Australia: Headmaster of The King’s School accuses media and government of ‘deriding’ elite all-boys schools

Article here. Excerpt:

'Tony George, the principal of The King’s School in North Parramatta, penned a piece in the school’s journal Leader, published on Tuesday. His article, titled A call to empathy: Educational Leadership at The King’s School, accused the media of creating “clickbait” stories to “deride” boys’ private schools in Australia.

“Instead of acknowledging and celebrating the significant achievement and contribution of independent schools to society, sections of government and the press seem intent on deriding independent boys’ schools with any story they can concoct,” George wrote.

The headmaster suggested terms like “toxic masculinity” have become a “memetic cliche”; that is, a cliche used to generate internet memes and jokes.

“To be clear, any kind of toxic behaviour is bad, whether by males or females in single-sex schools or co-ed schools,” George wrote.

“However, the practice of linking toxic behaviour to masculinity is to malign all males, just as linking oppression to the West maligns all western countries as oppressive.

“Rather than lambast men, boys and males with the same tarred brush of paranoia, we need to aspire to the formation of men who are empathetic leaders, ready, willing and able to bring optimism and hope as they seek the betterment of others.”

The headmaster next criticised “wokeness” and “virtue signalling” in the media and society in general, which to him has generated a “victimhood culture”.'