The 2008 sexual assault of Sam Newman by a woman, caught on tape - double standards?

[Power King]

Try to forget your own personal opinion of Sam Newman for a minute.

Last year whilst filming a segment for The Footy Show in public, standing and talking to the camera, a younger woman randomly ran up to him, firmly grabbed his genitals, and laughed out loud before making a smartarse remark.

Sam Newman did not consent to this.

Sam Newman had also just been treated for prostate cancer.

Not a whisper was heard in the media nor in the public eye.

Disgraceful.

Let's flip the script.

If a 60 year old woman was presenting something for a tv camera in public, had just been treated for say ovarian cancer, a man half her age ran up to her randomly, grabbed her vagina, laughed at her, and then made a smartarse remark, this country would go into meltdown calling for that man's head to be chopped off (and fair enough given what he did).

However, a woman can sexually abuse a man in public, in broad daylight, without any provocation, and she is seen as being an absolutely innocent angel, with no declarations of disapproval from the media nor women (or even men) in the public spotlight, when in actual fact she should have been publicly berated for everything she was worth, especially given the fact that this was all caught on camera.

As a male citizen of this country, I was absolutely offended by this act, and the proceeding double standards that the public and media displayed as a result gives me no faith whatsoever when it comes to gender equality.

In all seriousness - to violence and sexual abuse against men, Australia should also say NO.

 

[TheOldThreads]

Somewhere in Australia Prue Goward is wondering why a peculiar feeling of hypocritical rage just came over her.

 

[BigBadCam]

I wonder what people would be saying if an NRL/AFL player came out and said some chick raped him... Said that he was passed out drunk and she ****ed him. I wonder if anyone would take him seriously?

 

[rizzo]

Double standards are everywhere these days. Sadly is seems that they are everywhere when it comes to your sex. I had a lady yell at me because I dared open the door for her at 7 eleven. I promptly said fine gave a gentle nudge to get the cow out of the way and proceeded to close the door in her face

Seriously though, the world is ****ed up.

 

[Refried Noodle]

Violence against women, Australia says no

Violence against men, Australia says nothing.

Eh

 

[BigBadCam]

Violence against women, Australia says no

Violence against men, Australia says nothing.

Eh

And you know what pisses me off the most? The dirty slurries want the same pay for Women's tennis players even though they play 3 sets and men play 5... <cough>

 

[Refried Noodle]

Well I'm all for equality in pay even if mens sports are more supported/watched etc.

Its just when general gender equality is reached and the double standards remain that it really bugs me.

The OP raises a very legit question. I would actually like to see something like this tested. Granted its of the 'Current Affairs' type investigitive journalism, but it would prove an important point that violence against women is a big no no (and justifiably so), yet violence against men is not condemned.

 

[adelaide_40]

Yep I agree its double standards, I'm all for equality but it has to go both ways, assualt, sexual assault etc.

I can imagine the public outcry from the media, femenists etc if it was reversed.

 

[Rosstickle]

I've experienced something like this. I used to work at a pharmacy (no i'm not gay) and there was one particular customer who took a liking to me. She was old and wasn't all there but she used to come in and tell I was handsome, ask me if I had a girlfriend etc and everyone used to have a bit of a laugh about it. One Monday morning she comes in as soon as we open to tell me i've got a nice arse. Every just laughs it off because this gross, troubled woman just made a very sexually provacative comment towards me.

Lets reverse the situation though. Lets say a 46 year old man came into the shop and told a 19 year old girl that she had a nice. He'd have sexual harrassment charges laid against him and be dubbed a pervert.

 

[rickyp]

And you know what pisses me off the most? The dirty slurries want the same pay for Women's tennis players even though they play 3 sets and men play 5... <cough>

That's one thing that really gets me, irrelevant that they can't play 5 sets.

If a female co worker and I worked at the same workplace, doing the same job, with the same title and everything - I work 5 hours, she works 3, should we be paid the same amount? no ****ing way!

