I was doing some research the other day for another article and when I went to Google and typed in my question, one of the first things that popped up was a Facebook page’s status update that coincidentally had a comment by me that was very well received. This was from back in February 2013 before I started this blog, and a few months before I started my now defunct other blog.

I had forgotten about that comment (like I can remember EVERY comment I ever make with the hundreds of comments I make each month). And if I did have my blog back then I am sure it would have been written as a blog post rather than a comment so I thought I would add it here so I could reference it in the future. And I thought my readers might like to read it too.



The Facebook page was that of the media/news aggregator website Mamamia and the status update was promoting an article which contained an open letter by the (then) candidate in the Federal Election from late 2013, Bernard Gaynor. His open letter was directed at Mamamia’s editor Mia Freedman in response to her open letter to Mr Gaynor the week before.

Ms Freedman’s open letter was in response to this tweet on Bernard Gaynor’s Twitter account;

Mr Gaynor’s open letter to Mia was of course defending himself, his right to make this decision, and although he stood steadfast at his decision to make the comment on Twitter, some possible back-peddling due to the negative backlash he received from the Twitter community, other social media users, readers of Mamamia and other news sites, and the community at large.

So I thought I would chime in and defend him with an open letter of my own to Mia Freedman. An open letter “defending” this homophobic arsehole that was well received by followers of Mamamia’s Facebook page? Yes. Well I have told a white lie there, it’s up to you to work out what it is…

I agree with Bernard Gaynor. Parents should have the right to choose a teacher who has the same values as them. So to that end, I want to add these “types” of people who I do not see fit to teach my children.

1. People who prefer drama over comedy;

If you prefer to watch Home and Away, Neighbours, Packed to the Rafters, House Husbands, and family drama shows like these over comedies, even bad comedies then I don’t want you teaching my kids. I don’t want people to add more drama to my children’s lives. I want to teach them to always look on the brighter side of life. I want them to not just look back on things and laugh, I want them to laugh at things now.

2. People who listen to Hip Hop and RnB;

I am not saying this music is bad. What I am saying is that I don’t listen to it and I like to pool ALL rappers, hip hoppers and RnB singers in together and assume they support gangsta rap. I would suggest that one who listens to Chris Brown would beat up on their girlfriend. I would suggest that one who listens to 50 Cent would bust a cap in one’s arse. I would suggest that all who listen to Snoop take illegal drugs. Music is not just a small part of people’s lives, it is their lifestyle.

3. People who don’t follow a sporting team;

You don’t have an AFL team you follow? Then how about an NRL team? No? You prefer Union? Still not your cup of tea? But you watch the cricket don’t you? Netball? Basketball? Lawn Bowls? People who don’t follow at least one team in at least one sport are not fit to teach my kids.

4. People who are not left handed;

We are still the minority but we are on the increase. I am left handed, my 4 year old son is and my 18 month old son favours his left hand too. So we have left handed values. Right handed people don’t have these values. Right handed people tried to force us to use our right hand which was against our natural persuasion. So I want my boys and all left handed children to have dedicated left handed schools or at the very least, segregated left handed classes taught by left handed teachers who have our left handed values.

5. People who smoke;

If you teach my child and he sees you smoke, whether it be whilst you are doing it within the school in a designated area, whilst arriving at or leaving school off school campus, or out of school hours at the shops, at the playground or just down the road, you are teaching my child it is okay to smoke. Smoking is not one of my values. So maybe the school doesn’t let you smoke, but your lifestyle can be witnessed by my child out of those hours. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

6. People who are fat;

Are you telling my child this is a good thing? Are you promoting being obese? Seriously, in these times when obesity, diabetes and childhood diseases are on the rise you are not helping anyone with your lifestyle choice. The reason we have so many fats kids these days is because we allow fat people to teach.

7. People who are homophobic, racist, or prejudice against minorities or people who are different from them;

I don’t want homophobic people teaching my kids. I don’t want racists teaching my kids. I don’t want anyone of any particular religious persuasion teaching my kids. AND, I don’t want someone like me who has put forward these bullshit prejudices forward. That’s right, I don’t want me teaching MY kids, especially if any of the above that I just wrote was actually the way I felt.

BUT, I want the English teachers to have good spelling and grammar, I want the mathematics teachers to be good at maths. I want the geography teacher to know how to read a map. And the economics teacher needs to know something about the economy.

Yours Sincerely,

Darrell Milton