Well, that's us told

For those unfamiliar, Begonias are brightly coloured floppers, you normally find them in a hanging basket outside your favourite countryside pub.
Maybe that's why I like them!

(And do have rather a lot in common with a badly fitting frilly blouse :))

So, by her logic, only unprivileged women should be taken any notice of.
Those with no voice and no platform.
Very convenient.

Exactly.

''JKR isn't allowed an opinion on women's rights because she's white and rich''.

''Middle class women aren't allowed an opinion on women's rights, because they're all white and privileged''.

''Middle aged women aren't allowed an opinion on women's rights'' (because sexism and ageism)

''Mum's aren't allowed an opinion on women's rights because''...??

If none of those women are allowed opinions, that leaves people like me...

Lower class, paid peanuts, no qualifications, no children. If I spoke out publicly I know I'd be threatened, reported, probably lose my job with absolutely nothing to fall back on and maybe even a 'hate crime' on my record to prevent me finding another job to pay me more peanuts.

Very convenient for them indeed.

At the risk of straying from begonias

The real fears bit jumps out and is also kind of what happens - it plays on real fears of men, real fears of "being erased"

Is talking about the fear of a child rapist escaping prison because they identify as trans playing on people’s fears? I only ask ‘cos it’s happened

How about male sex offenders being incarcerated in women’s prisons and then assaulting the women there? I only ask ‘cos it’s happened

How about men competing in women’s sports and taking places that should be taken by women? I only ask ‘cos it’s happened

How about a man assaulting a 10 year old girl while he was in the women’s toilets? I only ask ‘cos it’s happened

How about a man taking a job at a rape counseling service thereby denying access to counseling for women who feel unable to deal with a man in such circumstances? I only ask ‘cos it’s happened

I could go on but my fingers are tired and frankly it makes me sad and angry

The‘playing on people’s fears’ types never want to talk about specifics do they?

Radicalised 😂😂😂😂

And don't forget privileged. I never fail to notice how calling mumsnetters privileged means we shouldn't be listened to.

So, by her logic, only unprivileged women should be taken any notice of.

Those with no voice and no platform.

Very convenient.

Why is a woman with a view of her own dismissed as a handmaiden?

In the article Baker dismisses women with "views of their own" as bigots, TERFs and transphobes.

Woman says something I don't like!
Quick, call her a name and dismiss her opinion straight out of hand!

All the articles about Mumsnet peddle the following stereotypes:

1. Middle-class women are ghastly.
2. Mothers are stupid people only interested in prams, nappies and potty training.
3. Middle-aged women are pathetic and clueless.

Then there's always a sentence expressing surprise. "I thought Mumsnet was full of ghastly, stupid, pathetic and clueless women! Imagine my horror when I realised that they have opinions about stuff."

It's amazing that you get this guff from young women who themselves are middle-class and who will one day also (probably) be mothers and (certainly) middle-aged. As prejudices go, it's utterly self-sabotaging. What you mock today, one day you will be.

Wankers.

@younoob - wheesht is Scots, it means be quiet/ssshh.

Things I always wanted to know but too embarrassed to ask: what does wheest mean?

Scottish phrase that means "be quiet" / "shut up"

But mostly ignorant. Because whether old, young, black, white, privileged or oppressed, we are the wrong kind of women.

I don't know what a begonia is but I know Aunt Petunia had them in her garden in Harry Potter.
Maybe she was on Mumsnet. Anyone seen a aibu for letting my nephew sleep in a cupboard?

I'm not taking reading scorning for someone who couldn't even find a quote to support their JK Rowling is transphobic theory in her relatively short essay.
By the by, I waded through the Katie Montgomery 'analysis' where I found a mash up of the usual arguments, but no substance. So I think I deserve to skim an article and say it's too long and nonsensical to read. I do like to occasionally have time for reading interesting things. (Like Plop the Owl!)

I don't even know what a begonia is. Are they those slightly thick Greene leaves plants with colourful flowers or is that geraniums? Ive also worked continuously apart from mat leaves since I was 17 thanks very much patronising journalist woman.

Well one moment she's saying we are all neurotic isolated new mums. In the next breath we are middle aged pearl clutchers. Does Mumsnet suddenly age you as soon as you read your first FWR post?

The funniest thing about all this is that our biggest crime is being middle aged It just blows their tiny minds doesn't it?

For any young feminists who cannot understand your Gender Critical positions and are at the end of their tethers with their mother, aunt, grandmother, neighbour, collegue, teacher, lecturer, doctor, MP, favourite writer etc who has become engulfed in the gender critical discourse mainly thanks to this website , many have found this thread useful:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3145470-Break-it-down-for-me

Things I always wanted to know but too embarrassed to ask: what does wheest mean?

@risefromyourgrave how difficult is it to grow them indoors? I’ve so far failed at growing wild flowers and bonsai trees, though I had some gorgeous sunflowers last year (don’t advise growing these indoors. Sat on the windowsill they ended up taller than the window).

You bad females of MN, corrupting all us other bad females of MN. Shouldn’t we have learned to wheesht by now?

Geraniums are scaly looking bastards which smell of sweaty metal.

My mum used to wake me up for school/when hungover by shaking the landing geranium in my face.

If the worst my dds have to cope with is me being Radicalised by Mumsnet, they're getting off pretty lightly .

Luckily they're both Gender Critical & Geranium Critical, although I don't believe we've discussed begonias.

Well. My dad used to love his Begonia Rex and even built a shade house for them. He had some spiral leaf ones too.

I love my double trailing begonias from hanging baskets. The bedding ones leave me cold with their little flowers and fleshy leaves, like they can’t decide if they are a Begonia or a Kalanchoe.

All my waffle though doesn’t change the lack of balance in this article supposedly written by a bonafide journalist.

Risefromyourgrave

I knew someone would share my love of begonia rex. I feel validated.

Spellchecker turned that into 'begins sex.'

YouSetTheTone, no that’s geraniums, a smell that will always take me back to my Nan’s greenhouse!
And I have to stick up for begonias, I too was a BERF until I got obsessed by houseplants over the lockdowns. I now have 7 various Begonia Rex cuttings sprouting in glasses on my windowsill, the leaves are so pretty!