Why feminists need to stop being nice and tell the Left to fuck off

PersonaNonGarter, there's a simple reason why the right seems more woman-friendly. Their loyalty is to class, and by extension to "one of us." So if you're in a position to be accepted, however tenuously, as one of them, they'll worry less about you being female than a leftist.

Leftist men being officially egalitarian and all have to get their God-given status by birth from elsewhere. Being an actual good human being takes some work. So a lot of them go for the tried and true: maleness. Feminists are the worst because they give the lie to that whole world view just by being there.

And the article is bloody marvellous. Forgot to mention that.

It does seem to be a standard expected from the left rather than the right.
You know the saying if you're not a liberal as a young person you have no heart, and if you're not a conservative as an older person you have no brain? Not sure who said it. I firmly believe that a lot of leftist thought frames itself in moral terms. Hence why anything right wing is "evil". Sure, some policies and some people might be evil, but half the country aren't likely to be evil.
I got fed up with the moral high ground and the hypocrisy. Major's government got wiped out because they were massively unlikeable people who made moral pronouncements and had no morals themselves. Hypocrisy. Blair gets stick now for painting himself as a fluffy saviour whilst tricking us into both war and PFI. Hypocrisy. Brown, Mr Prudence, bailing as fast as he could. (And calling women bigots.) Hypocrisy. Cameron, "we're all in this together" hypocrisy.
So I'm not suggesting the right are any better, they're previously been hypocritical too. But I will never see the left as having the moral high ground again. I consider all my politics on a person by person and policy by policy basis. There are no goodies and baddies, that's an oversimplification we make to reassure ourselves we are goodies.

LangCleg “left wing men think women are public property”
Tbf there’s that bit in the Communist Manifesto when Karl Marx says this is a load of shit (because right wingers still cheated on there wives/used prostitutes etc) and men should start seeing women as people, not property.should probably have taken his own advice but there you go

There is an odd sort of expectation that women will be primarily concerned with being friends with someone, to the point of excluding the people her friends disagree with, without engaging her silly little brain about facts and stuff.

Come on, now, girls. Don't you want to fit in?

or that they think women are easily led?

"Easily led" 😂 I like it - comes from having all those emotions, and weak brains 'n stuff.

You only have to read Doris Lessing's autobiography, leave alone any of her novels, to understand the left's attitude to women. It's one of the reasons, although a 60s/70s feminist I would never align myself to the left.

They are are so far up their own bums virtue signalling they don't even see their hypocrisy.

With the far right you know you are dealing with devils and that's OK. With the far left it they simply cover their fork and tails with angel costumes.

Ani is a legend. Fearless against a lot of opposition in NZ and relatively alone in it. A great writer. Kia Kaha Ani!

I'm so glad of that article. I'm sick to the back teeth of being told how you can't associate with this person, or that person, because of an opinion they hold about something else entirely.

And yes, all it does is tie your hands ever tighter behind your back. No one, no one is good enough.

I'm not sure where this comes from, because I dont see it been held against men to such an extent. I don't see it in other issues apart from feminism, to be honest. It does seem to be a standard expected from the left rather than the right.

I don't know if the left aren't confident with debate, or that they think women are easily led?

Fabulous, wonderful article and so prevalent. I too am sick of the endless policing of who we are and aren’t supposed to associate with. It’s just another way to silence women - those pesky outspoken women, with their opinions and their wit and their refusal to give in and surrender meekly.

Brilliant article. Spot on.

I'm so glad of that article. I'm sick to the back teeth of being told how you can't associate with this person, or that person, because of an opinion they hold about something else entirely.

And yes, all it does is tie your hands ever tighter behind your back. No one, no one is good enough.

Make no mistake we know men outside of the left are not allies; they are resources and don’t you dare judge us for exploiting them

Women exploiting anything seems to be anathema to men who believe it should never be within their remit. Whilst allowing it to further their cause at every opportunity.

