What goes around, comes around

General Cosgrove Radio Interview Hoax

Outline
Message claims that Australia’s General Peter Cosgrove made a remark about a female interviewer being "equipped to be a prostitute" during an interview on ABC radio.

Brief Analysis
The claim in the message is untrue. General Cosgrove has never made any such remark in any interview. The message is a recycled version of earlier US and UK based versions that have circulated for a number of years.

Detailed analysis and references below example.
Example

Subject: FW: Worth thinking about Peter Cosgrove interview

For those that don't know him, Major General Peter Cosgrove is an "Australian treasure!"

General Cosgrove was interviewed on the radio recently. You'll love his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love this! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time. It is a portion of an ABC interview between a female broadcaster and General Cosgrove who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military headquarters.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
So, General Cosgrove, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

GENERAL COSGROVE:
Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended.

Detailed Analysis
This message supposedly includes a transcript of an interview featuring General Peter Cosgrove broadcast on an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio program. When taken to task by the female interviewer for plans to allow a group of visiting Scouts to participate in a shooting exercise, General Cosgrove supposedly delivers a caustically sexist comeback line that silences her criticism and terminates the interview. In reality, no such interview ever took place nor did Cosgrove ever make such a remark.

The story is an Australianized version of an earlier US based story that had a certain "General Reinwald" of the US Marines as the one delivering the killer line. The US version (example included below) claimed that General Reinwald made the remark during an interview with a female reporter broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio). However, NPR has denied that any such interview was ever broadcast and there are no records of a General Reinwald serving in the US armed forces. "General Reinwald" is nothing more than a fictional character invented to give an American orientation to an even older version of the story.

Well before the "General Reinwald" story began circulating, a Welsh based version had already been posted online. The Welsh version (example included below) simply featured "Mr. Jones", a leader of a youth club, as the one who delivered the sexist remark and made no mention of Generals or Scouts. In fact, incarnations of this old joke have been posted on innumerable websites, blogs and forums in several countries for a number of years. Some versions mention other youth groups such as the Devil Pups rather than Scouts.

Unlike earlier versions of the joke, the Australian variant names a real person. By falsely claiming that Peter Cosgrove made such an overtly sexist and inflammatory remark, the joke unfairly tarnishes the reputation of a highly respected and honourable man. General Peter Cosgrove is a high-profile, and much admired, member of the Australian community who had a distinguished army career that culminated in his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force in 2002. Cosgrove retired from the army in 2005 but has certainly not disappeared from public life. He played a pivotal role as leader of the aid and recovery effort after Cyclone Larry devastated areas of far north Queensland in March 2006.

US "General Reinwald" Version:

Subject: Greatest comeback line

Marine Corp's General Reinwald was interviewed on the radio the other day and you have to read his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love this!!!! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time. It is a portion of National Public Radio (NPR) interview between a female broadcaster and US Marine Corps General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military installation.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL REINWALD:
We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?

GENERAL REINWALD:
I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL REINWALD:
I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

GENERAL REINWALD:
Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended.

You gotta love the Marines!

Welsh youth club leader version:

·        Excerpt from a recent live radio interview on one of the regional Welsh stations:

A female newscaster is interviewing the leader of a Youth club:
Interviewer:- So, Mr. Jones, what are you going to do with these children on this adventure holiday?

Jones:- We're going to teach them climbing, abseiling, canoeing, archery, shooting...

Interviewer:- Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible isn't it?

Jones:- I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the range.

Interviewer:- Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

Jones:- I don't see how, we will be teaching them proper range discipline before they even touch a firearm.

Interviewer:- But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

Jones:- Well, you're equipped to be a prostitute but you're not one are you?

Needless to say, the interview was terminated almost immediately......

 

Here's some comments....

·        Ken of Australia

Whether the alleged remark was made or not, it did not in my mind cast General Cosgrove in a bad light.
If anything, it showed the General as a realist and a quick thinker.

The remark was not sexist; it merely high-lights the FLAW in the logic that teaching someone how to handle a firearm makes them violent killers.

I wish there were more such brilliant counter-arguments to the flawed logic heard in a lot of today's politically-correct sentiments.

·        sabahfan

If true that the interviewer really insist on saying that teaching rifles use is training kids to be killers, THEN the response is quite correct.

The answer did NOT accuse the lady as a prostitue, but the comparison is quite correct... and i dont see anything inflamatory with that remark because it is a FACT

women are equipt with the tools of a prostitute, BUT all are NOT prostitute.

Similary people owning a rifle NEED NOT necessary be a killer..... So true on both comments

·        Tony

true or not....it would certainly shut up an ignorant journalist....which should be done more often...why do we pay so much attention to bloody journalists anyway....I mean they report on the bad news and make it seem like our life revolves around it....what about the good news?

·        chada

There's nothing sexist about his comment at all.

It's a very offensive and hilarious rebuttal, but it is in no way sexist against women, only offensive against THAT woman. She need not be a woman for the statement to even apply.

