This House believes in the right to offend @ Cambridge Union

Does Kass not give a flying fuck that most of what he says here is highly, highly offensive to women (I mean the cunty type, you know, the type who could be legally raped by their husbands in my lifetime and the type that earn 85% of male earnings)???

God it is tedious when you give misogynists a platform.

Kass is just quoting things he doesn't agree with and not even bothering to give any reasons why they offend Kass so much. How is that an argument against 'the right to offend?'. Kass is really going to regret showing himself up like this when he grows up. I'm not sure it's ethical to let young people humiliate themselves like this in public. Perhaps that should be another issue they debate.

Talking about their 'fear of walking home because of what they wear'.

What a total arse Kass has made of himself when saying this - what the fuck do you think women have had to put up with for generations!

Kass looks 100% male and is wearing traditional male dress. I guess Kass must dress differently at other times or there is no way the above sentence makes any sense? I wonder why Kass chose to dress like a man in a context where males traditionally are treated preferentially.

Kass's comments on 'women in Iran' protesting is misgendering within his world view. How on earth would he know that those people who are oppressed in Iran because of having bodies which can make, or can be reasonable assumed to make, large gametes identify as women?

Rambling nonsense. I wondered if he was stoned? Or was he just overcome with anxiety or just struggles to explain this clearly as a matter of course?

Kathleen Stock does not oppose 'trans rights' and everyone who clapped to that has shown themselves to be more than a bit silly. I thought people who went to Cambridge were bright? Is this really all filled with actual students? That's a shocking indictment of current uni admission decisions.

What I noticed was that Kathleen and Arif were very respectful and listened to interruptions and addressed them. Kass dismissed one directed at him with a contemptuous glance. The chair should have done a better job at keeping people on topic. That's part of her role. Many years ago I was a member of the Cambridge Union and we relied on the chair and their helpers to keep things in order.

My personal suspicion is that it means this is a terribly special person, who nonetheless, by the age of thirty will be employed in a highly paid role at the same rate at which male people are usually paid, and probably married to someone female.

Oh sorry, I just read that this person is actually a non-binary bisexual. Goodness knows what this means and who gives a toss anyway?

I wonder why no one could be persuaded to oppose the motion as a guest?

You’ve put me off this now. I couldn’t take seriously anyone calling THEMself/ves a non-binary lesbian.

No idea how these people get into CB.

Never seen one of these before. I’m very curious. Like earlier posters I also noted the lack of female speakers and that the guest speaker was female and the only speaker to receive personal attacks.

I’m wondering if the number of abstentions were down to Joshua Shortman’s speech?

I hope Kass's middle name starts with a different letter, I could only see him from the waist up. I choose to believe he was wearing a big bouffant powder blue lace skirt with the black jacket. Never thought I'd see a cravat in the wild. I cringed a bit when the last speaker was told he had the ears of the house, thought it was a bit on the nose, but he spoke very well. The bit about 'not life and death' though!

I don't know the rules of the debate, all those 'no thank yous', I was wondering if someone offscreen was offering biscuits, until Teodor did his jump scare.

Loved the 'tasche on the cameraman behind Doc Stock. Got a bit of a crush now on Prof Ahmed.

Couldn't hear most of the interruptions.

I don't think the people opposing the motions actually had an argument. It all seems terribly circular.

Not really. It was simply an opportunist personal attack, without any attempt to debate the topic.

Like franke, having now seen all the speakers, I find myself wondering whether any of the students noticed that the only non-male speaker was an invited guest that came under attack, both inside the hall and presumably outside it. Sexism is thoroughly alive and well in Cambridge, despite the selection of a female chair. Dr Stock obviously believed she had to refer back to the 15th century to offer an example of a time when sexism was not considered offensive. All she really had to do was to tell them to take a long, hard look at themselves.

Kass was bloody infuriating, all "I don't want to spend much time on this but" and then proceeded to spend most of the time on a massive slagging off session of Kathleen Stock. Was there no one at these sessions who could rein these people in when going so very clearly off topic?

I must have skipped past the part about not feeling safe walking home at night. For fuck sake, what a fucking insult for every woman; WE don't feel safe, WE aren't safe, but noooo, up rocks Kass, with Kass' special identity which means we somehow can't even talk about our own issues without centering Kass in it all and how Kass has it so much worse than the boring old women. Unsafe my arse, Kass is nothing of the sort. Women are raped and murdered and Kass would probably think that's on par with someone addressing Kass as "sir" 🙄

As an aside, I would have thought at an institution like Cambridge when these kind of events are being held the least you could do is put down your fucking mobile phone!

Muhammed "if something offends me it is offensive". Shame it doesn't work both ways though isn't it? Women keep pointing out that we are offended by so much of gender ideology but the menz don't care surprise surprise.

Privileged white male uses the opportunity to make personal attacks, shocker. What’s depressing is that special K looks like he’ll fit right in at the Commons in 20 years time 🤦‍♀️

Do these type of debates usually have that level of abstentions?

Ah but did you notice how Kass kept swishing Kass's hair that's the clue you missed to the special status.

Kass also spells Kaldicott with an initial K. I do wonder if Kass's parents have any views on that.

Kass's gender stereotypical clothing is interesting, especially when Kass was taking about fear of being attacked or whatever because of Kass's appearance. I was a bit 😏

@IcakethereforeIam just got to the bit where Cass says Cass is non binary. Of course they are. Prior to that I just thought white privileged male with no skin in the game, now I think white privileged male who needs to feel special and is opting into being 'most oppressed' by oppressing women. Sigh.

I very much enjoyed Arif Ahmed’s speech, it was excellent. He was so confident in knocking back those who interrupted him, much more so than KS. I wonder why that could be?

I was disheartened by how few women got up to speak.

Why did this debate end up being so very focused on gender identity....

@Rightsraptor well, that explains the shiftiness. I should have realised privileged✔, white✔, male presenting✔....of course Cass will be nonbinary

Sorry about the Mrgendering. And Cass with a 'K', is it more authentic or is it more 'exotique' (surprised he didn't go with 'Spudooliquequay').

Well.... perhaps Kass has resorted to male dress to garner credibility ...... Like Kassandra knows very well that some one in male dress may be more persuasive to 'some' people.

Kass is waffling so much that it’s difficult to understand what point is being made in relation to the question. I’m not sure what it is about Kass’s appearance that we are supposed to believe causes fear of attack when walking alone at night though! There must have been hundreds of thousands of students that looked much the same, going back hundreds of years in time.

I dare say Dr Stock’s appearance would be much more likely to invite attack from predatory men, though of course I am wholly unable to put my finger on the reason why! 🥳