To bloody love Madonna for doing this?

[Destinysdaughter]

I've been watching the speeches from the Washington women's march today and have felt so inspired and uplifted by them, it's really given me hope, didn't know Madonna was going to be there and I don't want to take away anything from the other speakers as they've all been brilliant but I just wanted to say well done Madonna for being there and adding your voice ( and admittedly celebrity kudos and attention) to this amazing show of dissent, power and love.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/live/2017/jan/21/womens-march-on-washington-and-other-anti-trump-protests-around-the-world-live-coverage?page=with:block-5883cfe4e4b00b8fc2ae363c#block-5883cfe4e4b00b8fc2ae363c

mothertruck3r there were plenty, but that's a digression. Genuinely, how do you feel it helps women who have never had rights if we don't fight to keep the ones we've already succeeded in winning? Women whose countries have never afforded them rights are helped in no way by us letting go of ours - the more we all push for equal rights, wherever we are and whatever country, the more acceptable women's rights become.

It helps no woman anywhere if we all say "well it's fine for us to let go of the right to abortion in the US because they've never had it in Nigeria"

And he has certainly managed to convince a large section of society that he is not part of the establishment.

Strange that he's so desperate to be part of it that he took to Twitter to argue against an actor expressing her own personal views, rather than ignoring it, which would have sent a far more convincing message that he was not interested in her approval.

speaking out against trump and marching against him is pointless. I dislike him as much as everyone else but the only action that can be taken is to vote him out in 4 years time.
All those celebrities speaking out is exactly why he got voted in, in the first place. They are banging on about women's rights, LGBT rights, freedom of the press...all important things I totally agree, but what about places where factories are shutting, people are losing their jobs and struggling to survive? Why not march for them?
That's why Trump got voted in. Not because he's a good person (he's not) but because Clinton and all her celebrity and political friends have their priorities completely wrong and don't really have a clue what ordinary working americans really need.

It's interesting isn't it? A lot of people on the left spend half their lives being offended by the most minor transgressions of their language codes or by people having the wrong haircut for their race or crying about victims of political oppression in Syria or Iran.

But openly advocate violence against your political opponents and apparently she's marvellous.

It's interesting none of the idiots can see that their intimidation of Trump supporters and enforcement of professional and personal consequences for those who publicly speak in support of him is an overt act of political repression.

SuburbanRhonda- If I had attended the march, I would have made a sign saying "Merkel - protect women's rights to wear what they want and celebrate on NYE without fear of sexual assault". Women's rights in the West can be eroded, not only by people like Trump but by the importation of people from other communities whose countries offer their women few or no rights at present and the last thing we need is those values being imposed in the West with no dissent. One is not exclusive of the other and we should be protesting them both equally yet we are not.

Until rich celebrities stand up and say 'the voting public are sick of listening to hypocrites like us and that's part of the reason we are in the state we are in' I have zero interest in such publicity seekers jumping on cherry picked issues.

I cannot stand Trump myself but is Bill Clinton's attitude to women any different?

Madonna can go fuck herself.

Rhonda, I don't think reacting to Streeps speech means he wants to be part of the liberal establishment. If he genuinely wanted that he would have joined the democrats. It's abundantly clear that he does not seek acceptance by those people which is part of the key to his popularity.

SuburbanRhonda- If I had attended the march, I would have made a sign saying "Merkel - protect women's rights to wear what they want and celebrate on NYE without fear of sexual assault".

Sounds like a good idea. And you didn't march because?

Jezebel has really good coverage of the marches jezebel.com/

Rihanna was there too, so was the actress who plays Supergirl. But the signs and banners were the real stars, there were some really good ones!

This person is most definitely not a mumsnetter.

BillSykesDog Spot on!

Sounds like a good idea. And you didn't march because?

