E.g. in 1950s, in Australia, I am told by my Irish Catholic colleagues,
teaching brothers and nuns brought their students up in a very
traditional form of education to "beat the bastards" (i.e. the anglo
middle class). By the 90s, the Australian Supreme Court, I'm told, had a
majority of Irish Catholic judges, who in the celebrated 'Mabo' decision
ruled that native people could apply to take control of crown land.
Irish Catholic Australians take equal pride in their state and national
political leaders who've maintained a social democratic government here
since the early 80's - throughout the Reagan, Thatcher years elsewhere.
How did this happen?
There must be similar rosy stories to tell of feminist achievements.
Isn't there something pathological about our negative feelings about the
impossibility of social change?
Jim Martin, Depat of Linguistics, University of Sydney