This board is the most frightening .

[fangbanger]

Apparently.

I am a little saddened that a forum mostly used by women, has decided that the feminist boards are the most frightening of the forum.

Why do we feel that is? What can be done to prevent people from feeling so intimidated that they are too scared t post?

Hello - please can I de-lurk?

I often read the feminism board for the brain exercise, tbh, but I'm not sure I've ever posted.

However, I was a bit irked to find this topic as the most cited 'scary' board on that other thread. I find it quite depressing that such a huge cross-section of women find feminism scary.

dittany, can I ask: you said "I've noticed this dynamic with people who are hostile to feminism"

erm, what dynamic, and is it me who you are implying is hostile to feminism?

That too!

It is sad that saying anything thought of as feminist is the quickest way to guarantee an awkward silence at most parties.

Not the parties I would go to, though

ok, fair enough.
but seriously, what dynamic were you referring to? presumably something that has been echoed in this thread, otherwise it would be a bit odd to drop a general point like that in.

yes, you did explain the dynamic in your post.

sorry, my post was not very clear.

where have you seen this dynamic reflected in this thread (otherwise, as I said, it is a bit of an odd general point to drop in)

ref: the teaching bit. no, no further comment. I think the thread, and the responses given earlier stand for themselves.

The Intro threads are well and good. And I hope everyone enjoys them.

But they cannot alone cancel out the past months of hounding and pouncing.

I think that power dynamic thing has been echoed in this thread - the idea that feminists have some kind of power, that we can educate the masses about it, if only we'd do it properly.

When the truth is, that the people who are hostile to feminism, would never listen and learn, however reasonable and patient and forbearing and turning of the other cheek we were.

And to be fair I think 80% of the time we are. But that's not enough for those who have a bee in their bonnet about how horrid and scarey we all are.

I don't think the posters who have posted here saying they can not be bothered with the feminism boards due to the hostility often shown are themselves hostile to feminism.

and I don't think that any power is being given or perceived in the way you imply.

But the fact remains that posters have come here in the past with questions and queries and been fully rounded upon. for little reason at times, other than they have used the wrong terminology.

and there have been several posters on this thread who have said as much, as well as many more posters who have said similar (not just today/yesterday on the other thread, but it is a standing joke that many posters do not even put their head round the door over here because of the reputation for sneering and aggressive posting)

No higher standard, SGM.

I would, and have, said the same on any other section too.

saying it happens elsewhere does not make it right.

Look if there was a racism / minority issues board and I was a bit scared of it, I would lurk and learn. If I had a bad experience on it, I wouldn't immediately conclude that I was never going to engage with it again, becasue I am interested in the issues.

People who claim that they are never going to talk to us again because we are all horrible, never really wanted to talk to us properly in the first place IMO.

And I know that will go down as being another dismissive feminist POV.

dittany

I haven't ignored your responses - I am engaging in dialogue

but hey, whatever

I'll take myself off then.

I think there is a confusion here.

Why are we talking about "We" "us" "them" ?

the feminist boards are not a private club. they do not belong to a few users to exclude others.

They are for the use of ALL mumsnetters.

Yes that's quite right fangbanger

I'm not scared of feminism/feminists. I am scared of this board.