Christopher Scanlon
Christopher Scanlon is a writer and commentator whose writing on a wide range of topics has appeared in major Australian newspapers.
He teaches in the journalism program at La Trobe University where he co-founded Upstart, the magazine for emerging journalists, http://www.upstart.net.au/
Between 1999–2007 he co-edited Arena Magazine and continues to manage Arena’s website, http://www.arena.org.au
\Christopher has a PhD in politics, which focused, among other things, on the political ideas of Mark Latham. Consequently, he can claim the rare distinction of having read and made extensive notes on all of Mr Latham’s books — except The Latham Diaries.
Despite escaping from Tasmania in 1996, Christopher still occasionally refers to mainland Australia as ‘The Mainland’ to the appalled amusement of his more cosmopolitan friends. He lives in Melbourne with his wife Kasey Edwards and daughter Violet.
Articles by Christopher Scanlon
Tough luck geeks, we’re still smarter than silicon
For a smart guy, Steve Wozniak — the man who, with Steve Jobs, co-founded Apple — has some pretty dumb…... Read more
Fresh from his brutal coup, Abbott bemoans brutal Labor
When Julia Gillard successfully challenged Kevin Rudd for the Labor leadership, she brought the noble profession of politics in this…... Read more
10m yacht the perfect gift for the baby girl with everything
My daughter Violet celebrated her first birthday last week so naturally we bought her a yacht. Not just any yacht,…... Read more
Telcos, Australia’s torture chamber
We don’t torture people in this country. Instead we allow large telecommunications providers to roam the malls and high streets…... Read more
Deveny, Kyle, Matty Johns and TT’s rank hypocrisy
The response to The Age’s decision to sack Catherine Deveny says a lot about the Australian media and Australian media…... Read more
Politicians could experiment with just telling the truth
Gordon Brown made not one, but two public gaffes in his exchange with Gillian Duffy. The first was to be…... Read more
What a concept car can tell you about life in the future
I have glimpsed the future of motoring and it turns out that in twenty years from now we’ll all be…... Read more
A message to the selfish: children are a public good
The arrival of a newborn child does strange things to people. It warps their perspective and clouds their judgement —…... Read more
In praise of Dan Brown
‘Do not start me on The Da Vinci Code. A novel so bad that it gives bad novels a bad…... Read more
The complete* world history of binge-drinking
With the current kerfuffle about binge drinking, you might be inclined to think that drinking copious amounts of alcohol is…... Read more
Abusing the term “child abuse” is dangerous
If you took the kids to McDonald’s on the weekend then brace yourself: you may just have landed yourself in…... Read more
Pregnancy has become a competitive sport
Of the sixty-eight squillion pieces of advice doled out to pregnant women, perhaps the most useless is the message to…... Read more
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The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
