I'm just going to hang out in here all day

I know how you feel OP it's exhausting and sometimes you wish you could put the blinkers back on.
Things that help me-
remembering how far we have come (and we stand on the shoulders of giants...) even recently marital rape was not a crime
I now work in DV which in some ways is grim but I'm part of a team of strong, committed women- and even before that I worked in female dominated workplaces with plenty of feminists
My DC- all now adult, 2 women and 2 men see patriarchy for what it is- unfortunately some of them have swallowed the TG koolaid, but I hope logic will prevail in the end.

The Internet doesn't help because it's so male dominated and there is so much shit out there. Such as the family court are biased, there is no gender pay gap, white WC men are the most discriminated against group there is blah blah blah. So it all gets vicious and polarised. I despair.

There's part of me which wishes I didn't see it in a way but on the whole it's vital as many as possible do. It must be frustrating not knowing anyone who feels the same way in person DeleteOrDecay but I hope you know you're far from alone!

I feel the same. I stupidly get sucked into the comments section under articles on Facebook which is always an eye opener (in a bad way). Which doesn't help.

I do genuinely feel like the vast majority of women don't see it, or don't want to see it. I don't know anyone personally who holds the same feminist views as me. Not openly anyway. So it can get a bit lonely at times.

This forum is an education actually. You realise how many women are really being oppressed by the men they are live with are in relationships with. in this day and age why are women putting up with men who cheat/abuse/are lazy and disrespectful? How many women on this forum have been raped or treated disgracefully. I find it really really sad that women think they still have to put up with this shit. Men watching porn, men who think their needs come first, men who think women will just pick up the pieces and keep the show on the road despite their total selfishness. Not all men are like this. The men in my life are not like this at all because I would never want to be around men who are like this. Why do so many women think this is all they deserve????

I can understand it to an extent as challenging misogyny certainly doesn't lead to popularity with boys - but it's also frustrating this is seen as at all important! I keep repeating it but I really think it's telling there's not any other group of people who'd do such a thing with content demeaning themselves (or say things criticising themselves generally). Probably articulating this badly!

Whichjob totally hear ya. It's utterly exhausting and my efforts feel so futile tbh. I constantly call it out at work but it is hard work and doesn't seem worth it some days.

My peers on here and on twitter (and my new fb account!) keep my chin up.

I also despair at the number of girls who "like" and share sexist and misogynist content on social media. I can't imagine any other group being so ready to do so on content demeaning themselves. Of course many, many girls and women don't but it's something I've noticed and wouldn't occur with another group; another reason I pay less and less attention to it and prefer here

The pace of change is slow.

I remember a game of giant steps and baby steps. This game was played with both sexes. Rarely did the women win, even though it was a game that relied on doing two things. You called on those you thought were going to tag you to take baby steps and you would give someone else a chance.

It was a horrible game. The males would always let the males win. Sometimes they let a female win, but would always say, I let her win.

Once played it with my female friends (we were pre secondary school and Northern Ireland has a long summer break). It was fun because we all got a chance to be the leader and we all allowed everyone else to lead too. An understanding of equality right there.

I'd love a tea and sympathy thread! You know that quote "the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off"? Well I'm not feeling very free yet.

OP me too.

I'm on my period, very very emotional and I had a mini breakdown yesterday when trying to explain how important this is and how scared I am to my DP.

I just don't know what to do. It's on my mind all the time and I question my every thought and action and the reasoning behind it. Do I really want to shave my legs? Or wear makeup sometimes? Why do I continue to go along with so many misogynistic tools of the patriarchy?

I hear you, OP. Sometimes I wish I could go back to being oblivious...I even remember years and years ago telling some friends that I wasn't a feminist!😳😳 I wish I didn't harbour the resentment towards men that I do....sometimes it scares me how I seethe at their behaviour and their casual destructiveness. I would like to go back to the time when I liked men. But now, I can't see what there is to like.😒

The good thing is that I can educate my children and I always challenge thoughtless words people use. I end up feeling very annoyed and let down by people when I listen to the crap they come out with. I just try to get them to think a bit differently. Some people have told me they do think differently now about feminism because I challenged them, so that is one good thing!!

all round

I've put the kettle on if anyone wants a cuppa.

We do seem to have a few allies in RL. Mainly men who dont want to be told to suck ladydick.

It is awful, but you know what? A year or so ago, is he reading feminist articles and feel like I was all but alone. Today there seems to be loads of women (and not just activists but every daynirnak women) who have woken up to what's going on - and they're angry. It really does give me hope.

This forum is indeed fantastic WhichJob. I'm lucky in that my friends are feminists but the level of misogyny amongst many is overwhelming, it worries me how commonplace and accepted it is. So much of what I've heard even from people I've come across is worrying, let alone how pervasive misogyny is through society. I am also frequently overwhelmed by the level of male violence against women and girls and that it barely registers as news but I shan't go into that too much here! The feeling of being tired by it all is something I very much identify with and it frequently really gets to me, to the extent my head seems filled with it and I just want it all cleared out (I'm articulating this badly). It's heartening to think of all the fantastic women and girls fighting against it all in so many ways and none of us being alone.

Hope you are OK pooch x

Thank you nolove, that's very kind

It's tiring WhichJob. But we are strong. It's worth the struggle.

Rest and recuperate. We'll fight for you today