The street where you don’t go – Summernats

[Express]

The article doesn’t have much to say but the photos of the crowds are good and you may see yourself.

http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2017/summernats/

[ford71V8]

I went to Summernats back in the less "family friendly" days (Nats#5 and #10 I think) and I gotta say that area looks wilder now.... not sure I'd be overly keen driving into it.
Maybe I'm just a lot older and grumpier

[pottery beige]

honk honk

[Kingsley]

Looks like the female writer of that article wandered into the wrong side of town..

[.:4:.]

The demographic of different styles of car shows astounds me. A couple of years back dragged my wife along to the supernats at Eastern creek. Typically my brother and I will have a look around at the cars, catch the end of the drags and maybe watch a burnout or two, get over the stupid comments and behavior of some people then leave. Great day for a 2 hour outing. No, after the wife not wanting to go, she made us stay till the event was over. Left the wife behind and my brother and I took my grandpa to the muscle car masters. Completely different crowd. Way more interest in the cars themselves and a nice bit of track racing. Not just people wanting to see people try to kill their cars. We stayed all day happily. Grandpa was interested in the minis and a few other group n cars, my brother and I were interested in the majority of cars there. The wife dragged me along to a few other burnout comps/similar car shows and again stayed all day even to brave the carpark at the end where every teenager who spent 1200 on any rwd from 1990 is the burnout king of the world. Got free tickets to the world time attack. Awesome day. The wife hated it. The crowd were great, cars were next level. The only limiting factor was the control tyre. I must be older then my years, but i just don't like to tolerate pointless stupid behavior. Especially when I have my son with me. Nothing ***** me more when some person is in the front row of a burnout comp with a newborn on their shoulder with no hearing protection. Before my son went to a car show I bought him ear muffs and the wife wanted ear plugs. We ended up donating the rest of the pack of ear plugs to the people with screaming kids because of the noise level.

[Stefan]

What a mess.....yeah I must be getting older and grumpier.

Imagine having these knuckle draggers messing with your ride as you drive past...

Drunken mob behaviour is never a good thing.

[Franco Cozzo]

Looks like the automotive version of the Deni Ute Muster B&S

[Express]

I'll add this article from this morning.

Harassment of women by men at Summernats cannot be excused or ignored



Clementine Ford
16 January, 2017



As a former resident of Adelaide, I'm familiar with the vibe that settles over a place when a revhead event is in town. For years, I endured the transformation of what was a mostly pleasant city into an unsociable mess heralded by extreme noise, drunken louts and the toxic scent of burning rubber. When the Clipsal 500 arrived, my university girlfriends and I either left town or resigned ourselves to a week fending off boorish comments on the street from obnoxious boozed-up blokes high on petrol fumes and grid girls.

So I have sympathy to spare for the residents of Canberra who might not be quite so thrilled after Summernats returned for another year. Having just staged its 30th, "Australia's biggest horsepower party" might have officially ditched the wet T-shirt competitions and nude shows, but a predatory vibe still infects certain parts of the event.

Rohan Thomson's photo essay for Fairfax captured a slice of this over the weekend, most notably in the image of a lone woman surrounded by more than 20 men (who were reportedly chanting, "Black top! Black top!" at her, Summernats code for "hey you in the [insert colour of shirt here], show us yah tits!"). But this is just boys being boys. Right?

Leaving aside the fact that there are definitely positive elements to festivals such as Summernats (it's a spectacle, there is an artistry to the vehicle building and/or maintenance and, I am told, a true element of beauty to watching these cars be pushed to their limits), there are still questions to be asked about why and how this kind of sexually predatory behaviour becomes normalised, particularly at events traditionally considered to be the domain of men.



A group of men surround a young woman and shout 'black top, black top' requesting she remove her top. She didn't remove her top. Photo: Rohan Thomson


I'm not interested in car culture and have never been to a festival like Summernats, but I have been in similar environments where the enthusiastic application of liquor, testosterone and mass excitement have resulted in a threatening or intimidating vibe. Like most women, I've had groups of men holler at me on the street to show them naked parts of my body. Given that this kind of obnoxious posturing is expressed most often by multiple men at once rather than individual men working alone, it seems reasonable to assume that part of the attraction lies in the pursuit of fraternal bonding. (It has certainly been offered up as an explanation for why high profile sports players engage in pack sex together.)

Indeed, the whole "boys being boys" excuse is regularly trotted out to defend this kind of activity, with women routinely instructed to stop being so sensitive because it's apparently all just a bit of fun and it doesn't really mean anything. (Sidenote: It is not an inherently masculine trait to find fun in sexual harassment. Also sidenote: if you are not the target of the "fun" harassment, you don't get to decide how those people should feel about it.)

