People going to Radfem2013

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I am going. I know lots of people on here may not feel it's advisable to say publicly that they are going, but I thought maybe they might still want to meet up once we're there, at some point over the weekend?

I'll know you're up for it by the deafening silence, hopefully one or two replies and maybe a wee red dot if you are in the 'not saying publicly' camp.

I'd feel totally intimidated. not by the big scary feminist but by walking into a group primarily dominated by people who know what the fuck they are talking about whilst still being a novice myself.

It was the same when I first got in to animal rights, it would be if I started getting interested in politics. I'm a democrat, but could I discuss it intelligently with people who spend their lives studying and theorizing?

That's a really nice point to make, actually, thanks. I suppose namechange picked on feminists (or I interpreted him to be doing so, as it may well have been unintentional) because I think there is still this assumption that a group of women shouldn't be intimidating, that women have a duty to be soft and smiley and nice?

But yes, I guess any group who know their stuff can potentially be a bit scary.

I'm lucky in that I am accustomed to being the person in the room who doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about.

LRD I seriously doubt you won't know what you're talking about but I agree with HullMum that it is intimidating walking into a group of people who you know are very knowledgeable. I hope you have a great time!

I was going to just sit here and read, but my name keeps coming up. I made a genuine enquiry. Somebody else thought the same as me, and she has stated so explicitly here. In fact, she followed it up with further questions to clarify exactly what you did mean, LRD. And yet, despite both me and Punk coming to the same conclusion, you keep going on about how rude i am. Not her though. So let me expand on what I actually, meant, so you don't have to keep assuming the worst.

If I was a Labour Party supporter, off to my first conference, I might feel giddy, or excited, or curious, or just looking forward to the piss-up. But I wouldn't be worried about 'proper' Labour supporters, because I would not expect them to lord it over me, put me in my place or treat me condescendingly. I would not expect to agree with them on everything, no matter how many years they had been in the movement, or how much they had read, written or theorised in past millennia. I would hope for robust debate, and a healthy exchange of ideas. I would hope they would listen, as well as talk. I would expect conference to be a broad church, with different views, and room for debate. I would expect this whether it was Labour, Conservative, Socialist Worker or BNP.

If you are there as a feminist, how can you 'say the wrong thing'? It is a political movement, not a religious one.

Thanks flora, I hope so too!

I didn't expect radical feminists to 'lord it over me', to put me in my place or treat me condescendingly.

Nor did I say I did.

I found it offensive you assumed I did. Punk never said anything like that. She said she'd thought I might be nervous. On account I'd said I might be nervous.

If you don't understand how different people within the same political movement might have different ideas about what is right and what is wrong, I cannot really help you. I fail to see what this has to do with religion.

Since I have read the brief for this conference, I do not expect it to be a 'broad church', no. I am perfectly happy with that, and quite used to going to specialist conferences in my academic, day-to-day life. If you prefer the 'broad church' approach, that is absolutely fine and your choice, but please don't assume everyone is the same as you.

Thanks.

I do feel it's rather off to claim you didn't want to stir trouble and then start kicking off when I have been extremely careful to acknowledge, multiple times, that I do understand you most likely spoke unintentionally rather than deliberately. I'm afraid I draw the line somewhere between acknowledging you probably didn't mean to offend, and saying 'ah, well, now namechange insists I must really have meant that radfems will all be condescending, clearly that is what I did mean, silly old me not knowing my own mind'.

Kicking off? Really?? By explaining what i meant? Sheesh.

namechangeguy perhaps you might consider whether attitudes like this are the reason why this is a women-only space - you, off to your first conference, would say:

"I would hope they would listen, as well as talk."

I would describe precisely none of the conferences I have been to as a "broad church" unless you mean "within the confines of what we think our movement is about" which make the statement pretty meaningless.

It sounds a bit like you didn't really mean your apology and now you're a bit pissed off that it's been pointed out that you misunderstood.

Look, I don't want this to get derailed further than it has.

I started this thread because I thought some people on MN might be going, and might like the idea of meeting up. I thought they, like me, might be nervous for the ordinary reasons punk and hull have suggested.

I did not invite another characterisation of radical feminists that ticks all the stereotypical boxes. I have no reason to believe that the people I'm going to meet are any of the things namechange claims to be concerned about - and I have met some of them and spoken to more of them online. They seem really nice and interesting.

So, if anyone is out there, please don't let this put you off.

Yep, I'd be nervous my first time at a big gathering (political, environmental, academic, whatever) just cos I was a "newbie" and would think everyone else knew loads compared to me. Whereas there are bound to be loads of newbies, I just wouldn't think of that. . Purely an internal thing.

LRD don't worry about not fitting in and disagreeing with stuff.

Once we've re-calibrated you (this happens before the first workshop) and downloaded the elements of rad-fem borg thinking, you will be unable to have an independent thought outside of exactly what is said in exactly the way it is said by whoever happens to be speaking on that day.

You get issued with a lovely shiny cyber-helmet too.

See you there.

Ooh, excellent.

I look forward to it all. I always liked a nice shiny helmet.