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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Priti Patel Doing Her Job

217 replies

Flaxmeadow · 20/05/2021 12:53

Priti Patel, our Home Secretary, has been photographed attending the arrest of suspected people traffickers in London . Great you would think, the prosecution of organised crime, modern day slavery being rooted out and made an example of.

Yet ATM on SM there are masses of comments where Priti Patel is being described as a Nazi, Goebbels, evil bitch, ugly faced cow, Fascist, concentration camp guard, child murderer, and so on. She is even being criticised for her shoes, the type of footwear many South Asian heritage women wear. Also accused of masturbating (she has her hands in her pockets in the photo)

Most of these comments are from men. Why so much hate for a woman doing a tough job?

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FindTheTruth · 20/05/2021 17:17

@AssassinatedBeauty

I have no issue with people saying she is shit at her job and evil, that's not misogynistic. Abusing her purely by criticising her appearance only, or using misogynist terms of abuse like bitch/witch/whore or similar are not something that should be acceptable, whatever the particular politician has done. That's not "fair criticism", it's just abuse.
I agree. debating politics and policies is one thing. misogynistic abuse is another.

This @Flaxmeadow thread is about the mass abuse of a woman by men on social media and carting off people traffickers. (GOOD)

If misogyny can't be recognised on FWR, without descending into cancel culture, where can it be? FWR.... where we point out the automatic silencing of women who dare to voice their views or exist. one of the things that I (usually) like about FWR is that it's a place for people, from all walks of life and politics, to talk about about threats to women and children.

TedImgoingmad · 20/05/2021 17:16

She's not a likeable person, doesn't shine with intelligence (as I would like all politicians to do) and has helped drive through some fairly reprehensible policies I do not agree with.

And yet, I can't help having a grudging admiration for her chutzpah. She simply does not give two fucks what people think of her. She's not trying to be liked. Very much like Thatcher, she has the hide of rhino and complete confidence in herself and her mission.

TrishM80 · 20/05/2021 17:15

I don't care if Priti Patel is a man or woman, or a person of colour or white, she's a nasty piece of work, end of.

Fishandhips · 20/05/2021 16:58

@AssassinatedBeauty

I seriously disagree with Priti Patel and intensely dislike her politics. The comments on SM are totally wrong and are because she is female and non-white. Just like Theresa May used to get, and Diane Abbott does too.
Pretty much. Men in politics are held to a much lower standard.
Captpike · 20/05/2021 16:41

I'm educated, but can't take Pritti Patel's politics.
I've got a doll that I stick pins in.
Look out for her clutching her side, that'll be me grin

You sound deranged.

GroggyLegs · 20/05/2021 16:32

It is a bizarre detail to focus on.
@AssassinatedBeauty

I'm not sure if that was to me directly, but some of us have DEEPLY boring jobs that sadly pick up this kind of stuff constantly.

If it's any consolation, I bore myself.

Mollyollydolly · 20/05/2021 16:28

Agree with her on hardly anything politically.

She gets misogynistic and racist abuse.

If they're deporting people traffickers who cause so much human misery (especially to women) and highlighting it with publicity I'm all for it.

Quincie · 20/05/2021 16:27

MN has always hated her.
Personally I'm impressed - what an impossible, thankless job - and pretty dangerous, hope she has good protection officers. Wrong sex, wrong colour, wrong race, shit no win job. Brave woman, as is D Abbott.

AssassinatedBeauty · 20/05/2021 16:22

I don't think a single person here is suggesting that Patel must stay in her role because she is a woman.

The point I am making is that it doesn't matter how unpleasant she is, how bad she is at her job, how vile her politics are - that still doesn't mean that she should be subject to misogynist abuse.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 20/05/2021 16:14

@idontlikealdi

She's been completely ineffectual at her job, achieved nothing.

You cant claim feminism and keep a woman in a top position because they're a a woman. Angel Rayner is another.

FFS why can't we get competent women to the top or are they all to clever and are working their way the private sector and avoiding this shitshow.

Is this for real?
jb7445 · 20/05/2021 16:08

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

lazylinguist · 20/05/2021 16:08

I think she's vile. But I find it pretty depressing that anyone thinks that makes it fine for men (or other women) to (yet again) spout bile about women in politics or any other responsible public role on the basis of their attractiveness and dress sense. It doesn't stop being misogyny just because it's a woman you don't like.

Flaxmeadow · 20/05/2021 15:58

I'll amend the Wikipedia page accordingly 🙄

What's that supposed to mean?

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KinseyWinsey · 20/05/2021 15:54

@collaborate hear hear.