 

[J_Moore]

Do you know why it's different?

Because at no point in that is Sam Newman ever threatened. It's unwanted attention, yeah, but it's never going to lead to anything else.

Don't you guys get it? This is all about power. Women are weaker, are less capable of defending themselves, so little things like this are far more threatening coming from a man than a woman.

That's what all this sexual assault/domestic violence stuff boils down to. It's the strong preying upon the weak. It's why Matthew Johns and a bunch of blokes having sex with a girl is more serious than a bunch of girls having sex with Shane Warne, and it's why Nathan Bock slapping his girlfriend is more serious than her hitting him.

Have no ****ing idea what it's got to do with tennis, though. Life must be hard for you guys, constantly oppressed by women as you are.

 

[Power King]

First of all, I agree that male violence against women is utterly wrong and stupid, but that's not the point of this thread. The point is regarding the right for us to feel safe as well, and a recognition of these rights in the public eye.

Do you know why it's different?

Because at no point in that is Sam Newman ever threatened. It's unwanted attention, yeah, but it's never going to lead to anything else.

^How can he be threatened if the sexual abuse has already occurred without warning? His physical privacy has already been breached. How much more blatant can it be for you. No man can defend himself from this action taking place, even if he had the reflexes of Muhammad Ali in his prime. Why? Because there is no warning.

I can't believe you are defending the woman's actions against him.

You are a disgrace.

Your post implies a headturn or disagreement with the notion that any man can have his genitals grabbed in public and nothing should be made of it.

I pity your intelligence.

Any woman can go around sexually assaulting men because we are generally perceived to be stronger. Riiiiiiiiiiight.

How would you feel if your husband, who had just gone through prostate cancer treatment, had his penis grabbed, then was laughed and joked at, by a female of say 25 years old?

How would you feel if you were a female in that situation and a male of 25 years of age grabbed your vagina, laughed and joked at you, but then immediately ran away so that 'it was never going to lead to anything else' ?

Get a clue moron.

In itself, that is a disgrace, and it too should be looked upon with complete and utter disapproval.

edit: and I'm not talking about the rugby league matthew johns case... how can you compare the two acts they are different. The only comparison I may be making is that between what actually happened to sam newman here, and a hypothetical situation in which a man does the exact same thing to a woman of the same circumstances.

 

[Mordecai]

Do you know why it's different?

Because at no point in that is Sam Newman ever threatened. It's unwanted attention, yeah, but it's never going to lead to anything else.

Don't you guys get it? This is all about power. Women are weaker, are less capable of defending themselves, so little things like this are far more threatening coming from a man than a woman.

That's what all this sexual assault/domestic violence stuff boils down to. It's the strong preying upon the weak. It's why Matthew Johns and a bunch of blokes having sex with a girl is more serious than a bunch of girls having sex with Shane Warne, and it's why Nathan Bock slapping his girlfriend is more serious than her hitting him.

Have no ****ing idea what it's got to do with tennis, though. Life must be hard for you guys, constantly oppressed by women as you are.

I understand what you are saying and I'd respect you for what you are putting forward more if not for the quip at the end but...

I know if I were walking down the street and a woman beelined for me then grabbed my plums I'd feel threatened. Sam Newman being the sexist he is is also a target for reprisal - who knows what could have happend.

I do take your point that the playing field is uneven. Women as a group need to be protected not preyed upon by opportunistic man-boys like Johns.

I just question why you would even entertain a bloke like Johns... he's on a tour, with his mates, drinking, highly sexually charged.... you don't walk down a dark alley at night, you'll get mugged. I'm not condoning the mugging or the sexual misconduct, but this is life and you have to be smarter than that surely. You know what these men want, if you don't want in then stay away or you take a very big risk. It's a bell curve... there are stupid men out there not in control of their sex drive and brought up in unfortunate surrounds and there are stupid women who meet up with these stupid men.... and s**t happens. When the bell curve intersects from both sexes though the blame shouldn't be solely on the male side.

