Bohemian Rental [Summer School '06]

Essay Proposal & Preliminary Bibliography

2006-01-25T14:35:00.000+11:00

So it goes - I'm reposting my essay summary and my bibliography. Just finished today and am already suffering withdrawal from my daily SMH readings. Using dial-up internet and trying to access the SMH website is ridiculously tedious.

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To what extent can ideas concerning gender and sexuality dictate or contribute to media coverage of news and current affairs? How can, if at all, the media impact upon the issue of gender and sexuality in regards to on equality and fairness?

The issue concerning the interconnectivity of gender and sexuality is universal in that it may affect the outcome of not only what can be regarded as news and current affairs, but also the way in which these stories are covered. In my essay, I will attempt to explore how news stories, depending on their medium, are affected by such concepts. I will be discussing how gender and sexuality may affect ideas of equality and fairness in the representation of particular elements of a news story.

Gender encompasses a variety of concepts, in particular stereotypes. By referring to Bascow’s text, I will be able to assess a general definition of the gender stereotype and how it can affect social attitudes and values. This will lead into Flanders view that women are generally a minority when it comes to the media, an issue that panders comfortably with my debate.

Sexuality is an important issue in that it has come to cater towards the ways in which media reaches it audience. I will be referring to the idea of the media using sexuality and sex in general in marketing their publications and programs toward a desired audience. By doing so, I will be using various websites as well as television programs local as well as international publications to assess the role of sexuality in not only a news story but the media as a market.

In discussing equality and fairness, I will be referring to its various definitions as well as the sensitive flaws in the accuracy of reporting in regards to gender and sexuality. The social attitudes toward gender and sexuality will also be discussed in relation to this topic as well as
how the media’s coverage of various issues can similarly dictate views on these issues.

Preliminary Bibliography

Flanders, L., 1997, Real Majority, Media Minority: The Cost of Sidelining Women in Reporting, Common Courage Press, Maine

This text looks into the many issues associated with the under-representation of women in the media. It focuses on painting women as prisoners in an information society with no real voice as well as the sexualities that are often discriminated against by the media.

Hurst, J., and White, S.A., 1994, Ethics and the Australian News Media, Macmillan Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd., South Yarra

This text assesses the role of ethics in the Australian Media and how it may affect the reporting of a particular news story. It tends to look into the nature of private and public life and how it may be balanced. Hurst and White also tackle the growing issue of market media and how it can affect the ethical and moral standards to which a news story can be reported upon.

Bascow, S.A., 1992, Gender: Stereotypes and Roles (Ed. 3), Brooks and Cole Publishing Company, California

Bascow’s text is helpful in that it addresses how gender is constructed in regards to familial values, education and the media. In particular it looks at the social construct, and not just the biological definitions of gender. Bascow also looks at sexualities in regards to gender and how it may also contribute to gender stereotyping.

Williams, T., 2000, ‘Gender, Media and Democracy’, The Round Table, London, Vol. 357, 1 October 2000

This journal article was unearthed from the online database, Taylor and Francis. It looks at the apparent reorganisation of the basic institutes of society into the market, the Government and the family. It looks at the media’s role in addressing the range of issues associated with the representation of each respective sector, in particular centring on the issue of equality.

Gamson, J., 2001, ‘Jessica Hahn, media whore: sex scandals and female publicity’, Critical Studies In Media and Communication, Routledge, London, Vol. 18, No. 2, June 2001

Gamson’s commentary on the impacts of the female presence in the media focuses on the case of Jessica Hahn and the ways in which sexuality is used to gain media coverage. In this case, he refers to the gendered stereotypes that have come to be associated with women in their portrayal within the media and attempts to deconstruct them as a result. This article serves as a valuable resource to my essay as it focuses heavily on not only gender, but also sexuality.

Essay Proposal Post

2006-01-24T20:06:00.000+11:00

So it is - we have to post our carefully tailored question and brief essay summary on our blog. Obviously its lacking the five annotated sources, but I'll get to it soon enough. What bum sits at the uni library at 8PM at night to blog? *twiddles thumbs*

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To what extent can ideas concerning gender and sexuality dictate or contribute to media coverage of news and current affairs? How can, if at all, the media impact upon the issue of gender and sexuality in regards to on equality and fairness?

