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A timely reminder from the sticks and stones of Australia

Anthony Sharwood

by Anthony Sharwood

03 Oct 02:35pm

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Filed under: Alan Jones, Insults, Satire, Social Media, Talkback Radio, Twitter

73 comments

In a foul-mouthed, vitriolic few weeks when everyone from Alan Jones to Twitter trolls have said unspeakably awful things, the sticks and stones of Australia have demanded to be recognised as more damaging than the name-callers.

The United Sticks and Stones Collective thinks we're all a bunch of drongos

In a press release headlined NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME, a group calling itself the United Sticks and Stones of Australia has issued a damning refutation of the widespread presumption of name-calling as the evil to end all evils.

“There are far worse hazards in society than name-calling,” the release reads. “Obviously it’s not pleasant to say a women’s father died of shame because of her conduct. Nor is it nice to urge some lifestyle presenter to get better acquainted with her toaster. But let’s keep a little perspective here.

“Have you ever stubbed your toe on a particularly sharp piece of quartz while bushwalking in thongs? Or chainsawed an overhanging tree branch which landed on you?

“Our point being, we sticks and we stones really can break people’s bones. But names? Pfft! The suggestion they can be damaging makes us laugh so hard we turn to sawdust and gravel.

The indignant vegetable and mineral representatives go on to poke further fun at their animal counterparts:

“Your reaction to all this name-calling is so petty, you really are as soft as balsa wood,” the release continues.

“Inevitably, the name-calling just turns into a hall of mirrors where no one knows who called who what first, or why. Look at the way Twitter turned back on Robbie Farah. Look at the people now blaming the people blaming Alan Jones.

“You humans really need a good reminder of the damage hard physical objects can inflict. Look at the recent riots in Sydney. You were all so obsessed with that woman and the kid with the beheading sign.

“Even we inanimate objects are intelligent enough to understand the symbolism of that sorry sign. But you know what? We’re not convinced it did as much damage as the physical force which wounded six police officers.

“Fact of the matter is, the whole human population of Australia is beginning to resemble the figure in that Norwegian painting The Scream, staggering around in shock with hands pressed hard over ears.

“We would have thought, what with all those abductions and lethal one-punch assaults, that name-calling is hardly the most violent threat to your civil society.

The Punch contacted a chaff bag for comment on this story but our calls were not returned.

Twitter: @antsharwood

Comments on this post close at 8pm AEST

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73 comments

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    • elhombre of Dubai says:

      02:57pm | 03/10/12

      Or, as grandma used to sing, “sticks and stones may break my bones but whips and chains excite me”.

      Reply

    • Chummmm... p says:

      05:39pm | 03/10/12

      Rihanna’s your nana?

    • Bear says:

      03:07pm | 03/10/12

      A cliche is not an argument, in fact half the time a cliche is nonsense.anyway. if iwas to say how dare gillard get upset at jones’ comment what a bitch she us, clearly that’s not offensive. Just as if I was to say howards wife is a total bitch. Thats not a reason to get offended either!

      Reply

    • marley says:

      03:41pm | 03/10/12

      I’m sure there’s some profound meaning in your comment.  Somewhere.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      03:38pm | 03/10/12

      lol marley. More than a few folk seem to have consumed mind altering substances today!

    • Babylon says:

      03:43pm | 03/10/12

      You’d be a rude pig to say Howard’s wife was a bitch.

      However, if John Howard presented his wife to the nation as symbolising all thats good and gracious about a Coalition supporter, kind and having a balance of mind, then Howard would have politicised her and made her a legitimate target for criticism.

      In which case you could call Howard’s wife a bitch.

      In the above scenario, when Howard politicised his wife, he pushed her into the political arena as a soldier to do battle with the opposition. It would be expected therefore, that as a soldier in the political arena, she would be attacked.

      By extension then, when Julia Gillard stood in front of the Queensland Labor party and later Parliament, politically broadcasting John Gillard as the Labor ideological perfection that is reflected in her and her party, then she has politicised John Gillard. He has been made a soldier in the ALP cause to defeat the opposition. As a soldier in the political arena he is a legitimate target and it cannot be unexpected if he is attacked.

      Given Julia’s role in the dishonouring of her fathers name and the fact that she is our Leader and should show example, is it not really ungracious of her not to accept Alan Jones’s apology?

      Does it not look really bad that in refusing to accept his apology, she is the Head of a vicious campaign against alan Jones?

