Where did all the Feminists go?

Yes please to the
I agree with your post TiggyD, but if those points are recognised, it should still be possible to have discussions and ask questions of each other without it always ending in a tirade and a dogfight.
Shouldn't it?
As adults?

It's said that one person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist.

Likewise, one person's disagreement is another person's derailing a thread.
One person's liberal feminist is another person's MRA handmaiden.
One person's belief is another person's mad idea.
One person's bullying is another person's standing up for themselves and being forceful.
One person's "fuck off you extremists to a corner over there" is another person's giving radical people a space to express their ideas.
One person's equalist nonsense is another person's desire for a better world.

More anyone?

I have discovered that there are three ways to get yourself thoroughly flamed on mumsnet. 1) Disagree with controlled crying 2) Suggest that private education might not be a force for good in society, and 3) express views that distinguish you from a doormat.

Is this a good poit to mention the Snake in the Midst?

No?

Oh okay then.

There shoudl be space for all and feminism should inform all threads and boards.

you want to know why lots of people avoid this section?

read previous posts on this thread

way to go in supporting each other against oppression, sisters

rad/lib/fun stop categorising each other

it's feminism ffs, not fucking team games

Where did they go MillyR? Because I am unaware of any feminist forum that is remotely like what here used to be. I am genuinely interested.

I'm still one of the equalist nonsense brigade, and I enjoyed the FWR boards for the most part, learned a lot, disagreed with some of the views and sighed at the inflexibility and aggression of a few.
I liked the intellectual debates, and all the referencing to texts that went on, rarely contributed to those but read and lurked and learned.
But there were far too many women who weren't MRAs, or rape apologists or even looking for a fight who got caught by flack or never posted or hid the boards after a flaming, and that was an issue that needed addressing. No solution suits everyone completely, ever.
If there are those that want to find and follow the many erudite and feminist women who used to post here regularly, they could always pm them and ask which sites and locations they are hanging out on now.

This thread seems to be in three "parts,"

1. LOTS and LOTS of people posting, we miss the 'radfems', we leaned a lot from them/found them very interesting and we wish they would come back.

1. 'Radfems' posting to point out that there is only so much you can take, that they felt under attack and under supported and it all got relentlessly pointless so they left and won't be coming back.

1. Annoying derailer/attacking type people with nothing to add to the discussion but the type of non-relevant nonsense that caused the trouble in the first place.

I sympathise with the posters who fall into points 1 and 2. It does not seem right to have let those who fall into number 3 triumph. In the past it sounds as though the number 2 lot were so attacked/distracted by the number 3 brigade that they failed to notice the vast majority of the number 1 group. The thing is, most people in groups 1 and 2 could probably have easily identified the number 3s and probably didn't need to see their stupid points answered at all. Therefore those in number 3 could be and should be completely blanked and ignored.

Therefore, all the number 2 people ought not to give in, the long history of the women's rights movement is not about giving in! Let's hope they do come back and post in whatever MN wants to call the board now and that discussion/debate is better for it.

I think separating is really good, people who aren't in any group just like looking and don't mind discussing topics can pop in and out without being torn a new one like in the past.
People like previous alienate 'normal' people and reinforce the neg. stereotype of feminism.

"handmaidens claiming to be feminists and the whole equalist nonsense brigad"

As an equalist handmaiden myself I think that's exactly the shit which made FWR so uncomfortable to read and put many women off, who'd otherwise be interested in reading and posting in this section.

I think I miss the laughs the most.

There were some fecking hilarious, witty and incisive posts/threads on here sometimes.

I agree seeker - I would probably be considered on MN as a radical feminist who holds some pretty 'out there' views.

In reality I am wishy washy on many things and women who live as radical feminists would roll their eyes at my wishy washyness.

On here am Nutty Extremist Man Hater With An Agenda.

It is sort of funny.

Also as has been said many times on here, the FWR section was fluffy kittens, with regards to how scathing/direct people could be, compared to the majority of feminist spaces on the internet.

Which is odd - I mean when you think how 'robust' most areas of MN are in general.

For me what often got called 'radical feminism' on MN, was just 'feminism'. I think a lot of people don't realise how big on overlap there is between classic liberal and radical feminism.

Wow, reading this thread you could almost believe no radfem ever bullied anyone on here.

What a charming post EleanourHandbasket .

Personal attack, outing, rude and PA all in a oner.

Personally it is posts like that and the constant attacking of 'radfems' plus the troll hunting that put me off posting here.

I didn't fall out with anyone on Facebook so that is nothing to do with me deciding this section was becoming a waste of time.

TBH I have been put off MN as a whole because of the way MNHQ seem to turn a blind eye to the bullying/troll hunting of some posters (when it suits them). Not saying they put up with it all the time, they don't.

I still read the section sometimes. My opinion is that it has gone from being a pretty unique place on the internet - a big feminist space with a lot of traffic that didn't shy away from challenging and consciousness raising feminist discourse, and this on a on a parenting website!! to something less unique, less challenging and less consciousness raising.

But it seems that that is what people wanted. [shrug]

With hindsight, I think it is incredible that it lasted as long as it did.

It could only happen in the first place because MN is a predominantly female space. Shame that wasn't enough.