The world’s richest woman appeared in a YouTube video, asking Australians to take heed of African work ethic: “Africans want to work and its workers are willing to work for less than $2 per day.” No, she wasn’t joking. Gina Rinehart said it all with a straight face and authoritative voice for the Sydney Mining Club. And just a few weeks prior, the mining-magnate heiress was telling a British newspaper; "there is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," and suggested that those of us jealous of her wealth should “spend less time drinking or smoking and socialising, and more time working." All of this, despite the fact that Gina Rinehart inherited her wealth from her mining tycoon father, and in her entire life has had to do little more than suck greedily on the silver spoon of Hancock Prospecting.

Between those gluttonously idiotic comments, Ms Rinehart’s family warfare, her opposing the mining tax for obvious personal-gain and attempts to monopolise Fairfax, there is plenty to lambast her over. She spews enough transparently stupid rubbish to keep her critics in coffers for eternity.

Why then, does much of the criticism against Rinehart often degenerate into yellow-bellied schoolyard bullying about her appearance?

Martin Luther King believed people should “not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Can’t we use that same logic in condemnation of Gina Rinehart? I honestly don’t care about her appearance when her politics and YouTube diatribes offer more than enough ammunition against her. It’s taking a cheap shot to criticise her weight and face when what she’s saying offers up a veritable feast of ridicule and derision all by itself. 

And, while we’re on the topic, can this logic also be applied to criticism of Prime Minister Julia Gillard? No, she’s not perfect and some of her policies deserve question and criticism. But I have more respect for the cartoonist (*cough Larry Pickering *cough*) and commentator who criticises the PM based on the content of her policy than the colour of her hair…

… or the size of her arse (*cough* Germaine Greer *cough*)