Mean…or Hate Crime…You Decide
Sports Minister Kate Ellis has been undermined by male Opposition frontbenchers, who shout sports trivia questions during Question Time to test her knowledge. herald-sun
Knowing literally no sports triva myself I can’t see why this was sexist behaviour…but Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick thinks it is.
These people really do set themselves up.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
Well, while I think that to be a groundbreaking female is to face extra opposition, I also do actually have to agree that shouting questions just to intimidate is not something likely done to men.
That being said, isn’t Kate the one that an Australian men’s magazine offered money to, if she would pose? (She turned it down with a chuckle.)
Tone has so much to do with things: perhaps the leftist illuminati are simply overreacting, or maybe she really is experiencing discrimination. But I tend to think Australians can defend themselves.
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Having now googled her – if the mens mags didn’t they should have.
Parliaments are bear pits. Ministers are challenged. Kinder and gentler basically defeats the testing purpose of debate. In a sports made country like Oz if you are a Sports Minister you had better know your sports.
November 24th, 2008 at 5:57 am
> if you are a Sports Minister you had better know your sports.
C’mon, sports trivia is not sports. I know plenty of swimmers who wouldn’t know – or care – who won the World Cup. Sports are about the betterment of the body. I’ll bet she knows a lot about the elementary school curriculum wrt phys ed, but were they asking about that?
November 24th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I also do actually have to agree that shouting questions just to intimidate is not something likely done to men.
Never watched question period, eh? If it works – if it rattles the opponent or takes them off-message, it will be done. If they manage to shrug it off (or better, score a point or two of their own), then the members opposite will move on to something else.
This is not something done exclusively to women, or even exclusively by men – consider the heckling and abuse directed towards Stephane Dion, or the Parliamentary conduct of Sheila Copps (not to mention Joy McPhail)