      How does that look, the Australian Government looking for revenge against the individual with opposing views?

    • A Concerned Citizen says:

      04:40pm | 03/10/12

      Forget Sticks and Stones- who cares about Alan Jones at all?
      Does anybody even listen to radio talk shows?
      Does anybody care what they have to say?

      More importantly, does anybody think I want to read about the latest development in the “miscellaneous Z-grade radio personality said bad things” story for the next three weeks in the paper?

    • Bear says:

      04:36pm | 03/10/12

      No I wouldn’t. Many scum on your side have said reaction to jones’ comment is preciousness or ‘deliberate’ mock outrage, so I’m sure its ok to go mrs Howard. Again you can’t address the msg so u attack me proving offense is ok. Am I getting the hint u think it’s ok for your side but nobody else? Nah…

    • Christian Real says:

      05:27pm | 03/10/12

      Babylon
      Grow up and wake up.
      I agree with Julia Gillard, I would not have accepted any apology(if that what you could even call it) from Alan Jones.
      It was the lowest act and most inhuman thing that Alan Jones has ever done to make a mockery out of someones death and a family suffering from the loss of a loved one.
      The Gillard family have only recently just lost their father,and their mother has lost a husband.
      Jones in his rantings,  has been completely inconsiderate,thoughtless ,insensensitive and disrespectful.
      No amount of apology (half heart apology) from Alan Jones can mend or repair the hurt and anguish that his misguided rantings have caused to the Gillard family.
      A shameful act,by a shameful person.

    • Palzy says:

      06:08pm | 03/10/12

      Geez…Christian Real telling someone to grow up!....now, that’s what I call offensive.

    • DOB says:

      06:30pm | 03/10/12

      Babylon, that comment is either (semi) amusing parody or you need some sort of psychiatric help…Rationalising the unacceptable is wrong. Know that word? “wrong”.

      Oh, and by the way, calling you an idiot (for your comment) is acceptable, but calling John Howard’s wife a “bitch” (hate that word) is never acceptable under any circumstances. Maybe you should go away for a while and try to work out why there’s a difference. In the meantime dont try and drag the rest of us down to your level.

    • marley says:

      07:13pm | 03/10/12

      @Bear - I have no idea what it is you’re trying to say. 

      BTW, I’m not on Jones’ side.  I’m just on the side of literate English.

    • Sherlock says:

      02:51pm | 03/10/12

      Perhaps a good point for everyone to remember.

      Jones’ comments were cruel distasteful and most of all idiotic and he certainly deserved to be told that the majority of the population think he is a complete goose.

      However, Julia Gillard may have had her feelings hurt but she’s still prime minister of Australia this morning. So no real harm done except some idiot said something stupid about her recently deceased father.

      This media witch hunt with sponsors pulling out as well as the hypocrisy of many of those doing extremely selective finger pointing is far more dangerous than anything Alan Jones said.

      I would suggest many of us have been insulted far worse than Gillard and we managed to get over it. If you think she’s been insulted now wait to the ALP leadership spill and see what her supposed colleagues have to say about her.

      Reply

    • TheRealDave says:

      03:09pm | 03/10/12

      I agree Sherlock. The only mobs we should be whipping up are the ones we whip up via our syndicated Talk Back shows!!

      Otherwise its just Un-Australian…..

    • CJ says:

      04:04pm | 03/10/12

      I think people need to understand that from here on in, the name of Julia Gillard’s late father will forever be linked in the national psyche to the notoriety of Jones’s putrid remark. If that was a legacy foist on the memory of my mum or dad, I’d be horrified and shattered. So I disagree with you Sherlock - I believe there WAS real harm done.

    • Babs of Syd says:

      04:50pm | 03/10/12

      I wonder if I went to a Labor meeting, under false pretences,  didn’t speak up when asked if there were any journalists present and then proceeded to record the meeting secretly and then… broadcast the tape to be played over and over again in the media, I wonder what would happen?  I suppose we are to assume Labor do not speak in derogatory terms about other people.  Maybe we should find out.

    • CJ says:

      05:01pm | 03/10/12

      And your point with this imaginary scenario, Babs?

    • Babylon says:

      05:07pm | 03/10/12

      One I went to in the 90’s had a Stand up Comedian.

      Slaughtered all the Opposition.

