Where did all the Feminists go?

[Portofino]

MN seems to have had a reorganisation of FWR when I was on holiday and me no-likey. Why do we now have a Rad fem section and Feminist light chat. So many of the dynamic, knowledgable and interesting posters have disappeared. I have to say that some of the more radical stuff posted really made me think about my views and re-align them. There doesn't seem to be much of that anymore. I am disappointed to be honest.

I don't know what the bunfight was as I am fairly new to mumsnet but have really been enjoying this section. It is annoying when some come on and derail a thread or are contentious for the sake of it, I mean when they don't really care about the issue but just want to break up intelligent discussion. I don't think this could happen on Mumsnet but I was on one site where the male owner literally banned people whose views he didn't like - and alarmingly they tended to be forthright feminist views that he banned - it really made me think about the nature and supposed "openness" of the internet.

Whoever the "lost" feminist voices are/were, I hope they come back as we should never let our voices be silenced - imagine if our great grandmothers had got cross and given up back at the turn of the century, we wouldn't even be on the internet now!

rosa - well said.

Rosa is right- there is still plenty of food for thought on there. I hope it keeps improving.

agree
enjoy articipating in fwr topics
and continue to do so

I am perfectly happy to discuss substance with you as well and am eagerly awaiting a substantive and relevant post of yours. Until then I shall keep politely asking you to reconsider your choices in terms of form.

Well I for one am thrilled atthe reorganization of far and all the related brouhaha
finally at last the vast swathes of mners who felt women's rights were too narrow a focus, who felt passionately committed to equilism and fretted about the dads husbands brothers and sons have a place if their own where they can debate the big issues without being hectored by meanie radfems demanding to know how hairy their genitals are
Thank God for the human rights topic.

I don't have to adjust or moderate posts to anyone other than mnhq
faux scottsh,or no likey.that's not my problem
just as I don't ask others to adapt or change post style, nor will i

No one is forcing you to do anything. It's just, if you will insist on wondering why you get a certain type of response, you must expect replies.

Otherwise, you're setting yourself up as a peculiar type of oracle, no?

Porto -I agree, FWR has lost it's spark, with many regular posters no longer posting, and others not posting as often.

I think this is a real shame. I didn't agree with quite a few people on quite a lot, but i have learnt a lot from these discussions, have changed my mind on some things, and thought alot about others.

I don't think it is the reorganisation itself which broke FWR, it seems like the main chat topic still gets most traffic. It was the discussion around the proposals for renaming and then reorganisation which dug up tensions between posters that were in the end not to do with MRAs, or ideological differences, but about people feeling slighted and by disputes within Facebook friendship groups. For whatever their reasons a lot of people stopped posting.

My guess is that many of the thoughtful and committed people who used to use FWR as home base have gone off to closed FB groups or feminist sites, which is of course their prerogative, but a shame.

Seeker - I think you are right feminism should be all across MN, but at the same time i think it makes sense to have a dedicated FWR section not as an enclave but as a focus and entry point.

What I think was really valuable (perhaps unique?) on MN was a robust discussion of feminism, with many different POVs within a mainstream forum mainly for mums. I think it is a real shame if that has been lost (or at least subdued) because people have retreated to more exclusive sites.

it's a both and IMO
yes to fwr topic
and yes to global discussion of feminism across mn

Some of the radical feminists who used to post in FWR, were bullied off here. The bullying was obvious and MNHQ were not interested.

The radical feminist section was set up because those consistently attacking those radical feminist posters asked for it. They wanted the radical feminists to go away basically and not comment on anything they said. I was not aware of one single radical feminist who wanted a separate radical feminist section. And that is why it is unused.

I know some posters will reply saying a separate section was provided because posters asked for it. But it is crazy to provide a section for radical feminists when radical feminists on here argued against its creation.

And I miss the voices of those driven away too.

bullying?gosh do tell mnhq
bullied off an entire forum
they take such things v seriously

And lets be clear MNHQ do not necessarily take this stuff clearly. I was for a while subject to a whole load of unpleasant lesbophobia from a handful of posters all over MN. MNHQ couldnt have cared less.

if in your opinion mn couldn't care less,or acquiesce to bullying why you here
it's mn site,mnhq moderate as they see fit
if you have fundamental misgivings why hang about?

And just noticed the radical feminist board has gone. That is because after an initial couple of threads on it where radical feminists complained about the existence of the board, no-one posted on it. Because radical feminists did not want the board created in the first place. Which kind of shows the so called demands for a radical feminist board was a lie - it was only ever argued for by those who were trying to bully radical feminists off the main feminist board.

There are very few radfems on mumsnet. Very few. If any. Which you would find hqrd to believe if you only listened to the wittering that happens whenever anyone expresses views that distinguishes her from a doormat.

What a charming post EleanourHandbasket .

Personal attack, outing, rude and PA all in a oner.

Personally it is posts like that and the constant attacking of 'radfems' plus the troll hunting that put me off posting here.

I didn't fall out with anyone on Facebook so that is nothing to do with me deciding this section was becoming a waste of time.

TBH I have been put off MN as a whole because of the way MNHQ seem to turn a blind eye to the bullying/troll hunting of some posters (when it suits them). Not saying they put up with it all the time, they don't.

I still read the section sometimes. My opinion is that it has gone from being a pretty unique place on the internet - a big feminist space with a lot of traffic that didn't shy away from challenging and consciousness raising feminist discourse, and this on a on a parenting website!! to something less unique, less challenging and less consciousness raising.

But it seems that that is what people wanted. [shrug]

With hindsight, I think it is incredible that it lasted as long as it did.

It could only happen in the first place because MN is a predominantly female space. Shame that wasn't enough.

Wow, reading this thread you could almost believe no radfem ever bullied anyone on here.