a new slant on recruitment

[herakles]

From The Age:

Feminists angered by bikini suggestions
January 15, 2009 - 6:19AM

Feminists are calling for action to be taken after an Australian Navy submarine commander suggested that women sailors in bikinis would help boost recruitment.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Commander Tom Phillips from the HMAS Farncomb was asked by a men's magazine if "female sailors all had to be hot and had to wear bikinis, would that help recruitment?".

Commander Phillips is quoted as replying: "It would certainly get the right demographic of young men in. I'm not sure how feasible it is."

Defence Minister Warren Snowden said the comments were "utterly unacceptable".

Chair of the Women's Lobby Australia, Eva Cox, said the comments reflected the "Navy's limited view of women as bodies rather than brains", the Telegraph reported.

[John Odom]

Based ONLY on what I read above, I would say it reflects more poorly on the
men, than the women.

[tonclass]

Oh for goodness sake. Is this PC stuff never going to end ???????
The poor bloke was asked a question !! He gave an forthright answer !!! Is there any bloke out there that would disagree with his reply ??????? If the same type of question had been put to a female officer (ie. Bloke with a six-pack and 6'4", blue eyes, trunks etc - you get the picture........) Is she going to honestly say 'No. It will not affect any of my female ratings or officers one bit'. The pc brigade are trying to deny lifes inbuilt, millions of years, natural instinct towards the opposite sex. This is how life keeps going. If it didn't we ALL probably wouldn't be here right now !!!!!!
I wish all these Do-Gooders would F*~# ^$£f (GO AWAY !!) and let nature continue what it's done VERY SUCESSFULLY for the last few millennia !

Oh and the Telegraph made the suggestion, not the Commander. He just gave an honest answer !!!!!!!

[herakles]

Exactly Rik. I confess I swore slightly more than you did.

I now realise there's more to this story having read the Murdoch paper.

http://www.news.com.au/comments/0,23600,24914958-5000540,00.html

There are a horde of blogs under the story - almost all of them saying what Rik said. Here's one of them:

I served with Tom for a number of years and I regard him as one of the most professional and refined Officers in Navy. This is Ralph we're talking about here. Let's be serious. Ralph is not journalism. This fickle rag is notoriously rife with sexual connotation. Tom is an intellectual and I am certain he was simply lending to the tone of this publication, albeit in a very benign manner. Tom relates very well to young people. He has to. Submarines are comprised mainly of the under 25 demographic. The relationship he is able to forge with his youthful counterparts makes him the great Officer and leader that he is. These are rare qualities that enable Tom to get the best from the people around him. I felt very comfortable with Tom in charge of the boat and could not say the same for many of his fellow Officers at the time. Submarine life is serious business - people's lives are at stake at every turn. As Submarine Commanding Officers go, they don't come any better than Tom Phillips.

Here's another:

Never a day goes by these days when the bloody do-gooders don't take things too literally then bore the rest of us with their bleeding-heart comments. We need more rocks for them to crawl under.

[astraltrader]

Thank goodness for that breath of common sense Rik!

I tried to compose exactly the same sentiments as you did but gave up after a couple of attempts because I just could not seem to get the balance of what I was saying right. All this PC nonsense has gone way too far and has now become counter-productive.

[herakles]

All this PC nonsense has gone way too far and has now become counter-productive.

But why did it start? That's what I want to know. I have my ideas! :D

[kookaburra]

Sometimes feels like a parallel universe we live in doesn't it?

Newspaper denies that its readers have any capacity to decipher the context and deflective language of a Navy officer forced to respond to a cheeky (non-serious) suggestion from a silly source, the poor officer finds himself in a spot of hot water - not much, surely, one would hope - and the rest of us try to get on with our day.

Everyone other than Commander Phillips needs a good bonking.

[vivian]

Absolutely agree with you! Once I stopped spluttering, like you Terry, I couldn't find the right words I was so p.o.'d with this example of PC gone mad. I thought it was a good humoured response to a daft question. What did they expect him to say?

regards
Vivian

[Wombat]

You chaps aren’t the only ones to be annoyed. :mad::mad::mad:

I have just watched this incident reported on the evening news, and what angered me was the fact that there always seems to be a member of the “Hairy leg and Sandal Brigade”, expressing their offence on behalf of the women of the world.

Quite frankly, I for one don’t need someone to register my disapproval of someone else’s behavior or comments. I am capable of doing that myself, just like other women are.

It just so happens that I agree entirely with the opinions above, and was NOT in the least bit offended by the remarks made by this Naval Officer. Anyone with an ounce of sense can see what has happened here.

I think everyone is getting very fed up of all this “PC" nonsense.

What DID offend me was the time taken up by this frivolous reporting when there is so much happening in the world that should be reported. There are people in genuine need, and incidents that hardly get a mention, because the time is taken up by stupid stories that serve no purpose other than to cause mischief.

(IRIS)

[astraltrader]

James - You say that everybody is fed-up with this PC nonsense - the trouble is my friend that many people obviously arent. I just worry that those who really believe in this nonsense are growing by number each year...:(

[Wombat]

Actually Terry, it wasn’t me it was my wife “Iris” who posted the reply, she takes an active interest in the forum.

My thoughts are:

I have found in life that the people who make the most noise get the most attention; the majority of us just want to get on with our lives and do the right thing.

The reason my wife was so angry was because so much time is wasted giving these champions of Political Correctness credibility. She gets annoyed when they keep speaking out on behalf of all women without finding out what they really think.

The most dangerous part of all this is that a Naval Career could be left in Jeopardy, and a fine Officers career ruined.