The issue concerning the interconnectivity of gender and sexuality is universal in that it may affect the outcome of not only what can be regarded as news and current affairs, but also the way in which these stories are covered. In my essay, I will attempt to explore how news stories, depending on their medium, are affected by such concepts. I will be discussing how gender and sexuality may affect ideas of equality and fairness in the representation of particular elements of a news story.

Gender encompasses a variety of concepts, in particular stereotypes. By referring to Bascow’s text, I will be able to assess a general definition of the gender stereotype and how it can affect social attitudes and values. This will lead into Flanders view that women are generally a minority when it comes to the media, an issue that panders comfortably with my debate.

Sexuality is an important issue in that it has come to cater towards the ways in which media reaches it audience. I will be referring to the idea of the media using sexuality and sex in general in marketing their publications and programs toward a desired audience. By doing so, I will be using various websites as well as television programs local as well as international publications to assess the role of sexuality in not only a news story but the media as a market.

In discussing equality and fairness, I will be referring to its various definitions as well as the sensitive flaws in the accuracy of reporting in regards to gender and sexuality. The social attitudes toward gender and sexuality will also be discussed in relation to this topic as well as how the media’s coverage of various issues can similarly dictate views on these issues.

Chile's First Female President

2006-01-16T12:58:00.000+11:00

The SMH has reported the election of Chile's first female president with former political prisoner, Michelle Bachelet securing a 53.2% majority over businessman Sebastian Pinera. It is a surprise outcome despite Bachelet, according to The Guardian being the favourite to win. She will be only the third woman to be directly elected president of a Latin American country.

According to a UK BBC News article, 'Chilean society is often portrayed as ultra-conservative dominated by men and the Roman Catholic Church. Only 4% of senators are women and divorce was only introduced last year', thereby showing that the role of women in Chilien society is yet to reach its full potential. With the election of Bachelet into presidency, it seems that things are set to change. A self-proclaimed socialist who 'wears many hats', and considered one of the most radical candidates in the electoral campaign, The Guardian reports that Bachelet's election 'reflects Latin America's increasingly leftward tilt'. Is this an implication towards the political inclinations of our genders with the male tendencies to be more right wing and the female tendencies to represent left wing ideologies?

Interestingly enough, according to the SMH, Bachelet is one of the only known female presidents who did not follow a politically prominent husband into power. A look into all the female presidents such as Ireland's Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, around the world, it seems that it rings true in that Michelle Bachelet is possibly the only femlae president not to have followed her presidential husband into power - Bachelet is a separated mother of three. One cannot help but wonder if this will affect her popular image in a patriarchical society. Bachelet herself states that it was not a problem when she was a minister and it should not be an issue if she becomes president. That said, it seems that she is willing to devote all her energy towards championing a better Chile, stating that 'I hope there will come a time when I have time for my children, for my family, and if a boyfriend, better, but otherwise I can live.'

On the topic of gender, the New York Times makes an interesting comment, stating that 'the tally this time suggested that class may have trumped gender', referring to an election six years ago, where Bachelet lost the electoral vote to Ricardo Lagos. It seemed that 'doubts had been expressed about whether Chilean men would be willing to vote for a woman', but the result of her marginal win is greater than that of her predecessor, Lagos. This article, in particular, makes special reference on the gendered aspects of the election as well as touching on the economic inclined voting that was likely to affect the outcome.

At the time of this particular story, numerous news sites have reported similar informative articles with many of the tabloid sites (namely, News Limited and the UK Times) appealing to the scandalous nature of her win through her status and 'colourful past'.

Abortions Target Girls

2006-01-11T20:02:00.000+11:00

Its an controversial issue when it comes to abortion and the SMH has just reported the new findings of researchers, sourcing British journal The Lancet, with the claim that girls in India are the main target. These researchers have taken to estimating the loss of the birth of half a million girls in India each year as a result of the familial values of having a boy to carry on the family name. It also draws on the fact 'many people in India regard daughters as a liability because... the custom of paying dowry to the groom's family forces many families into debt'. So it seems that this issue is not just centred around medical and traditional gender issues, but also finance and education.

The ABC website also reported this story, publishing a transcript of a discussion on their radio station. It is a much more comprehensive report in comparision to the SMH, as it draws on additional personal stories and activists in the face of abortion. It appears that it is a ridicule not to have a son and that the social implications beset by the birth of one is enormous. Interestingly, the story touched on a point suggesting that 'the practive of sex selection is both illegal and widespread'.

