Are men obsolete?
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times argued Yes at a debate in Toronto on Friday night.
Opposing Dowd and Slate’s Hanna Rosin before a crowd of 3,000 at Roy Thomson Hall were Camille Paglia and Caitlin Moran, that punky, new-wave feminist from London.
The debate, part of a twice-yearly series sponsored by Canadian gold baron Peter Munk, ranged from Miley Cyrus to new Fed head Janet Yellen to, this being Toronto, the city’s embattled crack-smoking mayor, Rob Ford — who should be obsolete.
Paglia berated “upper-class feminists” for being “indifferent to the gallant work of construction workers.”
Dowd, meanwhile, declared, “Men are so last century,” and also quipped: “Saudi Arabia is oppressive, but it’s more liberated than the Catholic Church.”
Told later at a small cocktail party that the results were in, and her side had won, Dowd quipped, “I demand a recount.”
The flame-haired scourge of presidents confided to social columnist Shinan Govani that she had never debated before, and had brought lots of wardrobe options. “I always bring five dresses,” she said.