      Of course no one had spies with recorders in those days

    • Steve says:

      06:58pm | 03/10/12

      Pull the other one CJ, the over the top attack by Swan and Albanese looked like Labor was trying to make political mileage from Mr Gillards passing. The whole episode has been distasteful, including your ham-fisted rant and the other trolls on “social media” peeing their panties in their frothy attack on Jones.

    • pa_kelvin says:

      07:11pm | 03/10/12

      Majority of the population??? I for one wasn’t polled, how do you come up with “the majority of the population” ????

    • Bee says:

      03:08pm | 03/10/12

      Ye-es, but name-calling is taking the place of informed debate, it’s drowning it out. It also means that aggressive people with hides like a rhino get to dominate discourse, which in turn means that it becomes slanted to the viewpoint of people like that, and which means that the majority tend to be a certain kind of male. People who don’t like being insulted, or don’t like fighting, or who disdain name-calling in a debate will withdraw and leave the floor to the nastiest men left standing. You see it on news forums everywhere. It isn’t just people disagreeing, it’s a certain type of personality getting the platform all to themselves because less aggressive people just don’t want to ruin their day engaging with it. A lot of sites modify for racism and personal abuse, but it woud be good to see just one at least have rules of engagement that required courtesy, so that women and less fighty people got a say without being shouted down.

      Reply

    • Sancho says:

      03:31pm | 03/10/12

      @ Bee - Just because you are a woman doesn’t mean you can’t be an abusive ill-mannered “fighty” type person.

      Exhibit “A” -  the extremely egregious C. Deveney

    • Meh says:

      04:14pm | 03/10/12

      With all due respect there are a several female commentators who post here who would fit your “aggressive with hide like a rhino” description to a tee. There are also a number of males, but a few seem to have mysteriously dissapeared since Erik’s banishing.

      Usually I have my say, check back to see if there is any interesting followups and try to avoid engaging the vocal idiots who frequent here. Sometimes I know it is just pointless to bother checking back, like virtually every political article.

    • subotic says:

      03:20pm | 03/10/12

      There are far worse hazards in society than name-calling

      Being a Catholic Church altar boy?

      Reply

    • Yon Toad says:

      04:04pm | 03/10/12

      As always subotic - your one-liners are magic!

    • Babylon says:

      04:16pm | 03/10/12

      The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi agrees with Gillard that attacks on religions are unacceptable:

      “Insults to the Islamic prophet Muhammad are part of an organized assault on Muslim religious and cultural values and cannot be brushed aside”

    • TheRealDave says:

      05:28pm | 03/10/12

      I was a Catholic Church Altar Boy in 1987…..hang on….was I meant to be offended….the only thing wrong with my ‘1 year of service’ was that not once was I sexually harassed or abused by the priest - NOT ONCE!!

      This forms the basis of my ongoing Discrimination case against the Catholic Church….thank heavens for No Win No Pay shysters…I mean lawyers!

    • Inky says:

      03:28pm | 03/10/12

      Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will only cause long term psychological damage that I’ll never fully recover from.

      Someone did some name calling 2-3 years ago, because they thought it’d be fun to see what they could get away with. The result was that I lost my job and was afraid to leave my house for about 3 months.

      But hey, at least they didn’t throw a rock at me or something.

      My counter-call for perspective of your call for perspective.

      Reply

    • subotic wins every time says:

      03:28pm | 03/10/12

      Someone did some name calling 2-3 years ago, because they thought it’d be fun to see what they could get away with. The result was I threw a rock at them.

      Win - Win if you ask me Inkster….

    • SydneyGirl says:

      03:41pm | 03/10/12

      Someone did some name calling when I was 10 and tiny - he liked bullying girls. I bashed up the big boy-fists not rocks.

      Feminism for the win!

    • Inky says:

      04:01pm | 03/10/12

      @subotic

      Given that their fun and games rumours caused a workplace investigation against me, I think adding assault to the list of their charges was the last thing I’d want to do.

    • PsychoHyena says:

      04:01pm | 03/10/12

      @SydneyGirl, haven’t you learnt? Apparently violence is not an appropriate reaction to name-calling.

    • Elphaba says:

      04:35pm | 03/10/12

      A twerp on my bus spat in my face on the way home from school.

      My Dad contacted the police, who made a house call.  The bully never looked at me again.

      Inky, I’ve been the victim of workplace rumours too.  It’s horrible.

    • SydneyGirl says:

      04:51pm | 03/10/12

      PsychoHyena sometimesas a child you just have to. 

