When a right-wing pale male politician in Australia in 2016 called a senior female journo a “mad fucking witch”, there were some women who thought “well, that’s one thing you got right”. And they created a group with that very name (https://www.facebook.com/MadFckingWitches/). Double, double toil and trouble, is exactly what they intend to bring down upon those who uphold misogynistic, racist, colonial, and patriarchal systems and behaviours. There is plenty of work ahead of them.
Historically, witches had a bad rap. They were often just herbalists and mid-wives, but sometimes they were truly awful women who refused men’s advances, as well. Women have always been easy targets for whatever pet-peeve the male group of humans decided to have against them. The peeves are often buoyed up by other women, too, for complex social reasons to do with staying onside with the power group. Women who didn’t toe the mainstream line, like being independent and – gasp – having knowledge, were easy to gang up against. If they weren’t on the outer already, it was a simple matter to make them so. Other groups had their problems, too, but of those groups, the women in them always copped a worse deal than the men. And so it has always been – but these ‘Mad Fucking Witches’ are now powering witches up again.
Of course, the right-wing pale male politician who sent the text didn’t actually mean to send it to the senior female journo – he meant to send it to a fellow boy-politician that the senior female journo called out for inappropriate behaviour. Not that their names were remotely similar, but you know, politicians have a lot on their minds – like helping their buddies out of a sticky situation of their dick’s making. The obligatory slap on the wrist ensued – and a group got born that’s as mad as hell.
Fast forward 3.5 years to the 15th August 2019, when an Australian right-wing stale pale male radio talk-back host called Alan Jones had a vicious rant against the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. He took umbrage at her reply to a question about how Australia’s massive use of coal to generate power will affect Pacific nations in regards to climate change. Jacinda Ardern replied that Australia will have to answer to the Pacific nations on that one. Quite a reasonable response, really. Of course, she could have just gone down the usual diplomatic path and said that that wasn’t for her to comment on, but she took it a tiny bit further this time – and Jones exploded with fury.
Jones is a shock jock. It’s his job to explode with fury and make vicious rants. He usually saves his worst vileness for women, though, including a previous female Prime Minister of Australia. Female Prime Ministers obviously push his buttons. He’s popular amongst all the usual small-minded suspects who have a small world-view, and makes big money for himself, and big ratings for the radio station. Big ratings equal big advertising dollars. He is 78 years old and has been a horrible man for most of those years, according to various reports, which includes the apparent grooming of a teenage boy. What comes to light, of course, is only ever the tip of the iceberg.
Anyway, so incensed was he with Jacinda Ardern’s response to the question about Australia’s role in the Pacific in regards to climate change, that he invoked physical violence against her. He wondered out loud on air whether Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, should give her a “few back-handers” and “shove a sock down her throat”. Can’t imagine him saying those things about a male Prime Minister, somehow. Scott Morrison declared that Jones was “way out of line”, because Scott has two daughters himself. I’m a bit curious about what his response would have been if he didn’t have daughters?
The right-wing stale pale male radio shock jock later said that he didn’t really mean to say those things, just got his words a bit mixed up – and eventually sent an apology to Jacinda Ardern. Read that as was forced to send an apology, because the day immediately after the comments, he sure as hell wasn’t apologising for them then. Thanks to pressure from various groups, notably the ‘Mad Fucking Witches’, advertisers began pulling their money out. If there’s one thing that hurts a radio show, it’s not nasty, vile stuff being said by the male host (a female couldn’t get away with it nearly so much), it is advertisers pulling their money out. Hence, the apology.
Who know what will happen from here with Jones. Traditionally, not much. Business rainmakers usually get given a very, very, long leash. Plus, he’s 78 years old – what’s he going to care? He’s got so much experience at being an arsehole under his belt, he’ll just find another way, either in business or at play. But the ‘Mad Fucking Witches’ brought him to heel this time. All hail to them!
A B'Old Woman 
Thanks for this firsthand perspective, Katrina. I quite agree with you on those “Mad Fucking Witches” and the descriptions of obnoxious vociferous spew flushed into the airwaves by the defenders of “right-wing stale pale males,” the misogynists wish to maintain what they feel is some kind of “natural law.” The “right-wing stale pale males” on this side of the globe strike the same pose and posture employing, essentially, the same English-based language. Jacinda Ardern’s voice has my ear, I’ve also read about that “sock.” The British Empire left some pretty foul footprints planetwide and its apologists still dream of the settler-colonialist solutions, Orientalism never goes out of style it seems.
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They’re re repulsive, aren’t they, Bill? They do so much harm, yet go unchecked for YEARS, because they bring in the money – or they have money. I know that at least for the foreseeable future, money will continue to equal power, but at least other kinds of power (which doesn’t mean ‘power over’) are coming forth now.
