ADDY READERS HAVE THEIR SAY - LETTERS AND TEXTS
TIME TO STAND TOGETHER AND SPEAK UP
THANKS for your Both Barrels piece (GA 17/2).
I’m all for female solidarity. And reminding men to mind their manners is not new news.
But I whole heartedly agree ... just tell them to bugger off.
Alternatively tell a parent, a teacher, a manager, the HR Department, a police person ... tell someone at the time.
It’s the retrospective aspect of #MeToo I find difficult to support.
We each have a #MeToo story to tell. But if it meant that much to you at the time — why wait 20 years to say something? Kim Sheehan
STOP BLAMING VICTIMS FOR WRONGFUL BEHAVIOUR
I AM writing in response to the disgusting, ignorant opinion piece enti- tled Name and Shame a Dangerous Game (GA 17/2), written by Karen Matthews.
I was saddened and enraged beyond belief that you would publish a piece that blatantly disregards the painfully real rape, sexual assault and domestic violence experiences of women and accuses so many women of fabricating these stories to ruin the careers of men.
This piece had no factual evidence beyond two tiny anecdotal tales. Karen chose to ignore the shocking statistic that in the 10 years between 2004 and 2014, reported rape numbers in Australia increased by 52 per cent (this is a real statistic).
No wonder more women are coming forward publicly — you cannot deny that rapes and sexual assaults are occurring much more frequently.
Now, when movements such as #MeToo are empowering women to stand up for themselves and get jus- tice for the crimes committed against their bodies, we have women like Karen telling us to jump off the “bandwagon”. I am deeply disappointed the Gee
long Advertiser would give any amount of specs to this piece.
To think that young women in Geelong might read this and feel less inclined to stand up against rape and assault is horrifying. Bridget McGivern
TOO QUICK TO PUT THE BLAME ON MEN
I AGREE wholeheartedly with Karen Matthews (GA 17/2), but how do we now put the brakes on this “trial by media” exercise?
Also, how do we stop stuff from 30 years ago being relevant to something recent?
It seems it’s all the blokes’ fault and the women are pure and I don’t buy that.
How do we give men a place in current society when “everyone” wants equality; quotas on company boards and government etc.
The women are often earning more than the man in a household so he is no longer the “bread winner”.
You don’t need a bloke to make babies anymore. What’s their role? I feel sorry for them the way they are being treated. Jill
TEXT TALK
TOTALLY agree with Robin Evans (GA 17/2). The view of the bay from the top of Gheringhap St was beautiful. Now that ugly concrete and glass, WorkSafe monstrosity has completely destroyed it. I shudder to think what the NDIS building is going to look like when it goes up on the old Carlton Hotel site. Architectural Eyesores, Grovedale.