Although this kind of pack bleating only forms a part of Summernats (and certainly isn't characteristic of all its attendees), it's significant enough to have some people take steps to safeguard themselves from harm or avoid certain places entirely. Even those people who downplay the impact confirm the behaviour exists in statements like "you just have to know what to expect" or, ominously, "make sure you go with your boyfriend or a male friend and don't go to Tuff Street after dark".

When I asked members of my Facebook page to share their experiences (both positive and negative) of Summernats, one woman illustrated just how far-reaching some of these measures are: she works at the McDonald's closest to the Summernats site, and female staff members aren't assigned to the drive-through window throughout the festival's duration because of the high incidence of sexual harassment.

Another told me about working a stall at Summernats and having a male friend needing to pin her to the ground and cover her body with his own after a group of men surrounded her and started trying to pull her clothes off. And while there were women who talked about loving the cars and certain parts of the culture, even they spoke pragmatically about what they saw as the need for women to be aware of which areas to stay away from.

As a feminist writer, I'm used to being told that I hate men and want to demonise everything they do. It's inevitable that some of the responses to this piece will focus on how I don't need to worry, no man will ever ask to see my breasts and that perhaps that's what I'm really angry about. I will also be told that if I want to focus on "real abuse", I should look to the Middle East and Islam, and stop laying into the good men of Australia. But I'm interested in the cognitive dissonance that instructs people to, on the one hand, fiercely defend men against charges of misogynist objectification while insisting on the other that people (and women especially) should know what to expect when they enter these environments.

Why are women told in general to modify our behaviour because "there are (amorphous) bad people out there", yet when evidence of mass sexual harassment is reported at a specific event populated by people with actual faces and community standing, it's discounted as men blowing off steam and ... having fun?

Why are the events like the mass groping at Cologne used as an example of how immigrant men pose a threat to "our women", yet white Australian men acting in a similar fashion at a car show is dismissed as "boys being boys"?

Why are people okay with perpetuating the cultural belief that harassing women is not only something men like to do to express the bonds of friendship with each other, but that it's also not a big deal because those same men have declared it so?

These questions simultaneously propel me, frustrate me and confound me. We should all be ashamed to offer these excuses for toxic male behaviour. It's not funny and it's not healthy, and women continue to suffer because some people are altogether too committed to making sure men never have to change.

When I posted Thomson's photo essay on my Facebook page with the invitation for people to share their experiences of Summernats, one man commented: "Some one [sic] does not like to see men enjoy themselves."

The sentiment sat in stark contrast with an email I received from a woman detailing a pack assault that occurred the same year she'd had her top ripped off by a group of men. She wrote, "I wish it were banned. Every year I wonder how many young women have their fates changed."



.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news...15-gtrqet.html

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Express

I'll add this article from this morning.






http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news...15-gtrqet.html

Clementine Ford is a rabid man hating feminazi and anything she writes should be taken with a grain of salt

[XByoot]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Clementine Ford is a rabid man hating feminazi and anything she writes should be taken with a grain of salt

I don't think she's likes car either...but that's just the vibe I got

She'd flip if she saw the tits4kids plate those junior mini mullets n the back of the ute were holding.

[bluovl]

Originally Posted by Express

I'll add this article from this morning.






http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news...15-gtrqet.html

Sorry this is too much. Clementine Ford is who you are linking your views on?
Google her folks. First thing that comes up is "Noted Feminist"
I'm so far from sexist but if a "Noted Feminist or Masculinist (?) was credited for my articles I'd be wary.

Make your own mind up.

[paulie]

Summernats used to be a cool place to go with your car and cruise.
Now its just a place for all the non car enthusiast local yobbos to go after work and sink ****.
Part of the security measures etc by the police is random alcohol testing of the entrants.
***** they should be testing half the spectators.
Public drunkeness isn't tollerated anywhere else. Yet every 2nd spectator is probably atleast twice the legal limit.

Get rid of the booze and watch the problems drop away.
People cant blame their moronic attitude on alcohol/being drunk if there is no alcohol...