It was difficult to dig up many articles on this particular issue - News Limited, once again lacking anything to do with something so 'irrelevant' - but Yahoo! News Australia has an article regarding this sex selection debacle. It's written in a similar tabloid nature to that of the Daily Telegraph, but makes mention of the source of the story - the United Nations Population Fund - unlike the other articles. The information is more or less similar to the other articles, although included are much more 'controversial' quotes, such as '"I will kill other children if they are born girls," by a woman living in poverty.

It's a complex issue regardless of which way you look at it, drawing many of its ideas from gender and moral boundaries. Its probably no surprise that boys are favoured over girls, as socially, they are on much more higher ground in this patriarchical society. Furthermore, it seems that in underdeveloped countries such as India, the social stance of being a girl is of greater difficulty as they are expected to submit to traditional ideas of their gender and are therefore more of a liability to the family involved.

Nudity Invalidated

2006-01-09T19:50:00.000+11:00

So it seems that nudity during intercourse automatically annuls a marriage between two people. Have you ever heard of anything more bizarre?

The SMH has posted a brief article reporting on an Egyptian cleric's comments regarding consummation of a marriage. It's amusing to see that it became a televised debate and front page news seeing as it is an Islamic, and therefore religious claim.

I took the liberty of looking it up via Google and found some interesting articles commenting on the role of sex in marriage and the religion of Islam itself. Islam Online states that 'Islam considers sex as one of the essential human needs that must be properly satisfied' and 'Islam does not treat it as a distasteful, filthy, or heinous act of man', which is interesting to note considering the social view that women are subjected to oppressive sexual and gender-defined measures by the Islamic religion. It also comments on the idea of marriage and its necessity in a fulfilling life.

Wikipedia's articles on this topic run on a similar line to the above, where Sexuality in Islam, it seems follows a similar belief system to Christianity. Although, interestingly, this article states that Islam apparently sees the issue of abortion as eligible only if it is done within the first three months of conception.

The Muslim Women's League offers their own extensive perspective on sexuality in Islam, thereby showing that this issue clearly has a place in both genders. This article isn't bias in its opinion on sex in marriage and follows the same argument that 'sexual relations assume a prominent role in the overall well-being of the marriage'. It appears that adultery is a condemnation in Islam as it is in a majority of religions. The issue of abortion is discussed in modern perspectives, where abortion is accepted in the case of incest or rape. Contraception is not condemned, but is limited to the socially unreliable withdrawal method and the husband's consent in the use of contraception pills and condoms. This article also discusses the issues of puberty and growth in addition to the usual ideas concerning this topic. A more basic version of this essay can be found at ZAWAJ.Com.

Its a very interesting topic, and one that opens up a variety of other issues - the main one being religion and its stance toward sexuality. And considering the social controversy over Islam, its bound to stir some opinions on a number of fronts. Personally, I think its rather odd if you're not naked (that was the main topic lol) during sex.

Update on 'Packer Matriarch'

2006-01-08T11:57:00.000+11:00

Just stumbled across this article on the Ros Packer whilst doing my rounds of the online newspapers. Its pretty much focused on the opening of the Sydney Festival - but the fact that the event is dedicated to the late Kerry Packer makes it an interesting headline. The article makes little comment on the situation with Ros Packer, its merely making a statement saying 'look, her first public appearance'.

I hit up the News Limited website just then and there aren't many updates on the Packers - there're just a collection of old articles published soonafter his death. It's interesting, seeing as one of the only publications - the SMH - Packer failed to 'own' continues to publish regular articles on him or those associated with him.

Sexy Visas

2006-01-07T13:10:00.001+11:00

People are using other methods to get VISAs and not your usual run-of-the-mill forging of documents.

The Guardian makes a comprehensive report on the British investigation into their immigration officers' 'visa-for-sex' scams, a follow-up on The Sun's extremely short report on the same incident (or maybe, its just the online version that's short). It looks into the women's consent to sleep with officials in order to get a Visa, much to the distress of their families and partners. The paper published Jeffery's article yesterday revealing the scandal, and a follow-up today with Gillian's report. Oddly enough, unlike the Guardian, The Sun makes no follow-up article. The BBC website also gives a similar report, much on the same informative tone as The Guardian and much more comprehensive with all perspectives such as the immigration officer who exposed the issue and the Home Office Minister.

