1. Okay, here’s a thread. Because I’m fed up. Yesterday I was interviewed by @abcadelaide about the St. Kevin’s schoolboys debacle. 5 minutes before the interview, I was advised they were also interviewing Kevin Donnelly - “for balance”.
2. Leaving aside whether an “Australian” columnist & author of a book decrying “political correctness” (which most of us call decent behaviour) is ever “balanced”, I’m annoyed at his dig at me during the broadcast. He said - in response to my assertion privileged white men are ..
3. ... destroying this country & others - that “he’s a white male & that’s an offence these days”. FFS. How do men like him jump so fast to feeling attacked? How do they get away with playing the woman, not the ball? How do they not SEE my assertion is backed by every known fact?
4. All they do is protect each other and maintain power. No interest whatsoever in fairness, let alone getting rid of men’s violence. He’s worked in a couple of schools and says that’s equivalent to my experience working in dozens of different schools every year.
5. I’ve stated often before that in my work as an advanced driver trainer with teenagers, I see the differences in schools. While I openly say some all-boys schools seem great and not all boys in what strike me as bad schools are poorly-behaved, the differences I see are stark.
6. The more expensive the school, the worse the boys (in general). What do they do differently? Here’s an incomplete list:
(A). They have no regard for my smaller size - they bang into me in corridors and don’t even notice. No courtesy, no respect for women or anyone smaller.
(A). They have no regard for my smaller size - they bang into me in corridors and don’t even notice. No courtesy, no respect for women or anyone smaller.
7.
(B). They’re often insolent & rude. Once I was called a cvnt (specifically “this cvnt thinks she’s an author”) when given a copy of 1 of my books. Many times a boy has thrown my book into a bin in front of me.
(C). I often notice teachers are scared or nervous of these boys.
(B). They’re often insolent & rude. Once I was called a cvnt (specifically “this cvnt thinks she’s an author”) when given a copy of 1 of my books. Many times a boy has thrown my book into a bin in front of me.
(C). I often notice teachers are scared or nervous of these boys.
8. Teachers are slower to discipline & react. My take is parent push-back would be harsh if their son complains. Who can work effectively under those conditions?
(D). Once a boy yelled “show us your tits” at a young woman nearby. He was terribly surprised when my instructor ...
(D). Once a boy yelled “show us your tits” at a young woman nearby. He was terribly surprised when my instructor ...
9. ... refused to teach him further. His parents complained to the school about my company & we’ve never worked again at that school. So that boy succeeded in having my company punished for standing up to his misogyny. This is a future lawyer or PM. What has he learned?
10. Occasionally boys in co-ed schools are poorly-behaved, but rarely. And my experience is it’s absolute bliss working in all-girl schools. Never had any issue at all.
The privilege of wealthy boys is out of control. It’s getting worse, not better. Not all these boys will ...
The privilege of wealthy boys is out of control. It’s getting worse, not better. Not all these boys will ...
11. ... be violent, but some will. And many will demean & disrespect women their whole lives. It’s a bigger problem than most realise, and I’ve no solution but to ban these schools. I know that won’t happen but until it does or there are other ways of solving these difficult ...
12. ... issues, we’ll never make societies better for women. It’s depressing, but impossible. While powerful men keep up their hatred of women, all women are less safe. All women live in fear. It’s a travesty. It’s almost unbelievable we allow it and can’t seem to stop it.
13. Worst of all, it’s utterly despicable that privileged men can continue to prop up the behaviour of each other, their sons & all boys and feel aggrieved at being named as part of the problem instead of committing to fix it for the sake of women AND the boys involved. End.
