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Je Suis Germaine

October 25th, 2015 Posted in Equality, freedom by

I don’t quite know what happened last week but, one morning, Germaine Greer was the philosophical mother of all Women and Equality Officers in every Student Union across the country and by the evening she was the Abu Hamza of the progressive intelligentsia for not holding the ‘right views.’

The way we live now.

For those of you who don’t know, a petition against Germaine Greer giving a lecture at the University of Cardiff has been started on the basis that she has previously expressed views on transgender women that some people find offensive. It is also worthwhile to note that the lecture she was due to give is on a completely different subject.

I disagree with Germaine Greer on so much I couldn’t write a single blog post on it. I am, however, glad she’s held her ground.

This follows a distrubing trend of only those deemed ‘politically correct’ being allowed to speak at University events. The rate it’s going Laurie Penny and Owen Jones will be the only social commentators deemed fit to address the ‘safe zones’ – perish the thought! What annoys me most, however, is that Germaine Greer is an academic, not a politician nor a hate-preacher, but an actual academic.  If academics with challenging views aren’t allowed to speak at Universities why bother having Universities at all?

Perhaps we should be delighted that Universities are making themselves obsolete. They’ve become Victorian parlour rooms where one must not speak of indelicate things lest the Womens’ Officer gets the Vapours…

7 Responses to “Je Suis Germaine”

  1. Dougie Says:

    Well said, Sara. I should point out, though, that you’ve chosen a poor comparator. Abu Hamza is beloved of all right-thinking, progressive intellectuals.


  2. Vincent Says:

    The problem is twofold 1) she’s supposed to be a champion for human rights 2) she’s misinformed and does not understand the reality of the transgender situation and has forfeited the right to express her distorted views of it… Another thing, would Cardiff university have been expected to host PW Botha from the old SA regime to talk about any other subject other than apartheid?…. Greer is long past her BB date, the world has moved on and left old dinosaurs in the past..


  3. Frank Says:

    ‘She has forfeited the right to express her distorted views of it…….’

    No she has not. You have decided this in a typically fascist way !

    Shall we go and beat-up everyone who disagrees with you ?


  4. Ryan Says:

    The fact that Germaine Greer is an academic is irrelevant in this case since she is a professor of English literature and the talk she was giving is on women and feminism and nothing to do with her academic studies. In fact the problem with Greer is that she has NEVER done any kind of scientific studies on women, men or male/female relationships but ever since the “Female Eunuch” has continued to pontificate on such matters despite never having had a successful relationship with either a man or a woman and is also childless.

    When it comes to transgenders she is on firmer ground. No matter how much surgery is done a transgender cannot become a fully fledged woman. The vagina after surgery is not the same and is not exactly in the same place. The womb is not in place. Most receive hormone therapy far too late to have an effect. Therefore the most accurate description of someone who has gender re-assignment surgery is “post-op” transgender, not “woman”.

    The fact that transgenders get upset when told they are not real women does not change the fact that they are not real women. Somebody that believes they are the messiah might get upset when you point out that they are not Jesus but that doesn’t change the facts.

    Of course, other people are of the view that TS people should be told whatever makes them happy. After all, why not? Why challenge them on their delusions? Leave them in the belief that publicly everyone claims they are real women whilst privately everyone thinks they are just ladyboys. Then nobody gets hurt (well apart from those men that discover mid-flow they aren’t having sex with a real woman). That’s a valid opinion too. But they are only opinions.

    The problem is that Greer wasn’t going to be talking about TS – so she is being banned from speaking on the grounds she once upon a time upset some TS people. How long are people going to get ostracised for upsetting TS people? Why is it OK for Frankie Boyle to say appalling things about mentally disabled children and their mothers but grown adults having undergone sex-change therapy are so precious that nothing negative can ever be said about them?

    Either we outlaw all offence to all people or we have absolute freedom of speech.


  5. Jules Says:

    “… forfeited the right …” Vincent? For expressing her view? Her opinion? Are you serious? Voltaire would despair. Mao, on the other hand, would miaow. That’s the talk of tyranny you’re espousing. In the guise of ‘right on’ PC virtue signalling.

    Do you need a ‘safe space’ in case someone else’s opinion that differs from yours, like, you know, actually makes your ears bleed?

    Stop. Think. Understand the real meaning of freedom before you seek to deny it to others.


  6. James Says:

    I find Vincent’s views offensive and I think he should be banned from making comments on here.


  7. Geoffrey Payne Says:

    I do not agree with Germaine’s opinions on transgender but she is entitled to have them and she should be allowed to speak at universities if she wishes.
    I really object to Ryan’s comment that “(she has) never had had a successful relationship with either a man or a woman and is also childless.”.
    Well how do you know? And even if you are right, so what?