It depends what you mean by feminist...
His Holiness the Dalai Lama called upon women to help create a more compassionate world.
Sorry, Your Holiness, but I really don't consider asking women to do their usual work of caring and tidying up men's messes, in the name of a more compassionate world, to be enough to qualify you as a feminist. Rly.
How seldom do we find religious leaders exhorting men to work for a compassionate world, to make sacrifices, etc etc etc.
I invoke here my pet male suffrage supporter, Laurence Housman:
For it's 'woman this', and 'woman that', and 'Woman, learn your place!'
But it's 'Help us, of your charity!' when trouble looms apace;
When trouble comes apace, my friends, when trouble comes apace,
Then it's 'O, for woman's charity!' to help and save the race!
....
O it's 'woman this', and 'woman that', and 'Woman cannot fight!'
But it's' Ministering Angel!' when the wounded come in sight;
When the wounded come in sight, my friends, the wounded come in sight,
It's a 'ministering angel' then who nurses day and night!
***
In other business, people emerging from the past:
I think I mentioned that yesterday I was scheduled to speak at same event as seriously-up-themself academic. Whom I have not interacted with for lo, these many years, and who did not really interact with me in the days when we did have such opportunities.
Whoa, massive smarminess about it's been so long since the halcyon days of yore -
Which I suspect says a lot less about any past interactions than the rise of my social and intellectual capital in the relevant stockmarkets of reputation.
Everyone's been linking to noxious sexist piece in the Times Higher - what I noticed, down in the comments is that a name which suggests to me Nightmare Person Who Nearly Destroyed My Email List, presumably now haunting online commenting venues. Stake, garlic, crucifixes, plz?
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