The Burning Times: fascinating docu on women's power before Christianity

De-lurking here.

TYR you are obviously a MRA and therefore, within a feminist forum, just leave Dittany alone.

Men, already, have the entire world as their arena and we are doing a good job at creating an online arena of our own (on MN and elsewhere). May grate on your sense of (unearned) entitlement or sense of (unearned) superiority but, there you go, so (as I've said) just leave visionary and articulate women such as Dittany alone.

I don't have the time to wade through the entire discussion, but I would just like to point out that there are students who learn about witch-harrassment long before they get to 'A' level.
I was educated in Lancashire, and most schools' local history covers Pendle and the witches, well before GCSE in fact.
I first studied it in Junior school.

Ooh, I just remembered, I meant to post ages ago but forgot - SAF, re. menstruation and early culture, I heard that some scientists wanted to test the pigment in the walls of some of the Lescaux caves because they had an idea that it might have contained menstrual blood (you know, the caves that have vulvas and red bits that some people think might be wombs on). Interesting, if so - but I don't think they were allowed to do it/got results from it, sadly.

Oh, Tyr, you brought in another stereotype about 'tired and emotional' women just for me?! I'm flattered!

If you head on over to Brave Babes, they'll give you a good sense of how plausible it is that I'm pissed, btw.

SAF - I agree you can tell a lot about men from the way the react to periods, and women's bodies in general. Dehumanize, and then you can more easily abuse. Classic abusive behaviour, writ large.

LRD,

The wine is in and the wit is out.

LRDTheFeministDragon Tue 31-May-11 22:48:54

Tyr, you know what? Fuck off, fuck off when you get there, and then fuck off some more.

Is that the level of debate that suits you best, or should I try to lower my tone a little?

"As for saying it must 'sting a bit' to know about women being sold and abused - you arrogant bastard. I hope you don't have a mother, wife or a daughter. How would you feel if it were them? Would it still 'sting a bit'?

Have you told your friends that they have been sold and abused as livestock? You must have been the life and soul of a few wedding parties.
Absolutely priceless

(Wow I put that crassly ... sorry, I'm knackered but hopefully you know what I'm getting at.)

Oops, missed your post SGM - thanks for the explanation.

I guess this is one of those things where you have to decide where you stand between respecting someone else's religious beliefs (even if you find them offensive), and not patronizing another culture by assuming people from it can't be expected to 'get' feminism ... I don't know where I'd stand with this specific issue though, because to be fair menstrual blood is messy, no question about it.

I believe its religion based, Judaism I think but have not had this confirmed.

I assume he never shakes any woman's hand exactly because he can never know whether they are 'unclean' or not. Eurgh. Just adds to the feeling I had as a teenager that periods were 'dirty' and 'embarrasing', really annoys me

I'm sure my Catholic friend's mother used to spend a week a month in a different bedroom to the father too as she was deemed unclean when having her period.

Off to bed but will catch up in the morning, very interesting thread

I know how that feels mooncup - I ended up having to justify why I wasn't changing my name at my wedding reception, as my cousins' wives and my aunties stood there telling me they're have to re-write all the cheques they'd given us ... it's quite hard to find a way to explain that doesn't sound rude, isn't it? Not that I'm usually too worried about coming across as rude on this issue, but there are times and places aren't there?

LRD I feel your pain. I embarrassed myself a few weeks ago at a hen do when my friend the bridge mentioned that she was changing her name (only in a personal capacity, not at work, but still). I expressed shock drunkenly in a principled way, only to realise that almost all the other people round the table were also married women who had changed their names. Oops. It is occasions like these that make me fantasise about living in a feminist commune.

Oo yes. We could be like a bleeding flashmob.

The thing that's baffling me slightly, is how would her ever know? At least I know now the answer if a man ever asks as I go to shake his hand

for a divide and rule strategy, it's not working too well, is it?