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Feminism: sex and gender

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I Commented on an Article in Today's Guardian and my Comment was Removed

35 replies

LuluBlakey1 · 12/03/2024 18:39

This piece is in today's Guardian in the Opinions Section.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/keir-starmer-labour-poor-sick-disabled-tory?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I commented after reading it:
.....'What’s the point of Starmer’s Labour if it won’t stand up for poor, sick or disabled people'......or women?
That was it. I added two words to the article's headline - the words 'or women'. The comment was removed for 'not meeting community guidelines'.

I'm really angry that we have reached the point where expressing the view that Starmer's Labour won't stand up for women is now considered unpublishable by the country's only non-right-wing broadsheet - the one that rants on about protecting freedom of speech in journalism.

The last line of the article is
'In the end, some people matter and others don’t.' Oh the irony!

The Guardian clearly think women don't matter.

I am cancelling my subscription and DH is cancelling his.

What’s the point of Starmer’s Labour if it won’t stand up for poor, sick or disabled people? | Frances Ryan

The party should be a beacon of hope for people on benefits. Instead, with a 30-point poll lead, it’s parroting Tory soundbites, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/keir-starmer-labour-poor-sick-disabled-tory?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

OP posts:
2mummies1baby · 18/03/2024 10:23

cuckyplunt · 12/03/2024 19:33

I love the suggestion that as white women we are as oppressed as any of those listed. We really aren’t you know..

What a very odd comment. The OP didn't mention white women, she mentioned women, only some of whom are white.

Also, 50% of all Muslims, Jews and black people are women, and more than 50% of the elderly are... not sure how you can compare when there is so much crossover between groups!

Finally, are we really comparing levels of discrimination? Do you honestly think that's helpful? Does anyone who's a member of two groups who are regularly discriminated against have to choose which discrimination is worse?

2mummies1baby · 18/03/2024 10:26

cuckyplunt · 12/03/2024 19:33

I love the suggestion that as white women we are as oppressed as any of those listed. We really aren’t you know..

You've also made one hell of an assumption that everybody on this thread is white!

Ofcourseshecan · 22/03/2024 23:45

NefertitiV · 13/03/2024 00:44

Or perhaps the point of the article was something completely different? Here's a quote to refresh your memory:

"Put together, such narratives have very clear implications. They tell us that under a Starmer government, the wealthy will never be asked to pay their fair share in tax. When pushed, it is those with the least – poor, sick and disabled people – who will be expected to give the most... If you reinforce the fear that disabled and sick people are a burden on the struggling taxpayer, there is less pressure to address real insecurity such as low wages and crumbling services once in office."

Women are an oppressed group, yes. But other oppressed and ignored groups do exist within society, and as sub-groups among women. There is no basis to think Keir's Labour isn't standing up for women on the basis of this article and on the Guardian's response to your comment.

I’m sure you’re aware that the Labour Party staunchly supports a man’s ‘right’ to intrude in all women’s spaces as long as he claims to feel like a woman. Ask Rosie Duffield MP how decently the party treats even its own MPs if they dare to defend women.

Ofcourseshecan · 23/03/2024 00:07

The Guardian was never a rock-solid Labour supporter, being more liberal for a long time. But it was always ‘our paper’ when I was a young activist. It was also good, and pioneering, on women’s issues.

So I was an utterly typical and loyal Guardian reader for decades. I used to join in ‘Comment is free’ debates enthusiastically, even after I noticed scores of perfectly reasonable comments getting deleted.

It became a bit of a game to keep refreshing the page and seeing how many comments had vanished in the past few minutes. I could imagine the censors frenziedly pounding the delete key to stem the tide of dangerous free-thinking!

This was on all kinds of subjects. When genderism came into fashion, the censorship got even tighter. Eventually they stopped allowing comments on many opinion pieces, so I stopped reading them. I don’t know if they still have this policy as I hardly ever look at the Guardian these days.

It’s a parody of what the Guardian used to be.

CasadeCoca · 09/04/2024 08:44

cuckyplunt · 12/03/2024 19:33

I love the suggestion that as white women we are as oppressed as any of those listed. We really aren’t you know..

Women are oppressed. Full stop. It's not a competition. It's like we're in the 1960s and consciousness raising hasn't happened.

25% of us experience domestic abuse, 25% of us experience rape and sexual assault which has in practice been decriminalised, gender pay gap, unequal domestic burden, etc etc

Rolumba · 01/05/2024 21:23

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

ArabellaScott · 01/05/2024 21:48

Totality · 14/03/2024 09:33

Users are often banned outright for posting comments that the Guardian doesn’t like. And I mean comments which do not contravene their community standards.
I was part of a five year experiment conducted by a media studies group at a Scottish university which was gauging the treatment of dissenting voices on newspaper online forums.
The Guardian was by far the most censorious. Even the Daily Mail was more tolerant of comments which opposed its editorial line on all sorts of issues.

That is interesting and unsurprising.

Pancakefam · 03/05/2024 13:31

I realise your OP was a while ago but I think your comment could have been construed as offensive because you've separated the poor, sick and disabled, and women, when there will be a large overlap. It's accidentally and unnecessarily othering.

shuggles · 20/05/2024 00:46

Don't worry OP, the moderators on the Guardian are clowns and will often remove comments or ban people for poor reasons, or in some cases, for seemingly no reason at all.

In one instance, a person mentioned health issues in her comment. I replied to wish her well and hope that her condition improves some day... the comment was removed.

BloodyHellKenAgain · 30/05/2024 13:11

This doesn't surprise me. I've had comments removed from the BBC comments section when I pointed out that I admired KS but wouldn't be voting for him because of his lack of support for single sex provision. I appealed and was told it was off topic for the article. The article all about how KS was getting ready to govern after the next GE.
Dissenting voices are not allowed OP, especially if they are female voices.

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