"In two strides I was behind the schoolgirl. I reached up, seized her ponytail at the roots and gave it a sharp downward yank. Her head snapped back. In a voice

"In two strides I was behind the schoolgirl. I reached up, seized her ponytail at the roots and gave it a sharp downward yank. Her head snapped back. In a voice I didn’t recognise I snarled, “Give it a rest, darling.” She twisted to look behind her. Her eyes were bulging, her mouth agape. I let go and she bolted away to her friends. The three of them set off at a run. Their white ribbons went bobbing through the crowd all the way along the City Square and up the steps of the Melbourne Town Hall, where a famous private school was holding its speech night. The whole thing happened so fast that when I fell into step beside my friend she hadn’t even noticed I was gone." The city is Melbourne, the author Helen Garner [0] and the casual racism is pretty accurate. Yet the response should not be condoned. If you switch a 70 year old woman, to a 70 year old man, the man would be detailed and assault charges laid. As ugly as the racism is, using this kind of force shows a level of entitlement you often see with people who have had authority. [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner [1] Garner was a High School teacher till '72.