The SMH has picked up on this, stating that 'brazilian girls would be given permission to stay in the country longer than their boyfriends for no valid immigration reason'.

Its interesting to note the The Sun news website is totally, utterly sexed up (thanks to Alice for bringing this issue to light - I can't comment on your blog for some reason! YarGH). It features regular articles that are easily related to sex, as well as numerous dating advertisements accompanied by scantily clad women, so much so that I think it's starting to border on soft-porn. You'd think that an article of this related issue would have a little more priority, or at least a slightly more informative report. Interestingly, also - a search of 'visa AND sex' on the Australian News Limited site in regards to this scandalous incident failed to bring up any results. But of course, much like The Sun, being a tabloid newspaper, one tends to focus more on the personal issues rather than immigration affairs. Tsk tsk, poor reporting..

Gendered Journalism

2006-01-04T18:52:00.000+11:00

While its probably no surprise to anyone that journalism has its gendered aspects, but it's interesting to note that the general reporting of certain stories are carried out by distinct gendered journalists.

One example is the continued editorials on the myth that is Kerry Packer. I noticed that a lot of these editorials were written by men as well as commented by men, such as Brown's reflection on the Packer's impact on the media. Gerard Henderson's editorial on the Packer myth, I've noticed, refers to many media commentators, many of whom are men. Clearly, this seems to be the case for the business sector being male-dominated. It is a similar story with the reporting and opinions of Packer in regards to sport - the majority from the perspective of men, both here in Australia and in the UK, as seen in The Guardian. I guess this shows that both sport and business continue to be a male-dominated area in today's society despite the growing numbers of female representation.

Another example is the issue of abortion and the recent findings of the links between mental health problems and abortion (SMH, 03/01/06 - funnily enough, reported by a female medical journalist). The finding was brought to light by female journalist, Julie Bobotham and a further article and opinion piece published today were written by women reporters also. Interestingly, The Daily Telegraph has no report on this - or rather just the one on the News Limited site, with no follow up like the SMH. This lacks the comprehensive details of the SMH, rather it is just a basic report. A little generalisation, but is this a case of the DT being more male-driven?

It's no surprise, however, that much of the entertainment news on any news site are predominantly reported by women - a natural reflection on women's attitudes and interests in regards to the issues discussed in the media. What other explanation is there for the countless gossip magazines out there? But then again, is the content in these magazines classified as news? Despite it all, I guess it's suffice to say that the media has always been a gendered industry.

The Packer Matriarch

2006-01-03T18:53:00.000+11:00

A lot has been focused on the biggest media mogul in Australia - the late Kerry Packer - and the empire he left his eldest son, James Packer. Not enough has been written on his now widowed wife, Ros and her daughter, Gretel.

The SMH reports numerous articles and editorials by various media agents of both the sporting and business world, but little has been commented upon on the state of Ros and Gretel. The only articles I could find at the SMH are the ones reporting on Gretel's approaching marriage (complete with grainy photograph) and an interesting opinion piece on the effect of the late Packer's death on his wife, Ros.

Valerie Lawson's opinion piece is an admirable portrait of the matriarch of the Packer family, commenting particularly on the requisite trait of Packer women 'being tough' because 'they have to be'. The Daily Telegraph on the other hand, lacks any editorial piece on this gendered area in regards to the Packer death. What they do have rather, are countless pieces on the generosity of Packer and glowing reflections on his life. Of course, that's not to say that the SMH hasn't got its fair share of such articles - rather, it seems that the DT has merely focused on the myth that is Kerry Packer and not much else. It is a similar story with the SMH as continuing blogs surrounding the mythology of the Packers become increasing popular (another case of new media in journalism?). The ABC website has little editorial content on the subject of Packer apart from the basic reporting (who, what, when etc) of the Packer and PBL proceedings.

It is probably expected that the reportings on the Packer death is gendered in the focus as Kerry Packer himself more or less epitomised much of the media-business proceedings, a male-dominated industry despite growing numbers of women. Furthermore, the business industry is often painted up to be a 'man's' world, with much of the more domestic aspects of the empire focusing on the women, i.e. the widowed Ros and the heavily pregnant Gretel. There is a greater focus on James Packer, instead, and how he appears to be picking up the reigns to his father's empire with many articles, particularly in Business, devoted to this issue.

