1972: Germaine Greer visits
January 1, 2019
By AHNZ
Feminism 2.0 came to New Zealand in about 1970 when the first woman’s liberation activity started popping up. Conventions, groups, rape Crisis centers, women’s refuges, womens studies courses, and their very own magazine in 1972, Broadsheet.
Lynley Hood, distinguishes the two forms this Second Wave took as Evolutionary and Revolutionary. The Evolutionary Feminists picked up where Feminism 1.0 had left off (eg Kate Sheppard‘s efforts) and applied woman’s concerns to modern life. For example: Pay disparity, safe contraceptions, liberalised abortion rules. To evolutionary feminism the problem was sexism and that was a problem everyone could get behind. Even men were regular contributors to Broadsheet.
Revolutionary Feminism
By the end of the 1970s inclusiveness was out, the entire movement had become radicalised to Revolutionary Feminism. Their ideas revolved around female separatism, goddess worship, overthrowing patriarchal society, and especially rape in all conceivable metaphorical forms. To revolutionary feminism the problem was men. Conservatives and moderates exited the movement, leaving the extremists to eat themselves alive with in-fighting.
“…rape is part of a normal pattern of male behaviour.” and “…Every male is a potential rapist.”- Broadsheet, 1975
As per history’s script, this would soon transmute into a Witch Hunt phase followed by humiliating withdrawal in the wake of many innocent scalps taken as well as the wrecked and disenchanted lives of the perpetrators. However, when Feminism 3.0 and 4.0 came they picked up where 2.0 had left off meaning that the radical perspective still held sway.
Writing now in 2019 we have seen 4.0 phase out of benign Social Justice pursuits such as Safe Spaces (c.2015) into active attacks like language policing (c.2016) followed by ‘Me Too’ Witch Hunts (late 2017 to late 2018 to….) If history repeats then it’ll all blow over this year and the 2020s will see us back again to a Physical Culture phase.
Germaine Greer’s Book Tour
Thus in 1972 things were just taking off when Feminist 2.0 idol Germaine Greer stopped by to plug her book, The Female Eunuch. In Australia her best publicity move seemed to be laughing off having Nazi eggs thrown at her. Here in New Zealand she did much better.
Upon finding out that Tim Shadbolt had been arrested for saying “bullshit” to a policeman, the Feminist promptly followed suit on stage at the Auckland Town Hall and was convicted of using obscene language during a public meeting. It was sensational! She appealed and lost that too. Publicity you cannot buy, although the penalty was $40 or 21 days imprisonment so I guess you can! Rather than stretch it out some more the bolshy Aussie left the country.
In my opinion Greer has yet more in common with our Tim Shadbolt than choice of obscene language. They’re both quite misguided but make up for it with charismatic salesmanship and rhetoric so everyone just lets them do what they like. Greer’s language skills and acid quick wits are genius level. Check out this NZBC interview from her ’72 visit and see what I mean..
“factionalism..tears all revolutionary movements apart before they get started. And I really feel I can’t afford that energy drain. I can’t afford to be constantly deciding that Group B are revisionists and Group C are a lot of Bourgeoisie Bitches who are just on a careerist bandwagon and all that.”- Interview with Germaine Greer, 1972; NZBC; Sound and Vision
You see how she shares the Evolution/Revolution observation with Hood? And transcends; Not wanting to be part of it. Still possible to do in 1972.
Bourgeoisie Bitches
But what did Greer mean by Bourgeoisie Bitches? Perhaps this…
A who’s who of prominent women challenge men and the Government to act in the wake of Grace Millane’s murder- NZ Herald, 15/12/2018
And what do these bourgeois women say?
“Women going on solo adventures or meeting new people for dates are not the problem here. Men who commit acts of violence against women are.” –Open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, 15/12/2018
See? Men are the problem. If you want to know who the top faction of careerist bandwagon, virtue-signalling, women are then take a look. They’ve publicised their names in a handy list complete with titles and appellations…
Rt Hon. Helen Clark, Rt Hon. Dame Jenny Shipley, Dame Silvia Cartwright, Theresa Gattung CNZM, Jennifer Ward-Lealand ONZM, Ranjna Patel ONZM, QSM, Joan Withers, Cecilia Robinson, Lizzie Marvelly, Laura O’Connell-Rapira, Alison Mau, Sarah Paykel ONZM, Annette Presley ONZM, Paula Penfold, Nadia Lim, Jackie Clark (The Aunties), Mihingarangi Forbes, Michèle A’Court, Anika Moa, Urzila Carlson, Dr Karanina Sumeo, Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Anya Satyanand, Marianne Elliott, Anna Guenther, Matilda Rice, Kimberley Crossman, Linda Jenkinson, Wendy Thompson, Bridgette Jackson, Rochelle Sheldon, Vanisa Dhiru, Prue Kapua, Nicole Skews-Poole, Anna Dean, Angela Meyer, Lani Evans, Nicola Woodward, Ta’ase Vaoga, Tania Sawicki Mead, Sofia Ambler, Sue Dunmore, Rebecca Stewart
Saves us a job.
—
* On 29 January this year Greer will turn eighty
Image ref. Greer at the Auckland courthouse for trial; Waikato Times; Stuff
Ref. A City Possessed, The Christchurch Civic Creche Case, Lynley Hood; 2001
Image ref. Sir George Grey Special Collections; Auckland Libraries
South Park s19e01 (2015)
Like Comment Share
