Well Germaine Greer to me at least, represents a rather tragic figure, an individual who is totally confused as to what part she should play amongst other more balanced members of the essayist community.

She seems now to be facing a real quandary, with identifing with most people, male or female. Many actively pillorying much of what she propounds. Strangly too, she persistently seeks out, or she creates controversy and dissension. However else can she guarantee her place in the spotlight. The more preposterous and ridiculous her claims, the better placed she is to retain her precious position within that all important media focus.

Her lifelong maxim, has always been 'all publicity is good publicity', remains indelibly imprinted in her psyche, and is permently entrenched within the Germaine Greer folklore.

I believe Ms. Greer is now a very isolated, lonely,and mordant old maid. Utterly denuded of any physical or emotional appeal. Spurned or ridiculed by all, but the most feral and overzealous of the female species, some of whom are themselves utterly confused as to what their own gender assignment actually is ? All very sad when one is forced to reflect upon the extraordinary intellect of this sad woman ?

O sung wu, I don't know any woman today who identifies with that sad 1970's bra-burner Greer.
She may well have been a trailblazer for women's rights way back then, but we have more wonderful women to look up to these days...

According to some historians, feminism owes much to the work of Gloria Steinhem - who turned out to be a CIA "stooge". Her career and work was directly sponsored by them in conjunction with - and funded by - various business groups.

Why? At the time, the US workforce had been diluted by lower-paid Mexican immigrants and there was a rising feeling of social resentment.

The solution for business was that there was a vast untapped local source of labor available - women!

They were originally encouraged to take on many of the lower paid jobs but have been kept undercompensated ever since and their jobs have since become ones of economic necessity rather than choice.

There are also some that believe that it was part of a deliberate strategy to get kids away from both their parents and break down the family unit but that's probably more an unforeseen consequence rather than a deliberate intention.

Professor Greer is typical of the over-educated middle class Chardonnay Marxists who make up a very large rump of the feminist commentariat.

She lives very well off the fat of the land, off the labour of common people no less, while looking down her nose at them. Life is good in her English country house. Must be good to be constantly waited upon.

Never had to do any real work.

Erin Pizzey on feminists, and she is right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhliqceyoL8

I found two interesting quotes that took my fancy on this subject.
I felt the overwhelming need to share them.

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."
Timothy Leary

"Feminism is the radical notion that women are people."
Cheris Kramarae

Every revolution has its consequences, its
benefits and its costs. The revolution of
gender roles has helped to reshape the
workplace, the family, and the relationship
of the sexes - but the feminist ideals of the
1960s haven't always been fulfilled by the
reality of the current century.

A great deal has changed over the decades. New
economic roles have brought women greater
equality with men and also many fresh opportunities,
particularly the chance to experience careers and
achievements in the world beyond the home. But working
women haven't simply traded their housework for a
career, rather, many have taken on two jobs - one
at home, one at work.

Many women who enjoy the rigors of pursuing their
careers, maintaining intimate relationships,
and raising children are finding these things
difficult to balance. Some, who put their careers before
marriage find that they have hit the "invisible
ceiling" and feel deeply betrayed. Now in their forties,
they regard themselves as casualities of their own
revolution - especially if they didn't marry and now
face the prospect of never finding a husband or
having children.

Also, the post feminist generation of women today who
take the benefits of women's liberation for granted,
are dubious about the burdens of being the perfect
wife, mother, and executive. For many women, for the
time being at least, many feel themselves stuck midway
in a revolution that has run out of steam.

I won't go into details about the immense changes that women's
roles have had on the family. Suffice to say that a
generation of children are now being raised by working
mothers who leave them in some form of day care from an
early age - something unprecedented on this scale in the
Australian experience.

True liberation from the restrictions of gender would mean
that all possible options would be open and equally
acceptable for both sexes. Then a person's individual
and human qualities, rather than his or her biological
sex, would be the primary measure of that person's worth
and achievement.