 

[Smoooothy]

i can't beleive that this thread hasn't been derailed by man(germain greer)tis yet....

 

[St 07]

Women are weaker

This is extremely sexist. What a disgrace. Women are equal!

Hang on here.. maybe you didn't mean it like that ... I guess that makes ME sexist for thinking that way!

I didn't know I was sexist

 

[Dan Moody]

Do you know why it's different?

Because at no point in that is Sam Newman ever threatened. It's unwanted attention, yeah, but it's never going to lead to anything else.

Don't you guys get it? This is all about power. Women are weaker, are less capable of defending themselves, so little things like this are far more threatening coming from a man than a woman.

That's what all this sexual assault/domestic violence stuff boils down to. It's the strong preying upon the weak. It's why Matthew Johns and a bunch of blokes having sex with a girl is more serious than a bunch of girls having sex with Shane Warne, and it's why Nathan Bock slapping his girlfriend is more serious than her hitting him.

Have no ****ing idea what it's got to do with tennis, though. Life must be hard for you guys, constantly oppressed by women as you are.

good post, makes a lot of sense.
i can understand the point of pk's post though, maybe the definition of sexual harrassment should be plainly black and white, i.e. unwanted sexual attention, which is exactly what happened to Sam.

 

[Suspense]

Don't you guys get it? This is all about power. Women are weaker, are less capable of defending themselves, so little things like this are far more threatening coming from a man than a woman.

So if a butch chick belts a nerdy bloke, that is still cool then? I'll willingly admit that I've lost my share of arm wrestling contests to females (I've had my fair share of victories though

). Baseless generalisations such as these make your argument inherently flawed...

Sexual assault is sexual assault. Violence is violence.

 

[smasha]

I've experienced something like this. I used to work at a pharmacy (no i'm not gay) and there was one particular customer who took a liking to me. She was old and wasn't all there but she used to come in and tell I was handsome, ask me if I had a girlfriend etc and everyone used to have a bit of a laugh about it. One Monday morning she comes in as soon as we open to tell me i've got a nice arse. Every just laughs it off because this gross, troubled woman just made a very sexually provacative comment towards me.

Lets reverse the situation though. Lets say a 46 year old man came into the shop and told a 19 year old girl that she had a nice. He'd have sexual harrassment charges laid against him and be dubbed a pervert.

So true!

 

[TheOldThreads]

This is extremely sexist. What a disgrace. Women are equal!

Hang on here.. maybe you didn't mean it like that ... I guess that makes ME sexist for thinking that way!

I didn't know I was sexist

I think what she's trying to say is, women are equal, except when they can gain from a given situation by not being equal, in which case, they are not.

 

[smasha]

Men are stronger but women can exploit men easier.

 

[Pettas]

Do you know why it's different?

Because at no point in that is Sam Newman ever threatened. It's unwanted attention, yeah, but it's never going to lead to anything else.

Then why did Sam Newman get in so much trouble over the mannequin incident? unless it had special voodoo powers....

 

[Bodicifer]

I was once grabbed around the waist and hugged by two women in a pub who asked if I would "go back to their place now" with them...I felt degraded, like a piece of meat. The two hot looking blonde's in question should have been much more sensitive to my feelings. I felt harrassed and was thinking about going to the police, but felt that I would save it up for 13 years later and let it all come out in the public forum through Big Footy. Thanks for listening, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now. Anyone want to pay me for my story?

 

[MF]

I was sexually assaulted by myself in bed last night. I felt threatened and vulnerable but I didn't want the situation to escalate or get out of hand so I just laid there until I had finished.

 

[Rosstickle]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

GOLD

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

I was sexually assaulted by myself in bed last night. I felt threatened and vulnerable but I didn't want the situation to escalate or get out of hand so I just laid there until I had finished.

Dunno how you can live with yourself...