Women Riding The Wave

2005-12-28T09:59:00.000+11:00

Being an avid SMH reader (and lazy butt-hole who forks out the $1.20 each day instead of subscribing) I found this article commenting on the roles of women in the aftermath of the tsunami. Women Riding The Wave, I found was a insightful read into the changing lives of the women in Sri Lanka. While up to 70% of the women and children were lost in the Boxing Day tsunami, more and more women it seems, have begun to pick up masculine roles such as fishing in order to survive and cater to their remaining families and loved ones.

It seems that these women are determined to rebuild their lives, both emotionally and economically. Men are remarrying much younger spouses after losing their wives and children to the tsunami, and these women have to make a greater effort in order to care for their existing loved ones. Furthermore, The Guardian reports show an increase of alcohol consumption among men and teenage boys, amongst other things, since the tsunami. Men appear to be losing their purpose for life, garnering an increased feeling of hopelessness in rebuilding their lives - another reason as to why women seem to be taking matters into their own hands.

Alarmingly though, in the midst of the tsunami clean-up in Sri Lanka, the civil war continues with the New York Times reporting that the ceasefire between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government is breaking. It's no wonder that with this ongoing civil war, along with the slow use of international aid devoted to reconstruction of the lives of these civilians that these women have decided to take things into their own hands.

In another report, the women of Tamil Nadu in India are seeking to undergo surgery in a bid to conceive again, and possibly replace the children they lost in the disaster. The SMH reports the small number of women who have become successful in conceiving after having the surgery to reconnect their fallopian tubes in order to conceive. It's a stark contrast to the women in the Sri Lanka who are fishing and engaging in masculine tasks in order to maintain their community. The women in Tamil Nadu, it seems, are trying to keep from losing their husbands to younger women - who are much more able to conceive and produce children - by undergoing this surgery. I think they fear losing even more as a result of the tsunam, their children, and their husbands as well.

There are so many issues that tie into this aftermath of the tsunami - way to many to discuss here in this one blog entry. I'll post later when I find more and when I get my thoughts into order - oh the dramas of Christmas aftermath!

Gay Liberation Front

2005-12-23T22:13:00.000+11:00

So it turns out that the gay reform laws in Britain have sparked more than a little bit of interest in Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that gay rights groups are seeking to meet with Howard to discuss possible reform in the laws concerning the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Although it seems that our PM is strongly against it - stating that 'Marriage is between a man and a woman', which is no surprise considering his conservative inclination. However, he is in favour of removing discriminatory acts on same-sex partnerships, despite his conservative views.

The ABC has also commented on this - although, it is a very similar and much shorter article than the SMH one.

I do! Legally so!

2005-12-21T22:24:00.000+11:00

The issue of gay marriages has risen again in the media with the Sydney Morning Herald picking up on Britain's first gay and lesbian marriage, or rather, signing of legal documents, between Shannon Sickels and Grainne Close in Belfast. These couples will be able to gain recognition just like any normal couple living in Britain as a result of the new laws passed over there. It's clearly a step towards the greater acceptance of gay and lesbian couples in today's civil society. Outstandingly, approximately 700 gay marriages in Britain are to take place this week as a result. The ceremony is similar to a civil wedding without the church and all that jazz.

What issue isn't complete with celebrities - The New York Times reports that Elton John and his long-term partner have decided to marry in an extravagent ceremony under the new laws next week also. Also, singer George Michael and his long-term partner are also looking to marry under the new laws. These celebrity figures are more or less icons that other gay and lesbian couples look up to in their campaign towards legal rights on their sexuality.

What I admire is the fact that Sickels and Close stood against the tide of anti-homosexual protestors in their determination to get married - it outlines the fact that not everything should be based on appearance and biological nature. Every human is capable of love, regardless of whom that love is devoted towards. Doesn't the saying go, 'love is blind'? Its' been scientifically proven here (BBC) and here (The Age). And when you're talking about the controversial issue of homosexuality, everyone's got their own opinions. I honestly don't believe it should even be an issue. But hey, not all of us are blessed with open minds.

