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You hear sensational headings about climate change and global warming every other week. You hear the green parties squeezing a tiny bit of milage about John Howard breaking yet another carbon promise. That's all grist for the mill, we deal with it and keep on working as best as we can.
When thing really go wrong is when a girl with some baloons and stockings can make such an impact that the whole concept of climate change is forgotten even at a conference full of researchers. I mean, this is the 17th conference so presumably there were 16 other conferences that had basically no impact whatsoever. So now along comes number 17 and things are so serious that the government has insisted on withdrawing funding. We all know why our government wants to withdraw funding -- because they don't give a rats arse about the environment nor the earth's climate and they would be a lot happier if no one takes the trouble to look at what is happening. Now they can't actually say this in public so they are making a huge fuss about some entertainment and using that as the officially sanctioned excuse to withdraw funding.
ANTHONY ALBANESE: Well you can have fun without having simulated activity on stage, and states of undress.And quite clearly it is just inappropriate for an Australian Government function. And the fact that many people at the function voted with their feet by walking out is enough evidence of the lack of judgement that was shown in this.
So was there actually simulated activity on stage? Rebecca Gale says there was not, and she scripted the act.
How many people actually walked out? One, two? No one seems to know...
The Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell was unavailable for an interview, but a spokesman said as soon as the Minister heard about the incident, he immediately withdrew $3000 of conference sponsorship funding.He said climate change is a very serious issue and the inappropriate action has trivialised important work.
Ummmm, no. Making a bit deal out of something trivial is what trivializes all the things that are a big deal. In simple terms, whoever walked out is a traitor to the cause of actually working for the future of this planet. Sure, the world is not perfect, sure you can point out the things that aren't perfect, but you can't change them all. Pick one or two things and make a serious effort, stay focused and don't start a distraction by fussing about something that doesn't really matter.
The other traitors are the wimpy conference organisers who backed down halfway through the act and then started apologising profusely.
If these conference organisers haven't got the guts to stand up to a few fragile egos who don't like to see some guys kicking back and enjoying themselves then they sure as eggs do not have even a shadow of what it takes to change the way our economy works, take on the oil barons and take money away from the large number of people with a vested interest in business as usual.
Speaking of business as usual, the last thing we need from the scientific community is another crop of obsequious yes-men who are frightened of any hint of unpopularity. If your main interest is having a popular opinion then you don't belong anywhere near climate science.
One attendee said many of those who walked out of the dinner at Old Parliament House were women."I honestly could not believe my eyes when a woman covered in balloons started prancing around as delirious male scientists popped them with a pin," the person, who asked to remain anonymous, said in an email to smh.com.au.
"This was followed by a series of women on stage dressed in almost nothing making jokes about being ridden."
Oh so it's somehow wrong to be delirious (i.e. happy, enjoying oneself)?
Maybe it's just wrong to be male?
It's wrong to make some suggestive jokes?
All I can say to the anonymous complainer is grow up and show some respect to other people who want to have a bit of harmless fun. After all, what should people do for fun? Are male scientists supposed to be incapable of enjoying themselves?
The Australian Research Council Research Network for Earth System Science (an education and government networking organisation) and the Managing Climate Variability R&D Program also sponsored the event."This is ... supposed to be a gathering of scientists at a government-sponsored event in an already male dominated industry where it is hard enough for a woman to make inroads," the attendee told smh.com.au.
"If this is the Australian Government and male-dominated scientific community's idea of conference entertainment, God help us all."
Let me give a subtle hint to all women who want to make inroads in technical fields... being a stick-in-the-mud and spoiling people's fun will not help you get into the industry. I know from a long history in technical fields that for most of the time it is high stress and hard work. There's little enough time for having a good time and I can say that in the computer industry what most people do for a good time is drink till they are trashed.
Let me also say that this may be a male dominated industry but for the most part scientists come with the fewest pre-judgements and the openest minds that you are going to find in any industry. Again, speaking as someone who has spent many years as a computer engineer -- I don't care who you are or what you look like, as long as you can write code that works and get the job done -- that's the bottom line.
People who know me, know that I'm not a prejudice guy but neither do I have time for bullshit. When it comes to a bit of well earned downtime, I'll enjoy myself in my way, you enjoy yourself in your way and we can both give each other space and respect. Do I feel embarrassed by the percentage of men in the industry like as if it is my personal fault and my responsibility to "fix" the situation -- frankly no, I don't want to waste my life worrying about junk like that.
On the other hand, I am embarrassed about how easily this government can get out of its obligations regarding carbon dioxide emissions and how many scientists and engineers (be they male, female, gay, straight, black, yadda, yadda) have let our dear leaders off the hook time and again.
By the way, anyone who turns up at a climate change conference wearing neatly ironed clothing obviously doesn't get it. Ironing is an act of conspicuous consumption of electricity and that is the sort of change in attitude that we are going to require if we are going to make a difference here. I wonder how many of the delegates at this conference were conspcuous consumers of electricity?
Now, back to your business as usual...
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