Note: this article discusses sexual assault.
As a father of daughters, I’m more angry than I can express.
I’m not angry with Scott Morrison for — again, nauseatingly, for the billionth time — politically weaponising his wife and daughters in a pathetic, transparent attempt to get ahead of a ballooning scandal
That scandal? The alleged rape of a young female employee of his minister in his minister’s office, to which Morrison’s government responded by sending in the steam cleaners and gently dissuading her from pursuing a police complaint.
If you observe Morrison’s actions this morning carefully enough, you can see that political calculation was not driving him.
Immediately after he pulled out the “I chatted to Jen and she said ‘what if it was one of your daughters’?” line at his train wreck press conference, Channel Ten reporter Tegan George stood him up with this question:
“What would happen if men don’t have a wife and children? Would they reach the same compassionate conclusion?”
There is the blinding stupidity of the whole thing laid bare; the bullshit of Morrison’s faux empathy exposed by its inherent inanity.
Morrison was literally flummoxed. He genuinely did not see the question coming, and his response was all over the shop. He fumbled around to find what he thought might be solid ground in his claimed public identity as, first and foremost, a husband and a father, ultimately resting on it as the logical foundation for his approach to matters of empathy and ethics.
It had not occurred to Morrison (who has after all been reaching for the “Jen and the girls” handle as his default escape hatch since he became prime minister) that anyone might ever have a problem with this.
No, in his mind, it was all good. He fronted the press this morning completely confident that he had the “Brittany” problem in hand, because his expression of empathy, grounded in the home-spun morality of which Jen had reminded him last night, would resonate generally. Who could have a problem with a national leader who reaches to home for his values? Aren’t they universal?
So I am not angry with Morrison for his utter, absolute failure to understand that sexual violence without consent is a wrong, in all circumstances and all times, regardless of the character, reputation, actions or choices of its victims. It is an unequivocal wrong, allowing no shades of qualification.
Morrison clearly does not understand the first thing about the subject, nor does he understand that neither empathy nor justice is permissibly tempered by one’s ability to imagine standing in the victim’s shoes. He is, on this subject, pathetically lost.
I am angry because this is the sort of moral leadership which we as a society tolerate. The sort that allows sexual violence to continue, endemic and unabated. And we put up with men in power who preside over this degradation without the first, faintest clue of what it means or what to do about it.
So we get Scott, hurt that we aren’t applauding his willingness to check in with Jen on how he should feel about rape in the building he runs.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
Morrison’s strength is his cunning but other than that there is nothing much happening in his head. He’s actually not very smart at all. I’d love to know what he reads and has read in his lifetime. All he can do is sell Morrison. In every other way, especially on policy, he is essentially an ignorant bludger.
I don’t know what Morrison’s likely to have read, but I suspect that the book that may be the most useful in understanding Morrison, is Snakes in Suits, by Hare and Babiak: both of whom are experts on psychopathy. It’s essentially a guide on how to recognise high functioning psychopaths in the workplace, how to minimise the damage that they cause and how to avoid hiring them in first place.
“in the first place”. My typos drive me crazy at times.
I’d imagine he’s read The Prince and the Bible (which he probably consulted for guidance on the issue of empathy towards women).
Let’s hope that he’s read Deuteronomy 22: 23-27.
Though, if he had, he’d probably prefer to go for line 29, “pay the girl’s father 20 ounces of silver…”.
Such was the custom until, roughly, Edward III. The payment was known as a “boot” or fine that varied as to location and the status (roughly occupation) of the father. In southern England the boot varied from 4 to 6 shillings where the lowest order of freeman could live, with a family, modestly to well, on four pounds (of silver – coins only then) per year.
Here a good indication of the problem with down voting – what was meant by whomever gave you one for this post?
Being a simple statement of historical fact where they proclaiming their ‘goodthink’ or that the sky over their heads is of a different hue?
Oh, for my ankle nippers (allowing for a wide range of numeracy), 12 = 7 + 5 would earn a down-vote. It is quite antagonistic (not that I am perturbed) but they are just as likely to be BLM marchers too.
As I have conveyed, there is never attempt at rebuttal despite the apparent injury of the nipper’s world view (which I don’t intend).
Oh, those were the days . . .
Both the Anglo-Saxon and Norman cultures were quite sophisticated. As to grooming the Normans shaved and kept there hair orderly. Both had grades of freemen and slaves. The productivity was such that there was no leisure class. Even the wife of a king worked.
By the beginning of the 12th century productivity had increased considerably and thus (Papal influence) slavery came to an end; that a Christian could not enslave another (bummer but it required the invasion of Ireland to trash it).
Idleness for the well to do had also arrived and decent cathedrals were being built.
Not for this capercaille – I still yearn for the return of Brehon law.
Send the Brehon Code to the AG. They are a very practical set of laws.
Pity that the judges of Lizzie I preferred English Common Law and the Act of Union was only a matter time with the Scottish legal system (more or less) hanging on – interestingly.
British rulers & judges loathed & feared and feared the Common Law of preNorman Britain, hence the constant creep of “black letter Law” which continues today.
