What a thoroughly insensitive article. 'We love to watch women suffer...': viewing women become uncomfortable in a debate or a marathon cannot be compared with the very deep suffering associated with brutal murder and missing child cases. Reading about developments in these cases is not some sort of sick entertainment, but an expression of our concern / horror.

Steven, oxford,

I have wondered about this for years.

I feel it is something in our consciousness from years ago, when women were treated like slaves and classified as second class.

The witch trials come to mind and the torture involved.

My own experience was in court when an Irish judge told me to go homeless because I was a witch and too powerful for a woman.

I always wondered why he felt that??

I had no broomstick either.

Did he feel threatened, because I spoke up for myself to get truth out.

Strong men and women do not feel threatened by others though.

Lilith Barrett, Dublin, Ireland.

To think, I thought I had problems.

I wonder what the in house psychiatrist at Murdoch central thinks of this piece. Is it a cry for help?

Charles, Norwich,

"We"?

VH, London,

It's a shame our society doesn't care as much about male suffering. Why should we be more comfortable with the idea of men being killed in combat than women?

David Space, London, UK

Is it posible, that there are competemt, bright and capable women in this unverse of ours, who will not claim victimhood when challenged, and when they are asked to meet the demands of leadership, they do not revert to the worn out and tired song of being put upon by 10' tall men?

In these United States, women are the number one beneficiaries of "affirmative action," maybe in the process of attempting to main stream women, we have cultivated a crop of intellectually unfit, weak kneed, and incompetent women. Women who are incapable of defending themselves and their positions intellectually, they, therefore, revert to emotional dribble, and emotive crap. Whenever these women can not compete it is because of the men around them (be it their husbands, their fathers, their male bosses or a male colleagues), and this syndrome has become so infectious, it has infected Hillary Clinton, a purportedly, brilliant woman who is seeking the highest office in the US, the presidency. Please!

HH

Henry, Los Angeles, USA

You enjoy watching an abducted child and a murdered woman suffer? Do you want to share your experiences with a police officer or, perhaps more appropriately, a psychiatrist?

joe, brussels,

Ditto Benzo.

Jessica, Reading, UK

for the two examples of merideth and madeline I believe that the captivation is not because they are girls. It is intriguing to watch it unfold because of the mystery. It would be the same for me if Madeline was a boy or Merideth was a man.

synthia, liverpool,

I can't believe you were able to even publish this article - how insensitive to label Meredith's suffering as beautiful. Just stop and think next time you try to use a horrific crime to reinforce one of your points about women.

Sarah, London,

A woman I know in her twenties had tonsilitis this month. She moaned about it every time I saw her, and pointed out that it had gone on for 3 weeks. The month before, her husband had a finger crushed in an industrial accident. She complained to me at the time, that her husband was 'whingeing' to her about the pain. After the bandages were removed, she observed that he had a large scar, and that his knuckle visibly moved when he creased that finger. Nonetheless it was obvious that of the two of them, her she thought her suffering to be far greater. No doubt you would still class her suffering as 'beautiful'.

Paul James, Brisbane, Australia

Helen Rumbelow,

it is evident you yourself are conforming to a gender conditioning.

When a male politician or public figure gets a good kicking, or in fact is 'hung out to dry' (which happens a good deal) there is no such comment on the recipient's gender (shame. they are a man) - yet people still follow with interest.

Get yourself into the 21st century - a woman can and should take a good political kicking, just like a man has to, if THAT is de rigeur in politics. Fair and square.

Shane, Guildford, England

Since when do we require journalists to be ‘sensitive’? You may well find this angle unpalatable, but it cannot be denied that the sheer amount of public interest and speculation about the disappearance/deaths of those girls has bordered on the perverted. This article points out what we already know – people find other people’s suffering fascinating. That’s not to say they are not capable of immense sympathy as well! Our cultural notions of women as weak and attractive only compound the interest – why else are books/films portraying rape and murder so popular? Look in the mirror before you accuse the journalist.

Harriet, Bath, UK

Why make it a gender issue? Why shouldnt they try and destroy her as they would even if she was male? Isn't that 'equality' (if such a quality really exists)?

Matt, Sydney, Australia

I'm sure you like what you write or you wouldn't write it. As a piece, it is well written. However, why not write about the fundamentals of why women - for ever - have been discriminated against by men and societies. Ask the question: why is that? Why does it even exist? And why women, even today in everyday life, have such a small voice in the world. England and the US are the only countries that have legislation to protect women in various forms, other countries do not. I don't advocate male bashing, but if you are born a woman, the fight in life is very different from the outset. I wanna know why. Can you write about that?

catt, london , UK

Hillary Clinton is the standout candidate in this race and has always been a shoo in for the US Presidency in 2008. I can't speak for the motives of her Democrat opponents, but if you ask me, these men are simply vicious losers who know that this women is going to beat them. How much of their bile is due to this blow to their egos and how much is misogynous frustration would seem a hard thing to determine. It hardly matters anyway because she will have the last and loudest laugh.

John Francis, Lauderdale, Tasmania

What are you talking about? Thank God, I don't know anyone who understands what you have written. How can you say Madeleine and Meridith are doing anything 'beautifully'?Which part of missing and dead are you unfamiliar with? They are now able to do precisely nothing! Sadly, for their famillies and for us too who want only that these ghastly things had not happened to them.

Margaret Laycock, Surrey,

We love to watch Meredith suffer. Could you be more insensitive? It is a pity that journalists in the British press don't stop to think that people from other countries read what they write and the image they project of our society. It's bad enough that we have to put up with what some of you write, worse still that you are seen to reflect British public opinion.

pamela, london, england

I did get your loquacious point and follow it . It might be worthy to remind you that one bastion of male "pigs" drunks and their egos is inside the bastion of rich owners who feed off misery, suffering and exploitation of women. I mean "the media".

The media's male giants are well known for their editorial interference and political manipulation outside of what "the public" wants.They are iconised in their greed and snide social attitude towards the rights of others.

Examples are one who was a most unpleasant gambler and bullying loudmouth who went to his eternal reward not so long ago, and some years earlier an international crook and spy owning a certain British paper also was also "rewarded".

Women find that there career is limited by males both as being so often asked to have children when their career is opening up and by insecure males who never grow up enough to be gracious to the talents and employment of women . Men are now "democrocising" Iraq..enough said?

Tony, Labrador, Australia

Madeleine and Meredith-I am not sure I would agree that their female suffering should ever be described as 'beautiful.'Did this make uncomfortable reading for anybody else?

S Clarke, Bournemouth, UK

If Hilary is going to be comander in chief of them most powerful milatery force in the world she better be able to take the heat. Women's rights have no place in the white house, you either have the character and the strengh or you don't regardless of gender. Sad to say the Clintons have bankrupted the once strong democratic party. No more Bush/Clinton I'm sick of both. It's almost like the royal family, soon we'll have Princess Chelsea and Prince Jeb, and they all lived happliy ever after. American like fairy stories Kennedy and Camalot

Martin, Audubon, USA

''Whether it's Hillary, Meredith, Madeleine or Paula, we love to watch women suffer. They do it so beautifully''

Whoever came up with that should be fired immediately. How crass to suggest we enjoy watching footage of missing children or their distraught mothers.

John , Liverpool, England

I am happy to say that I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about . This must be how the other half live .

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,