Being a student when you're Fed Up With This Shit

Cambridge Radical Feminist Network here -- JOIN US.

We are a loose network of women who basically meet up just to discuss stuff. We don't all agree with each other on everything and we don't expect it. Not all of our members describe themselves as 'radical feminists'. Some of us are closer to Marxism, others simply describe themselves as feminists. What unites us is a willingness to discuss things honestly, openly, and realistically.

We're currently on break for the summer so are not doing any official discussion groups at the moment, but some of us are still around Cambridge now (incl me) and have been to the pub a few times after term has ended just to hang out, so if you want to join us at any point, send us an email - [email protected] - and I'll add you to the contact list for the next time we meet up.

We have undergrads, postgrads, and a lot of women from the broader Cambridge community. Anybody here who is interested - like us on Facebook / follow us on Twitter (camradfems), and keep an eye out for announcements of new events. We've got big plans for new year.

Did half the women on this board attend the same university or something

Oh, no, darling, you (along with @Spinster of Arts) are the ones) validating us! None of this bullshit to rail against when I were a privileged Gen X undergraduate.

If you’re where I think you are, I’d contact the radical feminist society. You’ll probably meet some kindred spirits but if not, you won’t have to go back. If I didn’t have my GC friends, I’d go mad.

You'll still be a member of the university and of college once you graduate. Loads of people hang around.... .

I wasn't a mature student, but doing my M.A. (at another university) after a year or so's break, I really felt that the undergrads were really young. If you're a mature student, no wonder you're feeling isolated. Bon courage, dear. You are a thinking woman, and you have a place at the College of Mumsnet.

I know she's an MNer I'm quite an extreme leftie liberal, which is probably pretty off-putting

Not at all. I'm 95% sure we do know each other. I'm an economically centre-right, socially libertarian type. I disagree with most lefties on lots of things, but the only ones who annoy me are the ones who think that everyone who disagrees with them politically must be evil, and the ones who think that disagreement is 'literal violence'. Which, if you are who I think you are, is definitely not you! One of the nice things about meeting people at university is the diversity of political views.

Unfortunately I'll be leaving the university next week - and moving for my PhD to a London university also known for wokeness and no-platforming. There's no escaping it at the better-known institutions, I think.

You may need a reference from the uni. so keep your head down and get your degree imo.

If you are the university I think you must be at, then join the radical feminist group. They have exciting things planned for next year and area mixture of under and postgrads plus have also include non student women in their group meetings. You will find like minded people.

I'd consider writing a book but my uni workload for the next year is insane 😂

Yeah never mind that. This is more important.

@IMissGluten

Well yes thats what my friend did. Particularly if you are not sure how many students well get involved at first. Primarilly for students but a couple of residents come along now. It's only in early days so far. But it's really up to you what you want to do. If it's not a campus Uni then thats an ideal situation.

Good luck!

I'm lucky in that I am a mature student doing a part time professional course in a mixed institution so all students are older so less of the gender bullshit. One (male) student is very openly gender critical when we chat outwith class, and another (female) made openly disparaging remarks about gender one day in class. I was worried about someone making a complaint about her, but luckily it never happened.

The one piece of wokeness was being told to ask clients their gender identity and preferred pronouns, something I have no intention of doing.

I did briefly consider joining the student association, but due to practical reasons it would not be viable.

I do know they have self ID of sex/gender on ID cards, one student in my daughter's class got hysterical when they turned up for an exam, showed male ID and the invigilator questioned whether boys name was actually a boy as they were wearing a skirt and had pink hair. A tutor also acted bemused when another "male" student needed to use the toilet frequently to deal with problem periods.

Unfortunately you can't question in this environment, I know the disciplinary process is triggered by any complaint so it is best to just internally roll your eyes and get on with it.

I do understand you isolation, it does seem the rad fem society might be the only place you can find solidarity. It is also likely they would be the ones to challenge allowing men in.

A little of both, I think. My social circle is mainly postgrads, but I also think women who are that bit older are more likely to appreciate women-only spaces, and less likely to accept the more absurd parts of genderist dogma in order to be 'nice'.

I was irritated by the 'job done' sentiment, too. That and the assertion that there's no need for a mature-age college because every 18-year-old now has the opportunity to go to university, which just seemed cluelessly classist to me.

I hope this shite has passed over by the time my daughter gets to uni. She's 12 now and all my fingers are crossed.

We went for a run together yesterday and we talked about what's gender and what's sex. In a nutshell, stereotypes vs biological reality. I'm priming her now for the idiocy she's going to have to listen to.