Page 4 | How is this offensive?

beastlyslumber · 28/07/2022 07:54

I agree with the woman that it is a political statement and I too find it offensive and hostile towards women.

I don't agree with berating shop staff about it.

MangoMangoMango · 28/07/2022 07:53

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 28/07/2022 07:05

What does your dd think of the poster @KnittingNeedles ?

She hadn't noticed it was still there to be honest. She interpreted it as an "everyone's welcome" message though and really didn't think it was worth getting worked up about.

Also agree that I haven't seen disability pride posters/info anywhere, in any shop. Those would be more appropriate for charity shops to be honest as many people volunteering have a disability of some sort.

I also think there is a massive disconnect between the "culture" (for want of a better word) in Oxfam head office and the "culture" in the stores. The head office staff are mostly young, left-wing, woke. The store staff/volunteers are a very different demographic, in DD's store they are 80% female, 80% over 45, middle class, not campaigning lefties. I do remember the fuss about the card game thing but that game was never sold in the store where DD works, it never came into stock. The only change DD noticed was that the application form for volunteering does ask for your name and then gender identity rather than sex.

Mif4 · 28/07/2022 07:50

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

carefullycourageous · 28/07/2022 07:46

Year2000 · 28/07/2022 07:40

Not really. One side just demands rights for women as well as men. The 'they're as bad as each other ' argument is a dismissive tool the men's rights activists encourage in order to silence women.

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I'm not going to attempt to justify my views/position to you as so often trying to discuss with any nuance has been a waste of time, but I am just going to repeat that the purity required from BOTH sides is off putting. Polling on this topic is pretty clear. GC feminists may very well be right - but do they want to win the policy battle?

Year2000 · 28/07/2022 07:40

carefullycourageous · 28/07/2022 07:12

You need to teach your daughter to just listen and say 'I'll feed your views back to the manager" as there is no use engaging. The two wings in this argument are arguing over everyone else's heads, both sides demand purity of thought and complete agreement.

Not really. One side just demands rights for women as well as men. The 'they're as bad as each other ' argument is a dismissive tool the men's rights activists encourage in order to silence women.

TheKeatingFive · 28/07/2022 07:27

It's just ridiculous though. Are they suggesting that before they would have thrown rotten tomatoes at gay people who went into their shop?

Quite. I'd object on grounds of stupidity for starters.

I think people would prefer Oxfam spent donated money on helping those struggling, rather than dumb virtue signalling for the woke points.

carefullycourageous · 28/07/2022 07:12

You need to teach your daughter to just listen and say 'I'll feed your views back to the manager" as there is no use engaging. The two wings in this argument are arguing over everyone else's heads, both sides demand purity of thought and complete agreement.

QuillBill · 28/07/2022 07:10

It's just ridiculous though. Are they suggesting that before they would have thrown rotten tomatoes at gay people who went into their shop? But they won't now. See poster for details.

I wonder if next month they will hang a poster announcing that they will not discriminate against 'blacks and the Irish'. Come in folks. You are welcome here.

Probably not.

Mooboo3 · 28/07/2022 07:09

FlibbertyGiblets · Yesterday 18:20
Sure is a chin scratcher, yes indeedy
😂😂this did make me laugh flibbertygiblets

MuffinMcLayLikeABundleOfHay · 28/07/2022 07:05

What does your dd think of the poster @KnittingNeedles ?

TheCurrywurstPrion · 28/07/2022 06:57

’woman said it was "forced speech" and a "very political statement"’

Well it’s obviously a political statement. Are you saying you think otherwise? It indicates to all who openly disagree with gender ideology that Oxfam as a charity (though not necessarily it’s local volunteers) will probably not be actively “inclusive” towards them, and indeed might hostile to women in certain circumstances. I wouldn’t go in and demand it be taken down, but having seen it, I’d probably be less likely to go in.

ZenNudist · 28/07/2022 00:15

Thanks for highlighting. This is making me think to give oxfam a swerve in making donations in the future.

ScrollingLeaves · 28/07/2022 00:05

We recognise LGBTQIA+ Pride month as a time to celebrate inclusiveness (one of Oxfam’s core values). To stand in solidarity. And to celebrate with our local LGBTQIA+ communities. As part of this, we want to celebrate our shops as safe spaces for all our staff, volunteers, and customers to be their authentic selves, no matter their sexuality, gender identity or gender expression.

Our local offices and shop teams in Oxford also celebrated at their local Pride event, Oxford Pride Day, on Saturday 4 June 2022. Colleagues, volunteers, and their family members marched in solidarity with the Oxford LGBTQIA+ community. They also held a market stall, supported by our Oxford Superstore. To raise money and awareness of volunteering opportunities.

Just call it thE LGBTQIA+ shop.

It is so offensive in its hijacking, and gibberish too basically.

Sunflower987 · 27/07/2022 23:02

FemaleAndLearning · 27/07/2022 22:56

Not to derail but that's like sorting Lego by colour instead of shape!

My daughter and I spotted that poster last week (yes mid July) she likes to hunt for clothes in charity shops. We'd never been in before, we saw that poster raised our eyebrows and walked out. That poster says Oxfam believes in gender identity ideology. That usually means they don't give a damn about women.

And this ^^

Sunflower987 · 27/07/2022 23:01

Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 27/07/2022 21:56

GI is a homophibic and sexist ideology so I don't feel welcomed when they support support ideology which ties your identity to your body and offers a very limited number of identity choices.