      It was epic David(a) vs Goliath. My parents had to cop an earful from his parents (teach your girl to be a lady!). But no bully boy ever troubled me or sister after.

      I hasten to add that all my assaults since then have been verbal and these days - except on The Punch - I am full of peace and love grin

      But I shouldn’t jest, Inky’s experience is genuinely horrendous.

    • fml says:

      03:25pm | 03/10/12

      Seems like an excuse to justify bullying.

      It’s all fun and games till the bullied kid tops ‘imself. Let me guess sticks and stones are the bullies and can’t hack it when people stand up for themselves.

      Typical bullies.

      Reply

    • elhombre of Dubai says:

      03:55pm | 03/10/12

      You mucked that up fml. The proper quote is

      “it’s all fun and games till someone loses an eye .. then it’s just fun.”

    • Babylon says:

      03:45pm | 03/10/12

      In my book grief is a private thing. It’s something that is shared with family and friends during the period off work. I never took the tragedy of the loss of my brother and mother, barely 3 months apart, into work. Even though I struggled to get back up to speed after.

      In using her father to highlight Labor ideology, did Julia Gillard inadvertently make her father a political target?

      When Julia talked at a Queensland Labor rally and in Parliament about her fathers Labor ideals and how those ideals were in her and her wonderful Party, did she politicise John Gillard and push him into the political arena as a weapon against the Opposition?

      If john Gillard is presented as all thats good about the Labor Party, is it not expected that he becomes a legitimate target for those that are opposed to the Labor party and for what it stands?

      Whilst what Alan Jones said about Julia’s Dad was wrong, I think Julia Gillard should reflect on how these unfortunate events transpired and recognise her part in creating the scenario that dishonoured his memory.

      I believe Julia Gillard’s refusal to accept Alan jones’ apology is ungracious and not becoming of a national leader.

      Julia Gillard is now the head of a vicious Hate campaign that is calling for the sacking of alan Jones. A man who has apologised for including John Gillard in his criticism of the Labor Party.

      - Is it right that the Gillard Government should use it’s media resources to attack an Individual in this way?

      - is it right that even the Treasurer should take time out and write a blog on the 4th day of criticism, condemning alan jones and sentencing him to no forgiveness?

      - is it right that Jones should be deprived of his means to feed himself and his family after he apologised?Should the Government be seen to head a vicious hate campaign to see this bloke sacked, made unemployable?

      - is it right that we see the Government indulging in acts of Vengeance against the individual?

      - is it in any way acceptable to have a 5 Day barrage against the lone Alan Jones?

      - should our Government been seen are heading a 5 day war on alan Jones, which borders of individual persecution by the State?

      This is synonymous with those nations that are ruled by despots and have bad human rights records, not Australia.

      Gillard should show a good example and accept Joneses apology and close down the Government campaign against Jones.

      Reply

    • tez says:

      04:22pm | 03/10/12

      This is total BS rubbish the march to Canberra with filthy signage ranting fowl mouth oldies and Jones at the lead sprucking his bile was the begining of this horrid dirt flinging its all come to bite him back.

    • Babylon says:

      04:32pm | 03/10/12

      so tez, you’re confortable for an entire Government to lunch a sustained 5 day attack on a single citizen who has opposing view to that Government?

      Lets hope you never have to be critical of the Gillard Government :(

    • Reg Whiteman says:

      05:11pm | 03/10/12

      You should get the “Apologist of the Day” award for this litany of misrepresentations, half-truths, and outright lies.

      When you say “is it right that Jones should be deprived of his means to feed himself and his family…” I nearly fell off the chair laughing. I had this image of Jones in tracky-dacks and a grubby old Kings School beanie lining up at the Salvos for a hand-out.

      For your information: Jones is a millionaire many times over; he is well past the usual retirement age; he is a homosexual and thus has never been married nor has he fathered any children - so he has no immediate family to starve with him.

      The only reason Jones continues working is because he has no other life; the money is irrelevant, it’s the power he craves and the endless fawning accolades of the peanut gallery. He is currently fighting a losing battle to remain relevant as most of his age cohort is either dead, wandering dementedly about the aged-care home, or still hobbling down to the club to put their pensions through the pokies. Jones is yesterday’s man

      But I am pleased to learn that name calling and verbal abuse does no harm and that people should harden up and not be offended by mere words. I am sure that advice is true and will put it to the test next Friday. I intend to stand outside the East St Kilda Synagogue around sundown and shout “Hitler was right”. The following weak I’ll go to Bankstown Mosque and shout “Mohammed was a paedophile”. Then I’ll head over to Redfern and stand outside Anthony Mundine’s Gym and say a whole bunch of stuff about Aboriginal people.

