Another day. Another Twitter sh#tstorm!

“Here’s a pic of me at work… think about this before your derogatory comments, animals,” Harris posted under this picture on Twitter

I do love the internet because amongst all the horror stories from across the globe, on any single day you can always be guaranteed Twitter will become engulfed by a social media shitstorm, a polarised debate between two opposing groups of mortally offended keyboard warriors working themselves up into a frenzy.

More often than not the issue is one of moral indignation, a battle of minds between perceived right and wrong with of course the most entertaining fascinating debates themed #MeToo, and if so inclined, you to the interested casual observer can wade in and Tweet your own two pennyeth, then if you are lucky the Australian Prime Minister may even re-Tweet and you’ll be famous for the day.

If you didn’t already know, have you not surfed the internet today? Very briefly Tayla Harris is a 21year old Australian sportswoman who plays ‘Aussie Rules Football’, and no you don’t need to understand the game, suffice to say think NFL or rugby football and you’re very close.

(I must ask, at first glancing Tayla’s photo above had you any idea why people are so heated under the collar today?) 

Trimming a juicy story shorter, a TV broadcaster on their website shared this photo of Tayla kicking a ball for her team ‘Carlton Blues’, then unsurprisingly a great many men commented their disgusting sexist abuse underneath, and seeing as I’m a guy blessed with a wicked fertile imagination I have a good idea as to the content and language used enough said!

And this is where the story becomes really interesting, at first Channel 7 removed the photo I guess they panicked! Regretted depicting Tayla in what ‘could be viewed’ as a sexually indelicate pose, que feminists and Twitter supporters jumping to Tayla’s defence stating correctly the lady’s picture isn’t the problem, that she’s a professional sportswoman wearing appropriate sportswear and playing for her Team in a League game. I’ll go farther, any thoughts of sexual impropriety are in the mind of the viewer alone, and if you’re so inclined to write sexually disgusting remarks in comments then that I’m afraid is a reflection on you as a human being! In other words you are a bully.

The consequence Channel 7 reinstated the photo, apologised and Tayla is the new #MeToo poster girl…… lady!

So where do I stand? I see nothing wrong in the photograph above, Tayla’s elegance power and athleticism is a wonder to behold, a sport’s pose you’ll witness in games up and down the Country played by thousands of men women and kids. However sport aside for a second, yes many a guy including myself will think to themselves, ‘jeeze Tayla’s a beautiful lady and what a fantastic pair of legs! Oh and I can nearly see her………..!’

Now hold on 🙂 physical attraction is the way of the world, human beings are sexual mammals and yes without embarrassing myself, all I will say is pretty blonde Tayla is perhaps displaying a little tooo much sexuality enough said.

So should Channel 7 have removed the photograph? Perhaps because many a perverted Troll disgraced themselves in comments, yes because children also her family could be reading, and no because Tayla does little wrong other than playing the sport she so loves and fans enjoy watching…………. paying good money as well.

Confused? 😀

This moral dilemma isn’t that difficult to make sense of, the photo is loved by those who marvel at her skills and athleticism, and ‘shock horror’ if this attractive young lady gets your pulse racing (straight or gay) then that’s fabulous also, I fail to see the problem? Am I missing the bigger something? However if you’re so inclined to write disgusting sexist comments then all I can say is ‘you my friend are a pretty despicable human being.’

I’ll leave you with the most ‘calming’ comment I’ve heard this entire day said by a female colleague of mine,

“You’d have thought she could have worn a longer pair of shorts wouldn’t you?”

 

A. Shepherdson 2019