Tuesday, August 26, 2008

They're calling this news now, are they?

This is one of the most deeply depressing pieces I’ve read in an Australian newspaper for some time (and I read the Sunday Age).

The articles starts

SINGLE women, if you want a man in Melbourne, you'll need to leave bayside Elwood and head to the bachelor hot spot, Footscray

and more or less continues downhill from there.

In his latest book, Man Drought and Other Social Issues of the New Century, demographer Bernard Salt explores the man drought striking single women in their 30s and worsening through life, and the "sheila shortage" for men in their 20s.

Based on 2006 census figures, the book investigates the chances of love in a capital city, where women seek work and culture (and men), leaving men tied to farms and rural jobs
.

Based on some deeply dodgy analysis by professional wanker demographer Bernard Salt of data now two years old, it purports to be a piece of journalism – which is why I presume they put it in the middle of the news pages (page five*).

It is, of course, nothing of the sort. It’s a free plug for Salt’s latest book – a book, let me again add, already two years out of date.

I’d say this is a corruption of the Age’s news values but quite frankly, what news values?

If they think this sort of dribble is news, then I’m glad I got out of the journalism caper.

*Not to be outdone, the Australian whacked it on page three. Jesus wept.

31 comments:

Mad Cat Lady said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
catlick said...

The skinny statistical difference matters not in an age where we can matchmake internationally, interstate, or across town. Bernard(not worth his)Salt sounds like a dill.

Anonymous said...

I'm all for any 'man-drought', real or imagined, if it increases the statistical odds of meeting an intelligent woman that considers a nerdy single father of two eccentric kids a 'good catch'.

wari lasi said...

Boogey, what about an alcoholic (and a bit nerdy too I'm afraid)single father of one?

Plus the two that are with the ex of course.

I thought all the single guys were supposed to be in Mt Isa, anyway.

And I lived in Elwood (Ormond Esplanade?) for 6 months in 1986

Perseus said...

Rubbish journalism!

Anyway, can't talk, on my way to Elwood.

Kerces said...

this guy must have had a good publicist because the story even made it into my local daily, complete with parochial analysis of the stats.

Anonymous said...

Not many women in your seaside village, Perseus?

Why did you move there again?


Boogey, what about an alcoholic ... single father of one?

I'm sorry, the alcoholic single father demographic is already amply oversupplied with black-shirt wearing, wife-beating assholes. Thanks for playing.

Perseus said...

I moved here with my ex fiance, who was from these parts originally. To survive, I started a business down here. We split up. I still owned the business though. So she moved away... to Hobart. And I'm still here, in her homeland. It's weird. But I look out my front door and I can see the beach. It's nice.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, it's the age-old tale of boy meets girl, boy follows girl to remote eerie coastal hamlet, girl moves to frozen wilderness to escape boy, boy starts wearing crocs and playing in neo-punk band to cope.


you'll need to leave bayside Elwood

What do they call the football team down there? The Elwood Blues?

Perseus said...

Close, but a) boy dumped girl because she was a a violent alcoholic and she moved to Tasmania to breed horses and theoretically detox, and b) I'd rather die than wear crocs. Seriously. Is there uglier footwear? Maybe Birkenstocks.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

I moved to Adelaide for a chick.

I got better.

And Kerces, Comrade Salt is good talent.

Complete dickhead but good talent

Anonymous said...

Hang on, didn't you defend your use of crocs once on TheHangover, and state that you didn't care how they looked, they were comfortable to wear to the beach?

I'm quite sure I didn't imagine that. Lucky for you your evil accomplice Atari removed all evidence of your nefarious admissions.

Perseus said...

Good memory! I was given a pair (I no longer own them though), and yes, they were comfortable to wear to the beach, but I only wore them under the cover of darkness on evening walks.

I'm the only goth in the village.

WitchOne said...

Wari makes me want to get all cyber kissy face..

Love a good nerd.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Cyber kissie face ist verboten

catlick said...

TT also covered this last night. The temptation to discuss bachelors whilst the camera hovered on the Droop Street sign proved too strong.

catlick said...

And, my money's on a follow up that 'proves' that, as a response to the 'man drought', 30 something women are now forced to date 20 something men.

wari lasi said...

I'm sorry, the alcoholic single father demographic is already amply oversupplied with black-shirt wearing, wife-beating assholes

Ouch boogey. I'm a quiet, fun loving alcoholic. And I know everybody says it, but I've never raised my hand to a female in my life, not even as a kid, probably because I had no sisters. And I don't believe I have ever owned a black shirt.

