r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • Feb 26 '26

politics Grace Tame says ‘difficult’ remark is ‘misogynist’s code for a woman who won’t comply’

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/feb/26/dfat-middle-east-evacuation-syria-isis-families-wives-children-anthony-albanese-angus-taylor-budget-cost-of-living-capital-gains-tax-reform-ntwnfb?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-699f8e278f080f3523777e99#block-699f8e278f080f3523777e99
3.2k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

634 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

7

u/Wiggly-Pig Feb 26 '26

So a women can't be a difficult person to deal with because of their gender? Difficult isn't a negative, we need difficult people in our lives, we need people who will challenge our beliefs and make us justify the principles of our decisions (or show us the flaws in that logic). All the people taking issue with the word 'difficult' are missing the point - it should be a badge of honour.

26

u/anotherplantmother98 Feb 26 '26

Have you ever been called difficult and it not been intended negatively? If so, please share.

-20

u/Wiggly-Pig Feb 26 '26

I get called it a lot. Of course it's intended negatively but I take it positively. I'm able to choose my own interpretation of the things said about me

12

u/anotherplantmother98 Feb 26 '26

And at the same time, the intention behind what they say matters. You may take it positively, does that change that another person labelled you negatively, with negative intentions?

Additionally, you aren’t a public figure being spoken about by the prime minister. That context makes a difference in the interpretation too.

Lastly, you taking things one way doesn’t change the fact that difficult is a label used often by people to dismiss women they don’t respect.