What do men think feminists should be focusing their energies on?

[PetulaGordino]

It's pretty clear that there are many men with constructive criticism to offer feminists in terms of what feminist issues they should be focusing their energies, activism and outrage on.

This vital advice is at risk of being lost, spread as it is among myriad threads in this section. Perhaps it would be a good idea to collect it together into one thread, for ongoing reference when posters in this section consider their feminist activities and whether they are really focusing on the right issues.

Obviously it should be borne in mind that feminists are only able to focus strictly on one topic at a time in terms of activism and outrage, so don't overload us with too many issues at once!

really what on earth

This gay straight man woman stuff is wonderful. Utter utter confusion.

And FYI I have never heard a man at work called bossy but quite a few women. I am female though and so probably that statement is extremely unreliable.

Obviously there are NO working class feminists. They just don't exist. Especially if they live outside London

"What he doesn't realise is that he's already called a man "love" on this forum!"

Excuse me, I think you'll find I referred to Rudolph as "pal"

How do you spot Gay Men, magnetic?

You're in a shop, there's a man there. Obviously you aren't going to call him love if he's gay as that would be leading the poor thing on. So, how do you know?

We're too busy for feminism in the north. We've got butties to make and pots to side.

Given that a woman's testimony is only worth half a man's, Sardine, and I've heard women called bossy, and men called assertive, for the same types of behaviours, I reckon we're now equal.

Cocker.

"What they should be concentrating on: respecting "working class" culture (note this is ALWAYS male and generally involves catcalling, bottom pinching, banter, football, Loaded magazine, affectionate endearments eg darling)"

THIS

"How do you spot Gay Men, magnetic?

You're in a shop, there's a man there. Obviously you aren't going to call him love if he's gay as that would be leading the poor thing on. So, how do you know?"

Maybe he would be more flamboyant but I don't call any men "love" anyway. I would call him "pal" or "mate"

Anything other than scouts we should concentrate on, Magnetic?

Ah yes.... gay men are "flamboyant"

You homophobic twat.

This thread is hilarious! I'm learning so much about life and men and working class ways! Ooh I've never lived, honest I haven't. I was a venture scout though

Gay men = flamboyant
Women = bossy
Boys = repressed by scout-girls (who are bossy)

Blimey - us feminists have a mountain to climb sorting all this out!

Yes Linski, in working class areas where none of us live, or have even visited, oh no it's perfectly ok to called women sexually charged names, but not men, especially if those men are looking slightly flamboyant, because then they'll be gay and will pine for you forever and ever.

And the guides are wrong to only have girls in, despite never needing to beg boys to join, because they were never in danger of folding. The same cannot be said of scouts, sadly.

I am concerned for the gay men in magnetics life, he may inadvertently fail to recognise them due to an inappropriate amount of flamboyance. This may lead to confusion over the use of the love versus pal as a term of endearment. I spy trouble ahead

What if the woman in the shop (note she is working class, ergo not a feminist) called the gay man "love"?

The universe would literally implode.

Linksi are you a woman? If you are and you were a venture scout you were Oppressing Boys.

are you lot taking candy from a baby again ?

tsk

Okay, so Magnetic1 called me love. What if I'm a gay woman, what happens then?

I'm working class and don't like being called love, sweetheart, darling or any of that shite, especially by strangers. When someone sticks it on the end of a sentence to someone they are disagreeing with, it's not endearing, it's patronising.

I'm just a woman though, what do I know?

I am a woman hear me roar! It was the intention of me and my fellow girls to take over the world of scouting mwahaaaa < walks away twirling moustache> which I am waxing at the weekend

"Ah yes.... gay men are "flamboyant"

You homophobic twat."

Puffins, you take that back. I said he MAY be flamboyant, not that all gay men are.

And please explain how the word "love" is "sexually charged?" It seems you have a one track mind...

"Okay, so Magnetic1 called me love. What if I'm a gay woman, what happens then?"

If I suspected a woman was a lesbian I would call her "pal" or "mate"

Sorry AF.

Well, not really, he is a completely smug git.

I'm working class and hate being called 'love' by a stranger... I am clearly some kind of impossible paradox, and shall implode forthwith.

"Sorry AF"

Thank you. Please don't call me homophobic again.

No, I won't take it back, you have shown yourself to be a homophobic twat, and we're into calling people out on their twattery here.

So, just to be clear.

You are a twat. A smug one. With only a tenuous link to reality.