[XByoot]

Good point with the grog. Isn't it amazing with all the RSA requirements and courses there's still no shortage of grog for the lads to sink back. The whole tuff street thing looks ugly,I'm sure it is,but I reckon there's a fair bit of the typical wheel barrow pushing agenda of these journos at play here. That pic with the girl in it really doesn't show much,she hardly looks like she is fearing for her life,but it's not good all the same,is that the worst they could come up with to push their point? I've never been there,one year I think I will go just to see first hand,and I won't be taking a car down until I see what it's actually like and make my own unbiased decision. Personally I don't get why you spend thousands ( even hundreds of thousands) on a classic car to put it on the burnout pad and either break it,bend it up bad into a wall,or get it to catch fire?? That's not my idea of the car scene,seems more like vandalism..Not sure about the comments of some fellow worker throwing himself onto a fellow female worker to protect her from the out of control supercar crowd ripping her clothes off. My daughter who is 19 and very attractive ( hey I'm a proud dad) does the typical starving uni student thing and works part time in retail and restaurants. She was working at a place on the Gold Coast during the last supercar races and didn't have any issues,she just said it was crazy busy with "old guys" ,which is anyone over 30 in her eyes!
As the old saying goes,there's three sides to every story,I'm sure it's the same with the Summernats

[Falcon Coupe]

The same type of non enthusiasts were reponsible for the demise of the Phillip Island GP street partying in Cowes, It was great before carloads of numpties turned up mobbing bikers in the main street trying to force them to do burnouts before leaving.
I doubt any of them even made it ot the track over the weekend.

[cs123]

Just goes to show that car enthusiasts are a broad demographic....

To me that is terrible, but I have seen enough of that behaviour around to know it's not that isolated.

A real dog-pack mentality there

[paulie]

My last year at summernatsi witnessed dick heads launching red and green (seemed the choice for max damage?) Slushies over the crowd onto cruising cars.
I had just stopped so missed 3 flying out onto the road.
at 1st it was aimed at chicks on utes. Then it was chicks in general (on foot or in a car) then they tried bombarding the show cars coming from the elite hall etc.
Then it was just any random car. Even saw a few very tough cars get targeted after a crowd pleasing burnout.

These dumb ffcks have no interest in cars at all. They're just there for a **** up.

When pressed years ago summernats replied with.
We can not stop the alcohol due to our sponsors (jack daniels and vb) as we could not afford to maintain the cost of the show without their help.....
BS. Im sure a company like monster or rockstar or redbull would love to get their hands on summernats as a major sponsor.

Imagine the monster energy burnout comp. With a halftime show by ken block.......
or the redbull high flyer xcross team etc.

I know many people from all over Australia that now just avoid the nats due to the alcohol fueled dumb ffcks.

[XByoot]

A red bull air race series there would be great too! What whackers throw slushes at show cars and women...pack mentality,and I'm using the mentality word very loosely. I'm surprised they haven't done it to the wrong person and all types of s..t breaks loose. As a side note, we went to the cruise at Masters car park on the Gold Coast this weekend,great turn out no grog and happy friendly atmosphere,the way it should be. Do the wrong thing and your not coming back.Those huge empty warehouses sure would be a great spot to run a QLD car show. I reckon the organisers of the Summernats may need to take a huge rethink on the direction they want the event to head.

[paulie]

The problem with it was the cowards were hiding 8-10 people deep at the back of the crowd.
There was a convertible (of some jap?euro? Origin??) With what appeared to be white suede interior that looked like it got hammered by the dumb ffcks? I was 3 cars back but did look like it was hit.

Obviously wasting $$ isn't a concern to these cashed up ******* as i think it was $13 a slushie?

Security didn't seemed to give a ***** either. Only when the car stopped and people got out to see wtf happened. Then they just made them get in and move on. No cares as to what the crowd do.

Trying to cruise with some ******** jumping in front of you for a burnout every few meters is no fun either.
Those are the idiots security should be turfing out

[FG50T]

It is a fun place to go and drink **** when you're younger but there is an obvious line when it comes to poor behavior and harassment of women. In the past years I've been reluctant to enter my own cars because of the sense of protection I felt for them. Nowadays it's my mrs I'm reluctant to bring. I was going to go this year on my own and she wanted to know why I would go all the way over there alone and she offered to come as she doesn't mind cars too much. I tried to describe to her how it would be and she couldn't comprehend it but its the truth. Would never want to expose her to a crowd like that at Tuff St even if it meant me missing out.

[noflac52]

The mob mentality doesn't stop at the gate either.

On a facebook page that I am on I questioned the fact that I thought it was kind of silly due to the fact that the media were all over it and were looking for any bad stuff from Summernats after that poor bloke died, when a page member posted a video of a burnout he did that got him thrown out. The thing is he was on the burnout pad before doing it legally during the weekend.

All I said was that you shouldn't be doing it while the news media were sniffing around.

I was harassed by the mob that go there for this stuff, along with a few others who agreed with me, until the thread was removed.

I'm not trying to compare this to the harassment that females get but the mob mentality makes it uncomfortable for any normal person who dares disagree!

[blueoval]

This yobbo, bogan mentality is the reason I wont go to spectate the rides. The last thing I want to consistently hear is 'show us ya ****' or 'pull a burnout' by some toothless thug. My mrs isnt into cars but I would never take her to an event like this if she was.

