Grace Tame has rejected the status quo of “common pleasantries” and it’s clear some people just can’t handle it.
Her critics say she lacked manners and respect in refusing to smile upon meeting Prime Minister Scott Morrison one year since she was named 2021 Australian of the Year.
They say positions of power deserve respect, irrespective of whether it’s earned.
And they say that to reject exhibiting basic pleasantries and good manners (socially enforced on girls and young women for centuries), is to show that you’re immature, lacking grace and not worthy of the title of ‘lady’.
And now that Tame has delivered a stirring speech that has captivated the nation, they’ve gone into overdrive attempting to discredit her in whatever way they can; sinking to new levels of desperation.
Tame is their favourite topic of conversation, vitriol and scrutiny. They comment on her tone of voice. They comment on her appearance. They ask what right she has to even hold an opinion. They do everything possible to drag her through the mud, including the latest stunt, pulling an image of Tame – as a child who was the victim of sexual assault – smoking a bong as a teenager.
If only camera phones and social media had been around when the current generation of frontbenchers and the male shock-jocks and media commentators were teenagers, it’s likely we’d see far worse.
Fortunately this desperate attempt backfired in a big way with commentators, musicians, politicians and others with high-profiles coming out in droves to defend Tame across social media.
Tame’s own response to the situation, in which she commented on a post about a questionable moment alleged to have occurred in Scott Morrison’s own youth, has received thousands of likes.
While a post put up by her this morning, mocked the PM’s cringeworthy ukulele performance during his train-wreck 60 Minutes interview on Sunday.
Of course what so many Tame critics on social media fail to mention is the numerous times men in much higher positions of power have themselves failed on niceties and common pleasantries.
We could point to former prime minister Tony Abbott. As opposition leader, was he being pleasant and polite when he engaged in misogynistic comments and conduct in a bid to bring down then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard?
Was current Prime Minister Scott Morrison showing grace and manners when he attempted to force bushfire survivors to shake his hand? Or when he refused to shake then-Opposition leader Bill Shorten’s hand?
Tame understands intimately and acutely how little standard niceties alongside common courtesies can achieve. She’s refusing to waste time answering to the expectations of others.
Courtesies haven’t seen governments take the action needed on funding to prevent violence against women, on implementing recommendations made on stamping out sexual harassment at work.
Courtesies haven’t seen the Morrison Government take the needed action on climate change, or addressing housing affordability.
Courtesies are about retaining the status quo. They are about urging women to play nice, to smile, to continue the standards that have oppressed them for centuries, and to respect those who hold traditional positions of power.
And so when people see someone failing to play within the expected rules, they fear the status quo may be falling apart. And wouldn’t that be a terrible state of affairs for so many blokes running the country right now?