Are you a feminist? Just a yes or no.

[RedHareWithBlondeHair]

No need to go further into your reasoning if you don't want to but this has always a been curious issue to me and came up today with one of my colleagues. She is a feminist by how she described her beliefs but doesn't actually adopt the term.

There are constant "jokes" about violence against women-and very specific and public ones. Not a suggestion of giving a git swimmer a kick which would have applied whatever sex they were.

I'm a physically strong woman. My dp is a slim man. In a play fight he can over power me and hold me down with one arm. If he punched me in the face he could knock me out. If I punched him I would certainly hurt him, but he could never be scared of me, unless I held a gun to his head or something.
Men kill women at the rate of two a week, not the other way round. To pretend women are regularly violently attacking men and men are regularly living in fear of women just so you don't have to face the facts about just how much violence men commit in the world is frankly bizarre.
It's not "six of one" or "two wrongs don't make a right". Not. Comparable. Sorry.

and those jokes are wrong.

but then violence is wrong and it shouldn't be something to make fun about.

“but then violence is wrong and it shouldn't be something to make fun about“

I agree. But men get cut sooo much slack when they do it ( think of the rugby manager’s tweet)

and they have been given excuses from very early on in there lives

He is just a toddler/baby.
Boys will be boys.
Its just rough and tumble.
Its what boys do.
Puberty is a hard time.
He doesn't know his own strength.

And others that may involve a reason but shouldn't be used to excuse behaviour.

And even blaming those that are bullied/victimised (both female and male) from a young age.

Its all very wrong and needs a seismic shift in standards from everyone.

It starts even earlier than that Boney - “ooh feel how powerful his kick is” about an unborn boy child, baby grows with “tough guy” and “bruiser” (I shit you not) on.

Gender stereotyping is endemic and damaging for both sexes - more so for women because their “role” is the one at the bottom. However, as a mother of boys I go out of my way to push back against stereotypes for them also.

For Little Women fans there is an amazing example of all this when Meg has boy and girl twins. They are days old, and Laurie is delighted when the boy twin’s flailing fist catches him in the eye........

STEM is a job that suits male brains? That’s bollocks.

I’ve worked in STEM for over 30 years and I can tell you that I’ve worked with many many women who were brilliant at it. Sadly these days they are fewer and fewer.

But then I don’t believe in male brains.

Not going to RTFT as it’s likely full of all sorts of nonsense by now...

YES. 100 times yes.

Yes

A feminist : yes
A Mumsnet feminist : no

Ha! Love it! Yes me too.

I didn't used to define as a feminist because too many feminists put me off with their sometimes quite ridiculous views.

But as I've got older I've realised that just because some feminists are ridiculous, it doesn't make me not a feminist, it just makes them ridiculous.

Yes.

As is my eldest child. I asked the six year old, and he said that he’s actually a lego genius. Make of that what you will. The ten year old is currently re-enacting Pokemon battles in his room, but as far as I’m aware he doesn’t see anything wrong with equality so I’d hard a guess he’d say he’s a feminist too, as much as somebody with his degree of ASD is able.

I didn't used to define as a feminist because too many feminists put me off with their sometimes quite ridiculous views”

What’s a ridiculous view?

I've seen too many over the years to list here Bertrand and that's not what this thread is for. The thread asked do you define as a feminist, yes or no and I've answered the question, albeit a little more fully than was required, so that's all from me.

Yes. Of course.

Yes.

But not in the transphobic way some are.

“I've seen too many over the years to list here Bertrand“

Ahhh c’man c’man c’man. You know you want to! 3. Just 3 ridiculous views expressed by actual feminists. I’m sure the OP won’t mind.

Maybe the OP won't mind but actually I am getting quite a kick out of refusing to play with you Bertrand

Fucking hell Bertrand do you ever stop?

I gave you an answer on the other thread... which you just ignored..
Linda Bellos leaving her husband and son, taking her daughter to an all women commune because she had chosen Lesbian Separatism (as the one true feminism).

Not really. I am 100 per cent for women's rights to vote, to be protected from abuse etand equal pay etc but I cannot accept abortion on demand as a good thing.

I'll add another for you Bertrand. ?.
The extremist feminist view that it is actually impossible for a women ever to be able to give consent in a patriarchal society.

Ergo your dad raped your mum..

Yes.

But I don't agree with current feminist priorities.

My reason for saying I do not agree with abortion on demand is simply that the incidences of women needing abortions due to life threatening illness are relatively rare in this day and age. Those are circumstances where I think abortion may be appropriate, and even then I am not sure. Do we have a right to shed innocent blood?

I wish adoption was promoted more and therefore more women with unwanted preganancies could have this option. Or if the woman wants to keep her child but is facing poverty, abuse, chronic illness or disability which might make raising a child difficult or homelessness etc that the right support could be put in place for the mother an dher unborn child. I suppose that is unrealistic though. Government cuts are brutal.

I suppose abortion performed by a doctor is safer for the mother than a back street abortionist but so sad that women see no other way out. Abortion can be traumatic for the woman. I do not see myself as being a woman hater to be against abortion. Quite the opposite. Do not forget too, how in many cultures, baby girls are aborted, exposed or dumped because they are female.

Forcible rape accounts for a small percentage of abortions too. Abortion could add further trauma to the woman who has been raped.

In the case of incest, (consenting adults) the victim is the unborn baby who may be born with disabilities. I still do not think abortion is justified in the majority of those cases although I agree finding help and support for a severely disabled child is very difficult.

Abortion can be traumatic for the woman.

Not as fucking traumatic as being forced to be pregnant and give birth against your will, which is what you are essentially advocating. I think you have proven your point that you are not a feminist.

I guess the difference between pro-lifers and feminists is that pro-lifers care deeply about the unborn hypothetical children whereas feminists would prefer to focus on the millions of actually alive children who are living in poverty and suffering because the state doesn't give a shite about them. Maybe turn your attention to the living before worrying about the not yet living.