      Tom Waterhouse is offering really good odds on me surviving the first leg of the trifecta – about 500:1 atm. Getting the trifecta itself will pay a punter enough to buy out Gina Rinehart for a $10 bet. Tom just doesn’t have any faith in people’s ability to deal with “free speech” and not be offended by mere words.

    • Reg Whiteman says:

      05:28pm | 03/10/12

      You should get the “Apologist of the Day” award for this litany of misrepresentations, half-truths, and outright lies.

      When you say “is it right that Jones should be deprived of his means to feed himself and his family…” I nearly fell off the chair laughing. I had this image of Jones in tracky-dacks and a grubby old Kings School beanie lining up at the Salvos for a hand-out.

      For your information: Jones is a millionaire many times over; he is well past the usual retirement age; he is a homosexual and thus has never been married nor has he fathered any children - so he has no immediate family to starve with him.

      The only reason Jones continues working is because he has no other life; the money is irrelevant, it’s the power he craves and the endless fawning accolades of the peanut gallery. He is currently fighting a losing battle to remain relevant as most of his age cohort is either dead, wandering dementedly about the aged-care home, or still hobbling down to the club to put their pensions through the pokies. Jones is yesterday’s man

      But I am pleased to learn that name calling and verbal abuse does no harm and that people should harden up and not be offended by mere words. I am sure that advice is true and will put it to the test next Friday. I intend to stand outside the East St Kilda Synagogue around sundown and shout “Hitler was right”. The following weak I’ll go to Bankstown Mosque and shout “Mohammed was a paedophile”. Then I’ll head over to Redfern and stand outside Anthony Mundine’s Gym and say a whole bunch of stuff about Aboriginal people.

      Tom Waterhouse is offering really good odds on me surviving the first leg of the trifecta – about 500:1 atm. Getting the trifecta itself will pay a punter enough to buy out Gina Rinehart for a $10 bet. Tom just doesn’t have any faith in people’s ability to deal with “free speech” and not be offended by mere words.

    • John says:

      06:35pm | 03/10/12

      “is it right that Jones should be deprived of his means to feed himself and his family after he apologised?”

      His *family*? You obviously know nothing about Alan Jones.

    • Garry says:

      03:50pm | 03/10/12

      Anthony, I do agree, as I have watched this saga unfold and that of the terrible murder in Melbourne and how the twitter and Facebook and media heads respond.

      My disappointment here is that yes, Alan Jones should not have said what he did but also the response and precomments that those with twitter feel fit to say - many without identification. Take the so called ‘Labor Minister’s wife’ who hoped Jones’s Cancer comes back or the Facebook account mocking the murder of an innocent person. 

      The hate campaign on Jones is now a national sport and everyone is seemingly having their two bits worth (myself included of course) yet nothing is being said of those threats on Alan Jones, is this wife of a minister being named and shamed. And having lost family to cancer that to me is an awful crime of a mouth (or fingers) shouting off something that is to be condemned who seriously would wish cancer on another person has not seen what cancer does to a person. Me, I personally consider those remarks to be in the same calibre as Jones’s comments. The wife should be hung out to dry, decried and shamed as has Alan Jones.

      I am no advocate for stopping free speech but there has to be a line – or law – that holds people accountable for their words on Twitter and on Facebook as well as verbal and other written media. Some would say it is, our defamation laws but they are not strong enough.

      What happens next, some person puts a bounty on the head of a person who makes a comment and hopes some crazed individual does it, reeks of Salman Rushdie do you not think. We are but one step away from that I fear.

      Our ability to take something on the chin, wipe it off as the ravings of a stupid fool is long gone. The threats of boycott, petitions signed by thousands, boycotts of sponsors is such a lame and sad indictment of this crazy world we are moving towards. That needs stopping. Sure petitions work but threats on companies or individuals who had no input or control over the words of another and to then threaten those companies with boycotts is so mob rule and one I don’t like. It is a miss use of the power of people.

      People are free to make comments, but to be selective in whom we condemn is in my view a disgrace.

      Reply

    • TheRealDave says:

      03:49pm | 03/10/12

      Boycotts of sponsors are the only way the general public can voice its dissaproval of the media or media figures when they grossly offend us. Just like with that dill Kyle nearly everytime he opens his mouth or that now axed program ‘The Circle’ that denigrated VC recipient Ben Roberts-Smith.

