Source : the age
Credit: Matt Golding
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.
Call out misogyny
I wanted to scream reading the article ″Medical misogyny’s deadly impact″ (19/4). How dare so many women have life-threatening diseases misdiagnosed. But then I turned the page and there was a story on malicious misogyny being directed towards Monique Ryan, reinforcing that attitudes towards women in this country are another disease. Whether it’s the attacks on Julia Gillard, the vile comments directed towards AFLW players simply for kicking a ball, the suggestion that women only get senior appointments because they tick a box, the extraordinary level of family violence, the rise of man-influencers who despise women, the way women have to look a certain way and so much more, demonstrates that misogyny is part of the Australian psyche.We must continue to call it out until change happens.
Samantha Keir, East Brighton
Change GP option
Note to all women, if your GP doesn’t believe you, change doctors.
Michelle Leeder, Trentham
Lack of respect
My disgust at the violent, misogynistic and intimidatory actions of Professor Greg Malham in ripping down and stomping on a corflute belonging to Dr Monique Ryan, runs deeper than being upset on her behalf. (″Chilling video shows surgeon stomping on Ryan corflute″, 18/4).
The vandalism committed by a man reputedly occupying a position of responsibility, esteem and leadership in society is a lesser crime compared to his encouragement of his ″boys″ to intimidate and commit violence against women whose safe disposal he even callously demonstrates.
His behaviour encourages a lack of respect and violence towards one of our democratically elected representatives who has a right to be able to carry out duties freely and without fear. He might now claim his behaviour was ″silly″, ″bad″ and a ″joke″ and offer financial recompense and an insulting ″bit extra″, but it significantly raises the risks and fears of all those involved in campaigning, politicians and their supporters, and gives licence to others to behave in similar fashion.
Above all, as a woman, it distresses me deeply that such attitudes towards us as Malham’s are being perpetuated in society.
Jennifer Quigley, Balwyn
Male identity crisis
Greg Malham’s shocking misogynist hate speech against teal MP Monique Ryan and women in general, his appalling misogynist tutorial for boys advocating violence against women, and “GO TRUMP” shout-out, belong to the US Proud Boys so strongly supported by Donald Trump.
In my counselling practice the proportion of women suffering from extreme misogyny has increased over recent years. The women do very well with counselling but not one of such abusive male partners has availed themselves of counselling or any form of therapy. We need whole-of-community support and especially male counsellors to step up and help out in this era of male identity crisis.
Name and address supplied
It’s not a joke
The article and video of Greg Malham destroying Monique Ryan’s election corflute was sickening. Malham admitted to doing it and said he was ″just joking″. Violence against women can never be considered a joke when one woman is killed each week by a man in Australia.
Coni Forcey, Sandringham
Alarming behaviour
The article and video on the destruction of Monique Ryan’s corflute exposes a violent act of vandalism steeped in misogyny. For a surgeon, entrusted with ethical responsibility, to aggressively destroy Ryan’s corflute is alarming. This calculated act symbolises an attempt to silence a female voice and erode civic discourse.
Political signage supports free expression. Destroying it with such hostility undermines respectful debate and sets a dangerous precedent in our polarised climate. Disagreement belongs in dialogue or at the ballot box, not violence. We must hold professionals to higher standards and condemn such behaviour. Our democracy demands respect, not destruction.
Sue Barrett, Caulfield South
Absurd classification
Recent media reporting of ″medical misogyny″ is concerning. It is quite absurd to classify any negative medical diagnostic or treatment experiences a woman has had as misogyny. Is it seriously being argued that the medical profession has a hatred for or ingrained prejudice against women?
The recent articles in this newspaper advert to the views of a number of women which were gleaned after those views were effectively solicited. This is hardly representative, and certainly not objective research.
I am reasonably confident that if a similar exercise was carried out with men, a similar result would be achieved. Would we then get headlines of ″medical misandry″?
If we solicit complaints through a prism of ″victimhood″, whether it be based on gender, race or any other similar characteristic, we are very likely to get obliging responses.
Con Differding, Torquay
Nuclear doesn’t add up
The Coalition’s original nuclear idea was that it was commercially viable in Australia. When this was shown to be incorrect, Peter Dutton went to Plan B. This plan involves taxpayers footing the bill for a hugely expensive and problematic technology for which we have no legal framework, no experience, no agreed sites and no plans for toxic waste storage – all issues that need large amounts of money not yet factored into the cost.
If and when one nuclear facility was built, some time in the 2040s, that plant would produce 1GW. CSIRO found the cost of electricity generated from nuclear reactors by 2040 would be about $145-$238 a MWh, compared to $22-$53 for solar, and $45-$78 for wind. The cost of renewables/storage meanwhile, continues to decrease. Most Australians are not scientists, but we can do the sums.
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Lateral thinking
If you live in a marginal seat your vote has more influence than a vote in a safe seat as politicians have to consistently work harder for it.
Perhaps those who live in safe seats of either major party need to consider voting the opposite of what they normally do so that the seat has a greater chance of transitioning from a safe seat to a marginal one.
In that way, maybe constituents would get more bang for their buck from their politicians.
Susan Nisbet, North Caulfield
The mammoth problem
Cathy Wilcox’s cartoon (18/4) quite properly draws attention to many elephants in the room that seem not to be seen by our two political leaders. But the woolly mammoth is nowhere to be seen: climate change. Anthony Albanese acknowledged it in the recent leaders’ debate while Peter Dutton fumbled trying to work out what it is all about.
Rod Watson, East Brighton
Untrustworthy
Despite his resolution and ceasefire grandstanding all Donald Trump has achieved is to enable Vladimir Putin further incursions into Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky now knows there are two countries he cannot trust.
Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale
Independent mindset
Please don’t write ″none of the above″ on your ballot paper. If you don’t want to vote for a party choose an independent candidate who is working for your local community.
David Johnston, Healesville
No news is good news
Four days on a Murray River houseboat with family and friends. Placid waters, stately river red gums. No TV, no radio, no newspapers. No Trump, no Musk, no Putin. Temporary bliss.
Barrie Bales, Woorinen North