Gosh, that's a tricky one

I imagine she didn't march because the march was a specific attack on the democratic process of a different country which ignored the erosion of women's rights in other countries where they like the rest of the leaders policies. And if she'd gone her presence would have been interpreted as another number against Trump.

But it is interesting to consider the comparative lack of interest and protest when the left wing has been rumbled for much more damaging and pervasive breaches of women's rights such as cover ups in Cologne, Rotherham, Rochdale etc, etc. But then who cares about women's rights not to be raped or sexually abused and be protected by the authorities and have their attackers prosecuted. As long as they can have an abortion afterwards everything's fine and dandy.

bill

I disagree (and he used to be a democrat in the old days).

If he didn't care what Meryl Syreep thinks of him, why bother responding?

Or it may have been that he was annoyed when she reminded him that he publicly mocked and mimicked someone's disability.

Who knows what goes on in that beautiful brain of his.

She did more harm than good IMHO.
Ranting and saying fuck isn't helpful.
I'm sick of celebrities assuming they're qualified to lecture us.

Oh rubbish Rhonda, he responded because he is a bullish person who tends to react. If he wanted to be accepted by those people he would do the same thing everybody else in that group does which is subscribe to a narrow orthodox set of views. He's deliberately antagonistic to that group rather than seeking their approval.

Frankly you sound ridiculous Rhonda.

"And you didn't march because?"

That's an easy one to answer. There are some people who want to make the world a better place. They will do what they can, even if it's a small thing, like go on a protest, or pay £10 to a campaign, or sign a petition.

And there are other people who just want to sneer. They just like to sit there telling everyone why they're wrong to go on a protest or make a donation or sign a petition. And it will be because protesting is anti-democratic (these people have a poor grasp of history), or because they're protesting about the wrong thing (why are you angry about this injustice when you should be angry about this other injustice, over here), or because standing up for what you believe in is "showing off" or "attention seeking".

And these people then feel really good about themselves. Do they do anything themselves to make the world a better place? Of course they don't - that would be beside the point. No, their pleasure lies entirely in mocking and belittling the efforts of others. And when, one day, their grandchildren ask them what they did to stop global warming, or fight poverty, or protect women's rights, they'll be able to say, with a warm glow of self-satisfaction: "I didn't do anything. But I certainly made my point by sneering at people who did."

they'll be able to say, with a warm glow of self-satisfaction: "I didn't do anything. But I certainly made my point by sneering at people who did."

Or "I was busy taking care of the immediate needs of those around me"

Because you know, some people fight every day for the needs of others and do it without wanting constant attention and thanks becuase for them it's everyday life, it's not a campaign or rally.

"I was busy wading through glue fighting the system to get my disabled child an education, and in doing so i helped others."

For some people is more important than giving £10 or going on a protest.

More celebrity pontificating.....

Frankly you sound ridiculous Rhonda.

Whereas you, on the other hand, sound lovely and not at all like a recent graduate of the Trump School of Rational Debate.

Sounds like a good idea. And you didn't march because?

I had this thing I had to do. It's called work.

BillSykesDog - But it is interesting to consider the comparative lack of interest and protest when the left wing has been rumbled for much more damaging and pervasive breaches of women's rights such as cover ups in Cologne, Rotherham, Rochdale etc, etc. But then who cares about women's rights not to be raped or sexually abused and be protected by the authorities and have their attackers prosecuted. As long as they can have an abortion afterwards everything's fine and dandy.

This ^ (claps enthusiastically ). It's scary isn't it. I think it is called cognitive dissonance.

I agree with billsykes. I'm appalled at Trump's election and fear for the future but this is just a safe self-indulgent circle-jerk. I'd like to have seen someone like Madonna query the inclusion of Janet Mock in the Washington women's march, a transwoman who writes positively about underage prostitution rings and who refers to women as "fish". But that might require some critical thinking and the risk of being unpopular.

I think saying that she considered "blowing up the White House" just a bit extreme.

I agree.

That kind of language isn't on full stop.