In wanting Mumsnet to help Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley

[GiantBranch]

Last week, Israel banned 37 international aid organisations from operating in the strip, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Medicine Sans Frontieres (MSF). MSF delivers one in three of Gaza’s babies, and experts warn that immediate action must be taken to prevent a catastrophe.

It has prompted more than 100 leading members of the arts, including Dames Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller, Suranne Jones and singer Paloma Faith, to sign a letter urging popular online platform Mumsnet to join them in demanding urgent government action ensuring maternity care is accessible in Gaza.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-israel-baby-birth-judi-dench-letter-b2896981.html

At which point in Mumsnet did professionals in a sphere that draws upon and is motivated by compassion and empathy become demonised as bullying?

At the point that they publically bullied a woman. HTH.

Which woman? We are all Mumsnet

Oh FFS. I will engage one last time. Justine. They are bullying Justine.

If they wanted to talk to us all, they could have started a thread.

Are they? Are you Justine? Have you explicitly asked her if she feels bullied? Is she unable to advocate for herself and respond to the letter accordingly? Express a view maybe?
The letter, whilst possibly a little clumsy/fill in the blank, was obviously sent with the best of intentions. There is an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza at present and they need urgent aid. Yes, there are other issues deserving of attention, but that doesn't mean we can't show compassion for this particular cause.

Being able to advocate for yourself does not mean that you are not being bullied. By some of the most famous women in this country.

Was the intention to bully? Was it perceived as bullying? You seem to be assuming the answers to both.

I just saw the words "Paloma Faith" and my finger went automatically to YABU.

Well if your dislike of Paloma Faith is so great that it overrides any concern for pregnant women that is of course your choice

Whether someone has been subject to coercive control doesn't depend on whether they feel like they've been coercively controlled, but on whether the act they were subjected is controlling and coercive.

The audience to this letter is the general public and that is what makes it coercive. It creates a situation where a refusal is public knowledge. For an issue as emotive as maternity care in a war zone, especially a war zone as heavily-politicised as Gaza, such a refusal being public is not without consequences.

My former employer banks with Barclays. Because of this, last summer they faced weeks of picketing, red paint thrown at buildings, staff harassed by protesters with megaphones following them and shouting at them. Protestors assaulted several staff. Protestors entered buildings to try to "occupy" them. The police had to be called several times.

Because they bank with Barclays and Barclays invest in Israel.

Given that this is what the pro-Palestine protestors will do to an institution that has no dealings with with Israel themselves because of who their bank is, do you think that publically calling on Justine to oppose an Israeli defence policy is a neutral act? Or do you think that it's an irresponsible act that forces her to agree unless she fancies being swatted again?

coercive control is a serious issue, I think your use of the term here to describe a group of women asking the head of a forum for women to support a campaign to enable pregnant women get proper maternity care which will save them from bad outcomes albeit publicly is a ridiculous stretch and undermines the notion of what coercive control is

Have you anything to say about what pregnant Palestinian women face or do they not matter?

My God, I go away for several hours, and you are still posting (the same stuff)
And DuchessofStaffordshire obviously hasn't RTFT

Derailing

Read what I said about protestors damaging property and intimidating and assaulting staff of a institution who said "no" to switching banks.

Then consider that Justine has already been swatted once. Do you know what swatting is?

This is absolutely coercive control. If Justine says "no", she has a target on her back.

Again, derailing.

I disagree. I have fled a coercive relationship and there are so many parallels here.

1. You didn't ask us to comment on that. You asked us to comment on whether Justine should yield to a coercive public request from some actors.
2. I refer you back to my second post:

"When they voiced objection, Captain Black replied that people who were loyal would not mind signing all the loyalty oaths they had to. To anyone who questioned the effectiveness of the loyalty oaths, he replied that people who really did owe allegiance to their country would be proud to pledge it as often as he forced them to."

It feels like there's a subtext of "if you don't cosign this, you must want to hurt babies", when that's not the case because there are plenty of other reasons not to cosign it.

"When the posters voiced objection, GiantBranch replied that people who thought that mothers deserve proper maternity care would not mind signing all the open letters presented to them. To anyone who questioned the effectiveness of the open letters, she replied that people who really did agree with proper maternity care would be proud to pledge it as often as she wanted them to."

I'm not playing that game.

Bamboozle away. The OP is talking about women in urgent need of maternity care.

And still noone has explained why Justine is uniquely placed to fix this? The letter should have been addressed to the PM or foreign secretary

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper - A woman and a mother too ( I am not sure that is relevant but clearly celebs think otherwise)

Uniquely? This is a forum.

Her choice of thread title is "[AIBU] In wanting Mumsnet to help Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley".

I am talking about how Dench and Lumley's decision to publish the letter instead of sending it privately is coercive. I am on topic.

You are diverting from the topic

The letter was addressed to Justine, not the members of Mumsnet. If you'd read it, you'd know that.