It all hinges on anger doesn't it. Anger is what is needed to keep plugging away at it. Passion and enthusiasm can only carry you so far before you become so disillusioned you give up. I find it quite hard to stay angry (whether that's personality or social conditioning I don't know, maybe both), but that's why I love this section. It fires me up again.
When I first started using MN a few years ago I'll be honest that I found you (dittany) to be quite intimidating and I thought you were a very angry person. But you made an impression on me and you got me thinking, and I have you to thank for my coming to feminism. When i got shit on by a man and started looking at all the DV threads and threads about division of domestic chores, your posts stood out and gave me the validation I needed. That's what pulled me into this section. And then I realised that I have been brought up to believe that angry women are somehow 'wrong' in a way that doesn't seem to apply to men, and not only that, but also that anger is a good thing if it's in response to something that is unfair.
I don't even notice your anger any more - but I do get accused of being quite angry myself these days. 