Here’s a letter to the editor I sent to The Australian in response to a piece on the Commentary page last Friday, ‘Hockey stays home holding the baby’ (The Oz didn’t run it – so I sent it to myself and I agreed to publish it).
I’m concerned about what is implied in the heading “Hockey stays home holding the baby” and the cartoon with it (April 9, p16). The article says Hockey is on leave and that his colleagues say he is “not doing enough”. While the baby isn’t mentioned in the text, the cartoon shows a dishevelled Hockey holding a swaddled baby in one arm and a toy in the other. Hockey is haggard, his face unshaven, his hair greying and his tongue lolls uselessly in the corner of his mouth. There appears to be baby spew over his black suit jacket.
Are we to read by this that looking after a baby is somehow beneath a man of politics (or any man?) and that he has been reduced to an unkept moron as a result while real men get on with the job of politics?
I really hope not. I really hope I’ve got it wrong.
6 Responses
So what was my husband who has taken a redundancy doing at 12.00pm, feeding a baby. Unlike Hockey we can’t afford a nanny but good on him for taking an interest in his children. Shame on his mates for thinking so little of his care for his children. They have a short memory, that they were young once. Someone held them in their arms, cuddled them and changed there nappies. No wonder they are relying on immigration to supplement the Australian population. Remember boys it takes 2 to make a baby and that is why we have two parents both needed to raise the child.
Gotta love blogs..if the right wing media don’t publish it, the reach of the world wide web is at our fingertips.
I hope, if nothing else, shows that looking after a child is no picnic. Watch SBS tonight at 7.30 where women will be discussing this exact topic.
http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/
I heard you interviewed on radio recently, and just discovered this blog. Keep up the good work.
Good one Melinda – love it!
It’s not an attack on men staying at home. It’s highlighting the large contrast between this and his politician role.
You’re just desperate for any fodder you can find.
Andy yes it isnt an atack on men, its an attack on parenting. Its almost making out that parenting is so below him.