and then got distracted by my exchange in Sheffield (which was awesome), then rediscovering Tumblr and signing up for Twitter (which I thought was vastly overrated, but now I find strangely addictive). The world is a different place now... for one thing, I have my driver's licence now, and Australia officially has the carbon tax. Gruen Transfer is back on our TVs. I have learned about fandoms and seen them close-up (scary). And we've jumped from Twilight to Hunger Games and now (creepily) onto Fifty Shades of Grey. It's actually on this that I want to write a bit about today.

I have absolutely no opposition to erotic fiction. Not specifically talking from personal experience, I just think that it's an incredibly underrated way to get "in the mood". It's more subtle and portable than videos of the same thing, and apparently it's good for the imagination. And if it's really bad, it's really funny. The thing about erotica though, is that (and maybe I'm just a prude) I think it should be more private than anything else. So while I think it's great (in a way) that E. L. James's book is topping the best seller lists, at the same time, I'm a bit uncomfortable. Not because of the book itself - which I haven't read yet, but am expecting to be morish and awful in a good way - but because people are just so open about reading it.

On Facebook, I have a couple of hundred friends. Most of them are people around my age, who I know from school, work, travels, uni, friends and bfs/gfs of my friends. I also have some younger people (cousins etc) and some older people (from work, and more cousins). It's maybe 50/50 male:female, if I were to take a guess. What does this have to do with Fifty Shades of Grey? Well. What I find weird, is that many of the bracket of women who are older than me are openly admitting to reading it. And then writing statuses about it. And broadcasting it to the whole world. While I haven't read the book, I know exactly what it's about and what it involves, and now I feel like I have waaaaaay too much insight into the sex lives of the mums and wives who would otherwise keep quiet about it. I know that it's a really sexy book. But I don't need to know who is reading it, where or why... and I really don't need to know what they think about Christian Grey. It's icky. Mind you, I guess it's kind of like telling people that you're trying for a baby - you're really just telling people that your sex life is incredibly active for a while.

Maybe I am just not as sexually liberated as some of the people I know in their online lives. But I wouldn't want to tell my married coworker that I'm reading erotic fiction for fun. I feel that by doing that, you're kind of missing the point - being open is all well and good, but really, isn't most of the appeal in that it's illicit, that you're involved in something really juicy and secret? Maybe I'm overanalysing, and it's not creepy at all. But I just feel like now I know too much.

Also... apparently a movie is in the works. I don't know if it's the kind of thing that will be allowed to get cinematic release, but also, even if/when I do read it, I don't know if I'll want a most likely censored version of the novel...

Bit of a crush, really...

So, I went and saw Love and Other Drugs a couple of weeks ago with my Mum and a few other women. It's a pretty solid film, especially because you get to see a lot of Jake Gyllenhaal without too many clothes obstructing the view.

I've been a fan of Jake's since way back when he was a dorky teenager in Donnie Darko (which was made in 2001, but I didn't see 'til like 2004, when I was old enough to start grasping the concept of the film), but recently I've noticed that he has well and truly come of age. I saw Prince of Persia with a friend of mine a couple of months ago, and well... I can't really remember much of the story, but I do know that he is very good looking.


But seriously, how could you not love that face?

End of a decade... end of an era.

Well, 2010 is drawing to a close in a little over an hour, and it's got me thinking about a couple of things (surprisingly enough, not that I'm at home and not at a party. You know those nights where you just want to stay in and can't be bothered to deal with the rest of the world? Yeah, for me, that's happening tonight... too bad it's the biggest party night of the year!) such as what's changed for me this year, and what I've learned. It's definitely been an interesting year - some ups, some downs, and a lot of in betweens. But here's what I've come up with in regards to my year.

Maddie's 2010.

Good Things.
(because I think it's important to start on a happy note)

1. Applying for - and getting into - exchange for 2011. In 3 weeks, I'll be in the UK. And that's really exciting. And scary. But mostly exciting.

2. Music festivals. This year, I went to Big Day Out, Good Vibrations and Byron Bay Bluesfest. I love the gritty atmosphere of music festivals, where you just know that everyone in the audience is willing to brave extreme heat/rain/mud/sleep deprivation/intoxication just to partake in the live music. Nothing beats it.

3. Friends. I know that this one's pretty hokey, but when I think about it, I have done a lot with my friends this year. I've made new friends, re-connected with old acquaintances (including one who is now my boyfriend!), worked on other friendships and maintained a lot of my old ones. It's awesome, I love every single one of them.

4. Road-tripping. Kind of carrying on from both 2 and 3 on my list, I've been on a couple of wicked road trips this year. The first one was to Byron Bay - a 12 or 13 hour drive - for Bluesfest with my friend C and her boyfriend at the time. It was great until we hit a kangaroo coming back. The second one was in June, and with N, O and E, we drove up to the Sunshine Coast for a friend's birthday. Even though I was the only girl, I had an awesome time and definitely got some brilliant memories (and photos).

5. Housesitting. I got to house sit for about 3 weeks a couple of months ago, and really enjoyed the responsibility. I think I did an okay job too.

6. My 21st. This is kind of the last landmark birthday - after this, it's every time you begin a new decade. I had a great party, with a lot of my friends and family, and really couldn't have thought of a better way to bring in my technical adulthood.

7. Cafe Essen. In my city, there's this cafe that's populated with hipsters, indie kids, coffee connosseurs and anyone who enjoys a good feed. I've been there so many times this year (at the beginning, I was stalking a good-looking barista. But then I was seduced by the food and excellent coffee). I'm a coffee snob, and I have actually no idea what I would do if this place shut.

8. The Music. Well... I have a rather varied taste when it comes to my music, and this year I've enjoyed everything from The Smiths to Aphex Twin, Kid Cudi to P!nk, Jack Johnson to Yves Klein Blue. It's been a solid year.

9. Typo. I found this shop way back in January, and I swear to God I spend so much money there - and imagine spending much, much more. It's just fantastic.

10. Last but not least... Zambrero. How could I leave this off? The best burritos I've ever had. Vegetarian, beef, lamb, chicken... rice, tomato, corn, onion... lettuce, beans, sour cream, guacamole... it's like a party in my mouth and everyone's invited. I know this sounds like a plug, but you couldn't pay me to praise this place. Actually, you could probably pay me in burritos.


Bad things.
... because, let's be honest. It hasn't been a totally awesome year.

1. Leslie Nielsen dying. So sad.
2. Hitting the kangaroo on the aforementioned road trip.
3. The blame game - especially in regards to police car chases. The police aren't to blame, criminals are.
4. Seeing some of my friends hurt each other, even unintentionally.
5. Justin Bieber. 'Nuff said.

Top Ten Songs for 2010:

1. Florence & The Machine/Dizzee Rascal - You've Got the Dirtee Love (Live)
2. Birds of Tokyo - Plans
3. John Butler Trio - Revolution
4. Pendulum - ABC News Theme (Remix)
5. CeeLo Green - Fuck You!
6. Washington - Sunday Best
7. Sia - Bring Night
8. Chiddy Bang - Opposite of Adults
9. Janelle Monae - Tightrope
10. Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime

And an honourable mention to P!nk for "Raise Your Glass". It's just so catchy.