      Letters to editors or ‘switching’ off doesn’t work. So hit them in their hip pockets and it seems to get their attention. Maybe next time they might think before they speak.

      In Jones’s case, and in Sandilands as well - I doubt it

    • Shane* says:

      03:37pm | 03/10/12

      Seven of the last 17 Punch articles have directly or indirectly been about Alan Jones.

      Next topic please.

      Reply

    • TheRealDave says:

      03:54pm | 03/10/12

      Movember coming up Shane…..should be good for a few Womens health articles wink

    • Babylon says:

      04:02pm | 03/10/12

      Sorry, it’s orders from the1600 strong media control army that costs $150 million a year.

      Alan Jones is to be exterminated.

      Sinister isn’t it?

    • nihonin says:

      04:07pm | 03/10/12

      TheRealDave, well bowled sir.  wink

    • Anthony Sharwood

      Anthony Sharwood says:

      05:06pm | 03/10/12

      Yeah but this one was about how all this fuss over Jones was a bit over the top. So doesn’t it get an honorary exemption from Jones-related status?

    • Shane* says:

      04:59pm | 03/10/12

      @Ant

      No.

    • Anthony Sharwood

      Anthony Sharwood says:

      05:33pm | 03/10/12

      @Shane. Bugger
      @TheRealDave that’s very cheeky, stop it. Would you rather I wrote about my exciting colonoscopy again?

    • Ian says:

      05:40pm | 03/10/12

      Please move on everyone this is getting embarrasing.. to much time is being spent on this.. Alan Jones is getting a bigger head bercause of all this extra fluff. all i know is that Gillard called Abott Jack the ripper (a murdering pedofile) swan called Rudd a pysocopath ( A mentally challaged person with issues.. Bob Ellis called gillard a girly man… Hell Move on people. there is a country to run please focus on what is important like i dont know AUSTRALIA instead we focus on public personalites,who act like children who get get paid fo doing there Job. We the public are the ones that loose out.

    • TheRealDave says:

      05:42pm | 03/10/12

      Only if there is a PowerPoint with Goth metal soundtrack to go with it Mr Sharwood….


      *exit, stage left*

    • Ærchie says:

      03:44pm | 03/10/12

      Hey, is that the truth, or did Alan Jones tell you?

      Reply

    • Galooloo says:

      04:03pm | 03/10/12

      I got hotter and hotter as I read this and then got to the punch line (excuse the pun) and it stopped me in my tracks. And then I thought about it some more. I consider those abductions and lethal king hits symptoms of the same society that thinks vitriolic name calling is OK. I dont think you get one without the other.

      Reply

    • Nikki says:

      04:04pm | 03/10/12

      Thank you Mr Sharwood for lightening the tone of this discussion. People are far too quick to be morally outraged, and indignantly offended on behalf of others these days and instantly label any insult or slur as “bullying”. It’s not always bullying, sometimes it’s just a mean old man saying dumb stuff that doesn’t really surprise anyone.

      Reply

    • nihonin says:

      04:08pm | 03/10/12

      Bully for you Nikki, bully.  Agree 100% percent, old boy and what.  wink

    • Richard M says:

      04:09pm | 03/10/12

      I suppose this waste of space is supposed to be funny.  It isn’t.  what’s the point then? - that actual violence is worse than words?  Well, golly gee, Anthony, what a revelation.
      So I guess it’s equally valid to say that murder is worse than rape - but so what?  It doesn’t lessen the heinousness of rape, and to seek to make such a point at all is both stupid and insensitive.
      The fact is that our national discourse, especially about politics, is becoming increasingly debased by the extreme nature of the language being use by many participants, and Jones is one of the worst offenders.  Personal abuse, hatred and contempt should not be OK in our political debate.  That is the point, not the fact that it’s not as bad as actual violence, which is merely stating the bleeding obvious.  It is also true to say, however that the frequent use of violent language substantially increases the possibility of actual violence.

      Reply

    • JT says:

      04:45pm | 03/10/12

      ‘‘The fact is that our national discourse, especially about politics, is becoming increasingly debased by the extreme nature of the language being use by many participants’‘

      Can we put an end to this bullshit lie once and for all. It is nothing but a smokescreen to cover up the incompetence, mismanagement and lies of a government desperate to hold on to power. There is nothing debased about rightly calling out a corrupt government for being corrupt.

