These stupid women are doing feminism no favours at all.

[solidgoldbrass]

Tired of explaining that feminists are not spiteful, humourless, ignorant bullies? Unfortunately we're going to have to do a bit more of it.

No one who advocates book burning can ever expect to be treated with any respect. It's never a good idea. It just shows you up as a historically ignorant, idiotic control freak.

Oh for gawd sake...

If you don't like as book; don't buy it.
Burning books:
a) produces revenue for the people who produced the damn thing, because someone has bought it. And
b) Is ignorant, and has deeply unpleasant implications.

It is NEVER right to burn a book. (Unless you are about to die of hypothermia and you have no other fuel)

Amen to the bafflement that people share when hearing Heathcliff described as a 'romantic hero'. No redeeming qualities at all, a total sadist.

Burning books implies a wish to censor. Not a good thing.

'the sort of thing that's more often been done to feminists than by them.'

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?

What if they'd said it without the reference to burning the book, or to the Wests?

Would anyone have listened or cared?

Focusing on the ridiculous call to burn it gave the media an angle, and even if it's skewed towards them being idiots for saying such a thing, all publicity is good publicity.

(I'm not sure what I think on bringing the Wests into the argument, it seems a bit disingenuous to use the victims of that disgusting pair to argue the toss. Are they using them as an example because it was a woman who did such revolting things?)

This polarises women, like in the olden days...

What if I like to be spanked, and I am a feminist. Sorry daily mail, sorry not to fit your clearly defined boundaries of what a woman should be...

Bloody hell, how many threads have there been about this book? Just the traffic through here is enough to get people buying. It sounds crap. I thought the 50SoG craze was just here but watching 8/10 cats vs Countdown earlier and Jimmy wotshisname was reading it. I was at the park the other day and a woman asked to sit at our table, no problem I said, she said she just wanted to watch her kids and have a bit of time to read. What was she reading? 50SofG. It can't be that erotic if you can read it on a shared picnic table while watching your kids play can it?

For light non-erotic ebook entertainment can I just cut in and suggest Andrea Frazer and Leslie Cookman, cheap if you are on a Kindle. Both do a sort of whodunnit Agatha style, in a modern setting. Celia Peartree is also good.

I really don't think the Fred West analogy will help them at all.

The burning of books, comparisons with serial killers. Do they really think they will impress anyone other than those who already agree with them?

I've burnt a rather large number of Ladybird books!!

And now you all hate me.....

Like anything, there are extreme believers of every belief.

So women aren't aloud to read erotic fiction without being labelled...

Black people reclaimed words maybe those feminists see it as a way of reclaiming this particular way of protesting, rather than having it done to them

Wrt sgb post 2331

I get your point, solid - but I really wish you hadn't described a woman who's working hard to protect other women as a 'historically ignorant, idiotic control freak'.
And I'd sooner dismiss the publishers/publicisers of 50 Shades as dodgy anti-feminist fuckers.

Book burning as a mode of protesting predates feminism by a long, long way. It's never had positive reasoning behind it.

books are not sacred objects. I'd throw hardcore porn on a bonfire, and I don't see how its very different from burning a bra.

Individuals burning of trashy sexist wankfest bad books is not the same as state sponsored widespread censorship by torching libraries.

I don't actually agree with the article but its not the same thing.

Well, I think the world would have been a much better place if someone had put a match to Malleus Maleficarum. And Mein Kampf.
Just sayin'.

It's a stupid, atrociously-written book and I have no problem with people condemning it either for the shitty writing or its theme that all women are silly bimbos who want a Big Strong Millionaire to fist them up the arse
@ sgb my you do have a good turn of phrase.....
just don't read it, simples.

"Mind you, there was an incident some 30 years ago where a group of feminists, in the name of stopping violence against women, launched a raid on a women-only SM club and put at least one of the women there in hospital..."

Dear god, what on earth was their reasoning??

Edna O'Brien's 'Country Girls' had a few burnings in Ireland when it was released in the early 60's. Ah the 60's when Irish people weren't really into wearing flowers in their hair.

I know it's not the same thing because the Country Girls has actual literary merit but it just seems so hysterical to me to burn books that shock you find sexually shocking.

But Mein Kampf is a great illustration of how the illusion of the Emperors New Clothes works on the general public LastMango.

If we didn't have that book we'd have been lulled into thinking Hitler must have been this amazingly powerful leader, instead of seeing him for the petty, spiteful little prick that he was.

I have read the trilogy. The way I read it, Ana stands by her principles in the face of pressure from a man who is emotionally cold and controlling. She then exercises her own free choice to explore and expand her sexuality, whilst retaining said principles. She finds a compromise, based on mutual understanding, with her partner, so that they can enjoy a varied sexual relationship. How is that anti feminist?

And yes, I know that it is badly written, thin, repetitive, etc. I just can't see what the fuss is about!

Sexually shocking? No, not even slightly. Anti-feminist twattery dressed up as literarture...maybe.