Yes, I agree, and definitely support any move to improve transparency so that consumers know enough about what they are buying to make informed decisions (without having to spend hours investigating every company and product). But I think it is only the first part of the solution, the rest will require more than just…

Honest labeling would be an improvement on the current situation, but even then there are plenty of people who are happy to buy products made unethically. A better response would be to make these companies legally responsible for violations of labour rights that happen in their supply chain.

In a way your response demonstrates why she may have been targeted so many times. Abusers learn to pick targets who are less likely to be believed, and more likely to be blamed. People like you will say, maybe it was her fault, maybe she brought it on herself.

Is that really all you took from this comment? Even your description of how to handle bullying is wrong. Telling kids to handle bullies by punching them back is a very bad idea. Have you tried reading any recent, research based advice on how to reduce bullying? Much like with sexual assault, placing all of the…

Yeah, I don't believe in god, but we still do Easter and Christmas because they are fun holidays. Cultural and religious practices blur together so much that it's common to continue the cultural practices without religion.

I think the view of atheists as smug and condescending doesn't really have anything to do with atheists as such. I think it might come more from the belief that only someone with a bloated ego would deny the existence of god.

The hospital I went through recommended no epidural for non-complicated births (they wouldn't offer, but would happily provide it if you asked), but recommended epidurals for long, difficult or complicated births. Generally because it can cause complications in otherwise uncomplicated births, but is an essential part…

Words can change meaning, but the problem here is that if you take the word 'pregnant' and make it mean any parent expecting a baby, how do you now distinguish between the one carrying the baby, and the one who is not? That is why this is a problem. The word pregnant has a specific meaning, if you change that meaning…

There's nothing objectively unprofessional about it. You are making those judgements based on your opinion about the type of people that you think speak that way. Unless you are hiring someone specifically for the way they talk (e.g. voice actor, radio presenter) then not hiring people because of uptalk, like, and…

It isn't just the entertainment industry either, all over the place our communities support abusers by ignoring what they have done. This is just playing out on a larger stage.

But it's also not like you have to look down on people who don't speak the same way that you do.

I was surprised to hear that this is a thing (I am also in Oz), but it is a good reminder that words can have a very different connotation depending on the context and audience.

It is funny how quickly stuff like this can spread and appear to be 'tradition' despite being very recent.

Perhaps she didn't feel safe telling him. She may have feared something very much like this happening.

Good luck with it! I had better go get another screening soon myself. I also copped far too much sun as a child.

I remember getting detention in high school because I lost my hat.

Do you get regular skin cancer screenings now? Sunburns as a child are a major risk factor for getting them as an adult.

Yeah, my daughter's childcare centre (also QLD) requires hats and clothes with sleeves (no singlets) for the kids to play outside, and also apply sunscreen. I spent far too much time in the sun as a kid, and wonder when I'll get my first skin cancer. I'm glad there is more awareness now.

That's a really unpleasant and irresponsible punishment.

I read for the same reason I watch TV and movies - for relaxation and entertainment. The snobbery towards reading 'easy' books puzzles me.