James O'Brien: what a twat

[SelmaAndJubjub]

Explained in this link. Basically, he bullied and shut down a female caller who said she'd be frightened to share a changing room with men. He didn't just take an opposing view - he ridiculed her.

Yet another liberal bro reveals himself as a misogynist. And a stupid one. Even if he doesn't care about women in general, he has 2 pre-teen daughters. Will he really want them changing and showering with men?

I am saying it. I think the posts are similar (and from some of the same posters) and I think there is an overlap between the posters on these threads and the anti in my mind refugee (to be fair in their mind anti economic migrant) threads. I think there is an overlap and it links to a question about power, privilege and vulnerability for men and women. And if it when at times born men may be more vulnerable than some women. Tell me to fuck off all you like- I’m not a very regular poster here but I’m not new.
It links in my mind as people who feel they are born in the wrong body are often very marginalised, with vulnerable histories and I as a non trans woman feel in a more privileged position than them.

Sorry not proof reading

Farfrom is just taking over where UnbridledRuth left off - having cheered that particular MRA PBA on previously on the thread. Heyho.

I've been on threads championing the rights of refugees/people on benefits/people with disabilities. I agree some of the comments on those threads are not pretty - but to conflate those posts with people's on this thread is just plain wrong. MN has an awful lot of posters with varying views.

If you feel it’s not relevant and none of you recognise the overlap then fine (I do). But if you all open your arms to the young traumatised men from Calais then feel feee to ignore this strand of my argument.

I still feel there is a lack of compassion for trans people on these threads ( by all means show me your inclusiveness by telling me to fuck off)

I appreciate that you feel that way far

But i don't believe its the case for everyone

"But I just want to try some clothes on"

Oh, and also take all my clothes off, sit in the cubicle thinking about wanking, try out some poses in the mirror for how I would look if masturbating publicly, and then open the curtain starkers for the female assistant to see.

Yes that all sounds AOK and not in any way unusual.

Don't men understand that women in the main do not behave like this? That we don't have "wank circles" and sit around fantasising about public masturbation naked in changing rooms?

So hold on now there is an idea that women who are concerned about the impact on women of the removal of sex based protections / segregation in some aspects of life (prisons, sports, places where we get our kit off etc etc)

Must also be racists who hate immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and presumably also eat puppies in their spare time?

That's really quite funny I mean you're so far off the mark it's pitiful. It's radical feminists who argue against people who claim that certain groups of men are extra rapey, point out that people who raise this only seem interested in VAW when it's certain groups perpetrating it, and that the commonality with attacks on women is MEN, all around the world, they don't need sorting into any other sub-groups.

There was a situation in the USA a few years back where a woman went to court for constructive dismissal around sexism, citing BF, they had made her life very difficult and in the end she was encouraged out.

The court found against her and part of their ruling (a comment) was that as both men and women can BF, it is not possible to claim sex based discrimination about it.

Many laws all over the world are written in such a way that the changing of language introduces these loopholes - laws that women fought for decades to secure in the first place.

This is non trivial. And it's not easy to get laws changed, nor will changing them be a priority, in countries all over the world... They will just cease to work.

It would be so convenient for people like FarFrom if the posters here could all be dismissed as right wing nut jobs, wouldn't it? It's exactly what JOB tried to do to Kellie when she phoned in

It links in my mind as people who feel they are born in the wrong body are often very marginalised, with vulnerable histories and I as a non trans woman feel in a more privileged position than them.

Of course men can be marginalised and vulnerable. Refugees, as you said earlier, the homeless and the disabled, for example.

This doesn't make me want to get undressed in front of them, be locked in a prison cell with them or face them in a boxing ring. Why would it? What does it change?

It would be so convenient for people like FarFrom if the posters here could all be dismissed as right wing nut jobs, wouldn't it?

Exactly! The leap from a comment that Farage's radio presenting style was more courteous than certain other DJs to assumptions of racism, our views on Brexit, Trump and refugees is just so mind-boggling desperate!

So on the Right we have men complaining that Feminists condone rapey forren types, and on the other Right we have trans activists complaining that Feminists are femnazi racist immigrant bashers.

Both these positions cannot be true. Both claims demonise women.
SSDD.

