In the week that brought to light television personality Eddie McGuire’s ‘banter’ about sports journalist Caroline Wilson, the voters of Leichhardt, have been treated to campaign signs depicting a witch. The signs have been placed adjacent to campaign signs of the only woman candidate in Leichhardt, ALP candidate Sharryn Howes.
The signs themselves entreat the voter to ‘put Labor last’ because winding back negative gearing is a ‘wicked thing to do’.
The incumbent MP Warren Entsch, who authorised the signs, has ‘angrily denied’ any comparison between his signs and the notorious ‘Ditch the Witch’ signs used in rallies in 2011, attended by former Prime Minister Abbott. According to reports, Mr Entsch has said
“It has nothing to do with anything else. We think its a wicked and awful thing to do for small time investors.”
“I didn’t select the image and it has nothing to do with anything else. Anyone who knows me knows those claims are absolute bullshit.”
With respect, whatever Mr Entsch’s views, the LNP’s views, or the voter views of negative gearing and small time investors, it is not OK to use the language and imagery of witches about women. The implication of the image of the witch, deliberately positioned adjacent to Ms Howes’ campaign corflutes, is to invoke the comparison.
‘Witch’ is a term used to denigrate women. It represents a woman who has outgrown her sexual utility, often imagined as a toothless old crone. It might also represent the threat women pose to patriarchy – through the magicke of their sexual wiles and fertility, the witch stands ready to trap unwary men. The vast majority of those burned as witches were women. That is no accident. It was an effective means of keeping women in their place.
Today, ‘witch’ carries its anti-women history even though many who use the term may not be conscious of it. As a word not used against men, and in light of the negative connotations it carries, use of ‘witch’ is sexist.
Advice to parliamentarians: find a different word without the sexist baggage.
The signs themselves go so far as to say ‘unfortunately , unlike the movies we can’t get rid of them by pouring water on them’. They express disappointment at a general inability to keep witches – women – in their place.
I accept that there may be an intent to express a desire to keep the ALP in ‘its place’ ie out of government. Sadly however, the clumsiness of the analogy and the language used instead conveys the time-worn expression of antipathy towards women. Women should not have to face sexist language. Women candidates for political office should not face sexist harassment in the course of doing so. We can be better than this.
Many will reject this interpretation. The metaphor is so deeply ingrained in our sexist culture that we have become immune to it. But let’s aspire to a higher level of discourse, that seeks actively, consciously, to deal with the issues without resorting to historical gendered slurs.
Even if Mr Entsch does not himself see the connection between the sign he authorised and the sexist implications for his opponent, he is now on notice that the posters sexist, and that many perceive them to be sexist. He is therefore in a position to step up, and to have the posters removed. That would be a fine contribution to public discourse.
katgallow 
I am a Labor woman. I worked on Sharryn Howes campaign close to these signs after a Labor woman was shot and after Eddie Maguire joked about drowning a woman in opposition to him. I have been working beside some very hostile LNP supporters, usually being the only Labor woman present. Here in Cairns we have very high rates of violence against women. We have even had in the not too distant past a woman dissolved in acid and flushed down a street drain. Warren Entsch has been the federal member through these events for over sixteen years. If he did not know better we must ask why not? If he didn’t select the image he certainly approved it. It says so on the bottom. Today a female voter refused his volunteer’s proffered blurb and was insulted by a reference to her mental health by the usual suspect, who we don’t even need to name, he is so well known for his attitude. Boys clubs like this are a bit like people who can’t spell properly. They don’t know it is wrong until they are told, which is not good enough for a federal representative. Wake up Wazza, we’re really not in Kansas any more, thank our lucky magical mysterious alluring irresistable creative stars!
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