TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses domestic violence and sexual assault.
Mark Latham has used his brand new podcast on Triple M to call domestic violence “a coping mechanism”, and either the media industry is playing a sick practical joke on us by continuing to pay Latham for his opinions, or we’ve entered the darkest timeline and didn’t even know it.
‘Lathamland‘, which went up online yesterday and is being broadcast at midday today, is an eighteen-minute shit-show in which Mark laments the average Aussie larrikin being unable to use the terms ‘Mussies’ or ‘Negros’ without being labelled a racist, and says he’d happily boo Adam Goodes if he ever played again, in the same mild-mannered tone you’d talk about a favourite pub in another city. “Actually, yeah, they had a fantastic selection of beers, I’d happily go again if we went back.”
Then we get to the DV bit.
Now, it wouldn’t be a ‘Mark Latham talks domestic violence’ show without a few dozen cracks at Rosie Batty, which he delivers.
“A lot of Australians are asking how did [Batty’s] tragedy where a lunatic drugged-out father sadly maliciously killed his own son, how’s that morphed into a generalised campaign against all Australian men?”
“I’m worried that the domestic violence debate is being used as a Trojan horse to push leftwing feminist position, saying that we’re a patriarchy, there’s a demonisation of men here, if you listen to Rosie Batty. Every man is a potential wife basher. Every woman is potentially at risk.”
Quick reminder of some key stats:
- 40% of women have reported at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 15
- In 46% of women experiencing physical violence, the perpetrator was a current or previous partner
- In 78% of sexual assaults, the women knew the perpetrator (with 21% being a previous partner)
Then Mark decided to get into *why* men assault women:
“The case is that it is a concentrated problem that needs a concentrated solution. And I worry that in the demonisation of men that Rosie Batty is causing more harm than good.
“But I don’t think it’s about how men look at women, it’s about how men look at themselves. They’ve lost their self-esteem, they’ve lost their job, they’re welfare dependant, they’ve got other troubles, drugs, alcohol in their life. It’s that loss of self esteem where I think they use domestic violence as a coping mechanism to get over all the crap in their lives. So demonising men isn’t going to solve the problem that’s targeted and concentrated in certain communities.”
OH SORRY MEN ARE WOMEN TAKING AWAY YOUR MASCULINITY BY ASKING FOR THINGS LIKE EQUAL RIGHTS AND NOT BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND NOW YOU HAVE TO HIT, RAPE AND MURDER THEM TO FEEL BETTER? Get a fucking grip.
If Triple M were aiming for a ‘strong’ reaction to his podcast, then they bloody well got it.
So Triple M gives Mark Latham a platform to attack Rosie Batty. Shameful. And, no, I’m not adding a link.
— Tracey Spicer (@TraceySpicer) January 21, 2016
The Mark Latham keys to success: Be loud, terrible, unpopular and low-rating, miraculously get new job. Repeat.
— Wil Anderson (@Wil_Anderson) January 21, 2016
Quick reminder for #MarkLatham: domestic violence is not a ‘coping mechanism’, it’s life-ending #auspol #TripleM pic.twitter.com/Cr8Ve3nRGc
— Robert F. Coleman (@robertfcoleman) January 21, 2016
Agh. Triple M happily giving more hateful, misogynist oxygen to Mark Latham, Prince of Brokens. This truly is a new low.
— michael hing (@hingers) January 21, 2016
If there is an Australian Arsehole of the year award, I nominate Mark Latham #auspol
— AshGhebranious (@AshGhebranious) January 21, 2016
EXCLUSIVE shot of Mark Latham recording his new Triple M podcast. pic.twitter.com/U7KrrBVlLd
— Petra Starke (@petstarr) January 21, 2016
No, we’re not gonna link you to the podcast. If you really want it, Google’s a tab away.
79 women killed in 2015 is not a Trojan horse. It’s a disgrace.
If this post has affected you in any way, please call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for 24/7 counselling and advice.
Photo: Jonathan Wood / Getty.
