Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in the Independent thinks Mumsnet is shallow and self-interested... what do you think?

[JustineMumsnet]

From today's Independent:

Look at the immensely powerful Mumsnet website and some other copycat ones and there is barely any mention of (or fundraising for) the famines in East Africa where mothers push dry breasts into the limp mouths of babies as they die. Jeremy Clarkson wrote an abominable column last week on these starving children. Where is the famous Mumsnet battalion to slap him down? Not much about domestic violence either, or any serious take on the policies of the Coalition government which are leading to unprecedented numbers of female redundancies. They are low-paid and therefore, I suppose, not part of the cosy circle, a Starbucks for the right kind of mummies. But if you want to know about skiing with babies, its all there, plus very efficient guilt cleaning for working ladies and buckets of advice for SAHMs (stay-at-home mums).

You can see the whole article here

What it does show is YAB's own prejudiced attitude towards the poor. Oh, these women are articulate - they can't possibly be...you know...like those people.

I simply can't bear it when people describe me as middle class. Ghastly.

Definition of prejudice, an assumption made without seeking adequate knowledge on the subject
I don't think she has any idea of what Mumsnet is really about

and most people, other than weird middle aged men, pay no attention to Jeremy Clarkson, almost by definition what he writes is going to be bollocks anyway imo

Mumsnet is a very heterogenous group. In fact that's one of the reasons why it is so interesting, it is the variety of experiences and views that make for vibrant discussions.

Will people stop mentioning JC, he upsets me viscerally...

Oh do fuck off sweetheart.

It's a new accusation for the Feminism section tho innit. 'not much about domestic violence'

Oi, 'leave him, he's a bastard / abusing you / gaslighting you brigade' that apparently exists - you REALLY aren't vocal enough :)

FWIW I have never seen a thread about skiing with babies.

I'll leave the correction of the pushing 'dry breasts' into dying babies to TikTok.

Just searched skiing and babies, last thread 2009...

Yeah, that breastfeeding comment annoyed me, too.

Oh Rubarb you made me cry. X

I've learnt masses on MN about several heavy weight issues that I otherwise knew nothing about.MN has also warmed the cockles of my heart many,many times.

That aside the fact is I come on MN for support,info and to give support/info re issues that effect my life,as little and unimportant it may be to column writers.

I'm aware of heavy weight stuff,I read the broadsheets,try to do my bit etc but at the end of the day when I've had to drag a 6 year old sobbing to school or worry about my parenting I come on here for a bit of support not to discuss heavyweight issues which I discuss in length in RL with my dp or friends.

I often do post on the heavy weight stuff(which is on here aplenty if you know where to look)but sorry sometimes all you want is to chat with other mums re issues that effect your immediate life.Is that not ok now?

Life is tough for many of us at the moment.If I was working on a top column on Fleet Street with a nanny,cleaner and lunch breaks I may post more on heavy weight issues. The fact is I'm a mum and it can be overwelming at times.I kind of resent being depicted as an airhead who skis and hangs out in Starbucks,I can afford neither (like the vast majority on here I suspect).

Sorry got a cold ,feeling shite and got a sick kid at home,said article has annoyed me probably more than it should.

I tend to use mumsnet for cupcake recipes and tips on how to please my husband in bed.

Why do women always feel the need to belittle other women?

What a weird and very tenuously-linked swipe at Mumsnet that paragraph is (as well as an inaccurate and offensive one, as many have pointed out - 'guilt cleaning?' - do sod off). It looks like a very ill-disguised attempt to garner additional hits/readers by prodding at a target that is (annoyingly) very popular at the moment. Weak, weak journalism.

Lazy journalism. Did she actually bother to look at MN? Not surprising as the whole article is fairly directionless.

My daughter's at uni, she enjoys the benefits of feminism, I only went with my mother's support, don't entitled women moan about things, why didn't they attack Clarkson for being an arsehole, there's a film out you know, why aren't they on marches...

