Mumsnet Talk

I find it staggering, upsetting and depressing that supposedly well educated young men can think this is appropriate

Unbelievable - the whole article about the way female debaters are not supposed to sound "hysterical" is so depressing.

Men silencing women again.

Plus ca change.

And these students are the future of our communities.
Frigid. Wold they say this to their MOTHERS.
Im disgusted.

Idiots. I hope the president of the union lives up to his fine words about not tolerating sexism and boots these oafs out.

"While GUU encourages heckling at its debates events..."

Eh?

Glasgow had 2 unions when I was there - the oldest is the GUU which is the one in the article. Very trad. boorish drinking contests in the beer bar. Very rugby, very sexist and up-itself. Lovely building though.

The newer union is the Queen Margaret Union. Called the quim by GUU oafs. None of the elitist, sexist guff. Horrible building and bad food.

You could change membership from one year to the next. So while I was QM for the first 2 years, I changed to GUU for the final 2 years because they had a better study area (24 hrs) and better food, and by then I wasn't so tied to socialising in the union.

Sad to read the article. Not much changed then. Sadly I can recall a select few fellow students who, if I didn't know that they'd left more than 15years ago, could very well have been the twattish hecklers. They would have thought they were being funny. Arseholes.

For me the saddest bit was this:

"The pair claim they had tried to complain to the competition organisers but were told it was “to be expected" that women speakers would be booed and that they had “brought it on themselves” by choosing to stand in the final.”"

What can you do? It's 2013 FFS feminism / women's rights has been going for decades and still this can happen?

I found that bit sad too Trekkie. It really isn't on for women to have to "expect" to be insulted purely for daring to debate in public.

It sounds a bit like what happens in Westminster at Question Time.

It's not too difficult to listen to a debate and then add your comments when asked.

If you look at tv / internet etc it happens all the time. Usually from randoms though for the organisers to say that is appalling.

I hope other universities boycott Glasgow (GUU, anyway) until they sort their ruddy act out, apologise profusely and kick out these boorish prats.

It's a pretty ruddy big deal if Cambridge won't debate with them any more

I imagine anway

I hope Cambridge stick to what they have said

YY but I hope Cambridge aren't alone - I hope other university debating societies take the same stance.

Yes me too

I just bet it all "blows over" and nothing happens and cambridge continue debating and somehow girls are less keen to get involved.

I can't imagine they are at all keen to get involved in glasgow

maybe I am a pessimist

All very depressing and we are all very cross about it, of course. What I want to know is.........where are the non-sexist men in all this? Where is their voice? Why aren't they howling in protest? When I was a student (rather a long time ago now!), I remember lots of ardent, political protest from both sexes on these kinds of issues. Where have these men gone??

I read this this morning. It is saddening and a pretty damning indictement of where we are. I have no doubt that the young men involved thought themselves very amusing. It is not however amusing, not one bit, and such behaviour carries on into the workplace. These young people will go on to take up leading roles in our society in politics and the professions. I very much hope that they are taken to task for this.

Words fail me.
Obviously anyone who complains has "no sense of humour" because of course, they were "only joking" I'm sure.

It's hate-fuelled sexual bullying.
Humiliation in any form is nasty enough, humiliation purely due to being a woman is utterly unacceptable.

Oh, and why weren't the hecklers asked to leave and publicly decried/shamed? Its surely the only way to deal with those morons?

Tbh, I'd've expected that from the GUU when I was a student (back in the days when you had to choose your union affiliation). None of us would ever have dreamed of joining the GU. Afaik the QM doesn't have a debating society (it didn't when I was a student).

Not surprising. You know, at least when it is outwardly, obviously happening you can object to it. Academia in general is probably just as sexist but it is less obvious and harder to object to without sounding paranoid, bitter and as if you are making excuses.

Helponeanother - Have to say that Glasgow is a great university - and the GUU can be easily avoided by joining the QM instead.

It's sad that these absolute twats are giving the university a bad name bringing it into disrepute. There were types like the old bullingdon crew of cameron/johnson et al. But I'd say their influence was very well diluted by the sheer number of normal and lovely students and the "rah" sexist crowd were no more vocal or influential generally than one might find at other "old" universities like Durham/Oxford/Cambridge/Edinburgh or St Andrews.

The QM had better music, better video games in the cafe and drink was cheaper too!

By year 3/4 I was rarely using unions though - social life had expanded. SO the GUU choice in yrs 3 and 4 was based on me being lazy and living nearer, and liking the library/study rooms more.

But what I'd like to see is proper discipline of the culprits and a University sanction (not sure whether that will be possible though, since the Unions aren't necessarily until the control of the University itself - they may be, but I'm not sure of the relationship).

The debating society/event would probably only be attended by the members of the society (and obviously guests from other universities) so I'd imagine the vast majority of GUU members would have been completely unaware of the behaviour in the debating chamber.

They have brought the university as a whole into disrepute though so the university should have powers to discipline.