Why do lots of black women still feel that feminism is nit for them?

[SpringHasSprungYay]

Isn't it sad that in this day & age, so many black women still feel that feminism is a white woman's thing.
How can we make things better?

@Antarcticant

Reading the BMN board (as a non-intrusive 'lurker' if you are not black) gives an insight into this.

Yep.

@roundtable

Sneering and uppity. For fucks sake

Only a few posts in. That's good examples why.

I was debating whether to engage but I see how this will go. As per usual. Shame.

pokeybowls first post

Its using inflammatory language which is not a ‘usual’ british phrase

Though I appreciate this is a world wide site

I’m reporting it…i hate saying that cos A) i sound like a twat and B) FWR doesn’t like reporting

And i agree with samphires post at 8.34

Me too. Also onionpatch

@maddy68

This forum puts me off this kind of feminism. So much aggression that doesn't represent me at all.

Feminism means a different thing to me. It means equality
Not ranting about toilets. I got give two fucks if the are unisex toilets. Etc

However if you were an ethnic minority with cultural or religious reasons for keeping sex boundaries in intimate settings you would give many many fuxks as others decide it's acceptable to restrict or limit your ability to function and participate in the wider world; let alone decide your personal boundaries, all because they judge you're just not educated enough to understand why your feelings don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things.

@Pokeybowl

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Pokey uppity is a red flag word that really shows what the user thinks. It is a racist term yet here you are denying racism on FWR. So you have proved a point but not the one you think you have.

@DialSquare

Maybe I'm wrong but I read the uppity comment as being aimed at the TRAs who post here accusing us all of being white, right wing and middle class.

Yes, I read the "uppity" comment as being aimed at TRAs, some people commenting here are just looking to be offended.

Yes, I read the "uppity" comment as being aimed at TRAs, some people commenting here are just looking to be offended.

And some words are very loaded.

@MoonbeamSprinkles, my saying I've not heard it means exactly that. It does not mean 'and therefore has never happened'. It is a word that can be used for anyone 'getting above their station in life' and is not exclusively used against black people. I'm sure many men think the women here are uppity because we fight for our rights. In my head and in the context here, I hear the word 'uppity' immediately followed by the N word, said in an accent from the southern states of the US. No doubt I'm influenced by watching 'Roots' on TV many years ago.

I am always on FWR, occasionally on AIBU, never on any board for black women but I shall go & read, then stay silent.

Not ranting about toilets. I got give two fucks if the are unisex toilets.

So you don't care about the safety of women and girls? Got it.

I think we should be weary of some of the people posting here, they may not be what they seem.

This thread! 🙄 Men shouldn't waste their time putting women down. Apparently women can do that perfectly well on their own.

I just googled the uppity racist connection. I had no idea. It wouldn't occur to me to call BW uppity if they felt feminism wasn't for them without the connotations which was why I read it as aimed at the TRAs but now I can see there may have been a more sinister use of the word.

Good

It was obviously stirring though i can see ive done something similar

So im a twat as well!

I read the particular word in question as:

• either someone dropping by to tell off FWR: or
• deployed purposely to derail this thread in the hope it would be read as a usual FWR-er being knowingly unpleasant

(knowingly as it's not exactly a common British term but we will all recognise it being used here and in this context as an attack word)

So basically some kind of divide and conquer attempt.

People really aren’t ‘just looking to be offended’ about the word uppity.

And the fact that you’re so dismissive and defensive at it being brought up is just showing the exact reason why this might not feel like a welcoming place for black women.

Imagine if someone used the word hysterical about women on this board and then when they were told it wasn’t a good word to use they said people were just looking to be offended.

Well I had never come across that as a racist term. I have heard it used as a sexist term very often

Yet another thing that comes from America as best I can determine

I rather feel that sone people are looking for offense - if you don't know the latest list of offending words from America and beyond you are contemptible

In the spirit of what the op intended (I hope) yes I am aware not all white people are like that (rather like NAMALT...which does not go down well on FWR for your consideration) and no I'm not looking to be offended. It just gets very draining.

Take all the shit bits that women have a tackle and then add another layer of shit on top. That's probably the best I've got today.

Lots of books out there if you really want to find out more. Which is always mentioned but I'm not sure how often they are read when they are suggested. I'm reading Don't Touch my Hair at the moment which is an extremely similar experience to my life growing up, even though it's a different part of the country and slightly different time.

I mean in MN terms, I think the GC feminism has drawn in a lot of conservative posters who cross the line, as well as genuine feminists interested in sex based rights.

The Central Park Karen threads are a good example of feminists being completely blind to race issues and so focussed on seeing women as the victims they were unable to see the racial power imbalance which in that situation was the main player, not a sex power imbalance.

There’s also many threads of GC feminists saying they’ll vote conservative because of GC issues, and saying they’re the only party truly supporting women. That’s great if you’re privileged but for those on or close to the poverty line (which is more likely to be BAME because of various socio economic factors) then it’s hard to claim the Conservative party are really what women need. Pair that with the thread complimenting Boris Johnson (who is well known for a variety of racist comments) and also a number of high profile feminist posters that have in the past whitesplained and spewed racist hatred on BM threads, it’s not hard to see why black mumsnetters do not identify with MN feminism.

Feminism outside of MN is a whole bother ball park of course

I don’t think I ever have used the word uppity but I remember long discussions where allegedly it was used in the U.K. for anyone getting above their class / station in life and in the US in a racist way. I guess these uses may mingle for people who watch a lot of TV.

I hope this can be a good discussion for everyone to learn from and hopefully we can move on from that.

As for hysterical, I prefer testerical… it is very similar but should only be used for testicle havers

@roundtable

Sneering and uppity. For fucks sake

Only a few posts in. That's good examples why.

I was debating whether to engage but I see how this will go. As per usual. Shame.

Except that ignores the fact that I, a white woman, reported it about 30 seconds after it was posted.

That poster is the problem. The username is a giveaway. We don't even know of that poster is female. Not all white women,.to coin a phrase!

Well I had never come across that as a racist term. I have heard it used as a sexist term very often

But this is the point. White people tend to not be as tuned in to racist terms because they don’t need to be.

It’s not ‘looking for offence’ to point out how a term could be seen or used in a racist way.