Forgot one in my list of fascinating this and that (see below). The Beeb - BBC World Service - showed an interview with former champion of the women's lib movement Germaine Greer the other night. She was on about a quite different topic: Australian aborigines. She's written a book about them and their role in Australia's search for an identity. She suggests that Australia should become a republic (drop out of the British Commonwealth; ditch the Queen) and should totally embrace the aborigines. In short, even white Australians should consider themselves to be aborigines - an identity that's based on being stewards of the land of Australia, rather than members of a particular ethnic race.
It all sounded sort of plausible until the sharp, British interviewer asked her: "So do you see yourself as an aborigine?" Ms. Greer hesitated for a fatal three or four seconds. Just long enough to destroy her whole argument and leave this viewer wringing her hands in despair. Well, I exaggerate, but it was embarrassing. How come she wasn't prepared for that question - the most obvious of all of them? I don't remember her answer. I think it started with "Well..." and went off at some tangent, vaguely avoiding the point.
Pity. She'd nearly sold me the book until then.
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