You've really proved the point I was making. A woman disagrees with the feminists here and your response is to invalidate her viewpoint by (a) agreeing with each other that she's probably not a woman and (b) is probably too privileged to know what she's talking about. (I very much doubt I'm more privileged than the majority here). All this knowledge about an anonymous poster because they don't agree with you. The subtext being that your view is the only valid view a woman could have - while of course paying lip service to the notion that women can have other views and that is perfectly valid because if there's one thing a feminist would never do, it's silence other women! This stance is dripping with hypocrisy.
I genuinely believe that there would be a different litany of human rights abuses if the Spartacus women had more power than at present - different victims, fresh abuses. I didn't start out with this belief but I've realised you're no better than the misogynists out there - you just want the pendulum swinging as far as possible in the opposite direction. From the assumptions made about women who disagree, right through to Justine who offers you a forum yet doesn't say exactly what you want on command - you simply want to stamp out and invalidate anyone who disagrees. Trust me, that's not how the victim of a crucifixion behaves. I don't care who you are or what you've been through - silencing the opposition by mob rule is nothing to aspire to and won't set anyone free.
You should really get out of the echo chamber. This is not a forum for debate. You don't know how to have a debate, unless it's one poster having the temerity to disagree with a group of women who instantly agree they must be dealing with a rich, male, troll. Because who could possibly disagree otherwise?
I will say it again. I think you have good points. But your unwillingness to allow any other viewpoint and your eagerness to silence any other viewpoint (using tactics you detest men using) convinces me that the kind of feminists represented on mumsnet shouldn't have the power they aspire to.
psycho I would respectfully make the point that no one is crucifying you and no one is likely to wish to. Talking about yourself in those terms is ludicrously self-involved.
red I think you're wrong. It is possible to understand the arguments you're making but still not give each point the weight that you are attaching to it. It's called having a different view. The comment from Justine was not necessarily 'flippant' (and this is where feminists are ridiculously offendable) - it could as easily been heartfelt. You didn't like it because she didn't agree with you and emerged from months of this propaganda machine with one of the same bottom lines she started out with. That's her right and it doesn't mean she doesn't understand or respect your views! I have a strong suspicion Justine is only too well acquainted with the ins and outs of the endlessly repeated arguments clogging up her website! She didn't ask you to use mumsnet for this purpose and I very much doubt is benefiting financially from your presence (or would go bust if you left).
Justine's guilty of not chucking you out which is why you have gathered here - that doesn't entitle you to anything from her. She hasn't invited people to hear her speak on this issue and hasn't claimed she can speak for all women as far as I'm aware. She has as much of a right to speak for all women as you do, which is to say - none. It's not her fault that none of you have started a website for parents (never solely women!) with a huge following. Suggesting she doesn't wish the best for you because she will not parrot your views is very, very controlling. Why should anyone have to speak for you if they don't hold the views personally. Where has feminism got to that you seem to wish she shut the fuck up about whatever her own unfortunate beliefs are (obviously the regrettable result of confused white privilege) and spout the party line? That is not feminism!
There are a lot of women in the world, and on mumsnet, who hold views that are less extreme than those expressed on the feminist board here, while respecting the views of more radical feminists and understanding where they are coming from (and where other women who don't call themselves feminists at all are coming from too).
In agreeing to let you all be Spartacus here despite clearly being bored to the back teeth of politely trying to encourage language that will not alienate any trans parents wishing to use the boards, (courtesy that is dismissed as patronising by a rather ungrateful and entitled mob victim mentality from what I can see) I would say Justine and her crew have earned a right to talk to Penny about what they're witnessing on the boards here. If anyone has had to listen endlessly to what you have to say, she has. If you haven't convinced her in every respect, maybe its because your argument isn't infallible or because there's more than one side to the issue, rather than Justine being nasty. Or rich. Or not a proper woman.
Penny doesn't necessarily want to talk to Justine to hear your views repeated verbatim. She could, after all, spend half an hour here on the feminist board reading through the threads if she wished - or have a researcher do it for her. You're not the only women here. I have seen many, many posters voicing disgust at the views expressed on these issues on the feminist board. Perhaps you don't like that Justine might give that information too?