A good equivalent in western religion would be a woman donning a catholic frock, or giving communion or any of those things only male priests are allowed to do in Catholicism. I can imagine outrage from certain Christian groups.
Perhaps. I am looking at this too personally. I was trying to find something that would provoke the same level of irrational horror in me and I can’t think of any.
This is a good example, although I imagine that most women who would do this know that they are being inflammatory.
What she said. Or to quote Mark from “Empire Records,” “Maybe I wanna be sterile.”
Sustained! bangs gavel
I can’t find the documentation for my digeridoo, but I thought it was actually painted by an aboriginal woman. I bought it in Alice Springs. I wonder if the taboo is universal? I could be wrong though, I’ll root around for the pamphlet.
I suppose it must be done sooner or later. Nikki, call me.
Enjoy,
Steven
It’s not fine. I was being glib about an idiotic superstition.
If aborigine women choose not to play the thing, that’s their business, and they can do so for any stupid reason they see fit, just as Muslim women can choose not to drive because it’s a sin or whatever. (Or they could pick a sensible reason, like the fact that digeridoos are cool to look at but sound annoying if you have to listen to them for more than 20 seconds.) If they want to play and are forbidden to, that’s wrong. But I think most of the aborigines figured that out a long time ago. It’s only people like razor blade guy who are threatened that someone not of his culture might not pay heed to his pointless traditions.
My mother used to drive around town to shut-ins and distribute (Roman Catholic) communion to them. I don’t think she ever encountered any outrage.
She didn’t consecrate the wafers, of course. That was the job of the priests.
The Aboriginal offenderati are out in force this month, aren’t they? David Unaipon’s family are angry at Paypal for an ad showing Unaipon with a helmet superimposed because “no Aboriginal people have a helmet”. They also want $30 million compensation from the Government because they claim the relative who gave permission for their uncle’s image to be used on the 50 dollar note was not really a relative. And now Nicole Kidman has -shock- played a didgeridoo and they are outraged, I tell you, outraged!
:rolleyes:
I got a digeridoo Nicole can play anytime, by the way.
From a PR point of view, probably yes. Otherwise no.
That’s up to them to decide. Personally, staying in Australia, I wouldn’t climb on that big red rock, for instance. If I were a woman I might not play the whatever it is called for the same reason. On the other hand I’m perfectly OK with other people talking picture of a cross in a jar of piss or playing the whatever it is called.
I have a certain level of respect for the sacred on a personal level, but I hate it when institutions, companies, etc… cave in the religious-based demands of some group or another.
Whatever floats their boat. If women want to wear a veil and not play the whatever it is called, that’s their privilege.
As long as they don’t stone women who play the whatever it is called, don’t firebomb movie theaters showing a movie where a woman is depicted playing the WIIC and don’t prevent the publishing of a book explaining to women how to play the WIIC, no.
The two issues shouldn’t be linked.
The article linked to by the OP said it wasn’t.
The publishing house is a piece of shit and if I was Australian I’d certainly never buy the book after such cowardly behaviour, so I don’t think it was a wise PR decision. But who really gives a damn about a women taboo on didgeridoo-playing? Women can play or don’t. I don’t care either way. As long as they don’t stick it in the pussy at band camp.
The taboo is wrong btw. I bought one on a trip to Australia once, which my ex-wife played on before going on to have two children. So I guess that proves the Aboriginals are stupid idiots too.
Unless they catch blowback from feminists.
Previous centuries? Try this one. According to the IOC, women’s ski jumping is not currently an Olympic event because there are not enough quality competitors (with 135+ women competing internationally). But that’s sort of the shiny happy PC reason. From Newsday:
As for the didgeridoo, sorry, human rights trump tradition. Yeah, touching an instrument hardly seems to be worth fighting for, but it’s a slippery slope.
I have a sneaky suspiscion that this is at the heart of the taboo. An woman’s mouth embracing a large phallic symbol. For the aboriginal dude maybe its just a musical (sic) instrument… but hey what’s that woman doing?
Outrage fatigue? When is the last time people have heard positive news about aboriginal culture?
That’s because no-one here (quite rightly) cares.
Pretty much what I was coming in here to say.