Writer — get over period drama
Controversial Waikato Times columnist Tom O’Connor has three words for his haters: ‘‘Get over it.’’
O’Connor, who has written for the Times for seven years, outraged online readers with his latest column on women’s periods.
‘‘Any man who claims he has not suffered from the effects of the female menstrual cycle is either genuinely celibate or has not been married long enough,’’ he opined in his Tuesday column.
The opinion piece prompted an angry response from dozens of readers on Stuff.co.nz, Facebook and Twitter. Many accused him of ‘‘mansplaining’’ – a hamfisted attempt to explain in a condescending manner.
But O’Connor, national Grey Power president, reckons his detractors have missed his point: That sanitary items should not be subsidised.
‘‘It is not an illness. Those complaining haven’t read the column in its entirety. They’ve read selectively from it, and they’ve read between the lines.’’
Waikato University senior lecturer Maxine Campbell read every word and said O’Connor’s views were outdated. ‘‘First of all he conflates a number of different issues, but his point seems to be that he doesn’t want a subsidy on sanitary products. So why he has to go into hormonal mood swings is beyond me.’’
Comedienne Michele A’Court also wrote a column for The Spinoff asking O’Connor to imagine being a woman.
‘‘So . . . imagine that you are you, Tom. All good? And that for a few days every month, you bleed out of your penis. Sometimes a little bit, sometimes a lot. And your testicles (which would have turned into ovaries if you’d been born a lady) are painful.’’
O’Connor is unrepentant, but does have advice for men.
‘‘Get a life. Get real. It’s been part of human biology for several million years and hopefully it will continue to be part of human biology for several million more.’’
Campbell believes the real problem is a lack of price regulation.
‘‘The real issue here is the cost of sanitary products and the fact that women are a captive market.’’