    • Bho Ghan-Pryde says:

      04:22pm | 03/10/12

      The whole human population of Austraia is beginning to resemble the scream? More like our politicians and media types are looking more and more like precious princesses slinging rocks in glass houses. I can think of many instances of personal abuse from the ALP and its supporters without any condemnation from Gillard or any one else. Wasn’t she Lathams loyal follower when he called a journalist a shanky ho who would die in a ditch? This whole thing is just karma coming back to get hypocrites. And yes Jones is one of them too.

      Reply

    • youdy beaudy says:

      04:22pm | 03/10/12

      I see on facebook a petition against allan jones requesting that all the companies stop supporting his show. Last count 111,000. Gee, pretty full on there for allan jones. Many have disendorsed the show. Anyway, just thought i would put that there, just a bit of information for everyone, and go on with something else.

      Twitter, well, i thought when they started twitter that it was something about birds because one would just think that wouldn’t one. Birds are the only ones that i know of that twitter. Now, to find out what it was about i signed up to it and then found out that i had people signing up to be followers of me. Now, i really thought that i was going to be very wonderful in having followers but then to my dismay all they wanted to do was sell me stuff. So, i can say that i can’t remember my log in code and i twitter no more and thank God for that. But i see it has caught on around the world and it seems that it like all things on the internet that it is being abused and misused. Glad i didn’t continue. Free at last, thank God almighty still free at last. That is my new saying, just thought of it, just slipped out of the ole brain box.

      I can’t decide whether the internet, mobile phones etc have made it any better for all of us although i do like to write in to the punch as my typing skills have improved, although i got an A in typing and shorthand when i was young. Wasn’t i clever, must have known something futuristically. It’s definately much better using this digital keyboard than the ole imperial, i’ll say that.

      Today with all this technology all we get is bills and more bills, crooked con men telco companies ripping us off with their false advertising that the Government allows them to get away with. What is the future, well, they want now a cashless society. They want to get rid of money and just do plastic where they can just rotate figures. We’re going to go down the gurgler if it gets any more expensive. My money tree is just about denuded of leaves now. How’s yours going, running out too.

      Well in years to come i’m sure there will be more to twitter about, everyone will be twittering as they sit in the parks with their tents. Just think we can twitter along with the birdies then, we will be very twittery indeed. They will make a tax on twittering and you will be fined if you are caught twittering without a twittering licence. Just love that futuristic stuff that is coming down the track to meet us. It’s just becoming a twitter twitterly world don’t you think.

      Reply

    • Inky says:

      04:39pm | 03/10/12

      ....

      Wow. Just wow.

    • Rolls Canardly says:

      05:18pm | 03/10/12

      Great comment, Inky.
      Did you learn that on twatter?

    • nihonin says:

      06:13pm | 03/10/12

      +1

      Now I’m off to tweet and facebook about this great post.

    • Sync says:

      04:57pm | 03/10/12

      Sticks and Stones may break my bones
      But Pollies sure annoy me

      Get over it. Please. Seriously. The horse’s carcass is now just a skeleton. Can we get back to focussing on just how crap the current Labor Federal government really is?

      Reply

    • More time for talk back says:

      04:45pm | 03/10/12

      Alan needed to lose some sponsors because his show was jam packed with them.  Coles and Woolworths are gone - thank god.  Dilma tea is another one I won’t miss because “it is so tasteless you would have to be a dill ma to buy it”.  Mercedes Benz well enough said (very few can afford one so a waste of time.  I like the Bing Lee ads and will miss them but there are heaps and heaps of sponsors not overreacting.  BTW do we have the name of the sneaky little journalist who started all this angst?  No, why not?

      Reply

    • JT says:

      05:12pm | 03/10/12

      The sponsors ‘‘leaving’’ are simply seeing a cheap way to advertise their brands taking the ‘‘high road’‘. Once this is forgotten in a month they’ll be back and no one will notice.

    • David V. says:

      05:06pm | 03/10/12

      There’s many things we could be “sorry” about. Sorry that we have built such a great country that people are willing to come here and expect to get things on a platter. Sorry that we work so hard to pay taxes so people can get things on a platter. Sorry that we treat our wives and girlfriends with respect and not beat them half to death. Sorry that our values and culture make this country attractive to people who love freedom and want to contribute. Sorry that we have cars, computers, phones, etc that people are gladly use. Without that, most of these people would have nothing.

