Reply #4: Or women. And iirc, Buckley took pleasure in opposing the women's movement. [View All]

[EFerrari]

February 24, 1973
Oh, the Things They're Debating at Cambridge

Germaine Greer, author of "The Female Eunuch," and William F. Buckley Jr., editor of National Review, debated before the Cambridge Union in England. These excepts are from the program produced by the Southern Educational Communications Association for the Public Broadcasting Service.

President of the Cambridge Union: Good evening, and welcome, ladies and gentlemen. The motion before us is: "This House supports the Women's Liberation Movement." Guest speakers are Dr. Germaine Greer who will be speaking in favor of the motion (laughter) and William F. Buckley Jr., who will be speaking against (applause).

Germaine Greer: I ought now to say either "ladies and gentlemen," or "men and women." It strikes me as very odd that when I use the less ceremonial form of approach, I have to put the men first (laughter), and when I affect to belong to a class of ladies and gentlemen, I put the ladies first. It must be that one class is more skilled in hypocrisy than the other.

When I argue here for your support for the Women's Liberation Movement, I'm asking you really to consider whether or not you can countenance the nonliberation of any group in your community, and whether or not you are so afraid of the characteristics and personalities of one-half of the human race that you cannot allow them room to move or a voice to be heard (applause).

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