Happy Birthday Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer, the author of The Female Eunuch, turned 69 today.
While Ms. Greer is often the object of ridicule and hatred for her sometimes outrageous statements, she was an important feminist voice and continues to think and read and write about women's sexuality.
I don't often agree with Greer, but she influenced my early feminism, and for that, I am grateful. besides, I have to love an aging feminist who likes her wine. There are too few of us. Here's a nice (but rather old) article on Greer in Salon.
Comments
Interesting couple of articles you included - the first writer is obviously a vile pig, but the second wasn't much more postitve about her. It fascinates me how strong women are invariably tagged as "bitches" or some other negative misnomer, as a way of deflating their power.
What is truly frightening to me, is the generation of young women out there right now, who have no knowledge of the women who fought for the rights they now take for granted.
"We've come a long way baby", but many of us don't remember how we got here.
Good post.
I like your new header, by the way!
I know of Greer and The Female Eunuch, but haven't read the book. Now, I'm inclined to pick up a copy.
It is quite odd that young women today, who hold quite feminist veiws, refuse to identify as such.
I guess I am incredibly naive, but I clicked on that "hatred" link you had and was not only ENRAGED by the vitriol expressed there, but just STUNNED that there are people like that out there. I'd leave an angry comment, but would be afraid he'd come find me.
I think she's done a lot of good stuff personally, but can't make up my mind if she's a bit of a hypocrite or someone who has the courage to change their tune as they go through life and realise that not everything they originally stood for and came to pass worked out the in the way they'd hoped. Perhaps if she prefixed her opinions with some allusion to this, she would command greater respect.