to think the 'F' word is one we should be proud of......

[PosieComeHereMyPreciousParker]

Thanks to MN, especially dittany, Lenin, BoF and Anyfucker, I have been made aware of my casual attitude to misogyny. This short journey in my reclaiming my old values recently lead me to the London Feminist Network Conference on Saturday. And Oh my God it is one of the most inspirational things I've ever done.

Having money and being relatively attractive in my younger days I was mislead into thinking that being a feminist was irrelevant, after all we had a female PM and then 'girl power' where we were fooled into thinking with the right body shape and a little wit the world was our oyster (farm).

My husband's and friends' response to my recent activities have ranged from being mystified to mockery, from resentment to full on stereotypical prejudice. I am alarmed that barely any of my friends think feminism is relevant.

Am I being unreasonable to reclaim the word feminist to mean a person that wants to rid the world of gender prejudiced?

I'm anti-coercion. I would argue that collectivism only has to forced when people cannot see the benefit to it. And that when it is inefficient people frequently cannot see the benefit to it. And that voluntary collectivism is not prohibited by libertarianism.

However I am also a realist, and I would never suggest that we made a leap from the current situation to the libertarian's dream world, as I agree that it is likely that there would be chaos in any sudden change. That doesn't mean I don't think that there are ways we can more towards less a coercive society.

I'm going for the I'm a realist answer again.

I think that we only need legislation about these things because there are influences on women which means they are not making a genuinely free choice. If they existed in a utopia with no influences on their decision except what they truely wanted to do and still wanted to profit from porn and/or prositution then I'd have to accept that it was their choice.

That doesn't mean I approve of the choice. It doesn't mean I wouldn't promote another way of doing things. And it doesn't mean that I don't suspect in such a (imagined) society the number of women who would make that choice would be tiny, if any at all did.

But we don't, and because we don't I do recognise that there is a need to ensure that women in these industries who have probably not made a free choice to be in them. And that the best way to do this in the current structure is through legislation.

The 1 in 4 statistic is this for the world or UK? One assault is too many though.

ooops:
"ensure that women in these industries who have probably not made a free choice to be in them are protected"

1 in 4 is for the UK, and the EU too I think pithy.

In some countries a woman has more chance of being raped than learning to read.

My understanding of the current legislation is that if a someone is found to have paid for sex without taking steps to ensure that the prositute is in fact not being coerced to do so for someone else's profit then they could be prosecuted.

I would like to see that legislation being used more effectively than it currently is - as I understand that no cases have yet been successfully prosecuted under it? Do you know if that's right?

I wouldn't like be able to say I'd go further or wouldn't without seeing what happened if this legislation was more actively pursued. Again, I wouldn't like this to read as though I believe selling sex is something that many individuals would make as a truely free choice. But I'm not sure that legislation is necessarily the best way to deal with social problems.

Can we have another thread looking at libertarianism? I must say I haven't come across anything about it that makes any sense in our society, it just seems to be an excuse to stop supporting people in need....but I'm prepared to be wrong.

ha posie you took the words right out of my keyboard!

I'm going to be disappearing soon as DD's friend will be going home.

But I could start one back in the feminist section later on :)

Back to the main topic.....

WRT another thread I mean

anastasia, I will look with interest whilst hidden under a mountain of green velvet trying to make a four armed, three legged witch spider from out space....I kid you not!!

posie what is relevance your friends job?you could have germaine greer round for tea,but it wouldn't have a direct influence on the thread.bit of an inane digression

what are you talking about now sm?

nice to see your contribution too my heartfelt salutations to you

wondering why posie gave a description of her pals job,as if this somehow adds something to the conversation

:o

Do you mean "four armed, three legged witch spider from outer space" is a job now?

Oooo that my dream career.

[henvy] - is this you wukter?

Well, that's just my headshot EAM, so you can't see me in my full gory glory.

scottishmummy, I have to be very careful when I post to you that I resist the urge to stoop to your nasty little level, skirting around issues and questions and picking up the tiniest bit of something to sneer at. So I'll reply pretending that I'm too naive to read the bitchiness in your question.

My friend works with women experiencing misogyny in it's most violent form, hence the relevance.

posie you do get easily het up dont you.

so what - i queried a post and from that you equate all sorts of deviousness

do calm down

Where's the post about Posie's friend?

And there the pudding of proof....oh and I'm not het up, sorry I know that was your intention. You do make me laugh though, the way you try and wind people up around the boards with your 'funny' poorly executed insults. I know people like you in RL, horrid.