Sorry this isn't longer- it should be. I've left this too late in the day to post and I have work tomorrow. It'll be better next time promise. Plus it's almost Christmas, so can you blame me? =)

Singapore Hits Back

2005-12-17T16:48:00.000+11:00

An interesting article I found in the SMH - Singapore's media seems to be speaking up, however bias it appears to be. Their main English-language paper, the Straits Times, has criticised the Australian media on its contradictory coverage of the recent racial riots and Nguyen's hanging a few weeks back. Just so you know, the Straits Times has close links to Singapore's ruling People's Action Party and is broadly supportive of government policy, or what local officials call nation-building (AAP, 2005).

Now I would directly link the article in question to this post but I have to register all my details including interests, income earnings all this crazy payment details in order to read anything off the site- I have to subscribe (it's not free) in other words, which brings another issue into the picture. Is this a case of press freedom? Or rather the fact that anonymous users are not allowed to access their online archive/site without having to register? Insightful, in terms of their media processes in my opinion..

Girlie Eggheads Conquer

2005-12-17T15:59:00.000+11:00

It's that time of the year again - approximately 65 800 students who sat their HSC exams this year received their marks and UAI yesterday and today. Geez, I remember it was only a year ago when I got my results - oh the pressure and anxiety. I think the waiting is worse than actually sitting the examination!

Anyhoo, it seems this year the lasses have performed better than the lads with five girls topping all the science subjects, a branch of study that has typically been dominated by boys. So it's got me wondering, are the tables turning? It's the same story in maths - this year a girl managed to top Maths Extension I (although Maths 2 unit and Maths Extension II were topped by boys again). Girls made up about 60% of those who sat the HSC as opposed to the 40% of boys. I'm not trying to make any sweeping generalisations here or anything, just that its interesting to see that girls have managed to conquer the subjects that were originally male-dominated. Also Hornsby Girls High school has climbed to second place in the state ranking of HSC school performance this year - just behind James Ruse of course - higher from last year's third ranking. This article, along with another one I unearthed at the tres confusing site that is the Daily Telegraph, makes a whole bunch of references to the heightened academic performance of girls. But then again, this is not to say boys aren't trying - its been reported that boys' performance overall has increased this year despite girls making up the majority of the high achievers in this years HSC.

'The Shire' Riots

2005-12-13T20:41:00.000+11:00

I'll give a candy cane to anyone who hasn't heard about the Cronulla riots these last couple of days.. Most of the papers - and many commentators and the public also - have labelled it as a 'racially driven' as a result of the increasing violence on the Middle Eastern beach-goers behalf.. A retaliation against the Middle Eastern 'Lebs'. I understand their motive, but what idiot serves alcohol to a bunch of youths shouting 'Aussie Pride' and what losers rip scarves off the heads of Muslim girls?

Predominantly, the violence seems to be racially triggered - courtesy of the Middle Eastern-appearance dudes who abused the lifeguards last week - but the incident with the whole 'let's her scarf off' pulls all sorts of issues into the picture. The 'hijab' scarf is worn by many Muslim women 'as a sign of their faith and submission to Allah (not to men), and so that all Muslim women are respected equally rather than for their appearance, and as a matter of social responsibility' (Wikipedia 2005). The fact that the Anglo-Celts at Cronulla - white Aussies, in other words - targetted this high school girl and her 'khimer' is a sign that this event was somewhat gendered; or it could merely be a response to the gendered aspects of the Muslim religion as a whole.

Another thing I found was that soon after the second wave of riots, the mothers of these Middle-Eastern men were encouraged to exercise some discipline over their young teenage sons in an attempt to curb the violence between these two groups. This article dictates that mothers (a gendered role) played a significant role in the Lebanese family and that 'in Islam, paradise lies at the feet of your mother, so to disobey your mother is to disobey God'. So it seems, that these violent events bring all sorts of issues into the picture- not just race.

Scarier still, some commentators (Damien Murphy, primarily) have even traced on the subject of 'mateship' - a term laced in masculinity - and the breadth that it has been taken to in light of these riots. It's an interesting term, considering that in this case it seems to apply to both sides of the conflict. Anglo mates looking out for fellow Anglo mates, and Arabs looking out for other Arabs. Pity they're not looking out for eachother, regardless of race and religion.

What scares me is the fact that these events have been broadcasted all over the world and that we're no longer seen as the 'peaceful and lucky' country that we always have been. Laid-back and go with the flow coolio. Multiculturally cool and all that. Far from it, it seems. Apparently, this was going to happen sooner or later, but the fact that it happened so violently and almost so suddenly really irks me. And our divine PM says Australians aren't racist.. Pfft. Everyone does it. It's just that nobody talks about it.

