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Original poster

The Mary Beard Appreciation Society

368 replies

ArcheryAnnie · 16/02/2015 11:11

Professor Mary Beard was one of about 130+ people who signed a letter to the Guardian this weekend, saying broadly that universities should be a place of discussion and debate, and the current habit of "no-platforming" women (it's almost always women) some students disagree with was inimical to the very purpose of education.

Out of these 130+ signatories, Mary Beard was the one the usual suspects piled on to, and she dealt with the barrage with such grace. The attacks were mostly divided between the "OMG transphobe" type" and the "very sad to see this nice old dear who didn't understand what she was signing" type, which is breathtakingly patronising when referring to one of the most brilliant academics we have. Most of the other signatories weren't attacked at all in the same way or in the same volume, although some signatories who are PoC were labelled "tokens" by the usual suspects, which is also amazingly patronising and dismissive of their choices and their expertise.

When I grow up, I want to be Professor Mary Beard. (But I would probably have to grow an extra couple of brains to do it.)

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BuffytheThunderLizard · 16/02/2015 17:35

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BuffytheThunderLizard · 16/02/2015 17:32

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FloraFox · 16/02/2015 17:31

I'm level 2 Blush must try harder.

I don't think MB or PT are on it but Nick Cohen is on there for his article about Kate Smurthwaite.

tropic it's interesting to hear that a lot of students disagree but are afraid to say anything. My view is that a lot of the transactivists don't believe them and are pretending so they'll appear compassionate and on message. A number of people say things that are inconsistent with the current dogma. If they get noticed, there's usually a pile on which there is no coming back from even after the compulsory repentance.

SunshineBossaNova · 16/02/2015 17:31

Annie I haven't read it. I used to follow her on Twitter but gave up for obvious reasons.

I'm a mature student so it's not as isolating as it might be if I were a younger student. I used to think GS was really open to ideas, but it seems they have to be the right ideas.

MehsMum · 16/02/2015 17:28

Just read Mary B's response. Measured and sane, as always.

Jeanne, I became aware of that letter via your blog. I read it and thought it sounded entirely reasonable.

Original poster
ArcheryAnnie · 16/02/2015 17:26

God, Sunshine, I was just reading that response by Natascha wotsit, who is at Goldsmiths, and thinking I hope my DS doesn't go there.

My sympathies - that must be really horrible and isolating.

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BOFster · 16/02/2015 17:25

Sign me up.

SunshineBossaNova · 16/02/2015 17:22

tropic I'm a student at Goldsmiths. I keep my head down and my feminist opinions to myself. I'd probably be criticised as a whorephobic TERF for my views. Thank feck for FWR indeed.

Original poster
ArcheryAnnie · 16/02/2015 17:22

tropic I've been tiptoeing around on other social media, because I'm nervous - I don't want to be doxxed, and I don't want to lose the friendship of people I really like - but lately I've come out of my shell just because I can't stand it any more.

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PetulaGordino · 16/02/2015 17:22

The whole thing is crackers. I'm furious, but depressingly not surprised, at the way she has been treated.

tropic · 16/02/2015 17:12

I'm actually astonished at the lack of self-awareness of some of those attacking MB/PT for signing this letter. Some of these are the same people who get up in arms about phrases such as 'women menstruate', or 'women have vaginas', yet are now tweeting things like 'Having people tell you on Twitter that you're wrong is not in fact the same as being beaten up by Red Guards in Mao's China.' No shit. Neither is having someone sign a letter you disagree with.

I agree completely with Jeanne about Mumsnet being a space of reason (the FWR boards at least.) When I come into contact with feminism irl, it's always the kind promulgated by those criticising Mary Beard. I'm a student, and I know a lot of other feminist students are growing increasingly tired of this faction's utter domination of feminist student politics. Yet no-one feels they can say anything, because if they do, they face a reaction like Mary Beard's had. Surely we're heading towards some sort of tipping point where the majority of feminists realise how ridiculous this constant tiptoeing around is? I hope so, anyway.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 17:08

It seems to be anyone who supports the Nordic model = whorephobic

BuffytheThunderLizard · 16/02/2015 17:03

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Original poster
ArcheryAnnie · 16/02/2015 17:03

Woah. I wish I was surprised about the way Rachel Moran has been treated, but after the "Kate Smurthwaite is whorephobic for spending her time and energy supporting survivors" debacle, I suppose I'm not.

I Believe Her - exactly, Jeanne.

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JeanneDeMontbaston · 16/02/2015 17:03

Not poor me. Poor a lot of other people, though.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 17:01

Oh, poor you!

JeanneDeMontbaston · 16/02/2015 16:48

Ah - to be fair, I think what you are thinking of isn't what I am thinking of.

I had a twitter conversation with someone who thinks Moran is whorephobic, but I didn't see her claiming Moran is lying. OTOH, someone in my RL has just told me she is.

Which is why we have We Believe You, I guess.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 16:38

I read that Jeanne, not in a stalkery way, it was just on my tl. I don't think the women who said that is really interested in discussion to be fair, she seems quite.... entrenched?

JeanneDeMontbaston · 16/02/2015 16:33

This makes me aware of how lucky I am to know about MN. I could very easily not know, not having kids. On here, nobody thinks I am evil or mad for believing that we ought (at the very least) to be able to discuss issues around sex work/prostitution.

I thought I know all the flashpoints for feministy discussions, but that one's really shocked me. Just had someone say sneeringly that Rachel Moran is probably lying about having been a prostitute, because I'd said I was influenced by her.

I'm just stunned.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 16:22

Beard has now been labelled an unrepentant bigot because she signed a letter about free speech.

Read that sentence through a few times and just let it sink in how bloody ironic it is.

Original poster
ArcheryAnnie · 16/02/2015 16:02

The language used by some of the main culprits clearly echoes male abuse. We've had the "you made be so angry it's your fault" for a long time. Mary Beard has been getting "it's because I love you I'm so angry".

My god, FloraFox, you are right. I hadn't looked at it that way before.

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TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 16/02/2015 16:01

Good for you Flora! Level 1 or level 2?

Have they put Beard and Tatchell on there yet?

FloraFox · 16/02/2015 15:41

countess an unrepentant bigot no less!

Agree puffins I'm not a huge PT fan. In his case I'm somewhat amused that he has been turned on by this mob as he possibly thought his standing as a transactivist would put him ahead of that.

Buffy I'd be interested in reading more about post-structuralism.

On a side note, I see I'm on the blockbot. It strikes me as a useful way to see who is dim-witted enough to use it. So far only four people that I have noticed. One seems to be a Graham Linehan, which seems surprising. Maybe he blocked me personally but I can't think of any tweets he would have particularly noticed. I'm not a prolific tweeter.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 15:23

Him being Peter Tatchell obvs.

PuffinsAreFictitious · 16/02/2015 15:23

Not a big fan of him myself, but the accusations made against him would have been bloody laughable, if they hadn't been so relentless and, in a couple of cases, scary.