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.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
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...
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...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
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?
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?
Friday, December 31, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, December 13, 2010
'Tis the season
So, it has been over a month since my last post. That's pretty shameful, but I guess that time flies when you're having fun. I finished my second year of Uni, got some pretty good results, spent a couple of days at the beach, have been to a handful of birthday and Christmas parties, and turned 21 yesterday. I'm having my party on Saturday night, which should be really fun. Then it's Christmas next week (although I'm still not entirely sure how it got to be this late in the year so fast...), for which I'll probably be working lots of shifts and somehow managing to buy the presents I've got left to get.
I have mixed feelings about Christmas. It used to be my favourite time of year - probably because it's so close to my birthday, but when I was younger I used to get so excited about Santa, presents and lots of interesting food. Even though my family wasn't super rich, my Dad always got really excited and that was kind of contagious. Then, when I was 15 and working in a supermarket, I realised that that sense of pending excitement I had was strangely missing as I worked double shifts up until the Big Day. Same thing the next year, and the year after that (except by then I was working at a cafe, which was much less harsh than Coles had been). The third year that I worked in the lead up, I was so blase about Christmas - until Boxing Day, when my Dad played these old tapes of Carols for the first time that season, which made me come home.
The year of my Gap Year - so the Christmas just after my 19th birthday - was exciting for me again, with the only difference being that I wasn't working, and had time to actually get excited. Then last year, it was back to that sense of indifference that I'd gotten used to in my teenage years.
This year, is different again. I'm not really indifferent, or being a total Scrooge like I was last year, but it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. It's really surreal. Still, I am looking forward to the food, and the family. Even though Santa feels like a relic of my childhood, he is still found in various places around my house at the moment (including in one particularly scary incarnation that reminds me of Chuckie from Child's Play, and which my Mum and I have petitioned in vain to have banished from the house). I decorated most of the tree this year, with great results - it's entirely decked out in red and green.
I think that as I've grown older, even though I've lost that sense of excitement, but I've gained an appreciation of the traditions that make this time of year so important. It really is about family, friends, food and stories that are shared amongst everyone. As much as Christmas has become one of the most commercial, capitalist entities of our time, those values (I think, at least) will always be around. And that's why Christmas is special.
I have mixed feelings about Christmas. It used to be my favourite time of year - probably because it's so close to my birthday, but when I was younger I used to get so excited about Santa, presents and lots of interesting food. Even though my family wasn't super rich, my Dad always got really excited and that was kind of contagious. Then, when I was 15 and working in a supermarket, I realised that that sense of pending excitement I had was strangely missing as I worked double shifts up until the Big Day. Same thing the next year, and the year after that (except by then I was working at a cafe, which was much less harsh than Coles had been). The third year that I worked in the lead up, I was so blase about Christmas - until Boxing Day, when my Dad played these old tapes of Carols for the first time that season, which made me come home.
The year of my Gap Year - so the Christmas just after my 19th birthday - was exciting for me again, with the only difference being that I wasn't working, and had time to actually get excited. Then last year, it was back to that sense of indifference that I'd gotten used to in my teenage years.
This year, is different again. I'm not really indifferent, or being a total Scrooge like I was last year, but it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. It's really surreal. Still, I am looking forward to the food, and the family. Even though Santa feels like a relic of my childhood, he is still found in various places around my house at the moment (including in one particularly scary incarnation that reminds me of Chuckie from Child's Play, and which my Mum and I have petitioned in vain to have banished from the house). I decorated most of the tree this year, with great results - it's entirely decked out in red and green.
I think that as I've grown older, even though I've lost that sense of excitement, but I've gained an appreciation of the traditions that make this time of year so important. It really is about family, friends, food and stories that are shared amongst everyone. As much as Christmas has become one of the most commercial, capitalist entities of our time, those values (I think, at least) will always be around. And that's why Christmas is special.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
So hear this, Robert Zimmerman...
Nearly at the end of the semester! Yay! There's only two thousand words on the internationalism of German cinema from the 1990s to the present in between myself and freedom. I think I'm going to use Goodbye Lenin! and either The Nasty Girl or Beyond Silence for my films... or maybe The Lives of Others or Run, Lola, Run. They're all pretty solid.
In other news, Beauty and the Geek is making me lose faith in humanity. I'd like to say that I'm trying not to watch it; my Mum has it on in the background. It's really awful. Although, if one of my friends ever decided to enter the show, I'd support them wholeheartedly. It WOULD be funny, for me at least.
In other news, Beauty and the Geek is making me lose faith in humanity. I'd like to say that I'm trying not to watch it; my Mum has it on in the background. It's really awful. Although, if one of my friends ever decided to enter the show, I'd support them wholeheartedly. It WOULD be funny, for me at least.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Fooooood
Okay, so you know how a while ago I wrote an entry about how easy it is to photograph food badly? And how, when that's done, it's more nauseating than enticing to look at food? Well, anyway, I found a new blog that completely contradicts that.
It's a little blog called "The Boyfriend Replacement", and it's found at http://boyfriendreplacement.tumblr.com/, and I swear to God that it has made me so hungry, and craving things I haven't eaten in ages. Like fried rice. Nutella straight from the jar. Tomato soup. Cupcakes (although, I'm always craving cupcakes!). Penne with vegetables. Onion rings. Strawberry tarts. Baklava. Hot chips. My mouth is watering.
I really like food.
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