The Brehon (judges), being the ultimate authority before Strongbow, gave full consideration to Celtic common law & custom
Their reliance on the strength of preliterate memory seems incomprehensible to most people who would think(sic!) Mayflies hide bound traditionists and goldfish Homer or Oisin.
Quipu anyone?
The laws provide an excellent insight into the region and life to about 1200AD with slavery (various grades) falling from favour early 12th century.
The effects of the Plague (1348-50) altered the law and legal structure with the law, per se, disappearing about 250 years hence. Lizzy snatched it in 1603.
Whatever Liz may have snatched in the 16thC, in March 1603 (the 17thC) it was the cold, ossified hand of the Reaper.
But she did OK for someone born with syphilis.
Would you have married her for the privileges of being a consort? There would be a good chance that her physicians (who diagnosed only by observation) would have directed that mercuric oxide be rubbed into you.
When I was in infants school, post war and the ingress of large numbers of displaced euroids, most of the new kids had the tell tale purple blotches on shaved heads of ringworm treatment, never forgetting the delights of silver nitrate.
Morrison, when he has to act instinctively, has a history of making the dumb choice. Not just wrong, but really obtuse, in terms of not being able to imagine how people might be feeling. He relies heavily on info from his marketing and strategy team, and his decisions are all transactional and strategic. I would like to see him in a series of debates, like the US style ones, where a good opponent could get him away from his rehearsed strategies into the zone where he would have to speak off the cuff – revealing the true man.
I don’t hold a hose mate… there he is laid bare!
I think your closest to the mark, DF. I really don’t think there is much going on upstairs. He lives in the belief that the preacher schtick is appropriate in all forums, and of course he was unprepared for the question because the preacher doesn’t expect questions.
AB is also onto something with the snakes in suits. The last verifiable psychopath I worked for proudly told me, in his mid 50s at the time, that he hadn’t read a book since school days. It gasted my flabber, I can tell you.
Morrison displays many of the hallmarks of a genuine psychopath. Empathy isn’t a strong suit, and have uses Jen and the girls to be brought back to some concrete example so he can pretend what empathy might feel, or look like.
Agreed, although I think the modern term is sociopathic personality disorder.
I doubt he has time to read, spending most of his time in front of a mirror readying for his next photo op.
He only reads the Bible.
I doubt that he does but he clearly does not understand the N/T.
Probably more an O/T Pentateuch kinda bloke, lots of smiting, abominating and betrayal.
And that’s on his good days, DF.
So, not a lifter but a leaner then?
Also, not just sell but it’s close relative spin.
When he heaven forbid leaves Parliament I’d not be surprised if he went into PR. Real strength of an otherwise utterly empty, vapid individual.
“He is, on this subject, pathetically lost.”
and that’s different to any other subject ? I think not.
He has no moorings, morally, ethically, socially or humanly.
Politically, in grasping its essential banality, he just about manages – for those who can bear that sort of thing.
Great article.
Scomo took his cues straight from Tony Abbott’s “I can’t be a misogynist because I have 3 daughters” playbook.
Utterly disgusting that people of this calibre reach the top of our government.
I’ve often wondered about a family dinner party, chez Abbott, with Marge, her daughters, his sister & her partner.
Yes, you do wonder what Jenny Morrison needed to clarify?
And to me, Morrison mentioning the main woman in his life, was reminiscent of the old line, “No, really; some of my best friends are (insert minority that you’re accused of disparaging here)”.
I wonder if Jenny has had a chat about the two daughters wasting their childhood in detention on Christmas Island.
My guess would be no, but there’s a fair chance, that a foreign government might mention refugee detention, whenever we castigate them on their human rights record.
Watching the Scomo press conference, i was reminded of the Seinfeld character George Costanza, desperately trying to talk his way out of situations, twisting truth into pretzels to prevent having to cop the blame. As Costanza said…”it’s not a lie….if you believe it”.
Yeah, but does he believe it or knowingly lied?
Both…that’s the Costanza zen mastery of lying.
Yes, but can a balance be maintained? I mean, at one stage, Trump probably had some idea that he was lying about the election being rigged. Now I suspect that he’s so barking mad, that he fully believes that he won.
No, I think he always believed it.
It’s hard to tell from a distance, whether it’s all delusion, or was there a certain amount of scamming involved. On the one hand, there’s a long documented history of scamming and a blatant disregard of facts. On the other hand, he probably only really listens to sycophantic advisers, who see it as advantageous to confirm his biases. There’s also projection: he tried to rig the election in his own favour, so he assumes that his opponents also rigged the election.
Does he believe it? I doubt he believes anything – for him, words are just tools to get what he wants. The only thing that matters to people like Morrison is money.
And power. Don’t forget the lovely “P” word.
Sociopathic personalities genuinely believe the lie, as long as it conforms to their self-interest at the time. If their self-interest changes, they have no qualms about genuinely believing the opposite.
Morrison’s approach to rape is a new low compared to where Tudge and Porter bottom feed. Another unacceptable attitude publicly rationalised that establishes the need for all politicians to undergo compulsory brain scans to determine whether they have an anti social disorders ie whether they are sociopaths.