"it. I think the posts are similar (and from some of the same posters) and I think there is an overlap between the posters on these threads and the anti in my mind refugee (to be fair in their mind anti economic migrant) threads."

Name names or withdraw that post.

Yes I remember JOB being a fuck arse about the Cologne attacks too, making out that women being sexually assaulted was a small price to pay to make the poor immigrants feel comfortable.

And also, I remember the poster on those threads going n about the poor people in Calais. Emily something? Is that you Far?

Sorry if someone has already posted this. I really like the way this woman writes. Such clarity.

A woman attempting to voice her opinion was interrupted by O’Brien no less than seventeen times as he hectored, mocked, and bullied her, refusing to let her speak. He judged as paranoid her reluctance to share fitting rooms with male bodied people. “Would you feel comfortable getting changed in a room next to me?” he demanded, daring her to say no. “What do you think I’m going to do?” In the current climate of mass disclosure and growing understanding as to the universal nature of women’s experience of sexual abuse and harassment, and given that many men on the left have loudly voiced their shock and condemnation, I find O’Brien’s claim to cluelessness extraordinarily disingenuous. He also appears to lack the self awareness necessary to realise he just scored something of an own goal: his aggressive refusal to accept a woman’s clearly stated boundaries showing a man none of us would want in the next changing cubicle.

She goes after left-wing virtual signalling men in general.

medium.com/@GappyTales/dear-men-on-the-left-f20fbf6272cf

It would be so convenient for people like FarFrom if the posters here could all be dismissed as right wing nut jobs, wouldn't it?

I have been dismissed as 'right wing' so many times its laughable. I am left wing on nearly every bloody issue bar this trans rubbish. I was actually totally on board with the trans thing too until I thought a little deeper into it and discovered that 'trans' does NOT mean transsexual anymore and infact pretty much covers everyone. And that it was primarily males with penises and no intent to have any surgery who were driving this 'movement'. Then I discovered the transing of children and that was it. I saw it as homophobic immediately, before even reading any pieces that point this out. Even if it was not homophobic, I disagree with medicalizing kids unnecessarily. And thats what this is. I am sick of seeing people spout that blockers just give them time to think, when this is not the case at all. While reversible in theory, its very very rare for a kid put on them not to go onto cross sex hormones.

"Yes I remember JOB being a fuck arse about the Cologne attacks too, making out that women being sexually assaulted was a small price to pay to make the poor immigrants feel comfortable. And also, I remember the poster on those threads going n about the poor people in Calais. Emily something? Is that you Far?"

I remember that too, AssignedPerfect. There are thousands of people like JOB with what I call Faulty Thinking. They believe that just because violence, groping, rape, etc exists everywhere that what happened in Cologne and several other European cities is unremarkable and the origins/ethnicities of the perpetrators irrelevant. Happened in Rotherham, Oxford, et al.

The poster you are thinking of was Emilybohemia ..... one of the 'factory' propagandists who, with others, tried their best to play down the significance of a new organised danger to befall the women of Europe.

This painting sums up how I feel as a woman on social media discussing gender issues alongside men like James O'Brien and Owen Jones. Hectored and bullied with a hint of disinterest.

Having seen Jess Phillips and twitter over the past 24 hours, that is spot on.

Bertrand it seems they may have named themselves. I couldn’t have named names to be honest. (Without a whole lot of advanced searching) But the terms virtue signalling, hard of thinking, lacks critical thinking etc are just so familiar. As others have come on and put their perspective on the threads you may find you agree with them anyway. The cologne refugee/ trans threads are all emotive and complicated.
I haven’t called anyone racist etc by the way. I have a particular take (and I feel it strongly) - I know others think differently.

posie

I actually want to punch him. I’m sitting here yelling at my phone, saying yes, men exactly like you.

Men who minimise women’s concerns, men who aggressively shout down women’s fears. Men who force women to justify their boundaries. Who argue, relentlessly, against those boundaries.

Who try and trap you. Who utterly rely on women’s socialisation to not get angry, do not have to list every single thing that is a concern, because we know full well, that you will try and blow it off, minimise it.

We know you do this. We see to do this.

And James O’Brien proved just how much they love doing it.

Did it give you a big, manly boner James?

Yes James, men exactly like you.

Feel free to tweet him. :-)