Name takes battering
ELISABETH CHAMPION A WANGAN fish and chip owner who caused a stir with her choice of business name is standing up to online bullies who have abused her and her customers and tried to incite arson attacks.
Owner of The Battered Wife Fish and Chips, Carolyn Kerr, said she had faced a lot of backlash from her choice of shop name, especially online, since opening in July.
“I had a fair few issues on Facebook, especially inter- nationally – one woman suggested she hoped someone would burn my business down – and a lot of disgusting abuse which I kind of expected really, but then they started to attack a few customers for their positive comments,” she said.
“I had to step in and ask them if they would please stop bullying because they are really no different than the abusers they condemn.”
Ms Kerr said that within weeks of opening, she received a letter from Cassowary Coast Mayor John Kremastos urging her to reconsider the shop’s name following “numerous concerns and complaints.”
The letter said the name did little to support any efforts to deal with domestic violence and could be seen by many as trivialising the issue and legitimising violence.
However, Ms Kerr disagrees.
“Domestic violence is a legitimate problem already,” she said.
“The only trivialising part about it is that in today’s society, women are the only ones that are categorised with this degrading, belittling, shameful label of battered wife – a label that is still whispered and shunned.
“Apart from the amazing, selfless people that work tirelessly on the front line doing whatever they can to help, society would rather not acknowledge its existence and our politicians throw little bits of money here and there that gets less and less with every new budget.”
She said she had listened to people’s opinions but was still undecided about changing the shop’s name.
“At the end of the day, it’s not domestic violence, it’s just a fish and chip shop,” she said.