Me, I think she's wildly overrated as an intellect. I think she picks her positions (perhaps unconsciously) based on their outrageousness quotient and then figures out how to support them. She impresses more because of her skill with words and her contrariness than the quality of her thinking. Seraphita, if you were to have a face-to-face with her over an issue you disagreed on, I'd bet you would make a much better case.
<< I've always respected and liked Camille Paglia. She talks so fast that you really get value for money when she makes an appearance! What's more she always *argues* her case rather than relying on anecdotal stories or knee-jerk PC responses. Even when I don't agree with her (which is a lot of the time) I can see the precise point where we part company. If I was talking to her face-to-face I know we'd have an intelligent conversation. Also, she has no time for those 1970s "anti-sex" feminists - the latest incarnation of the Puritan mindset. She loves classic literature and beauty in art. And she is genuinely concerned about the destination western culture is sleeping walking towards. >>
