To be a bit dismayed if 4 million women visit this site,why are there so few posts on the feminism threads?

[Scarletohello]

Ok so I know there are lots of lurkers but if there are really millions of women who go on MN, why are so many threads on the feminism section consisting of so few women? It doesn't make sense to me as so many issues that
women post about on many different topics are actually feminist issues when it comes down to it...

Well I know that none of the regulars would ever say shaving is an "anti-feminist choice." It's certainly a term I never use as it's meaningless.

I am a radical feminist but I still can't go out with hairy legs. In fact I have nightmares about it.

It isn't an anti-feminist choice need, it's as simple as that.

I agree SomewhereIBelong, that was a good example of why so many people find so many posters in that topic, patronising/condescending.

Actually, many of us found this whole thread and the OP's TAAT patronising and condescending, as apparently they were started because she wished to 'educate' the people who tend to keep out of FWR.

cailindana

You say that 'It seems logical to say that if you don't agree with feminism then engaging with it will be frustrating' but lots of women who are feminists go on there and find if frustrating as this thread has shown. How do you explain that?

There are some really nice posters on there and some interesting topics discussed.

Feminism is still needed.

That said - some posters make it difficult personally for me to post.

A question for the people who find the feminism board condescending and intimidating etc: is there a reason you continue to engage with feminism, given that that's the case? As in, if you feel feminism doesn't chime with your views and you find feminists irritating to engage with, why not just ignore it?

iwtfbf - but the feminist board isn't controlled by anyone. So if there are feminists here who want to post on the board, they should just go ahead. It will spark debate, some people won't agree etc - that's how these things go.

Sir- I didn't say I could change "it". I was interested in what people perceived as bullying or flaming so I could be sure I wasn't doing it.

However, as usual, nobody is prepared to name names or give examples.......just the usual "you have to hate men" or "you have to think all men are rapists" (which auto corrected to "all men are typists" ) or "all PIV is rape"...............And I do question the view that because somebody ended up feeling a particular way, then it most have been everyone else that was in the wrong. Sometimes that's true of course. But not always.......

"cailindana MN and it's feminist boards represent only a small portion of feminism/feminists and their beliefs and ideologies. I know many feminists not like those on the boards and I find your question a little odd?"

Is that in response to my question "why not just ignore it" need?

That's like saying "why not ignore politics"? It's perfectly possible to believe in feminism but not to actually agree with some of the more strident feminist ideologies expressed on the threads.

I totally agree SirChenjin. My point is more directed at people who don't agree with feminism at all. There is a lot of discussion within feminism about various issues, and there is a lot of disagreement and sometimes very heated debate. That's all healthy and to be expected. What I don't understand is when people come on feminism threads saying that they don't believe sexism exists. If you don't believe sexism exists then you're not a feminist, which is fine, but why engage with feminism in that case?

Blimey, cailindana. The feminist boards are just tiny, fairly insignificant drops in the feminism ocean.

I would imagine there are millions of reasons people tend to engage in feminism, whilst ignoring certain Mumsnet topics.

That's fine Need. There does tend to be a core of people on the feminism board who have all had these debates hundreds of times before and so seem all to speak with the same voice, so I can see how that's intimidating. I do think though that if you go on there and talk about something you're not clear on, like the shaving thing, and engage with the posters there you will find that most posters are willing to engage right back.

Only been on there a few times and if you don't agree with what the clique are saying, then you get shouted down.

Too many extreme views - too many Katie Hopkins type personalities - too many men haters.

I class myself as a feminist, but some of the characters on there make me shake my head in embarrassment at some of the crap they sprout as women.

I suspect that some of those posters will appear soon on here.

I don't think the question was clear, Need. What I mean more is, if you disagree with feminism, why engage with it?