Last week they spent ten minutes putting forward a case for banning some of the Nursery Rhymes as they are no longer considered politically correct. They say that they upset the children. I know this has nothing to do with the Navy Officer incident but you have to wonder where it will all end.

Wombat,
(James).

[kookaburra]

What a gutless wonder Minister Warren Snowden (or some flak in his office) proved to be in this matter, in issuing that 'utterly unacceptable' statement, and not supporting the serving officer. (Snowden is the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, btw - i.e. a junior minister, and not the real Defence Minister). Anyway, clearly Commander Phillips never made any suggestion about bikinis and recruiting, and said nothing wrong. He's the victim of a total media beat-up. If ever a matter deserved to be dismissed with a bit of common sense, this was it. But Snowden wasn't up to it.

The reader responses on the New Ltd link in Herk's post below - from both women and men - are something like 141 in favour of Phillips, to nil against.

I can't believe that any real damage has been done to this officer's career...but, who knows when politicians run to the beck and call of radio 'shock jocks' and duck for cover on beat ups like this. Snowden's hardly a guy you would follow into the jaws of hell, is he? Actually I'd never heard of him before.

Here the f.....er is, leading from behind: looks like he needs a good kick up the date.

[kookaburra]

ALL RIGHT, HANDS UP, YOU!

Bit of art work on the Warren Whoever photo, just to brighten him up.

[mik43]

Completely agree with the comments above, especially Rik and Iris. Regretably the PC brigade are a worldwide issue and seem to be able to generate columns of print/broadcast space without trying.
Mik

[kookaburra]

Warren of The North.

[kookaburra]

'you Great Big, Naughty, Male Chauvinist Brute!'

[kookaburra]

BY THE WAY ....

[Maritime Michael Ian]

I too agree with the sentiemnts expressed by everyone here.

I do not like the PC brigade, or the Womens Libbers.... I was brought up to give up my seat to a lady, most especially to a pregnant one.... to open a door for a lady and to let her go through first! Old fashioned? maybe but I like to think I still have standards and I still will continue to do as I was taught. Remember the words of the song.... "you can't go to jail for what your thinking, or for the oooh look inyour eyes...." well the way these PC idiots are going even that will be a crime against women!

The wheel will turn full circle.... but it might take a hell of a time to do so!

Ian

[herakles]

Two things Ian.

Some time ago I was abused by a woman for whom I had stepped aside to allow through a door first.

I've never forgotten something that a survivor from Auschwitz said: they took everything except my thoughts.

You've mentioned the dreaded f word: feminism. IMHO it was the rise of this benighted group that saw the start of PC.

[astraltrader]

Ian I am with you all the way with your [hopefully] prescient final sentence...


"The wheel will turn full circle.... but it might take a hell of a time to do so!"

[Maritime Michael Ian]

Herk/Terry

Yes, Herk, I had a similar occurance when I worked at Kensington Town Hall, but this was by a young woman who said that she was my equal and therefore she chose to go after me! My ripost was " you are not my age, therefore you are most definitely NOT my equal, neither do you appear to have the standards that I have, therefore YOU will go through the door, or else we will both stand here until you do!

She didn't like the reply but she did go through the door.... but with bad grace!

Ian

[herakles]

Dare I add that there is no sign of these sort of matters where I live.

[Wombat]

If nature had intended men and women to be equal, she would have made us all the same. ;)

Women would be the same shape as men. :eek:
Women would be as strong as men. :p
AND women would be just as “FUGLY” as men. :)

Now before you all jump to defend the male honour, please remember I am only a “MERE WOMAN”. :o

Mrs. Wombat,
(IRIS). :D :D :D

[astraltrader]

Iris - it is great to read your views in the forum - we are fortunate indeed to have two wombats for the price of one!
What you said also underlined to me how really great it is that if God is usually described as "he" then the God-force or Nature is nearly always described as "she".

Obvious of course but well worth stating IMO!

Final thought for the day. I did not realise that you came from Somerset? [!]

[herakles]

Iris - it is great to read your views in the forum - we are fortunate indeed to have two wombats for the price of one!

Indeed! Two for the price of one! :D

[astraltrader]

I hope you all got the Somerset bit...

[herakles]

I hope you all got the Somerset bit...

That's somewhere near England isn't it?

[Maritime Michael Ian]

Iris!

I am thankful, indeed very glad, that women are the shape they are... and long may they be so!!!:D

[Wombat]

Thank you all for your sentiments regarding my thoughts.

I feel everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but what rattles me is when an individual takes it upon themselves to speak on behalf of all the women in the world. :mad:

If the person in question felt so aggrieved by the article, she was within her rights to ask for an apology, but these women don’t do that, they HIDE behind the rest of us under the banner of Women’s Lib. Personally I feel it gives women a bad name, and insults their individual intelligence. :confused:

My apologies Gentlemen for not posting a reply to your comments sooner, but I have been otherwise occupied catering to the needs of the Master of the house. :rolleyes:

I also had to wait until he had time to lengthen my chain, allowing me to leave the Kitchen.:D

MRS Wombat,
(Iris).

[astraltrader]

Well said Iris.

[mik43]

G'day Mrs Wombat, is James allowed out to play today..................??????!!!!
Mik

[Wombat]

G'day Mrs Wombat, is James allowed out to play today..................??????!!!!
Mik


These day's I please myself when I come out to play!

It was a bit different when the wife was younger, she used to be a Royal Marine, and I had to tow the line as she said she knew how to kill a bloke.

There were times I thought she had!!!! ;):D

Wombat,
(James).

[mik43]

Brilliant reply James, can't stop laughing!!!!
Mik
ps So as I don't get on the wrong side of Mrs Wombat, please give her my regards!!!