Commentary

Whores and Suckholes

Years ago, right-wing funnyman P.J. O’Rourke wrote a very clever book about American politics. The title said it all: Parliament of Whores. Now a left-wing Aussie has published a book that examines politics down under. The title of Mark Latham’s book is similarly straightforward: Conga Line of Suckholes. Latham doesn’t focus solely on politics. He also worries about the dearth of Steve Irwins, the wussification of the Australian male:

“One of the saddest things I have seen in my lifetime has been the decline in Australian male culture – the loss of our larrikin language and values,” he writes. “Australian mates and good blokes have been replaced by nervous wrecks, metrosexual knobs and tossbags.”

It seems fitting that this former prime ministerial candidate would worry about such things. He did, after all, break a cabbie’s arm in a drunken fare dispute a few years back. Kind of interesting that Latham’s coming from the left, blaming (at least partly) neoconservatism. Often lamentations about withering manliness come from the right and the targets are often “bed-wetting lefties” and the like.