This^^

FemaleAndLearning · 27/07/2022 22:56

Not to derail but that's like sorting Lego by colour instead of shape!

My daughter and I spotted that poster last week (yes mid July) she likes to hunt for clothes in charity shops. We'd never been in before, we saw that poster raised our eyebrows and walked out. That poster says Oxfam believes in gender identity ideology. That usually means they don't give a damn about women.

SolasAnla · 27/07/2022 22:55

KittenKong · 27/07/2022 22:40

Sorry but that made me 😆. Dad had a lot of books - and I’m talking hundreds and hundreds, loads of topics (he was an absolute bookworm who loved science, arts, history…). One day mum was bored so went into his library and reordered all his books by spine colour and size. 🤣

she did the horror honour of rearranging by shade and size......

That is not bored that is a little cross at finding the toilet seat left up .....
again.....

KittenKong · 27/07/2022 22:40

Sorry but that made me 😆. Dad had a lot of books - and I’m talking hundreds and hundreds, loads of topics (he was an absolute bookworm who loved science, arts, history…). One day mum was bored so went into his library and reordered all his books by spine colour and size. 🤣

BernardBlacksWineIcelolly · 27/07/2022 22:26

the very worst thing about my local Oxfam shop is that they sort the clothes by colour not size

BY COLOUR

how does that help anyone?

I could possibly work up to a mild rant about that on a bad day...

RandomlyThrownTogether · 27/07/2022 22:24

VestofAbsurdity · 27/07/2022 21:34

Since Oxfam stopped selling a game for girls based on ‘famous women” as Oxfam staff didn’t like because it didn’t include transwomen, I have avoided Oxfam. I wrote politely, to say the game was for little girls to have role models so they could aspire to be more than sexual objects for men and bearers of children, but they couldn’t bear that men would be excluded.

I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot barge pole after the revelations regarding the sexual abuse of women and girls by their aid workers and this just adds the proverbial cherry on the top of how misogynistic they are.

Oxfam have proven many times they don't give a fuck about women. So the poster is no surprise.

Circumferences · 27/07/2022 22:13

Well in my opinion the poster is tedious wokery, but I wouldn't bother ranting about it. I'd just roll my eyes and move past it.

The ranty woman was probably having a bad day.

RandomlyThrownTogether · 27/07/2022 22:10

ZaraSizeMedium · 27/07/2022 18:45

Surely by now the shop should have taken this pister down and should now be displaying a disability pride poster - given that it’s Disability Pride Month.

Maybe your daughter can ask when that poster is going up? I’m sure they do have a poster to put up, they just “haven’t got round” to putting it up yet.

Oddly enough, I haven't seen a single Disability Pride event, flag, poster, social media message.

jgw1 · 27/07/2022 22:01

KnittingNeedles · 27/07/2022 18:00

DD is 19 and volunteers in Oxfam. This poster is currently in the window of the store she works in - it was a Pride thing but she thinks they have just not got round to taking it out.

www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/celebrating-pride-2022/

The way she - and I - interpret the poster is that the charity is welcoming and inclusive, and however you define yourself, you are welcome in store. Although I know the charity has a reputation for being very "woke", this is a very bland message really.

DD was on the till yesterday and some woman came into the store demanding she remove the poster. DD asked why - woman said it was "forced speech" and a "very political statement" and ranted on about Stonewall for a bit. DD is fairly clued up on the whole sex/gender debate and tried to explain that's not what it was about, it was a message of tolerance and acceptance. Customer was having none of it and went off saying she was going to complain.

I'm confused. I'm as gender critical as they come but surely part of that is accepting that although I don't personally buy into gender other people do, and I respect their right to hold that opinion, just as I hope they respect my right to disagree with them. And that however you define yourself, of course you should be treated with respect in any shop. No I won't be giving you my pronouns as those should be blindingly obvious, but the poster isn't saying you won't be served without sharing yours.

Bemused.

@KnittingNeedles I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that some people have an in built need to hate something, and on this occasion the woman who came into the shop had decided they hate an innocuous poster.

Utterly confusing.

Whatiswrongwithmyknee · 27/07/2022 21:56

GI is a homophibic and sexist ideology so I don't feel welcomed when they support support ideology which ties your identity to your body and offers a very limited number of identity choices.

ThinkingaboutLangClegosaurus · 27/07/2022 21:49

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 27/07/2022 21:29

yes I agree. I understand where OP is coming from but it does upset me too. I mean not to the extent that I'd go in and rant at a volunteer but to the extent that I'd feel sad and less likely to go in.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt OP the reason it's upsetting is like emotionally if something really valuable and important was stolen by a bully, say like the terrific mountain bike you got for your 14th birthday and you were walking through town and saw the bully with your bike wearing a t-shirt that said "this bike is mine now", you might feel sad and not say anything another person might go up and yell at his parents (who believe the bike has always been his and therefore think shes being crazy).

It may be the case with this woman or she could just be a member of one of the many homophobic churches who just sees rainbows as encouraging immorality - I'm afraid we don't have enough info to go on to be sure.

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the reason it's upsetting is like emotionally if something really valuable and important was stolen by a bully, say like the terrific mountain bike you got for your 14th birthday and you were walking through town and saw the bully with your bike wearing a t-shirt that said "this bike is mine now"

Really good analogy, Toaster, thanks.