The AFL this week demanded an explanation from Ten, which said the broadcast was "unintentional" and assured the league it would not happen again. Campaigners against domestic violence commended the league's response but demanded more from the Geelong Cats.
"I'm not prudish and I think people should be able to express themselves but that's just not on," White Ribbon ambassador Warwick Leeson said. "It's a complete putdown, it reduces women to being something a man owns. I can't imagine a sign at a women's function saying you can shag my husband."
Mr Leeson called on the Cats to track down the man who held up the sign and strip him of his membership. A friend of the man who was waving the banner said the phrase was a reference to a well-known unofficial Cats war-cry. The friend said the man waving the banner was not married and meant no harm by the sign, which was checked and cleared by gate staff before the match.
2 comments:
I'm not defending the banner, per se*, a couple of thoughts just popped into my mind:
The lack of imagination of the "I'm not prudish but..." people is not the fault of those who can imagine such signs in the hands of women. Call me a supporter of gender equality. Most women probably wouldn't choose to say anything like that, but then neither would most men.
Similarily, I can imagine - in fact I know - there are lots of people in happily nonmonogamous relationships and that there are wives out there who have an agreement with their husbands, that they can have affairs if the husband approves the other man. The arrangement can be pleasurable for everyone involved, people have all sorts of kinks and there's nothing wrong with that. Some women like to pretend they are owned by their man. It's not domestic violence, it's not putting down women, it doesn't mean they can't be a feminist. In any case it shouldn't be this public. And this was most likely just a joke, anyway. I don't see a reason to make such a fuss over it. Tim Minchin has a song in which he offers his wife as a price, Warwick Leeson is probably outraged by that, too.
*perse is Finnish for arse *juvenile giggle*.
Newsflash! Chav holds up rude sign at sports event. Onlookers somehow shocked.
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