Opinion: It’s the year of the misunderstood misogynist

We’re off to a rollicking start to 2016 thanks to a handful of ‘lads’ who can’t keep their egos in check or phones in their trousers.

YOU KNOW YOU WANT ME: Here's pointing at you misogyny. Picture: Brian Barber

THE chance to begin 2016 with a harmless, banal column about resolutions or new beginnings or some other feel-good, inspirational claptrap was quashed less than week into the year. Thanks Peter Dutton, Jamie Briggs, Chris Gayle, The Australian, et al.

It's straight back to sniping in 2016 (the term used by those opposed to women calling men on their male behaviour).

And while there's certainly a sniper's glut on offer this week, it's straight to Team Misogyny's Peter Dutton and Jamie Briggs who get to wear the shi*brown jerseys on this occasion given their brilliant start to the year (yes, it's an occasion because there are so many more to come).

Firstly to Monsieur Briggs: I mean how more French can you get than accosting a disinterested diplomat and planting an unwanted peck on her neck because her eyes were too irresistible, and then complaining about her complaining about it.

Of course the French man, even despite his sleazy reputation, at least owns his actions and suffers whatever consequences come his way. But not the little Aussie Political Battler. He spends the last few gasps of career oxygen trying to shift the blame back onto the woman (how original!) in an attempt to undermine her career and ward off any other females who find themselves at the wrong end of his or any other bloke's loose lips. Nasty little bugger.

Forwarding an image from his phone to identify his female victim and then having the backing of a media organisation and the all-too-clumsy Duttonator as allies in the Brotherhood of Revenge only cements the spoilt, bad boy behaviour that is going to prove to be excellent fodder for any progressive media organisations or commentators who are slowly (finally) getting fed up with patriarchal parodies like this.

When the male prime minister of this country is so quick to call out this behaviour for what it is, misogynistic, you guys know you are in deep poo-poo, and not because your actions are such it implies it's entrenched in your DNA and therefore not very nice fellows, it means there are men out there, important figures with higher profiles than you, willing to call you out on it. To quote Nelson of The Simpsons, "HA HA!".

And while Minister Dutton is careful about his curating of words, I mean he said "mad f***king witch" not "bitch", which implies the female journo was not just crazy and nasty but old and ugly too -- thankfully his lack of physical and verbal dexterity is slowly sealing his own demise - which can't be a bad thing for those refugees he's responsible for given his general lack of respect and empathy for women and our poorer Pacific neighbours.

As for that crazy cat (or creep if you're a female journo) Chris Gayle, he's just today's version of Shane Warne with less support from male commentators. Howzat! indeed.

Originally published as Opinion: It’s the year of the misunderstood misogynist