Published in GEN·PinnedMember-onlyI Worked for an Amish Reality TV ShowThe show represents the industry’s worst temptation to exploit characters and capitalize on their suffering — I’m not sure how I landed a job with a TV production company in New York. During my interview, I accidentally blurted out that I didn’t watch any television. In fact, I didn’t even own a television. Maybe they took my confession as some sort of Australian joke? Somehow, I…Culture9 min readCulture9 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Aug 3, 2022Member-onlyTravel in the time of coronavirusCancelled flights, missed connections, airport chaos, and a 72 hour journey home Of course I knew that travelling to Europe would carry some risks. But as I breezed through my five-week holiday, I skimmed over news articles about airport chaos and considered myself lucky. …Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Jan 9, 2021Australia’s Border Wars Have Become Chaotic, Confusing, and CruelThe Victorian government gave its citizens hours to return, without providing the necessary information or infrastructure to support them through 14 days of isolation. Then they faced a total lack of sympathy from fellow Victorians. — A month ago, I was looking forward to enjoying Christmas with my family in Sydney — after a pretty tough year that was mostly spent in strict lockdown in Melbourne. …Australia9 min readAustralia9 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Nov 7, 2020I Fought the Law and I Won (Sort of)In an absolute s***storm of a year, it’s encouraging to see democracy in action. — It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been a very strange year — for everyone. In my case, it’s not only a pandemic that has turned my life around, but a dog. A year ago, my partner and I were talking about fostering a dog from the largest animal…Animals5 min readAnimals5 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Oct 24, 2020No Politician Should Be Above Criticism (Even the Ones You Like)Amid the ongoing culture wars, a “for or against” mentality has removed all nuance from political discussions. — Australia5 min readAustralia5 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Oct 9, 2020Our Animal Shelters Have a Transparency ProblemA lack of data is allowing killing to happen behind closed doors — unreported, unaccounted for, and largely unknown by the public. — Earlier this year, before our lives were upended by a global pandemic, our little household suffered its own personal tragedy. Our foster greyhound Dash was killed by a so-called animal welfare organisation after completing his foster placement with us — becoming another statistic in the broken animal shelter system.Animals6 min readAnimals6 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Sep 26, 2020Why Aren’t We Seeing More Child-Free Women On-Screen?More women are choosing not to have children — but you wouldn’t know it from watching film and TV. — When I think about how women are portrayed on-screen, the final image in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill comes to mind. In a montage laden with sentimentality, we are whisked through Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts’ romantic life — culminating in a scene on a park bench. He is…Culture5 min readCulture5 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Sep 1, 2020My Ultra-Religious High School Became a COVID-19 ClusterSeeing my old school in the news has resurfaced anger from the 13 years I spent there. — No matter how hard you try, it seems you can’t escape your childhood. Even if you unfriend everyone you went to school with, leave the WhatsApp chat group, ignore invitations to your 5, 10, and 15 year reunions, and move interstate — you can still turn on the news and…Religion6 min readReligion6 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Aug 31, 2020In Lockdown, Time Has No MeaningIsolation has forced us to re-think our relationship with time. — Today is Monday. I know because I checked my diary and not because it is any different to yesterday, when I had two work meetings on what was apparently a Sunday. …Pandemic5 min readPandemic5 min read
Published in The Carrier Pigeon·Aug 8, 2020The Word “Empowerment” Has Been (Literally) Stripped Of All MeaningOn #ChallengeAccepted and how female empowerment has been co-opted by capitalism (and the Kardashians). — What does the word “empowered” mean? If you were believe the hashtag on Instagram, it would seem to denote being female-identifying, having a camera, and a black-and-white filter. The most recent trend circulating on the social media app, renowned as a platform for pretty people to post flattering photos of…Feminism5 min readFeminism5 min read
