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?

Yes, they are probably propaganda. You can tell what a massive agenda successive governments have had wrt stopping rape and DV. With all the resources ploughed in and the soaring conviction rate and all. Oh yes.

And the falling rape statistics - what's that skippy? They've gone up 8%? Bah that David Cameron and his mates, they're feminist propagandists every one.

so why emphasise frequency against any gender.if it is all equally bad,it is all bad.emphasising likelihood of henious act increased by gender,infers the gender whom act is perpetrated against suffers more.all unwarranted acts of violence are abusive.men and women both have abuse perpetrated,comparing stats doesn't diminish someone else suffering

Feminism examines these issues 'on behalf' of the victim, and also approach the issue from the angle of the perpetrators, who are almost always male. (talking of dv, vioelnt/sexual crimes)
Biology (ie having a penis) obviously a factor. What else? Psychology certainly. Societial factors - feminists examine in the different strands of this, perhaps it's the view that a man is entitled to what he wants, perhaps it's a flaw in the judicial system that doesn't punish rapists.

The problem with insisting that rape is not gender specific is that it probably is a well meaning effort to be non sexist, but it feeds the reactionary idiots that deny there is misogyny and violence against women.

Seriously, do any of you fear for your teenage son getting raped when they go out at night, the way you have warned your daughter to be extra vigilant?

If your partner goes to the pub with his mates, do you insist he takes a black cab home? Yes, I would worry that my DH would et beaten up, but not humiliated through forced sex. And, sadly, you will never ever make a rape into a bragging story one can tell of the night some bloke punched them.

i would warn any adolescents to be vigilant.males have significantly higher chance of knife attack/unprovoked assault than female.borne out by police and nhs records

so yep do teach street savvy to your kids.male and female

read what i wrote.read it closely.i did not include sex assaults.so dont add it to my ststement

But do you not see that getting attacked can sometimes be a badge of honour for a mam, something to turn him into a man; whereas I have never in my life met a woman proud to have been raped, the two dangers are really not comparable in terms of how they can ruin your life afterwards.

it does if the majority experience is emphasised at cost of minority.thus reducing significance of the minority statistical experience

A mam is a man, blame my stupid phone correcting me...

what an appalling thing to say,unprovoked attack on man has machismo/kudos?would you say that about woman?

maybe in some skewed urban gang thing.

but majority of unprovoked male attacks are strangers for unknown motive.

a publicised minority of manor/patch attacks are rarer

Of course it can have cusps! I have heard plenty of men describe an unprovoked attack as a mini adventure, eventually laughing it off. It doesn't bring them shame, the fault is firmly on the attacker.

But I have only ever heard one woman telling me she had been raped, and she immediately said she didn't really know why she was even telling me, she didn't talk about it usually.

all information should be disseminated,but not interpreted to suit particular ideological nuance.women do statistically suffer more rape/dv.doesn't negate male experience either

Cusps meant cudos, phone is beyond annoying now.