I was appalled at the ‘Ditch the Witch’ sign

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to express a point of view you may not have contemplated before. Like yourself I was appalled at the ‘Ditch the Witch’ sign driven around Melbourne, depicting Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s Premier as a stereotypical witch, with pointy hat and long nose. A clearly misogynistic depiction of a woman, who in the creator’s limited view, is ugly, mad, manipulative and wicked, all the things women have been persecuted for through time. Nothing much has changed since the fourteenth century witch trials.

However, what did surprise me was that you also seem to hold the view that to be called a witch is ‘demeaning’. Witchcraft is a growing spiritual philosophy in Australia, it is feminist at its core and akin to many animistic and mystical traditions. I understand that the creators of the image intended to insult which is not acceptable. But better not to stoop to their level of ignorance or allow their version of ‘the witch’ to endure by interacting with it. The people who created the sign want to demean however to be called a ‘witch’ is not demeaning anymore. To myself and thousands of other women in Australia, to be a witch is to be free to choose a spiritual relationship that is Nature-based, liberating, imaginative and empowering.

To conclude; while the sign should be condemned for its misogynistic intent, I believe we need to be mindful of perpetuating outdated stereotypes by treating the word “witch” itself as an insult.

Yours Sincerely,

Danae Thorp

Director

SpellBox Pty Ltd