      Reply

    • Zeta says:

      05:10pm | 03/10/12

      Journalists write really bad press releases. It’s ironic that in buisness and politics snagging an ex-journo to be your press secretary is some kind of coup, but seriously Ant, if you were my release monkey I’d make you transcribe interviews for a few hours as punishment, then you’d be put on bean detail - which is where the release monkeys have to empty the coffee beens into the sink and pick out the most symetrical ones to go in the grinder. GRIND MONKEYS GRIND!

      For starters, headlines in releases are pointless and any creativity utilised in writing them is a waste of a release monkey’s thinking hole. If you use all of your McGee’s media guide as your distribution list, you’re talking like, 40,000 recipients for a release. Studies have shown the average IQ of most of those sketchy CSU / UTS grads is going to be about 80, right in the My Left Foot zone, or slightly higher than my release monkeys. You have to pitch at a Sean Penn level.

      NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME? Mary-Jane Sour-Puss, low rent reporter for the Boogabong Bugle is not going to get that. You just made Mary-Jane’s head hurt. You’re a meanie. Mary-Jane hates you. She’s not going to ring you for comment now, and she’s going to get on Twitter with all her gal pals with double barreled surnames and they’re going to conspire to ask your organisation difficult and stupid questions. WELL DONE MONKEY, YOU JUST DESTROYED EVERYTHING. BACK ON THE BEANS!

      Take this down, HEADER - headlines are for tabloids and school newsletters - header should read, “STICKS AND STONES STILL NUMBER ONE” You want a pun in there? How about ‘NAMES NOT STICKING - STONES STILL HURT’

      Then, press releases full of grabs from the spokesdrone are useless. Why would anyone call your spokesdrone for comment, ever, if you’ve already written helpful quotes in the press release, monkey? Our spokesdrones are carefully selected to be sexually attractive to young female and male journalists. They’re deployed to engage them in coitus, not comment. We can’t do that if the spokesdrone doesn’t get a call. So quote marks equal no marks which equals you’re back on bean duty.

      Finally - a press release should only contain one concept or idea. This concept should be in the first paragraph. Some people will tell you that the human brain can only grasp 3 different ideas in a speech or article at a time. This is wrong. People over estimate their intelligence by a factor of 3.

      First par should read: “Sticks and stones hurt when you hit people with them, studies show names cannot hit people. Sticks and stones are still the best tools for hurting people, and are available for sale from our organisation’s members at low prices.”

      That does it all. It’s not to clever, it doesn’t break Mary Jane Sour-Puss’ brain, and I won’t pour Pernod on your keyboard while you’re crying in the toilet after getting coffee dust in your eye holes again.

      Reply
    • Anthony Sharwood

      Anthony Sharwood says:

      06:54pm | 03/10/12

      Holy shit Zeta, can I ring you next time I do one of these stories?

    • Onlooker says:

      06:26pm | 03/10/12

      If stick and stones can break your bones and names can never hurt you..why do we have defamation laws? Probably because in some instance verbal abuse can be just as damaging as physical abuse. My mother taught me that if you can’t say something nice about someone ..better to say nothing at all.

      Reply

    • Achmed says:

      06:56pm | 03/10/12

      name calling is one thing and there certainly hasn’t been the outrage over Gillard being called Ju-Liar or Swan being called Goose.  What Jones did in the case was not name calling.
      Its sad to see people trying to lessen or make what Jones said appear more satirical than offensive. 
      He made an ofensive comment and thousands were disgusted.  He shouldn’t lose his job over it, he shouldn’t be punished for the comment.  People can stop listening to his show and let the ratings drop to a level that there will be no sponsorship.
      What i am finding as offensive as the original remark is his attitude to the apology.  He has said everything to try and “laugh off” the comment but hasn’t said the obe word he should say - Sorry.  this shows the true measure of the man and its not good.
      Howard couldn’t say sorry, nor could Abbott - are these Jones’ role models????  It would seem so.

      PS good to see some interaction from the Punch team

      Reply

    • Swamp Thing says:

      07:07pm | 03/10/12

      “There are far worse hazards in society than name-calling,”  Very true. I would say the ‘cult of the individual’ and folks being out for what they can get at all times at the expense of all the ‘randoms’ is much worse. Road rage, ‘one hit punches’ etc etc - all worse.
      Out of control ego - turning this country into a cesspit one Gen Y at a time.

      Reply
 
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