Why "fun feminism" should be consigned to the rubbish bin

It does make me chuckle now that posters come into this section and are so shocked by radical feminist views being expressed. It's a bit like going in to Pram huns and calling people ridiculous for asking opinions on the latest bug-a-bollocks, or going in Travel and saying, "I don't have a passport, can't understand why you'd want to go off to those foreign places".

so if people disagree with you they must be brainwashed, EclecticShock?

How did you find that seahouses? How did you become successful and juggle your radical feminism... If indeed you are a radical feminist.

Do you know what a humanist is?

Eclectic - Why do you want to know if we are successful in a male dominated area? Are you going to answer any questions people are asking you?

Porto, you mean you were brainwashed. It's hilarious that I am not allowed to use "loaded" terms, which perfectly describe your approach IMO. I will not be censored by your social rules. I'm allowed to be a freethinker and day what I want. Bullying me psychologically, no matter how subtle or sophisticated does not impact me. I'm a humanist, those are my beliefs.

I am similar to portofino. I wouldn't say I consider myself to be a radical feminist but I'm afraid I do feel a bit when someone decides I'm not a feminist at all just because I'm married. Marriage may once have been a tool of patriarchal dominance, I agree that was the case. But it doesn't have to be.

To be honest, I'm in a bit of a slump at the moment.

But prior to that, both of my previous jobs were in male dominated areas and I worked in almost entirely male teams. It wasn't my intention; it is just the way it worked out.

Why are you asking?

Oh
I'd given you yje benefit of the doubt.
bit that's not what you are after is it?

What generally happens when people disagree with your viewpoint? Ie radical feminism. I guess they give up and those that are weak enough to be influenced by your illogical argument succumb?

Now I consider myself on a journey. I totally disagreed with radical feminism when I found myself in the FWR early threads. Had many a barney with certain key posters. But I listened, and I read, and I thought about stuff a lot. And I realised I didn't disagree quite so much.....

And yes, some things I still find a bit extreme. But I stop to think about these things and make my own mind up. For sure, there is still a lot to do before women are seen as truly equal. I, personally, don't think becoming MORE like men is the way forward, or the extreme Capitalist Xenia type opinions. I am learning and listening still. Nothing will happen if we only accept the fluffy bits.

Electric shock, it'd not about supremacy and extremism. Those are very loaded terms as you know. Using them here smacks of stirring rather than engagement

Don't be s feminist if you don't want. Nobody will force you

female supremacy?
would you mind explaining? I've never seen any posts suggesting women should be in control over men - just stuff from feminists of all sorts, wanting equality.

Actually, I correct myself. You will win hearts and minds... Of the vulnerable.

Such psychological bullshit, pardon my expression. Do you really think you can win hearts and minds with this approach. It's akin to brainwashing IMO.

No one can patronise you without your consent, to paraphrase the saying. They can try, sure, but you van shrug it off.
Loads of people know loads more than me on losds- well, every - topic. But if it chimes it chimes, the truth is the truth even if it's not packaged attractively.
It's like you are supposed to ne seduced into a particular political stance, when really it's there for the taking if you want it.
.

Are any of the radical feminists on here, actually successfully integrating into male dominated professions?

In fact, having read a few threads on this board, it generally smacks of female supremacy. This is not what I expected from feminism. I respected feminism but I was obviously very naive about the more fundamentalist side to it. I expect to be ignored as that's what seems to happen as people who disagree are seen as trouble makers or trolls. Or maybe you'll respond as you pity me being under the control of the patriarchal viewpoint. What a load of rubbish. Extremists are not healthy when they are dismissive of equality, the one thing they purport to seek. It's shame this board doesn't discuss topics which are actually useful in building a cohesive equality based society. What is wrong with the concept of humanism?

I think the problem is that in any progressive or revolutionary movement, the bits the patriarchy/ capitalism likes, are seized upon and held up (by those who don't support it) as the real movement while the bits they don't like, they dump.

So if you are part of a movement and the establishment or the power structures appear to like bits of it, you need to examine why they like it - why are they promoting this bit and not that?

An example is governments encouraged women to enter the workplace and stay in it because a larger pool of workers lowers wages, while refusing to change the structural sexism within the workplace which means that anyone with ongoing caring responsibilities, finds it very difficult to function and is severely hampered in progressing to the top -hence the glass ceiling.

I agree that you can disagree with someone without name-calling, but "fun-femininsm" doesn't count as name calling in my book. You also have to be aware, that while you can support the individuals who are at that stage of their journey, the people who have most power, are absolutely intent on ensuring that that stage is absolutely the end point for most of us, if we get there at all, and they'd really rather we hadn't got quite that far, thank you very much.

I'm new to this section of mn. I find it patronising that it seems some people on this board think that those that don't agree with them just haven't seen the light yet. It's like talking to a born again Christian. Radical feminism has really put me off this board to be honest.

What are you trying to achieve here? What is your ideology?

NYAC the more radical feminism may be for you but being new to the structure and concept of feminism as well as being happy in my marriage and as a mother what is radical and what isn't. I don't want to tell another women her concept of feminism is wrong just because her views are different to mine but I do want to see the stopping of FGM and Rape. I don't want to argue about which views are right.

And as I am new to feminism seen statements like the title is quite scary for those of us that are not fully committed yet.

I don't like the terms "fun fem" or "fem bot." Surely one can challenge or question ideas, suggest they are inconsistent and explain why without resorting to name-calling. It's like "lipstick lesbian" was in the early 90's. Silly names imho undermine what may otherwise be genuine arguments.

Having said that, I would like feminists of all kinds to focus more on what unites us rather than what divides us. Surely that creates more opportunity for engaging with those with whom we disagree, giving a better chance of changing hearts and minds than standing at the sides, calling them names and deriding them for not being "proper feminists." That doesn't mean going along with things you disagree with, but it means recognising that those who don't share your/our perspective may actually be just at a different stage of their "journey," and could actually become a genuine ally one day.

nyac I like unapologetic feminism. yes

I liked it.