Stupid, stupid David Cunliffe

David Cunliffe is a fool. How dare he apologise for ‘being a man’? What kind of message does that send to young people who are trying to understand their place in the world? This is the leader of one of New Zealand’s major political parties, an influential figure, who has just condemned all people who identify with being male. Domestic violence is perpetrated by people who bully and abuse others that they see as weaker than themselves. I won’t believe there is anything inherent in being male that means you’re going to do that. Any more than there is anything inherent in being female that makes you a victim. One thing abusers do is to alienate the group they abuse, to see them as different to themselves so they don’t identify with them. By implying that a person should be ashamed to be a man, Mr Cunliffe has just reinforced the idea of a gender difference. The sooner we stop stereotyping genders and start talking about people's behaviour, the better.