Personally I only use MN to find the right apres ski gear for DD1 as the au pair says she gets quite chilly.

I volunteer for a charity called Homestart and am currently supporting a mother through the break-up of her relationship due to domestic violence. Some of us are actually walking the walk not just drivelling on about it (and being paid handsomely) for a national newspaper.

Having being a victim of DV, I can categorically state that the advice you get on MN is better than that available from most/all of the agencies out there (without wanting to degrade what they do).

The fact that St Lundy Bancroft is recommended to every woman who posts with an abusive relationship is THE BEST ADVICE you can ever be given. It literally saves lives and is rarely recommended by other agencies, including Women's Aid. None of the WA members I have met have read it, which is surprising.
People often have little understanding of what an abusive relationship is like so accusations of over reactions are common - like dear old Yasmin seems to have fallen victim to. It is not just about violence - that is the easy bit to make sense of.

YAB = Tantrumming toddler cross she can't have it her way. Maybe she should meet up with SWMNBN. Can't have the MN that she wants it to be. Shall I pat her on the head & offer her a lolly to make her feel better?

Really not doing herself any favours...Little in life is more dull than self-worthy campaigners; MN is successful precisely because of the unpredictable mix of sharp wit, serious and trivial conversations.

I'm disappointed because I like YAB's ideals (mostly). But severely undermines her credibility if she demands that her lofty concerns take centre stage when and how SHE wants them to. I bet she has stupid domestic rows about who forgot to flush the loo, too.

I think you are probably right, Cory. I came to mumsnet for advice on a rash and - funnily enough - stayed mainly becuase of the feminism and politics.

The whole article is full of contradictions. On the one hand, she makes a big deal of her daughter studying engineering. On the other, she berates women for making a big deal of having a high-flying job and a family.

Justine's comment on the Independent website is good, but she got the apostrophe wrong in it's

Alibi-Brown just doing her usual stuff of getting it wrong by a country mile.

All websites where people can post chatty comments are going to be in part at least self-interested. And most people are self-interested. Who doesn't put themselves and their nearest and dearest first? It doesn't mean you lack awareness of other issues though. Just that you might not want to worry or chat about stuff you can mostly do fuck all about all the time, and focus on the stuff you can change.

This woman is not a columnist. The papers don't as far as I'm aware employ proper columnists who know anything any more. Instead they employ people to write the controversial stuff that gets commenters and social media users (including Mumsnet itself!) fluttering with better-reasoned and clearer responses than the original article whilst potentially dragging a vast cohort of people (800,000 in this case!) over to view their paper online, click on the sponsored links etc.

User-generated content and free publicity- what could be cheaper and more effective?

Last Sunday morning I helped the children make some little cakes to sell at our Quaker Meeting to raise money for East Africa and Save the Children in particular. We raised £21 and equally importantly the children were involved in responding positively to others needs. (Lighting their candle in the darkness and reminding us adults to do the same)
But I hadn't mentioned it on here (before now) because most of my energies on here this week have been going towards supporting two mothers through neonatal tragedy and crisis. And I know that people do stuff in their real lives without having to document it all on here.
There was however a very well supported recent thread about which charities people support (In discussions of the day) Many MNers shared that they support the DEC and other charities working in East Africa and other crisis areas on both relief and longer term projects.
I've also posted recently to ask for the removal of the MN prize of a bottle-feeding starter kit (was removed with apology by MNHQ almost instantly) and against high street banks funding cluster bombs (Amnesty International report successful campaign with change in policy from RBS) and I also posted with regard to the misogynistic T-shirt slogans from Top-man which were almost immediately withdrawn from sale following extensive activity and protest on social networking sites including this one.
But all that hasn't stopped me starting a thread to raise awareness too that this is "Yorkshire pudding week" and what will you be having with yours ?! And nor should it !
Whatever corners of MN Yasmin has un-earthed during her browsing they aren't the same ones I've come across. I've not found the baby apres-ski fashion section yet either !

'Yorkshire pudding week" say what now!?! off t'do a search....