Brilliant article. And what a relief that someone can articulate the subject so comprehensively.

What a brilliant piece. She has articulated the discomfort and anger I felt when I was a union rep. Being expected to be a good rep, look after the members, but stay in my place during meetings. It was so obviously jobs for the boys, when it came to union activism and the more important roles.

I've read The Good Terrorist and really enjoyed it but it was 30-odd years ago and I can't remember much about it now But I can well imagine the far left trying to trash it. As for the style, as I recall it was more accessible than The Golden Notebook which took many false starts before I finished it.

Lessing does seem to have fallen off the literati radar. I cannot imagine why

Ani O'Brien if you're reading this. I'll look out for more of your stuff.

I first heard of it when Radio 4 dramatized it - girl goes home to ask her Mum for more money while calling her a fascist (I forgot to mention it's also funny).

That sounds interestingFreespeecher I'll check the book out.

Picked up this after clicking onto Ani O'Brien's Twitter feed. Think with Spiked and the Speccie etc it's less about allies and more about being allowed to say your piece while being expected to back it up with facts. Wonder if it'll catch on?

twitter.com/CriticalSisters/status/1095363150227169282?s=20

On the theme of women still being expected to cook and clean even in revolutionary movements, I recently read "The Good Terrorist' by Doris Lessing, which features a young woman squatting with her Hard Left group and proceeding to do the house up, cook etc.

Heartily recommended - it's clear that she's writing from her own experience and observations of such groups and human nature hasn't changed since it was written 40 odd years ago, and it could easily have been written today.

Oddly, when I googled it I was surprised to find it got some mixed to hostile reviews, especially for the writing style. I assumed it was from those who resented her ridicule of such groups but would be interested in the thoughts of any Lit Crit posters as it's the only Lessing I've read.

(Hope it wasn't too much of a diversion- I do think it's relevant).

Why is it any worse to align ourselves with someone who denies us the right to abortion and full reproductive autonomy than someone who quite literally advocates for our erasure as a sex class and as a consequence advocates for the destruction of human rights laws that protect us?

This

I’m sure this article has been posted before, but if you’ve not read it, it’s worth a read, particularly in the context of Ani O’Brien’s terrific piece.
www.abc.net.au/religion/transgenderism-the-latest-anti-feminist-wedge-of-the-left/10097710

Our memories aren’t long enough.

Remember when Stokely Carmichael was asked about the role of women in the civil rights movement?

“The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) attracted hundreds of idealistic young male and female activists, both black and white. Yet for all of the movement's commitment to racial equality, it failed to practice gender equality. The young men who led SNCC retained conventional notions of male superiority. They expected the women in the organization to cook meals, take notes, and defer to the men.

Once, when asked about the role of women volunteers in SNCC, Stokely Carmichael replied that the "only position for women in SNCC is prone."

Two white female activists, Casey Hayden and Mary King, wrote memos in 1964 and 1965 detailing their frustrations at the failure of the civil rights movement to recogniz issues related to women's concerns. They and others would eventually leave the civil rights crusade and helped organize the modern feminist movement.”
www.wwnorton.com/college/history/archive/resources/documents/ch34_02.htm

My own experience of left-wing organisations is that, no matter the rhetoric, women are still expected to do the washing up.

There is, in fact, a book by Australian writer Amirah Inglis, which is her memoir about being a member of the Communist Party in Melbourne in the 1940s. It’s called, The Hammer & Sickle and the Washing Up: Memories of an Australian Woman Communist

Kylie Tennant’s novel Ride on Stranger covers similar territory a decade earlier, (it’s a wonderful book).

Majority male organisations are rarely (never?), friends to women. Increasingly though, even female-centred organisations are not friends to women.

It is a great article, and the new backlash one Lang linked is excellent too.

that's a great article, I really enjoyed it

I've just had a lovely DM conversation with Ani too, just in case she hadn't seen this thread. It's an absolute honour to support her.

Having a day here, but these things keep you going.