Beach path in high winds

A bent, narrow shouldered woman beneath her ankle length white bathroom robe, at Cottesloe Beach looked at home. Her green slippers, worn and dotted with white sand, shuffled over the red brick path. The high winds blew her damp thin grey hair over her eyes. She kept shuffling, not needing to see where she was going.  Retirement started at least 25 years ago and her morning swim continues. Her bobbled green swim cap, 1960s style, looks new. She accidentally drops the cap as she tries to move the hair, against the strength of the wind. A pink child, glowing from running in the winds and sand, rushes to pick up the rubber and hands it to the older matron. ‘What’s it for, it feels funny,’ the bold child asks. The swim cap changes hands. The older one turns toward the road with no acknowledgement of the child’s question or her gift of not having to stoop over on the sloping path to have retrieved her cap.   

Leaving with negativity

In the week before her departure, when someone said to her, “sorry to hear you are leaving,” her swift response was “I’m not.” Her tone and promptness left no doubt as to how to interpret her opinion. After years’ fulltime (not FIFO) in town, a professional woman has left town and her job. Her relief in leaving town is almost tangible. 

What would I say?

If I saw my Cambodian friends from years ago, if I finally saw them after being away so long, what would I say? Sorry for the flooding that has swamped your country. Again. Sorry for the corruption that resulted in so many of the development problems that means the flooding is getting worse not better? Would I repeat sorry that another activist has been killed? And a further sorry that there is no easy solution and that all I can wish for is to stand beside them, in support.

Except I am here in remote red dirt Australia working, not there. Working in/for a community that has no idea how good it has it. Sorry is such an impotent notion but it’s what I would say.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/no-motion-shooting-probe

Prejudices - what I wish PM Gillard had replied

“Oh that’s absurd …… are you wanting to have an open discussion about gay rights or are you raising this to attempt to belittle me, to say that I am not in a real relationship? That the relationship is somehow flawed, as judged by the criteria of your own prejudices?

What does your attack say about the prejudices that all male hairdressers endure? The prejudices you are revealing about bisexual people is especially offensive and sad.

So what exactly are you attempting with this line of questioning?”

How I wish someone would speak up against the consistent insults, prejudices and jokes about bisexual folks. In the discussions of our PM’s situation of being ridiculed by journalists and some politicians, it’s been fine for some, to make even more jokes about gay hairdressers. I am so over it.

And I am annoyed at Australian activists. If only all those liberal middle class marriage equality advocates would focus on the real issues of homophobia instead of all that (for me anyway) unimportant nonsense about marriage equality.

How about they put their efforts towards defending male hairdressers right to be hetro, gay, queer, bi or however else they roll, just like every other human being should have. Annoyed after another slick joke is made on ABC about the PM’s partner’s looks and if they are ‘macho’ or not.

##  http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4753660.html      a great opinion piece by The Drum

 

### Separate but I was reminded of the often arrogance and sanctimonious attitude of expatriates towards national colleagues, donor recipients and ‘them’, when I worked in Cambodia and Timor also made me sad and disappointed in regards to gay rights. Now ‘we’ Australians are going to export a homophobic attitude to all male hairdressers? My observations were that it was completely normal and usual to have male hairdressers in the Asian countries I visited. What I dread is that Australia’s narrow minded prejudices get exported …….