I don't even smack my 7 year old daughter, and she knows it the little tart. "If you smack me then you can't say that you've never smacked me any more". "Go to your room, and give me the bloody Nintendo". I'm a hard arse, I am.

And Witchie, we've been warned.

Anonymous said...

I'm not saying you were, Wari. Not at all.

I was pointing out that many alcoholic single fathers seem to be wife-beating assholes. In other words, alcoholism and partner-beating in a relationship tend to go hand-in-hand, which could be why those men became single in the first place.

As for the black shirt, haven't you heard of the militant dickhead Blackshirts that seem to be full of angry alcoholic misogynistic single fathers?

Perseus said...

A belated serious response:

In attempting to find a missus amidst the 30-something chicks, I have found that there is no actual man-drought at all. The problem is that that the 30-something chicks that are single are single because:

1. They are divorced single mothers, which is fine, but it does make it harder to attract someone like me who is yet to have kids.

2. They are mentaly ill.

3. They are career-focussed. Nothing wrong with that either, but these same career women who sook about the 'man-drought' seemingly refuse to date a man unless that man is at least twice as successful and rich as they are.

I have dated all of the above with mixed results, and none of then ending in marriage.

That's why I'm now pursuing the mid 20's gangs.

There is no man-drought, there is just circumstance.

squib said...

I'm always buying Birkenstocks for my kids. People say you shouldn't spend a lot on kid's shoes cos they only grow out of them but it's precisely because their feet are still developing that you should be spending a lot on their shoes

wari lasi said...

Perseus, No 3 hits my "baguio" nail on the head. She's mid 30s and single (sort of) purely because of financial/career pursuits.

And boogey, surely these guys would wind up just single, not single parents. I mean what woman would leave her child with a violent alcoholic? Emma's mother is a basic village girl but she still fought fairly hard before the court awarded me custody. Even here, if I was a violent pisshead I wouldn't have won in court.

It sure as hell doesn't augur well for the "alcoholic, mid 40s, ex wife, 2 grown up kids, sole parent to a 7 yr old in a 3rd world country" demographic.

Should I try one of those internet dating sites? Sounds too weird for me.

Anonymous said...

Parents without custody are still single parents, Wari, alcoholic or violent or not.

wari lasi said...

Touche boogey. It is probably, in many situations, even harder.

It was certainly not my intention to demean fathers who don't have their children living with them. I'm one of the very lucky ones.

Puss In Boots said...

Should I try one of those internet dating sites? Sounds too weird for me.

Hey! Are you suggesting people who use those sites are weird?? I've been using them since 2000, and have met all of my partners since then online. I've been with the current one for 2 years now. And neither of us are weirder than the average, I don't think.

Perhaps you should rethink them, Wari. They're great. You get to reject people for the most superficial things and not feel completely awful about it, because they never find out!

wari lasi said...

Not at all Puss, it was definitley a personal opinion. I'm probably just too old and conservative. And remember you know the facts of my situation better than most.

Do you find many fellow Audrey Kawasaki collectors online?

Anonymous said...

WitchOne, heed Ramon's warning. Cyber kissy face starts out fun, but only ends in tears. Or, as in this US case, arrest.

wari lasi said...

taped her own dog's mouth shut to stop it from barking while she lay in wait

OMG! That's a really weird story.

squib said...

Did you see that poor guy on Australian Story who went to the US to meet his cyber love and got deported for being a terrorist?

WitchOne said...

Some people are total freaks aren't they?? When will people learn that flirting and anything else are completely different?

Another good reason as to why I hate people (you guys aren't people, you're online, it's different)!!

patchouligirl said...

They are divorced single mothers, which is fine, but it does make it harder to attract someone like me who is yet to have kids

The baggage thing works both ways and I found it a real issue although I tried to keep an open mind. I dated fathers with and without custody in my 30's and found it pretty hard. For someone who doesn't have kids, it is unfair to hook up with someone with such a massive prior emotional and financial commitment, especially as I thought I might like kids and single fathers didn't really want any more having been burnt once.
This isn't true of all of them of course, but certainly a good few. Add to that ex wives who can manipulate them emotionally, drain their wallets and cause as much inconvenience as possible by being uncooperative with access times and it is difficult. Not to mention the child who may not want to share daddy with a new girlfriend. Been there, done that.