[BPXR6T]

Same type of threads pop up here and elsewhere every year after the nats talking about the same old crap. The whole event has a **** vibe, I won't bother going back unless the booze is removed as the focus of the event or altogether banned. Last time I went two young girls attached themselves to me at the burnout pad. They were clearly intimidated. They were clearly 14-15 tarted up to look older. Drunks didn't care, they were fair game. Pretty vile stuff.

[ebv8]

I don't think i saw a girl with a frown the whole time, and when the crowd next to me yelled out "white shirt-white shirt" the girl on the other side in the white shirt obliged and got them out for the boys and even the girls on my side where yelling out
people who go there know what they are in for and if they didn't like it they wouldn't go
i used to go when i was 17 and my old girlfriend was harassed but she loved the attention
my wife now loves the vibe of the place and only didn't go because i said it was a boys only weekend
i wouldn't let me kids go until they were at least 17 or with me but even then its not a place for kids

p.s. we stayed away from tuff st at night though we are not that hard core

[Junkyard-Dog]

It's just more fashionable to be a prude these days... that's all.

[fordomatic]

My experience at Summernats in photos. I enjoy the vibe there, it's where I go for my yearly bogan fix. I havn't seen any women there that didn't love the attention. No way i would take my wife there, I think most that go know what goes on.

[LTDHO]

I was asked by friends about entering.

It is a great atmosphere, but don't cruise late on Saturday or on Sunday. Keep car parked and walk. That's what I do as you can't trust the drunken crowd who are not there to appreciate the cars.

[Sabantien]

I guess the question that needs to be asked is, if you don't want your wife/daughter/sister/whoever subjected to it, why is it okay?

Sure, some women don't mind, even enjoy the attention. But how many women who might actually be car enthusiasts stay away because of it?

I think chances are the behaviour doesn't just stay at that venue either. You might keep your partner safe for that weekend by leaving her at home, but those same guys go home and go places where your wife isn't kept away from, and they think that treating her that way is okay.

[XByoot]

I'd say you are spot on,of course it goes on outside of Summernats . I'm no flag waver for feminists,but I'm all for respect for everyone. I'm not having high hopes for Young boys holding up that tits4kids plate,like father,like son unfortunately. Blokes like that are weak little boys in my book,sure some women may like it,big deal,part of being a good man in my book is showing respect,not look down,not look up,just all equal no matter what or who we are. That's my take anyways. My girlfriend is a flight attendant,any idea how much crap they get from half p...seed hopefuls?? No is just a joke as their mates egg them on...big heros,turn to s..itting their pants when security turn up.

I just read the news about a poor bloody dog at the animal shelter called Molly,nice nature,friendly,did a medical check up and found 100 bb pellets in her that's been there for a long time...that's weaker than weak.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by XByoot

I'd say you are spot on,of course it goes on outside of Summernats . I'm no flag waver for feminists,but I'm all for respect for everyone. I'm not having high hopes for Young boys holding up that tits4kids plate,like father,like son unfortunately. Blokes like that are weak little boys in my book,sure some women may like it,big deal,part of being a good man in my book is showing respect,not look down,not look up,just all equal no matter what or who we are. That's my take anyways.

I concur with you there. Its my take as well.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

I guess the question that needs to be asked is, if you don't want your wife/daughter/sister/whoever subjected to it, why is it okay?

Sure, some women don't mind, even enjoy the attention. But how many women who might actually be car enthusiasts stay away because of it?

I think chances are the behaviour doesn't just stay at that venue either. You might keep your partner safe for that weekend by leaving her at home, but those same guys go home and go places where your wife isn't kept away from, and they think that treating her that way is okay.

I'm not sure if summernats have limits on byo booze, or limited like (I think) bathurst is. But that's not to say there aren't ways around it. If there's a 1 carton limit per person and the other isn't a drinker, lie on entry then that's 48 beers for you. It's not like going to the pub and you've had enough and stumbled to the bar then been shown the door. Having been off the planet for days to the point your urine is flamible is probably the cause for why people have completes lapses of judgement and do or say things that wouldn't be acceptable in day to day society. There is nothing to say women can't either. Get blind and do things you wouldn't normally. The car shows I go to are usually at Eastern creek, yes there is a bar, but if you've had enough they will tell you. It works out well to stamp out lewd behavior. My son enjoys looking at cars and watching the drags and burnouts with his earmuffs on. Then why do people yell things out that he doesn't need to hear and I don't like making up excuses when I'm asked what does that mean. The guy pulling a 10 second pass can't hear anyway. The afd last year was great. Parked a ford in the carpark to be in the majority, most had similar interests, kid friendly, no anger towards anything, great day out. Not like people drinking methanol and shooting flames out of their tail pipes (yes I know methanol burns invisable)