On Rape: Greer on Consent at The School of Life Sydney

Academic and feminist Germaine Greer speaks to The School of Life about the history and complexities of consent.

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Modern society is deeply attuned to the issue of consent. We refuse to turn a blind eye to the pervasive nature of predatory behaviour and to the intractable statistic that one in five women will experience sexual violence.

Consent is at the very heart of the difficult conversations we are attempting to have – but our understanding of its underlying complexities is often limited or, worse still, simplistic. Consent is not just something lacking in cases of sexual assault or in unhealthy power dynamics, it is often something lacking in the everyday sex lives of many Australians.

Germaine Greer will offer a short introductory examination of the history of consent, its current legal frameworks and the problems of prosecution. From there, The School of Life will interrogate the issue of consent with Greer and explore the practical implications of her ideas.

This event is likely to raise more questions than it will answer. At The School of Life we believe in creating spaces for rigorous discussions about the emotional concerns of everyday life. While we do not purport to have the answers, we are interested in asking difficult questions and engaging with the world’s great thinkers to solicit their ideas on these subjects. We acknowledge that Greer is an undeniably controversial thinker, and we ask you to join us for this difficult, yet mature and necessary conversation.

Some of the questions we aim to address include:

• How do unbalanced power dynamics complicate the nature of consent?
• How can the discussion of consent help us build better support, education and legal systems?
• How can we empower ourselves and future generations to navigate consent in an increasingly complex world?  
• What are the practical steps we can take to create meaningful change?

We understand that this event addresses topics that will be confronting for some people. If you feel this event is right for you, we ask that you trust The School of Life to explore the subject through an emotionally mature and respectful dialogue with one of this century’s most prominent and outspoken feminist thinkers.