http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/manners/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mobile-phones-in-the-air-is-vergin-on-plane-ridiculous/ Dear Mr. Branson, What have you done? Seriously, what the hell have you done? I admire your stunning business acumen, your ballooning skills, your outrageous PR stunts, I’ve bought many Virgin records over the years – in fact I still have an original vinyl copy of Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Love your work. However, what’s this about allowing mobile phone calls on Virgin Atlantic flights? Tell me you’re taking the piss. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mobile-phones-in-the-air-is-vergin-on-plane-ridiculous/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mobile-phones-in-the-air-is-vergin-on-plane-ridiculous/#item8507 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Why-violence-is-the-answer-to-all-the-worlds-problems/ THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Why-violence-is-the-answer-to-all-the-worlds-problems/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Why-violence-is-the-answer-to-all-the-worlds-problems/#item7527 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-cyberspace-everyone-can-hear-you-scream/ If you want to gain an insight into the often distressingly abusive world of online political discussion, type the name Sophie Mirabella into Twitter or Google, and sit back and marvel at the stuff that has been written in the past 48 hours. Mirabella is the Liberal member for the federal seat of Indi. The archly conservative Mirabella is one of those commendable politicians who leads with her chin. She has been a regular contributor to the The Punch, since its launch just over two years ago, and has never once complained about any of the often violently critical reader comments we publish under her pieces. She will go on programs such as Q and A knowing that the left-leaning Twitterati will be salivating in their share houses as they log in and saddle up to smash her to pieces, before she even opens her mouth. Mirabella has been in the press this past two days over the revelation of a brewing court battle involving the death of a man forty years her senior with whom she had a relationship. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-cyberspace-everyone-can-hear-you-scream/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-cyberspace-everyone-can-hear-you-scream/#item6787 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/ Giving to help others is a beautiful thing. But is anyone finding the increased aggression of “chuggers” is destroying a lot of that goodwill? There are a lot of Australians doing it tough through no fault of their own and it’s our duty to help as a payback for the privilege of being part of the community. Welfare groups are also suffering from the big squeeze. Donations are drying up because of the tough economic times and the demand for their services is increasing for the same reason. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/#item6522 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/friday-dilemma-is-it-rude-to-take-my-own-meat-to-a-bbq/ BBQs are an excuse to feast on too much flesh. But sometimes, the carnivorous offerings at said gatherings are less than they might be. There really is nothing worse than turning up at a barbie to find cardboard sausages from Woolies, boring old chops and no condiment other than tomato sauce. This is not to subscribe to the growing cult of food wankerism. It’s just to say that a BBQ should be an excuse to blacken some quality meat cuts, rather than an event where the worst meat imaginable is cooked outdoors. There’s more to it than that. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/friday-dilemma-is-it-rude-to-take-my-own-meat-to-a-bbq/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/friday-dilemma-is-it-rude-to-take-my-own-meat-to-a-bbq/#item6479 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudeness-is-personal-not-generational/ A friend recently told me of his horror when a colleague asked a co-worker why she only had one child. It was a dangerous question to ask a mere acquaintance in front of the rest of the office. What if the answer had been a heart-breaking miscarriage? Marital disharmony? A crippling amount of debt? Infertility? No doubt the 21-year-old woman’s thoughtless question left her older workmates clucking their tongues at Gen Y’s arrogance and lack of manners. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudeness-is-personal-not-generational/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudeness-is-personal-not-generational/#item5494 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-aint-the-only-one-turning-the-dialogue-ugly/ George Orwell’s 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty Four, foretold of a futuristic world where technology was used by an oppressive state to enforce order. The book is a giant of social science fiction providing an invaluable cautionary tale against the creeping control tendencies of the state. The term “big brother” is among the many ideas from the book that have seeped into the public mind. But in the real year 1984, another fictional work of let’s say, marginally less literary note, achieved its own worthy feat of prediction, albeit metaphorically: Ghostbusters. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-aint-the-only-one-turning-the-dialogue-ugly/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbott-aint-the-only-one-turning-the-dialogue-ugly/#item5482 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Would-it-kill-ya-to-say-Hello/ People are sometimes very strange.  Yes, I know this sounds a bit rich coming from someone who peddles her own strangeness in her writings week after week, but I’m sure you’d agree that other people - ie not you or me - can be very odd at times. So what’s brought me to this not-so-earth-shattering conclusion?  I preface my answer by saying it’s hardly the first time this has happened to me, but it always gets up my nose when it does. You see, I was out walking my dogs very early the other morning.  It was actually almost still dark, with an eerie fog settling in the bush around my local walking track. The dogs and I were ambling along the track with the place to ourselves, when along came a young guy, jogging.  penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Would-it-kill-ya-to-say-Hello/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Would-it-kill-ya-to-say-Hello/#item4177 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/foul-language-gone-wilde/ Oscar Wilde, the famous 19th century Irish poet once said: “The expletive is the refuge of the semi-literate”.  In other words; swearing is for dumb heads. Well, all I can say is, if the ‘refuge’ was an actual place, it would be packed to the rafters—considering the number of foul-mouthed ‘dumb heads’ around these days.  And yes, okay, I might be among their number too at times, I admit.  (Before anyone starts calling me a hypocrite because they’ve heard me say naughty words).  Yes, we 21st century folk certainly say lots of words that would’ve made our Victorian ancestors’ hair curl. As a kid, while I soon became aware of most swear words (mainly thanks to the neighbourhood kids who were clearly more world-wise than me) I would never dare use them.  And, even though my Dad, an ex-army pugilist and a Scotsman to boot (apparently a very bad combo for swear-ability) was always pretty careful not to swear around us kids or in public, I still, in fact, heard my first F Bomb from his own lips. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/foul-language-gone-wilde/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/foul-language-gone-wilde/#item3548 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/racist-remarks-betray-a-lack-of-simple-respect/ Some people dismiss political correctness too easily. Political correctness, when we are protesting a person being demeaned publicly, is simply about insisting that people pay due respect to others. At one level, it is about insisting on civility. At a deeper level, it is about upholding fundamental values about what it means to be human and to have dignity. I know that many Australians, and especially in my experience of sports clubs, many Australian men, think that racist comments aren’t racist – they’re just funny. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/racist-remarks-betray-a-lack-of-simple-respect/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/racist-remarks-betray-a-lack-of-simple-respect/#item3341 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 THE other day a stranger came up to me in the street and spat in my face. While this still put it in the top 20 days of my life so far, it was nonetheless an unpleasant experience overall. As I pushed the strange man away from me and called him various names, it occurred to me that this is something they never taught me how to deal with in journalism school. Possibly because I never went to journalism school but I still blame the system. The man’s grievance with me was unclear, as despite my best efforts I could not understand what he was talking about. The only intelligible sentence I could make out was: ``You made it sound like I made a sex video.’’