·        valpromike

I was emailed this "interview" today, and was instantly skeptical. Thanks, Hoax Slayer, for simply existing. Isn't the internet great!

Oh, by the way, I wish the interview was real. Actually, I wish I was the one being interviewed, and I was the one that came up with the punch line. Better yet, I wish I was rich, famous, young and good looking.

·        Fsmdcal

Actually, this one is a variation on the old story about the hillbilly who was arrested for moonshining, but who defended himself by saying he had no moonshine, which the government countered by saying that it didn't matter, he was in possession of all the equipment for moonshining, to which the man replied "Well, then you better charge me with rape, because I have all the equipment for that, too."

·        doe john

It may be a hoax, but it sure is a great line. And meaningful.... :)

·        Cruciverb

No more sexist than the oft repeated feminist line that "all men are potential rapists".

·        StefanMajonez

True that. IMO the most sexist people on our globe are feminists.

·        Nigerraids

And now I am sad that this is false.

·        Earl_grey

Tarnished his reputation? Certainly not. I'm certainly not that PC. I wished I were as quick-witted. That Australian expression, "Good on ya, Mate," comes to mind. If anything, it presents the interviewer as slow-witted.

·        Doug

In the version I heard the attributed phrase was: " ... equiped to be a CHEAP prostitute"

·        Tallulah Alice Mae

That addition is unnecessary and is a dig at the journalist as opposed to proving a point in her flawed logic.

·        Gangbangband

German Version:

Dumme Frage... gute Antwort ...
Bekanntlich ist ja für Männer die letzte aller Schulen der Wehrdienst (oder – das Gefängnis!)
Keine Armee der Welt liebt ihr Land so sehr wie die australische... und ihr gehört auch Generalmajor Peter Cosgrove an.

Unlängst sollte eine Schulklasse seiner Kaserne einen einwöchigen Besuch abstatten. Hierzu wurde er u.a. auch von Radio ABC interviewt. Eine der Fragen betraf das Problem „Kinder und Waffen”.

Reporterin:
Also, Herr General, was werden Sie diesen Jungs anbieten, wenn sie zu Ihnen kommen?

General Cosgrove:
Wir werden ihnen alpines Klettern beibringen, Wildwasserpaddeln, Bogenschießen und Schießen.

Reporterin:
Schießen! Das ist wohl etwas unverantwortlich, nicht war?!

General Cosgrove:
Ich sehe nicht wieso. Die Jungs werden entsprechend überwacht sein.

Reporterin
Sie müssen aber zugeben, daß Schießen eine sehr gefährliche Beschäftigung für Kinder ist.

General Cosgrove :
Nein, das ist es nicht. Sie werden sicher nicht schießen bevor sie nicht gelernt haben mit einem Gewehr richtig umzugehen.

Reporterain:
Aber Sie bieten ihnen doch die Möglichkeit, sich einmal zu gefährlichen Mördern zu entwickeln!

General Cosgrove:
Ach Gott, Fräuleinchen, Sie wurden doch auch von Geburt her mit allem ausgestattet um sich zu
einer Nutte zu entwickeln und Sie sind trotzdem keine – oder...?

Daraufhin herrschte für einige Sekunden Funkstille. Als der Sender das Interview
wieder aufnahm war eine andere Reporterin am Mikrofon.

·        Nathaniel

Technically speaking, both men and women are equipped to be prostitutes. Sure, there is higher demand for female prostitutes, but male prostitutes certainly exist. I don't really see this as a sexist remark. However, the idea that ONLY women could sell sex is quite sexist.

·        surfpurplegerbil

Well, all the males in the story are equipped to be prostitutes, too. Why not a version where the interviewer says "so are you?" Or would the time-space continuum need to be ruptured for readers to "get" that?

·        jdglmg

If the interviewer replied, "So are you," it would just show that she really is completely dense and didn't get his point.

·        surfpurplegerbil

BTW, I should add re my comment on the interview, I think it is great for kids to learn about guns and that doesn't bother me at all. Just the idea that such a comeback is lame. That actually bothers me more than the sexism.

·        Tallulah Alice Mae

I think the point still works, but it did occur to me that it was stupid it had to be very well specified that the journalist was female; like the point wouldn't work if they were male. Annoying. Anyway.

·        eu

Un bou si altceva nimic.Poa' sa fie el mare smecher, dar asta nu e un raspuns demn de un cadru militar. N-are cei 7 ani de acasa.

·        antispammer

don't spam.

·        Shadow L. Perro

The Army teaches people to become violent killers. Firearms training doesn't.

·        C K Stoner

The Army trains personnel to become precise weapons of political force executed at the command of their officers. The word violent is pejorative. There are very few fuzzy-wuzzy killings. An no-one abhors violence as much as the service member who has seen it.

·        Kyle Delaney

The issue here is whether or not it's a good idea to be teaching kids to use guns. Thus the prostitute analogy is nonsensical. No one went out of their way to give the woman sex organs.