Maya’s response to Radical Notion’s GC divisions

I must have missed some shenanigans. All these references to shire wives of Farage are from a recent thread?

I couldn't care any less about a man wearing clothing deemed female in some culture, as long as he doesn't insist that this makes him female. In any case, I would like more colourful clothing to be worn my men and boys, just because black and dark blue gets boring after a while.

And I couldn't care less about someone's sexual kinks as long as they hurt nobody else and as long as they are not played out in public. Paraphilias are not like that and should not be out in the public, as they involve unwilling participants. And those who advocate for them being in public should be shamed for their views.

Why yes, I can. I'm also nifty with a sewing machine (profeshunal dressmaker).
I should make a flag, shouldn't I?

Can't steal the suffragette colours, those are already claimed.

Hmmm. Ponder ponder...

No stripes though. Stripes can feck right off.

I take it the dislike of Posie is for the same reasons? Because she's prepared to speak to those people that the academic snobs deem unclean, if she and they happen to have this issue in common?

Can you crochet?

Well, I guess I'm a farage feminist then. Do I get a badge? Or maybe a flag? Is there a flag?

What a fab post. And it represents the experiences of the majority of women looking in horror at what's happening - to their children, in their work place, in government and on every bloody captured organisation, from the NHS to Marks and Spencer.

If we let women speak this would NOT be happening!

I like Harry Styles but he looks like he's wearing a sequinned Mr Tumble outfit.

The point being I can mock him and not get hatred for it (except from his fans). If I mocked Sam Smith (words actually fail me so I can't*) every #bekind and TRA would assume it was because of his identity.

*All I could think was he looks like a a cross between a reddleman and a silky larvae 🐛

Aah, if you accuse them of 'purity spirals' [even as they are the ones that claim others are not pure and are thus not feminist], then welcome to the Farage Feminist club. As apparently that's what we are.

Sorry, my response was to Shirewife.

Aaahhh that's the wife reference. That was gonna be q2.

I'm so fed up with academic snobs looking down their privileged noses at those of us who care more about the fight on the ground than the lofty heights of intellectualism.

There's a fucking man in my changing room. I don't care about your doctorate fucking thesis.

Thanks for sharing. I wasn’t even aware of these in-fights until very recently and I’m woefully ignorant of the inner goings on of feminist academia. But I agree with everything Maya says.

I was at the Ed4WomensLib conference at the weekend. I’ve never been to a feminist event before, but I am a school safeguarding lead who is worried about the mass safeguarding breach that is happening for our children in schools at the moment (and I damn well know what a woman is!).

At the conference I spoke to a wide range of people. A young woman who worked for women’s aid and was concerned about the assault on single sex spaces for abuse victims. A middle aged lesbian couple who were worried about the transing of children at their child’s school. A young lesbian scientist who was aghast at the erasure of lesbian spaces and the capture of the scientific/medical organisation she worked for. None of us had ever been to a feminist event, but we were all galvanised into action by different worries about the same issues.

That’s my feminism. Women of different backgrounds coming together to talk, support each other and make some kind of impact when we go back to our separate lives.

Seeing men in women's clothes now just looks too try-hard. It's hardly counter culture.

Dunno really - get the feeling it’s been bandied about in certain small-group comms to denigrate those of us who don’t give two hoots about academia, just want to not see a penis in the ladies change at the swimming baths.

This attitude is ‘populist’ apparently.

And yes, KJK is probably the top wife in Nigel’s imaginary harem (the same poster called us ‘Shire Wives’)

I'm curious- what's a farage feminist? Same as a kjk feminist ie says she's not one?

What a good read - and a pleasure to read in contrast to the self indulgent frankly bullying prose that's been served up as "feminist theory".

I think the red outfit looks pretty show biz

I'm mostly with Maya here. I cannot be bothered with intellectual pontification and I'm so clever look at all the big words I know crap whilst there are rapists in women's prisons, cross dressing males leading brownie and guide groups whilst insisting the girls call them Miss and blue haired teachers telling girls that if they're unhappy with a boy changing with them for swimming lessons that they're fucking bigots.

No. Academic and intellectual debate is a luxury most of us can't afford.

Aye, kink shaming is my kink! Be kind!

Pointing at men and saying they look ridiculous in women's clothes, just reinforces the idea that some clothes are reserved some some sexes.

But there are shades of this. And reality and basic common sense is at the forefront for most people over careful critical analysis.

I can see women in construction gear and Boy George in make up and think great. And I can also see someone in a furry costume, or with a beard and a tutu, and internally go 'and they look a complete tit'. Because there's a difference.

and I won't be putting my crocheting skills at Nigel's disposal

yeah, this is about where I am. It takes clarity of thought to be clear on paper

any old dunderhead with enough spare time can produce pages and pages of flabby mess

and for once I thought Sam Smith looked pretty cool. I mean that Grammys outfit was a LOOK amirite? c'mon, he is a pop star

This is a cracking piece of writing and is certainly making my cogs whirl.

I do question the mocking piece. Pointing at men and saying they look ridiculous in women's clothes, just reinforces the idea that some clothes are reserved some some sexes. We cant say we want to shift that dial, but then point and laugh at those who are gender non conforming, but don't carry it off well for whatever reason.

I could sit down and wade through all the theory again. But I cannot be bothered. My time is spent dissecting consultations, writing to my MP, preparing hard for the times when I get to meet my MP, and helping a small number of other women with IRL issues where I can, or with what might work with their letters and interactions with their schools.

I spent the max (£100?) on the first RN. I never thought I'd have much time to read it but, looking back fondly on the times I got copies of Spare Rib, I liked the idea very much and I wanted it to help get off the ground.

The times I have read it, I've just not had the brain space for it. And the latest outing was also too much. One of the footnotes indicated to me, that actual hours must have been spent, trawling the timeline of someone close to KJK, and even then there was no link to the original tweet so you too would then have to spend a lot of time finding the sources (the old academic in me winced). This was not the only footnote like that.

And I thought - THAT is luxury feminism. Pages and pages of rambling text with no proper citation, telling women off. I don't want RN to tank, but I won't be financially propping it up again either.

I guess I'm a mumsnet feminist who basically agrees with Maya here. I'm fine with that.

This is basically me, too.