Typos or just can't spell?

Those who know me will not be surprised by this post. I only hope I don't make any mistakes! Look, I know people make mistakes, maybe have never learned to spell a particular word, or have fat fingers like me and mis-type a word. That's not a problem, but what I have an issue with is that very few people seem to read over what they have typed, especially on the computer. So many posts and emails have simple typos that should be easy to spot, even for the worst speller. Or do they see them and don't care? I know everyone's busy these days, but surely taking 10 seconds to read over what you have written, and make corrections, will not create a problem? In most cases, you can figure out what someone actually meant, but a lot of times it's virtually impossible to decipher. And don't get me started on punctuation. Please do everyone a favour and read over what you write before posting.

Naysayers

What is it about some people who just have to take you down when you're on top of the world? It's easy to say, "don't listen to them" but it's not always easy to do. You know what I mean. You achieve something great, you move on with your life, you make a dramatic change, and they can't accept it. They're probably bored with their own lives and need to create drama in someone else's to feel alive.

Is it an Australian thing to do? I know we have the 'tall poppy syndrome' where we take someone down a peg or two if we think they're getting too big for their boots. Why can't we just live and let live. If you're not satisfied with your own life, grow a spine and change it instead of pulling someone down to your level.

I've experienced this in my own life. I am achieving things I never imagined and there's one person in my life who just will not say "well done". Everyone else has been extremely supportive and proud of me. So, I decided to listen to them, and not the naysayer. I encourage you to do the same. Find people who give you power, not take it away, and leave everyone else to their sad, lonely, unfulfilled lives. Pity them, they need it.

TV Advertising

Have you seen the new KFC ad for the yummy-looking, but calorie-laden burger without the bun? I forget what it's called, but my issue is actually with the ad. It's the one where the two guys are playing ping pong in the dark with night vision goggles. I wanna try that, looks like fun! Anyway, the wife or girlfriend of one of them opens the door, turns on the light (ouch) and then just stands there staring at the guy. In the short version of the ad, she just looks, but in the long version she says, "You know I'm home, right?" He says, "I do now." Can anyone tell me what the hell that's supposed to mean? Are the ad execs trying to tell us that a man must stop having fun the minute his partner is around? Or is it just that women are bitchy and want to ruin men's fun all the time? The way these kind of ads usually go, I'm guessing it's the latter.

Have you noticed the way men are portrayed in ads? We often complain about how women are portrayed, and they're right. Don't get me started on cleaning ads where the women look sooo happy to be cleaning! But, men get a pretty raw deal too. In just about every ad where the man is in a relationship, he is shown as incompetent, stupid, unable to do anything right, or brow-beaten into doing whatever she wants. Have you also noticed that the men in relationships are usually a little overweight and, while not ugly, not exactly someone to drool over. However, if the man in the ad is single, he's good looking, fit, suave and ready for action. Because we all know that men lose their looks as soon as they're attached?!

Come on, when are we going to see some real couples in real situations. I'm sure there are women who like to ruin their man's fun, but it's not all of us. I don't find it funny, but I wonder if men do? Is that the appeal? Men relate to this and will buy that product? Let me know what you think.

Jackie O

What a storm in a teacup! Which mother is game to stand up and say they have never done anything that was less than perfect with their baby? Are you? I'm sure not. We have all done things to, or for, our babies that the 'experts' would gasp at. The difference is, most of us are not in the public eye and we don't have cameras following our every move.

Jackie O did not put her baby in danger; she did not dangle her daughter over a balcony like MJ; she did not drive with her baby in her lap. What was her crime? She fed her baby a bottle while walking across the street. Really? If that's the worst thing she ever does to her child, she deserves a medal. Of course, the media could not leave it there; they then just HAD to comment on how quickly she went back to work.

Feminism is supposed to be about choice. It's supposed to be about women making their own decisions about whether or not they work; whether or not they go back to work after having a child; how quickly they go back to work after having a child. So why are we still vilifying women for making these choices?? From what I understand, Jackie O does most of her work at home with her baby right beside her? Which one of us would love that option? That's the best of both worlds in my opinion. Not all women can stay home with their children full-time. Some because they don't want to; and, some, like me, who didn't have a choice. If I didn't work, we didn't eat.

What saddens me the most about this story is that I have only heard the damaging comments from other women. Is the sisterhood dead? We need to stop competing and start being compassionate. Help, not hindrance is required. And, mind your own business. Unless a child is in danger, it's none of your business what a mother does.