Intimidating ? Because someone I don't know holds a different point of view to me ?
Women discussing issues that affect women isn't intimidating. Having some prick at work discuss my breasts is intimidating. Being told by society that getting raped might be my own fault, is intimidating.
And sorry, this is going to sound like arrogant feminist discourse, but women frequently can't see the discrimination they face. To listen to women denying the everyday sexism and prejudices that women face is disheartening and yes, it matters enough that feminists have to call it out.
If, as a woman, you don't want to accept the harsh reality that we don't have equality never mind liberation, that's fine, but it's not humourless or simply overblown intellectual theory to want to discuss that, analyse it and do something to change it. The FWR boards give women a chance to discuss that without other distractions.
Reading and posting on FWR completely changed my views on everyday matters that affect all women. As a result, we've implemented massive changes in our organisation to ensure that our female staff don't encounter prejudice and can have a working life that works in harmony with their personal life. This was achieved by focusing on women, not men. The benefit is that men also get to take advantage of these new policies. But the reality is that they were needed by women. Did I worry about being called a humourless harpy when I was canvassing opinions on how to implement changes ? Yes, but it was important so I just had to suck it up to achieve the end results.
FWR is full of discussions by women confirming just how difficult it can be to be constantly aware of sexism but equally there's a united front that not doing something about it results in the continuity of women being treated badly. Being scared of being labelled is one of the ways in which women are kept in their place. It's how men (and yes, only some men but men nonetheless) got away with their treatment of women in the past and present. Rolf Harris ? DLT ? Stuart Hall ? Ched Evans ? Because the sexual assault of these women was just something women had to put up with. These women were scared and intimidated by what had happened to them and by thinking they wouldn't be believed. The reality is that feminism isn't about women taking offence because a man holds a door open, it's about women refusing to allow themselves to be treated as lesser. It's about not allowing women to deny their responsibility to other women. It's not about never being critical of women and their own behaviours. Women don't get a free pass just because they are women.
FWR is always going to be a challenging place to post because it's never easy having to question things you've always believed and it's almost never pleasant to have a mirror held up to your own double standards. Posters on the FWR are more critical of themselves than other posters and it does those women a huge disservice to refer to them in the terms they have been referred to on here.