Sex Education

2005-12-11T22:05:00.000+11:00

A case of sex education gone too far. The New York Times (happy snaps to fellow summer schoolie Thao for this) has just reported the outcome of the case of Sandra Beth Giesel, who was convicted to a mere six months in jail for having sex with her 16 year old student. The article questions the abuse inflicted onto the teenager by these women and enlists the comments of various players in the issue, such as educators and members of education departments as well as psychological researchers. What I'd like to comment on is the impact of these relations between female teachers and their male students. The article sheds light on the litter of cases such as Lisa Lynette Clark, the 37 year-old teacher who married her 15 y/o student soon after finding out she was pregnant to him, and Silvia Johnson, a 40 y/o mother who gave her high school son's friends drugs and alcohol in an attempt to 'be cool' and in doing so, ending up boinking them too, and the apparent 'women having sex with teenage boys' is nothing new. Isn't it only in the last couple of months that these cases have been brought to light? Or has it always happened, and it's only now that they're being reported?

Not new? Scary, I have to admit. Especially when the issue of consent is brought into the picture. And the fact that most 15 year old boys are nearing their sexual peak at about the same time as most women nearing the age of 30. And then comes laws and ethics and morals and so on and so forth. This is why it's such a controversy - sexual relations between women up to 20 years older than the man (or is that boy?); its almost incestuous. Add the fact that she's his teacher and we've got a great storyline for the next episode of the Bold and the Beautiful. This was the case in the infamous relationship between Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, where Letourneau became obsessed with Fualaau while he was in the second grade at the school she was teaching. Their relationship became sexual before his 13th birthday and Letourneau became pregnant with his child, one which was born in jail while she was serving her sentence for apparent 'statutory rape' with Fualaau.

Gender-wise, these relationships seem to be a tad less controversial, according to anonymous sources in Wikipedia (see above, Mary Kay Letourneau), than that if it were between a male teacher and much younger female student. Is this because our patriarchical society is paradoxically hardened towards those committing the offence (the male teacher to the teenage girl) and those who are victimised by it (the teenage boy by the female teacher)? Notice how Giesel only received six months jail, whereas most paedophiles receive about five years or more - doesn't this say something? And why are paedophiles socially defined as male? Aren't these women paedophiles too?

What disturbs me is that these things don't just happen in America as we'd all like to think, but they're also home-grown. Who can forget the case of Jeff Sinclair, English teacher from Baulkham Hills High and 33 years older than his young female student, Nicole Shackle, developing a relationship before later ‘shacking up’ (pun intended) with her a few years after? And more recently, Karen Ellis, a PE teacher who was convicted of having sex on six counts with teenage boys under the consensual age of 16? Then there’s the question of profit in this article on Ellis – ‘Ellis and her victim, former student Benjamin Dunbar, will appear on Channel 9's 60 Minutes tomorrow in a $40,000 deal. It is believed Ben will receive the fee but the Herald Sun believes police will monitor the arrangement to ensure Ellis does not profit’. Is it because the offender is a full-fledged adult and henceforth should know what is right and wrong? Lack of profit plus jail term equals punishment, I believe.

This issue throws up a whole multitude of questions and ideas. This is a bit *cough* longer than usual, and no way can I squeeze it all these ponderings into one blog entry. Meanwhile, I look forward to six hours of sleep – work tomorrow. Oh the dramas of opening up shop! A plus side though - fingers crossed I get tickets to U2's April 1 show.. altogether now: 'Hello hello... I'm at a place called vertigo!'

Oscars swings that way

2005-12-08T16:38:00.000+11:00

Here's a sweet article - 'Gay cowboys flirt with Oscar' (that is a great headline, I have to say). Talk about controversial; all the hype that's surrounded this film. It's one thing to be filming a sex scene between two women in it (Muholland Drive and Monster, anyone?) but its another to be filming sex scenes between to young male actors. Why? Because we're not exposed to gay issues and explicit in-your-face gay relations like this (or so I've been reading up on in regards to this film 'Brokeback Mountain'. I think this is a breakthrough in film and a right and proper commentary on the issues surrounding gay sexualities.

