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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminist Pub XX - may the summer rains wash the patriarchy down the plughole

983 replies

NoTechnologicalBreakdown · 07/08/2015 08:17

Ooh ooh! Do I get to start it?

Wine and cake all round. And a celebratory burst on the patriarchy-blasting cannon!

Old pub here

OP posts:
slugseatlettuce · 03/09/2015 19:04

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slugseatlettuce · 03/09/2015 19:14

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LightningOnlyStrikesOnce · 03/09/2015 19:30

That's my take exactly slugs. The bbc report said at one point that this was just a teenage prank. Yes, 'cos sexual harassment is always just a joke and we need to lighten up don't we.

EBearhug · 03/09/2015 19:35

My understanding is that the three teens involved have all received the same treatment from the police, but it's only the boy's mother who's seen fit to talk to the media about it.

There's a bit of me that feels a bit sorry for them, because teenagers do this all the time, and it's bad luck that these actually got reported to the police and the police have taken it seriously. But they have broken the law, and I think it's a good thing that it is being taken seriously - hopefully if teenagers see they really might get into trouble over this sort of thing, they might stop doing it, and stop harassing each other, because it's not actually something which should be normal, and teenage girls are subjected to all sorts of crap those of us in earlier generations were, be it unsolicited dick pics, or being pressured to take naked selfies and send them on.

Elseboard, someone was going along the lines of, "Why should his life be ruined? What's next, I won't be able to take pictures of Michaelangelo's David?" Because a photo of a stone carving is just the same as taking a naked selfie and forwarding it on to people you know.

YonicScrewdriver · 03/09/2015 19:45

Is Michelangelo's stone statue a living, breathing minor?

YonicScrewdriver · 03/09/2015 19:46

Yy Ebear, his quotes and his mother's quotes will obviously be one sides.

FinglesMcStingles · 03/09/2015 20:48

What I'm getting from the reporting is "This poor boy has had his future ruined because making and distributing indecent images of minors is illegal. Let's all pity the poor dear misunderstood lad." Which sort of implies that, for the sake of poor dear misunderstood lads, it shouldn't be illegal. And we're straight back to WTF territory.

I spotted the article about the protest over the be-penised person in the non-penis changing rooms too. I follow Richard Dawkins on there (because he talks good sense on religion and genetics even if I have since discovered that his views on women are a bit utterly screwed up) and it cropped up on there. It was a strange moment, because hanging round here and hearing the local opinions on RD has prompted me to mentally file him under "probably not going to align with my views in the general sphere of sex and gender".

tokyobananas · 03/09/2015 22:24

'ello all. Done a name change, and got a new job so haven't been on much.

Agree with it being about the key question of 'did she ask him to send a picture' and also with it being about someone's parents wanting some media time. I'm not entirely convinced though, that a 14 year old sending an unsolicited dick pic warrants a public shaming - I can imagine the type of dumb 14 year old thinking that would lead to such a thing in the current climate, and absent any other predatory behaviour previously I think some monitoring and some strong education about what is and isn't ok would be better than 'you're on The List'. But maybe that's what he got, and they're just making a big thing out of The List part.

Off topic: my new job is one of those ones with a bunch of egomaniacal old white men at the top and a majority female hugely smart and competent 'support' team who actually run things below. Everyone means well, and nobody's awful, but it's just a bit 'oh, right....' On the bright side I suspect I'll meet some excellent women. Sigh.

YonicScrewdriver · 04/09/2015 10:07

Just - ugh

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/minecraft-pervert-harassed-teenager-older-6211563
"A teenage Minecraft expert with 350,000 online fans subjected a girl and an older woman to a campaign of sick abuse."

YonicScrewdriver · 04/09/2015 10:10

tokyo, I don't know who contacted the media but I'm sure it wasn't the police or the school...

I think the original boy would go on the list for sending the picture whether or not it was requested as the crime is disseminating indecent images of a minor. Of course, if it had been one requested image that wasn't sent further, the police would never have known.

LightningOnlyStrikesOnce · 04/09/2015 14:10

I'm inclined to believe, since it is as we all know so hard to get the police to take sexual harassment seriously, that the girl did not request the picture and it was indeed harassment. Not quite sure what you mean about the boy not deserving a public shaming tokyo - do you mean the girl sending the picture on? I agree with Yonic that that was the wrong thing to do on principle, because that just escalates problems, although I can't feel sorry for the lad if my interpretation of events is correct. I would like to see a society in which a girl getting harassment can report it through official channels in full confidence of it being taken seriously. If you mean via the media, it seems pretty obvious to me from the bias of the reports that it was the boy's mother contacting the press, expecting to get patriarchal sympathy (or just some sad attempt to get attention) - and that's worked thanks to the modern media's uncritical press release repeat system.

LightningOnlyStrikesOnce · 04/09/2015 14:14

That mirror story... yuck. At least police response is improving in leaps and bounds though.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 05/09/2015 09:13

For the feminist academics on here, I've started a new thread in our brand new Academics Corner! Come and chat so I don't feel lonely! www.mumsnet.com/Talk/academics_corner/2461928-Nice-new-corner-Come-and-chat

JeanneDeMontbaston · 06/09/2015 21:29

Thanks! Will check in.

INickedAName · 09/09/2015 23:47

How is everyone doing?
It's quiet in here :)

I've recently started reading "If This Is A Woman" I'm only one chapter in, it's been interesting and sad so far.

I'm going to try and read one book a month about women in history, if anyone has any recommendations I'd be very greatful.

YonicScrewdriver · 09/09/2015 23:48

Hello!

YonicScrewdriver · 09/09/2015 23:49

Let me find my history club thread..

YonicScrewdriver · 09/09/2015 23:50

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/history_club/2368298-History-books-post-when-you-spot-a-good-deal

A couple on there...

Alison Weir on Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I?

JeanneDeMontbaston · 10/09/2015 00:03

Hello!

I'm doing nicely. I am enjoying being a literally hairy-legged lesbian feminist (well, I'm not, but I'm seeing this lovely woman which is nice Smile). So I am a bit quiet on here, but will be back properly soon.

I really liked 'Bluestockings' by Jane Robinson - about the first women in UK universities. Margaret Forster's 'Hidden Lives' about her own history (and reflecting on women's history in working class communities over the last three generations) is great too, as is her 'Significant Sisters'.

I'll come back and think of more, too.

EBearhug · 10/09/2015 00:13

I enjoyed Bluestockings, too. Also Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson.

INickedAName · 10/09/2015 12:31

Thank you for the suggestions and links.

I think it was you yonic who recently posted about someone reading only books by women for a year? That's what made me decide to read some History and the role women played. I used to really love reading and would get through two or three books a week, but it was always fiction.

The downside of now reading on my ipad is that it's too easy to just start a new book, wheras with an actual book I had to finish before starting another as I couldn't lug loads of books around with me.

I'm going to (hopefully) have the cyst in my breast drained or something today so will have plenty of reading time on the bus and while sat about.

SenecaFalls · 10/09/2015 16:30

I am re-reading Blanche Wiesen Cook's two part biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. It is very compelling; she gives quite a bit of attention to Eleanor's intense friendships with other women. I highly recommend it.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 11/09/2015 09:18

I am wallowing in self-pity because I have a bad back - not bad enough to go about daily life though... Should I see the doctor?

I'm not reading anything at the moment but plan to read DS1's copy of the last installment of the How to train your dragon series. Grin

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 11/09/2015 09:24

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NeverEverAnythingEver · 11/09/2015 10:21

I have a brilliant osteo friend. Is that the same?