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 was generally talking about rl not mn specifically

but if your subjective opinion= mn is community thats your lived experience.again that's up for discussion like everything on mn

SM, dittany obviously disagreed with me earlier based on her perception and experience of libertarianism (or possibly other people laying claim to the term without living up to all the principles it endorses). I challenged things I didn't agree with or felt irritated by. She asked specific questions and I explained my stance.

We may still disagree. We may never agree. But we were able to interact without resorting to name calling even though it appears we may hold 'polarised views' on the matter.

yes some things like evolved values and morality are general givens but nothing is sacrosanct and above a challenge

Also as social animals we like to form groups and these groups may be formed around shared characteristics etc

You know from a social constructionist point of view that group identity - such as gender is all about power relations which are continually negotiated.

Doesn't that mean then that feminists as a group are challenging the identity foisted on them by men? That men have constructed this view of women so that they remain a powerful group?

You cannot divorce this from politics or sociology when you (as you seem to be) believe we are constructing arguments for ourselves, as individuals.

(so far, so second year psychology)

again isnt that a defence mechanism- dont challenge its draining

MN is a community where discussions take place, not a community where random remarks are made apropos of nothing. Why should people PM each other in order to have a discussion on a topic that you have decided is so deeply personal to you that you won't reveal what your opinion is, yet still feel free to interject cryptic and personal and scathing remarks on the screen?

To hide behind the assertion that all views are subjective, without once offering your own view, is disingenuous in the extreme. What others are left with is not a view that can be argued with, but behaviour that is objectionable.

no mn topic has is deeply personal to meal equal.all potential source of discussions.i have clearly expressed my opinion on this thread.was understandable enough to maintain discussion and evoke response.to now suggest now that is all unclear and hidden,is odd.given it generated responses

you see i have never said bollocks to anyone.invested bit more time/effort than that

i have asserted my opinion throughout feel free tomperuse

No, your opinion remains shrouded in mystery thanks to your coy responses. Your attitude is very clear.

Opinion and attitude are two different things.