Feminism is Over according to NetMums

[WorraLiberty]

AIBU to think that given the reoccurring threads on here, if they had asked MumsNet to take part in the poll, possibly more than 28% would have said, they find the radical feminism of Germaine Greer too aggressive towards men, and no longer view it as a positive label for women?

Or do you think a MumsNet survey would have thrown up similar/completely different results?

Link to Daily Express story

[MmeLindor]

It is irritating me that this is being discussed as if it were true. They have put out an extremely flawed survey and the idiot journalists are running with it.

Cause it suits their agenda, not because it makes any kind of sense. The idiot journalists are not actual idiots - they know it is nonsense, but it suits them to publish it as 'truth'.

Dolts.

[SomersetONeil]

Absolutely, Mme.

[Bluestocking]

'We don't need it anymore - all my male friends think I'm their equal'.

[MmeLindor]

thought you might like this blog

And there is a thread on NMs where the posters are saying pretty much the same thing as we are here.

[WilsonFrickett]

Great blog. Although I am also reserving some of my ire for the cut and pasting that passes as journalism these days, as well as NMs. Luckily I have lots of ire to go around...

[geegee888]

Staceyjacxx and others*

Really? I've been a "non-working mother" for over 11 years, I've been a feminist all my life! I've become a Radical Feminist since being on MN. Do you really think if you don't work you can't be a feminist?

I'm quite new to mumsnet and I must admit I did think there would be feminists amongst non-working mothers. I'm really glad to hear thats not the case. I apologise if my comments were ignorant, and I stand (gladly) corrected! (and very cheered up).

Won't be making that mistake again!

[MmeLindor]

Wilson
absolutely. I blogged about the cut and paste journalism. I know that newspapers don't pay much for articles, and journalists are often tempted to sling out a quick article, but if they do this then they needn't bother. Just give us a link to the press release.

Every journalist who read that survey said, 'What a load of bollocks', then wrote the stupid story anyway, cause of the snappy headlines.

[MamaMary]

What irritated me about the feminist academic my local radio station brought on was she never once mentioned: workplace and earnings inequality (the male presenter brought that up!), the increasing influence of increasingly misogynistic pornography, sexualisation of culture and young girls, human trafficking, fate of womankind in non-Western countries (could have mentioned Pakistani girl etc). All she did was say we need a new word because feminism makes people think of bra-burning.

I totally agree with those who said the younger woman thinking she's fine because 'all her male mates are cool with her' may realise as she gets older that sexism is still alive and well. In my thirties I am much more of a feminist than I was in my twenties. As i grow older I learn more about the inequalities of the world and it depresses me more and more :(

[MamaMary]

And if that is the best a Professor of Women's Studies (or gender studies, or whatever it's called) from a Russell Group university can come up with, I am even more depressed.

[eBook]

Do you think the papers get confused about Mumsnet and Netmums, and report stuff because they think it's Mumsnet saying it?

We might as well confuse them even more and launch

Me Ms Nut
Men Must
Mum Nest

... and a few others!

[MmeLindor]

MamaMary
What is wrong with the word feminism? Jeez, it is like rebranding the Royal Mail.

And that is very depressing.

I don't think that journalists should mix up NM and MN - they have the press release in front of them.

Interesting Blogger Network doesn't have a 'feminism' tag in their main list - they have a 'women' tag, that I suspect very few people would use.

That means that when I write a blog post and tag it 'feminism' then it won't show up on their 'women' page. Must remember that.

[MmeLindor]

This is interesting. The woman who asked wage gap question during the presidential debates is 24 year old and absolutely not a feminist.

[MamaMary]

MmeLindor, I think that article you linked to shows that, for whatever reason, the word 'feminism' is problematic for a younger generation of women, who simply don't identify with what they think it means.

[MmeLindor]

Yes, M. I agree with that.

[AlfalfaMum]

There are a lot of women who do want equality and respect, yet don't want to call themselves feminists. I reckon this is for some a misunderstanding of what feminism is ("but I don't hate men.." etcetera), for others not wanting to politicise themselves/appear 'unsexy' or 'stuffy' or 'humourless' or whatever, and maybe for others again simply not wanting to label themselves.

I always wanted to get a T-shirt printed with 'Feminism isn't a dirty word'.

[seeker]

One of the greatest triumphs of misogyny is the hijacking of the word "feminist".

[eBook]

One of the greatest triumphs of misogyny is the hijacking of the word "feminist".

Hear, hear!

[OatyBeatie]

And it is at least the second time this hijacking has occurred: when I was a child women's lib was a term more widely used than feminism, and it was "women's libbers" who were portrayed as men-haters, and ugly, and humourless.

Also, calling them lesbians (and positioning lesbianism as something bad and ugly) was a popular theme. I think the only reason that isn't done this time around is because the pornography industry has hijacked lesbianism as something sexy that exists for men, so it no longer serves as a way of sexually stigmatising feminists.

[seeker]

Look at the cartoon images of suffragettes. Mary Poppins is only looking after the Banks children because Mrs Banks is abandoning them to go on protest marches- the unfeminine, unmaternal harridan.

[blonderthanred]

But seeker, Mrs Banks is terribly feminine - more so than MP. And she sings a song about it! I think she makes feminism look really fun. Also one of the key lessons is that if men partake in childcare, everyone is much happier.

ps I am not claiming MP as a feminist work but I do think it's not unfeminist either.

[greenhill]

Also Mary Poppins, the film, is 60 years old.

Why shouldn't Mrs Banks go on protest marches? She employs women, so presumably these employees have ready cash and a roof over their head (she has a cook, a maid and a nanny) surely she is an enabler, not an oppressor. Mr Banks is shown to be missing out on family life because he is always working too, but has an epiphany after his capitalistic song about investing the tuppence a bag, which was wanted to feed the pigeons.

I think there are positive messages to be taken from Mary Poppins, and the songs are catchy

[WorraLiberty]

Ahh but the patriarchy sent a hidden message by placing Dick Van Dyke in a leading role

[blonderthanred]

Dick before Dyke.

[MmeLindor]

Jeezzzz

Now Gracia is in on the act. Will link

[MmeLindor]

read it and weep