There was a list somewhere recently of Senator
Bernardi’s political ‘thinking out loud crimes’. One of these was his call to
ban the burqa – politically incorrect but not hard to understand.
I was torn. On the one hand, Senator Bernardi’s latest gaffe promised a chance to have some fun at his expense. On the other, his latest ‘error of judgment’ was voiced in the context of the debate over gay marriage which has become a big yawn.
Just imagine if, 100 years ago, a politician
said something like giving women the vote would prompt calls for more extreme
changes. The next step would be allowing women to run for parliament.
Or if we ban slavery, the next thing you know some sick
bastard would insist that black people actually be paid the same wage as
everyone else.
Bernardi’s latest gaffe a few days ago was to
warn that legalising same-sex unions would prompt calls for more extreme
changes.
…..There are even some creepy people out there, who say that it's
OK to have consensual sexual relations between humans and animals. Will that be
a future step?”
One of the great joys in life is turning to
the last page of the Saturday Age Life & Style supplement.
Nobody – but nobody – nails it like Leunig:
A
footnote to the debate and subsequent demotion of Senator Bernardi:
“Mr Abbott said the Coalition did not support gay
marriage but he would not tolerate remarks which were offensive to people in
same-sex relationships.”
Can Mr Abbott not see the irony in his
remark?
*a mistake [from the Fr, faux pas]
Nice work by Luenig. I read Abbott's statement as said and without irony. Regardless of his views on gay marriage, that he won't tolerate remarks that are offensive to people in same sex relationships is surely a positive thing. I can't believe I am defending MrRabbit.
ReplyDeleteIrony aside, Mr Rabbit does deserve some credit. Point conceded.
DeleteWhat the heck! All this posturing everywhere we turn. What the heck!
ReplyDeletePower corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Rubye, thank heaven for the Leunigs of this world who can at least find a laugh in amongst all the crap.
DeleteWhat weirdos do in the privacy of their own kennel is no one elses business.
ReplyDeleteLeunig, the trendy's bard.
ReplyDeleteThank You. I feel so much better now despite having tried and failed to read "The" bard's plays. Or sonnets. Or even a little cheat's book that summarises his plots and lists characters.
DeleteLeunig has an alto voice, Shakespeare was never castrated.
ReplyDeleteSurely if emasculated Leunig's voice would be soprano?
ReplyDeleteAs for the bard, I shall have to take your word for it regarding the state of his tackle as I personally have no way of knowing he was never castrated.
Leunig rules! Humour is the savior of many a situation. Tony Abbott saying he won't tolerate said remarks just makes me mad also, I'm quite sure the gay community couldn't give a stuff about his views anyway. I'm not sure why but that is one of my least favorite words I just can't 'tolerate' it, and does anyone care, I'm sure not haha!
ReplyDeleteOur Leunig is a national treasure, non? Not just funny, but kind and gentle; rare qualities in humour.
Deletep.s. the kangaroo shots were taken in a reserve just five minutes away from us, not fenced off at all, they just do their own thing..but as you say probably not a good idea to get too close, especially when they're huffing and puffing like this, but such fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really envious of your photographic abilities - it's more like awe. And you find the most interesting things to photograph. The boxing match makes a nice change from seeing them wondering which way to go on a highway - but not being able to make up their minds!
DeletePardon me. as a closet singer I know the levels, only women are soprano. -Unless you think as some do that women are merely castrated men?
ReplyDeleteUse your noggin, you'd need balls to write like Shakespeare. Luenig is a crawler whatever.
As a closet singer surely you know that once upon a time the whole pointof castration was to preserve the beautiful soprano voices of beautiful young boys. [Srangely enough, a very Catholic idea.]
DeleteWomen merely castrated men? Or do you mean "merely men"?
If Leunig is a crawler than I plead guilty to being a crawler lover. Outed again.
Although I can also see the irony in Abbott's remarks, there IS a difference between a lack of support and violent opposition. And your comments about what might have been 100 years ago certainly should give us pause ...
ReplyDeleteI will concede the difference, but only grudgingly. I know, I know, politics should not be an emotional business but sometimes I just let myself down. Sometimes it becomes personal. Sometimes a cinnamon bun is the only thing that will satisfy me.
DeleteWho said politics should not be emotional? It's easy to play devil's advocate - but 'play' is the operative word.
DeleteI'll join you for a cinnamon bun, but make mine a vanilla slice from the Tatura bakery ...
Have been to the Tat bakery, but did not know vanilla slices were a specialty. Are v slices generally a particular favourite of yours?
DeleteHad a vanilla slice at the Sorrento bakery recently, despite the fact that their v slices had highly praised by Jeff Kennett. When in Rome...
