Columnist James Macpherson speaks on ‘Woketopia’
Journalist and opinion writer James Macpherson was our speaker at last week’s formal hall dinner at Campion.
The Spectator Australia columnist and former Pentecostal preacher gave a fiery and entertaining speech about modern culture, making points from his recent book, Notes from Woketopia.
He argued that the modern Western world doesn’t engage in debate any more, preferring to reduce arguments to “pithy bumper sticker” statements, and this discourages people from thinking for themselves.
He said a major problem with a world that’s gone insane is we’ve deified tolerance and demonised intolerance.
“Jesus was the clearest example of tolerance and intolerance at the same time,” he said.
“He was tolerant of the sinner but intolerant of the sin. We should be intolerant, not of people, but of bad ideas.”
During the night, Dr Jeremy Bell (in lieu of Dean Dr Luciano Boschiero) handed out the Dean’s Merit List of awards to students who achieved a High Distinction or Distinction average in 2020.
The High Distinction average recipients were awarded to:
Ashleigh Mills
Gareth Cassidy
Deon Testore
Francis Zaar
John-Paul Canavan
Anita Kent
Sophie Ryan in absentia
Warwick Stacey in absentia
Sophia Shogren in absentia
Campbell Evans in absentia
Lara Rayner in absentia
The Distinction average recipients were awarded to:
| Simeon Casey | Emily Zmegac |
| Lauren Brodie in absentia | Seth Norton |
| Isabelle Lindsay | Hannah Tyson |
| Eliza Tome | Oliver Van Rensburg |
| Grace Hempel in absentia | Kate Harrison |
| Dougal Sinclair | Elizabeth Winsor O’Keefe in absentia |
| Luke Bassham | Basil Dore |
| Catherine Fanning in absentia | Catherine Meese in absentia |
| Daniel McDonald | Julian Vieira |
| Joshua Barratt in absentia | Abigail Pereira |
| Susanna Kent in absentia | Ariel Casanova |
| Molly McDonald | Genevieve Colman |
| Emily Zmegac | Nicholas Brennan |
| Helen Phillips in absentia | Megan Foote in absentia |
| Jaidan Juanta in absentia | Matthias Selbst in absentia |
| Elizabeth Nunes | Naomi McClarty |
| Paul Murphy in absentia | Margaret Bailey in absentia |
See photos below:
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