In the past week Twitter has really outdone itself when it comes to its power for dissemination of information.
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To wit: who knew that Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O had a TV show?
The article that started the whole balls-up generously described the show as "highly anticipated" - well, perhaps within the duo's existing fan base, but elsewhere? I hadn't heard a jot about it, and even if I don't write about every TV show on the block, I certainly hear about most of them.
So "thanks", if you want to call it that, to Kyle for helping me do my job, I guess.
Having checked out moments of Kyle & Jackie O's Night With The Stars, it's probably a good thing for children and other living things that it was a one-off.
It's also safe to say that their definition of a "star" is about as loose as Rove LA's: Kendra "Ex-Playmate" Wilkinson, Nick "Husband Of Mariah Carey" Cannon and Janice "I Was Relevant Once" Dickinson were the cream of their crop.
But what I want to discuss today isn't actually the latest puddle of televisual drivel that the powers that be at Seven saw fit to throw wads of sweaty money at; that's just a convenient entree to the real issue at stake: why does Jackie O see fit to keep supporting Sandilands's misogynistic claptrap?
This year, I was one of the co-organisers of SlutWalk Melbourne. Time and time again, whenever we'd do interviews or media appearances, we'd get asked the same question: what about women who perpetuate misogyny? It's worth noting that saying nothing, as Jackie O does, can be almost as damaging as laying on the hurtful rhetoric, as Kyle does.
Listen again to Kyle going off about Alison Stephenson: Jackie O is conspicuous in her silence, though her silence only extends to the verbal; there's plenty of non-verbal support of Kyle in her background tittering.
She's been by his side through all of these sick-making "scandals" (though the word itself gives him a notoriety he doesn't deserve), generally saying either nothing, or eventually coming around with a weak statement that makes Stand By Your Man sound like No Man's Woman.
Here's her latest limp defence of Sandilands: "I don't think I could ever work with someone who ever was a woman hater. I think that you treat women, especially here at the station, what I see the interaction with you and women, is nothing but the most respect. I think your biggest fault is that you don't like anyone criticising you because then you attack back, but it's certainly not reserved to women."
Jackie O RLY? Well, bully for the co-workers at 2Day FM who have managed to escape the worst of his wrath: it's clear from the rest of his sprays that to describe Sandilands as anything but a woman hater would be hugely misguided. In fact, they are almost exclusively "reserved to women".
What's up, Jackie? Do you hate women, too?
(Oh, and while we're on the "and another thing..." angle, why - in this week leading up to White Ribbon Day - is the seemingly worst/only objectionable thing that Sandilands said, if you take the media reaction at face value, is that he called Stephenson a "fat slag", not that he would "hunt [her] down"?)
Look, Sandilands is a known dropkick - Jackie O is the more sinister party in this latest fiasco. Her silence and her half-hearted defences of her co-host imply support. This isn't about some Kumbaya vision of Feminism™ in which all women have to support each other, but it's certainly about one very high-profile (and wildly overpaid) woman's responsibility to support women who don't enjoy her level of privilege, and even those who do.
By keeping her mouth shut whenever Sandilands flaps his, Jackie O sends a pretty strong message to their (largely youth-based) audience: it's OK to talk about women like this.
To borrow from Tolkien, a woman should know better.
A version of this article originally appeared in The Vine.
