to think there should be an MN presence at Reclaim the Night?

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

On 27th November the annual Reclaim the Night march takes place in London. AIBU to think it'd be great to have a bunch of MNers (possibly with banner) walking together?

Details here

"A recent survey by the young women?s magazine More in 2005 found that 95% of women don?t feel safe on the streets at night, and 65% don?t even feel safe during the day. 73% worry about being raped and almost half say they sometimes don?t want to go out because they fear for their own safety.

In every sphere of life we negotiate the threat or reality of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. We cannot claim equal citizenship while this threat restricts our lives as it does. We demand the right to use public space without fear. We demand this right as a civil liberty, we demand this as a human right.

The Reclaim The Night march gives women a voice and a chance to reclaim the streets at night on a safe and empowering event. We aim to put the issue of our safety on the agenda for this night and every day."

AIBU?

Ah thanks umyeah! Still no good for me but I will look out for others.

It's important IMO that it is just for women because women are standing up for themselves, not getting anyone else to do it for them. Women being strong and showing solidarity for a totally reasonable expectation that they can walk through city streets at night without looking over their shoulder all the time in case some twat with a penis and a huge sense of entitlement decides they are fair game.

Orm I can't remember exactly where you are but they do one in Newquay if that's within reach?

daftpunk - I am coping fine with mixed responses thanks. You shouldn't mistake my thanking Janos for her kind words for some kind of ladylike fainting at what I have found on AIBU. Certainly didn't expect everyone to agree with me as you will notice if you've read the thread.

And teehee at dismissing people who feel it is a waste of time. No, I have done things like ask them why, engage in conversation about it etc. Don't worry, I've had all the walls pre-padded just in case :o

When's the one in Newquay, do you know? I'm really interested in this, but will be going to the MN party in London, and have absolutely no faith in myself to be able to get ready for that and walk in the march at the same time

I don't see it as just being able to walk home half naked and drunk at 3am, although it would be nice to be able to that without fear. What I would like is that I could have walked from a bus stop to my friend's flat heavily and obviously pg without a drunk and leery man trying to get under my umbrella and I think into my dress. I couldn't run (SPD) and I had friends with me. :(

E&M;

Doubt you'll see this - but if you do - how did it go?

It's not happened yet daftpunk

It's a week tomorrow dp - thinking of buying a train ticket? :o

Thanks for asking though!

Berrylellow I don't think there is one this year in newquay

Oh that's a shame, well I hope it's a good night for you all.

Ha ha E&M ... Er, no I'm not.

Luckily for you I should add - I'd only drag you into a pub afterwards and bore you with all my anti - feminist talk ( you may or may not be aware that I think feminism is nonsense ).... And I don't just say that to be annoying - I say it because -( believe it or not) - I have studied feminism and it's effects on society.

The mental Heath of woman has deteriorated since the 70's - 44% of women now suffer from some form of mental illness - that's quite remarkable don't you think. If feminism had worked - why are we all so unhappy?
And men only "gave" you feminism because it suited the changing face of the economy. Post industrial Britain needed women in the work place. As we de-industrialised women became a commodity to be used in the new emerging consumer society. You were led by the hand into a form of slavery - but very cleverly.
You thought it was all your idea ... Lol. You were mugged.

Do you know what daftpunk? I did know your thoughts on the matter (or some of them at least).

"If feminism had worked"...I wouldn't be going on this march, in fact we wouldn't need to talk about feminism any more. If feminism had "worked" then all the feminists could hang up their hats. It's the anti-feminist bunch who tell us that "feminism is over". So I don't take the current state of women's mental health, or indeed physical or financial health, as evidence of the failure of feminism. Feminism has not yet had its day.

Why do you think women are unhappier now than they were say 50 years ago?

you see if you have a cause you're fighting you have to have all the answers ( or at least most of them ) ... You have to be able to answer the layman down the pub who will say things like "What's feminism done for me ? -I'm more depressed now than I was 20 years ago - I work full time - do most of the childcare and housework... feminism has done nothing for me - I'm bloody knackered"

Because that's the reality for most women.
Total exhaustion.

Feminism did not introduce the idea, or the reality, of women working outside the home. The vast majority of women have always worked either at home (e.g. taking in washing) or outside the home. What feminism aims to do in this context is a) to ensure that the full range of work is available to women, including high status and well-paid work, rather than just hard and poorly paid work, b) ensure that women get a salary based on their skills and experience rather than a lower one based on their gender and c) work to redress the unbalanced situation WRT domestic work and childcare, so that women do not continue to be forced to do the "second shift".

It is feminists who come on here and tell knackered out women that housework is not their job alone, that having a penis is not a get-out-of-housework/childcare-free card.

Do you watch sex in the city ?

That's the sort of woman feminism has produced.

Sex obsessed, narcissistic, career driven - but ultimately unhappy and desperate for a loving stable relationship with a man.

That's your rich feminists.

Then you've got your poorer feminists who end up as struggling single mothers because they "don't need a man" ... ( who cares what the children need ) .... children from single parent households are more likely to have negative outcomes. 100's of studies to back that up.

Feminism has produced women who are mixed up and nurotic. Trying to be equal to men - It's all too much for them.

Infact - I can't really think of many women who have gained from feminism -

Margaret Thatcher - the most powerful woman this country has ever had thought feminism was a waste of time.

Teehee @ Sex And The City as documentary.

Margaret Thatcher may have said that she thought feminism was a waste of time, but she owed her job to it.

Who on earth cares what Margaret Thatcher thought about anything though?

Sex in the city is an astute observation on modern day life for some women.

But what can i say - I love men... and everything about them.

I love making life wonderful for my dh

That's great, daftpunk, it's something you have in common with many many other women, feminists and non-feminists alike.

So, to all the people who don't think Reclaim the Night is a complete waste of time (and are attending) - what is the MN's plan of action???

Any suggestions of where to meet etc?

I'm assuming everyone attending will be congregating at the Embankment end of Whitehall Place, although it doesn't specify on the website (it only says nearest tube embankment)??

I've never been to anything like this before, so guidance from any established marchers would be great!!

I can't wait!!

E&M;

You're my favourite feminist on MN - you're so easy to talk to.

That's a compliment - take it.

Cheers dp

UmYeah - will have a look at the website re: directions etc and come back later. :)

I really don't get the point of it?

who is disagreeing with the right to be safe at night?But short of a policeman on every street corner, how is that to be achieved?
It's like having a march to protest against rain, or headaches.

Hi princess.

I know - who is disagreeing with it indeed? But nevertheless something is stopping women from being taken seriously much of the time, when they report street harrassment, minor sexual assaults, all the way up to serious sexual assaults, rape and other violence on the streets. I have met policemen (they were men) at RTN who say they volunteer to marshall the march every year because they are supportive of the aims of the march, and think that the police needs to do more to counteract this violence.

It needs to get to the stage where, if I was raped tonight, the first question asked would not be "what were you doing on X street at that time of night anyway?" or "what were you wearing?". Only 6% of rapes reported to the police end in conviction. A huge number of reports are "no-crimed" meaning that the police judge that no crime has taken place , or the women are discouraged from taking in further, or reports not being followed up leads to a lack of evidence being collected etc. There was a case a while ago where IIRC the rapist rang up to say he was going to go and rape somebody, the police didn't bother to respond, and off he went and raped somebody .

There is a lot that goes wrong, in practice.