Aunty and TO raved, but I prefer the solid, sXXX block type slice - if there is nothing decent in the cake/bun categories.
Didn't want to mention, but the Tatura Bakery WON Jeff K's VS comp!! I don't normally go for vanilla slices (too rubbery, pastry too thick, too boring) but the TB's are SUPERB!!!
DeleteThis is interesting. The Sorrento Bakery menu had a page devoted to their v s first prize prize, as awarded by JK, in 2003. The possibility that they've not won any prizes in 9 years and this might come across as a negative has not occurred to anyone. So the question is, in which year did the Tat bakery win first prize? This is the sort of question I would cop in the unlikely event that I got onto who want's to be a trillionaire, and [highly improbable] got to the hotseat for the very last question.
DeleteOne can only conclude JK was a VS slut.
I think there are degrees to offensiveness. I think there's a difference between hating homosexuals and not being fully enlightened on the subject yet.
ReplyDeleteI mean some people hate homosexuals and think they should burn in hell, be tortured, killed, ridiculed, etc. That's the lowest degree.
In the middle, you have the "Hate the sin, not the sinner."
Then on the top you have the people who are pretty much fine with homosexual relationships. They're just being a bit stubborn on the marriage thing. Honestly...if it's a religious-based thing, I'm proud of them for coming at least this far.
And someday they'll come farther. Or at least they'll be forced to realize they have no choice in the matter.
We don't need a 100% consensus for gay marriage to be legal.
You being sensitive about the issue...It reminds me of me being sensitive about Israel. So I can understand...probably.
Hi Dina,
DeleteI didn't realise I was being sensitive, but from the comments so far I guess I was.
I thought I was just being pedantic, as in "which part of being against gay marriage is not supposed to be offensive to people in same sex relationships".
But as much as I have no desire to marry at all, it still annoys me.
But yes, we have come a long way.
Maybe there's an analogy we can draw here. To say someone is against gay marriage is not the same thing as being against individual gay people.
And to say that the creation of the state of Israel caused some Arabs to lose their houses and land is not the same thing as being against individual Jewish people.
While acknowledging that the whole topic has done your head in, I find it extraordinary that people can even think the holocaust did not happen. Likewise, even though the holocaust was far worse than what happened in the middle east, I don't think it's wrong to acknowledge that some Arabs suffered rather than dismiss their stories.
At some point the Irish had to stop blowing up innocent people in England, and at some point the Arabs have to stop blowing up Israelis. At some point everybody has to stop hurting everybody else.
The stories don't justify bombings etc, but as a general rule people like to have their truth validated, that's all.
On one level we have to think in terms of countries, or large groups, but there are always personal and human stories underneath it all.
I'm not taking sides on the middle east thing, I think Solomon would struggle to solve the problems.
Ireland, Yugoslavia, the middle east and more. I think I only got started on the topic because the one side I want to take is the Australian side.
If people want to come and live here I would like them to let go of the hate and resentment and move on instead of continuing their war here. But part of that process is reconciliation and acknowledging people's reality.
Having said all of that I hope I have not been and am not continuing to be offensive. And I promise I will not raise the issue again ... probably :)
You're not being offensive.
DeleteAnd I like your idea that people should stop hurting each other.
It's nice to think of the Irish and all that went on there. Because things ARE better now, right? I mean they might not be perfect. But as far as I know...I'm not an expert on Ireland. It seems things are going well.
So maybe one day that Palestine/Israel country will be fine as well.
I mean look at our relationship with Japan and Germany now. (our includes both our countries). Who in the 1940's would have imagined that?!
You're wrong; boys never sing soprano.
ReplyDeleteSoprano is the highest quality of female voice.
Alto is the highest among men.
Boys sing a form of alto.
Okay? I exited the closet to sing 'If I Loved You' to a birdie outside a pizza shop in Newport. I did it in tenor knowing alto would bring the police.
While it is true that I am often wrong, I will disagree with you on this occasion and say that some castrati sang soprano. Of course I can't prove it, so that's the end of that one.
DeleteWhile I'm not against individual homosexuals I'll forever oppose homo couples raising kids.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of seeming disagreeable, I must say that I am not opposed to homo couples raising kids. I don't suppose this will surprise you.
DeleteFor some reason I'm much less tolerant of statements against raising kids than I am with the marriage thing.
DeleteI won't try to explain why.
Or...maybe I can briefly. It could be that gay marriage seems less important an issue to me than raising kids.
So why I'm not bothered much by Tony Abbott saying he doesn't support gay marriage; I would be much more bothered by him saying something about gay parenting.
No offense to R.H. Or...well...I do mean offense towards his opinion, but not against him as a person.