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I too wonder what Scott Morrison would have said if he didn’t have daughters! Just as well they’re there to restrain him?
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Well said, Ruth – lol!
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Great read, I did wonder how long it would be before you did a blog on this topic!
He is an arse and should be dismissed immediately and made to pay money to Womenâs Refuge along with the Mad F8cking Witchesâ¦.that would upset him terribly.
I didnât know he had been grooming a young lad, was this for his own sick pleasure or was it to encourage the young lad to be an arse such as himself.
Trish Stewart
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Haha – you know me too well! I agree – paying out his money to WOMEN’S organisations would nearly kill him – lol. Re: the teenage boy – from what I can glean, Jones wrote him what has been described as love letters, while he was at boarding school. Jones is one of those toxic pieces of shit who very few probably like, but he appeals to a wide audience of dubious intellect, so brings in the advertising dollars. However, to date thirty-six advertisers have pulled the plug from his show.
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I know witches fairly well, married one. And so I say, Hail to witches everywhere! I’m a white European male, as male and white as they come. I offer no apologies. We have our place. (Jones and his ilk have no place in any society.) But today we men are out of place and as such position the planet in an untenable environment. I imagine a world where women lead, a matriarchy. I don’t aim to sound sycophantic, Katrina, but I’ve lived a long and attentive life to know that generally speaking women are wiser than men and not only in the art of leadership, tamer as well. Women tend to diplomacy; men are quick to war (belligerence is in our DNA; it cannot be denied, but it must wear a collar). Women are less inclined to violence, to send their daughters and sons to war, to kill and die. Big difference.
Sadly, many women are infected with man disease. Some disguise it well, giving other women false hope. For example, I give you the reigning Democratic and Republican parties of the USA, and likely elsewhere. A man’s place is beside the woman, in support and protection of their leader, whether domestically or politically (this is where our belligerence is rightfully served, in protection). And though I may risk the wrath, I’ll say we’re to offer the courtesies of honor. To open the door. To yield. To bow. To pull the chair. To lessen the burden of leadership. And other such niceties that make every woman a queen in her own right.
A final note, a warning to men: Woe to you who dishonors a witch who knows well her power. Been there. Once. Never going back. That alone makes me wise.
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I agree with much of what you say, and definitely no apologies required just for being a man – of any colour. I wouldn’t like a world without men in it, in spite of what some think of we who have a feminist philosophy, but having shit men (or woman) in it is a different story. Unfortunately, at the moment it’s mostly shit men who get into positions of power, and then abuse it. To get into that world of power themselves, women have to emulate the men who have gone before them. The more women who get there, though, perhaps the manner in which that power is conducted will change more, too. Although I don’t believe in matriarchal world, either – simply because we’ve already seen that a power imbalance doesn’t go well – I do believe that women’s style of doing things is better for leading communities or countries, managing resources, and making decisions from a broader point of view. Men seem to be better at entrepreneurship, pushing boundaries, and taking risks. Both are just generalisations, of course. At the moment, nearly everything in the world is set up on a male model of doing things, so we don’t often see many instances of women leading in the way that they might do, if they weren’t constricted by the systems already in place.
For the record I have no problem with free-from-obligation courtesies being extended to me by a man 🙂 And in turn I will extend free-from-obligation courtesies to him. Now that I am older, both are easier – lol!
Your marriage to a witch sounds intriguing 🙂
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How pale am I?
Thirty seconds in the sun is enough to set fire to my neck, with or without sunblock.
Sound leadership in the hands of men today is scarce as hell, a scary state that threatens to become even scarier. May women take leadership at every level and everywhere.
My mate suggests that I am a feminist, but I think it too high an honor and too great a presumption to self identify in that way. In any case, the power of bad-old boys knows no bounds, and knows no decency, and knows no integrity — particularly dreadful when the ecosystem of the entire planet is being supercharged to place us all that much closer to the edge of an abyss. Currently, my favorite world-class leader is Greta Thunberg because powerful old pale males are also generational thieves — the least forgivable crime I can imagine.
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Haha – I fall into the super-white category, too. Sunblock is my (almost) best friend. Whether you classify yourself as feminist or not, Bill, it’s nice to talk to a ‘woke bloke’ 🙂
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Well stated and thoroughly accurate, my friend. You have great taste in witches and that witch has great taste in mates (auto-correct suggested “inmates” — just shows how much uncritical thinking an auto-correct bot is capable of). My kindest wishes to family all, including the wandering fauna who visit you guys. 🙂
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