She is a foul person. Could not care less whether she is woman, Asian or whatever. She's unprofessional and stupid and utterly untrustworthy.

Her secret meetings with the Israeli government were outrageous. And yet she's back in government.

I think she really enjoys watching this kind of thing.

Wasn't her dad a UKIP counsellor?

Collaborate · 20/05/2021 15:44

She's an awful Home Secretary. She is responsible for a raft of cruel and damaging far right policies targeting minorities.

This is a photo op. This isn't her doing her job. Her job is sat at a desk where she's meant to be coming up with sensible policies to make our country a safer and fairer place. She seems to be failing in most of that.

She attacked activist lawyers and dialled up the rhetoric even after one lawyer got attacked:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/10/lawyers-claim-knife-attack-at-law-firm-was-inspired-by-priti-patels-rhetoric

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/25/priti-patel-kept-up-anti-lawyer-rhetoric-after-met-warning-on-terror

This was all after she was warned that a far right extremist had attempted a terror attack at solicitors offices.

She has been found guilty of bullying subordinates. Her apology for this breach of the ministerial code was weak - in fact she apologised that her behaviour had upset some people. Not exactly a "sorry for what I did", was it?

She has been accused of lobbying for a facemask company owned by someone connected to her. Appalling and it is no excuse that they're all apparently at it.
she avoids accountability. On her watch 400k police records were destroyed yet she sent a junior colleague to appear before the select committee instead of going herself.

She's an awful politician. A nasty piece of work. And incompetent too.

DdraigGoch · 20/05/2021 15:42

Yet ATM on SM there are masses of comments...
This is where you are going wrong OP. Social media (particularly Twitter) is a cesspit. It's full of vitriol with little in the way of rational discussion. In 280 characters, only he (and it usually is males) who shouts loudest gets heard. The ability to politely disagree and respect opposing views is gone. Best avoided.

LobotomisedIceSkatingFan · 20/05/2021 15:30

'It is her job. She's the Home Secretary'

I'll amend the Wikipedia page accordingly 🙄 (It's not, though)

There have undoubtedly been some politicians in the past, and may yet be some in the future, sufficiently impressive and of such stature, to frighten criminals.

Priti Patel is emphatically not in that number.

TheQueef · 20/05/2021 15:29

Hezza liked a bit of showboating yet that was lapped up.

idontlikealdi · 20/05/2021 15:28

too.

idontlikealdi · 20/05/2021 15:27

She's been completely ineffectual at her job, achieved nothing.

You cant claim feminism and keep a woman in a top position because they're a a woman. Angel Rayner is another.

FFS why can't we get competent women to the top or are they all to clever and are working their way the private sector and avoiding this shitshow.

LobotomisedIceSkatingFan · 20/05/2021 15:22

It's actually really bloody depressing that the single greatest thing some people are impressed by is 'their Home Secretary' wasting half a day appearing in a photo while actually achieving the square root of eff all. Personally, I prefer them in their office pouring over the data, or drafting policy, or behind closed doors talking to victims; the police; other relevant agencies.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 20/05/2021 15:22

@ArabellaScott

The racist, misogynistic comments she gets are absolutely unacceptable.

Regardless of her politics.

Agree. The only thing I admire about her is her commitment to comfortable shoes.
Flaxmeadow · 20/05/2021 15:20

Tell me; what shoes are you wearing?

None

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Flaxmeadow · 20/05/2021 15:19

If personal abuse is being posted then that is wrong. But I WANT my Home Secretary to not be getting in the way of the Police when they are doing their jobs (not her - it's not her job) all for the chance of a photo shoot.

It is her job. She's the Home Secretary

And I also want her not to bully her employees and others, not to be a racist, and not to defend the indefensible - including promoting a bill that strips UK citizens of many of their civil rights and hands the police powers that are positively scary in relation to any free democracy.

What powers specifically?

But I guess I also can't have what I want... If she genuinely cared a jot about trafficked people, then there is plnety she can do that does not involve a photo shoot, then probably carting those people off to a detention centre to await deportation back to a place where they will probably be captured and re-trafficked again (which happens a lot). But there won't be any photos in all of that.

What makes you think this is about immigration? It might not be

People trafficking can be international or internal, for example across county borders. London to Birmingham or Greater Manchester to South Yorkshire

All we known so far is that they are suspected people traffickers, those criminals who trade in human beings

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LobotomisedIceSkatingFan · 20/05/2021 15:14

she was watching it: being photographed looking as menacing as one can

Good!

Ah; reproducing a carefully edited portion of a comment. Really not emerging from this at all well. Tell me; what shoes are you wearing?

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