This article is only informative in that Oscar talk for the film has heightened, but there is one statement, that I really like - '[Heath] Ledger and co-star Jake Gyllenhaal are two of Hollywood's hottest leading men, but they risk alienating fans and sending their stars plummeting if, after watching the pair have sex on screen, audiences cannot see them any other way than gay.' My question is why is this so? Simple, and I'll say it again - people are simply just not accustomed to being exposed to this sort of gay issue. Those who have are most likely closet-viewers/commentators. I'm not saying that we shouldn't, definitely not. I'm all for freedom of expression. The thing is that in pornographic terms, there are nowhere near as many male-male sex romps as there are female-female sex romps and this is purely because of the dominating male audience in the commercial porn industry and the stigma attached with gay sex. Sure we have the Mardi-Gras but is that an expression of gay culture or just an excuse to don as much make-up and costume as possible to parade down Oxford Street? The point is that, we know its out there, we just don't talk about it.

This film is a milestone and the fact that its based in the cowboy-yeehaww Western era is bound to make a statement. And the fact that these two actors are notoriously linked in hetereosexual relationships is bound to have fans and their partners alike question their tendencies. But that's just me speculating. Personally, I admire them for pushing themselves.

I hope this thing posts. iMacs are cruddy.

Gender-roles and the 70s

2005-12-07T20:09:00.000+11:00

Someone was watching commercial television again.. Today Tonight showed a report on 'What Women Want' in today's society. Some interesting commentary, I admit, and backed up by some legitimate evidence (such as Professor Lee, a scholar who has studied Australian women over the last 10 years and case studies on various women in Australia).

Gender-wise, this commentary is a mere wrap-up of what most of us would have probably realised in the last couple of years - women have more opportunities and are allowed more interest in their own education and training. I've italicised (is that a word? Hmm..) 'allowed' because I think it wasn't as totally socially acceptable for women to take charge of their interests, say, 30-50 years ago.

Reporting-wise – it’s quite good. They’ve balanced everything out more or less – they have the woman who has it all (career AND family) and the woman who has just the career – although, maybe they could have thrown in a male perspective as well as the female professor/scholar to stir up the report a bit. What they could've also done in terms of examples, they could have thrown in the full-time family woman to represent those who choose family over career and asked her opinion on the matter. Other than that, I’d say its done none-to-badly.

This is another example. It’s from about 2 weeks ago, but I thought it seems mighty relevant. CNN announces the release of a New York Times columnist’s new book, ‘Are Men Necessary?’ (Here’s the book link, and the report link). Controversial, definitely, considering the stats of this fine example of American commentary and clearly angry and close-minded feminist (or is that ‘femi-Nazi?). This article is particularly good, I have to say – it’s got plenty of sources (e.g. readers, reviewers) as well as branching to all responses and commentary across all mediums (‘American Morning’ TV program, and the New York Times newspaper), as well as from the lady herself, something I reckon is pretty admirable for an internet article. It covers all grounds and look, SUB-HEADINGS!! It’s a balanced piece of journalism – much better than the Today Tonight report, but then again, you have to take into account the medium – and comments nicely on the issue of gender and sexuality.

Gosh it’s late. Five minutes into ‘That 70s Show’ and I’m still here embracing the inner nerd. *SHOCK* I chose uni over Steven Hyde? Noooooo…

First NCA Blog

2005-12-05T15:23:00.000+11:00

Testing...

This is a blog for my summer elective course News and Current Affairs focusing mainly on gender and sexuality in current affairs. The normal thing to do would be to check if this works. Oh the dramas of being computer-illiterate!

So far, we're just browsing the internet databases for some uber-interesting articles on this topic. I got the SMH today and there was this article on how this group of uni bums (such as myself) decided to make a calender based on the erotic bits of the Bible (not like myself, thankfully). Luckily, I managed to find a link to it via the SMH website. I think this particular commentary on the issue of gender and sexuality in NCA is great - it challenges the basic ideals surrounding the Bible and the values imbedded in these beliefs. Of course, this overlaps with the issue of religion, but I'll just focus on the role of sexuality in both commercialism and the ways in which it affects news and current affairs.

In this regard (now I'm speaking like an essay), the sexuality in the presentation of this issue, especially in the SMH is obvious - HELLO long-haired topless chick in full colour photograph. No wonder its one of today's most viewed articles.

That's all I can physically comment on for now - iMacs and Netscape rate highly on my list of all things rad. Not.