Dittany - where is she now?

[PlectrumElectrum]

Just reading a reference to dittany on another thread & was struck by the feeling that in the current climate she's sorely missed (by me, maybe others too). Did anyone know her IRL? I often wonder where she went, what she's doing now with her feminism. I'd love her to make a triumphant return!

I only lurked back in 'her day' and found her posts challenging (in a good way - made me stop & think & question my own in built ideas, prejudices, and a lifetime of female socialisation - I was a crap feminist, of the 'it's all been done, I don't have anything left to do but enjoy the freedoms already fought for) type. I'm still a million miles behind others but I'm trying to do better

So to you dittany, wherever you are now & thanks for jolting me out of my ignorant feminist slumber

So many wonderful names recalled here! In particular, I loved Beachcomber.

I always enjoyed Buffy and LRD's posts and found them easy to follow and they helped me a lot with thinking more deeply about feminism and opening my eyes to how things really are for women - along with many others. Occasionally they did get rather erudite and academic and beyond me but, do you know what, they are probably academics and enjoyed debating with each other like that so why should these boards not have been as much for them as for those of us who want to debate in a less academic style? Depending on what mood I was in, I would either give up and read something else or challenge myself, read the books they were on about and learn a bit more.

But mostly, I thought their posts were well reasoned and accessible to all of us.

I think what is important about it is that it shows how little women are respected as a group and how quickly our opinions and voices are forced to be quiet.

Yes, it's certainly opened my eyes wide and removed any remaining doubts about how little women count.

Posdible because we’ve known and lived with the violence, domestic crap deal forever and are worn down by it

I think that's true. To function you have to learn to stop seeing the other stuff at least some of the time, otherwise you'd just be in constant, frothing rage.

This new tack is so egregious that you can't help but see it, and then the rage kicks in

This new tack is so egregious that you can't help but see it, and then the rage kicks in

Oh yes. Absolutely spot on.

Just chiming in to agree, I had enough of the trans threads. I stopped posting in FWR because of them.

'Kim' and my various name changes - probably more than 5 cote - is fine.
Remember lots of names on here.
Stays out of trans debates on MN as it's too public now and somehow online debates just don't seem to be debates but shouting matches.

Got a full time job. Life just goes on.

Good to see some familiar names like LRD

Good to hear from you Kim. Congratulations on the job.

Yes I was wondering about Kim. Good to hear from you.

For some reason I'm remembering CogitoErgoSometimes
Was she a feminist chat person or just relationships? She was great.

Cog was fab.

Buffy was wise.
It's been interesting watching the shift in FWR. The dominance of trans issues is justified imo as it's a massive threat that is in progress as opposed to other issues where the discrimination is already enshrined by law/society. But it has brought an influx of people in from other sections of MN and from outwith MN.

Sometimes it feels a little like a WEP webchat where brand new posters arrive and think they can demand or lead discussions because MN is just waiting to be bent to their will. I find it amusing when they realise that's not quite how MN works.

But I am so grateful to these boards for the wonderful, challenging, erudite and compassionate women they have brought into my RL. (and I couldn't have ever imagined typing that sentence in the earlier days when there were the battles for FWR's soul).

How could I have forgotten Cog?

Now I remember that I am missing people. And their voices.

“You can eff right off with your Oppression Olympics.

This is not a good thread for the Squirrel and I because we are the ones who comforted her when she was being abused here.
I am going to hide this thread now and I strongly recommend that @LaSqrrl does the same.”

As a fairly new poster on the Feminist boards, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about or why you and LaSqrrl have attacked me. Nor do I care, particularly.

If you can respond so aggressively to someone merely posting their own experience as a reminder that some women are brought up to support misogyny, then perhaps it’s best you do hide the thread. I did nothing to provoke those hateful responses. It’s not BS. Who the hell do you both think you are??

Ok, now it’s like the boards of old.

And a reminder of why they were hated by many...

Really interesting thread. Thanks to all past & present!

I don't see how the trans debate has a greater impact on everyday lives than say violence against women or gendered expectation around domestic work; i.e. the kind of things that used to be discussed in FWR before the trans debate pushed everything else out.

I think it would be great if the “trans debate” wasn’t the only thing being talked about. But it does feel pretty fundamental, to me: What is a woman? Why does it matter if you are a woman and not a man?

Domestic expectations around gendered work, violence against women - these are critical but dismissable by people unwilling to open their eyes - and they also lead to a shit load of depressing victim-blaming (“Why did you choose to have kids with that sort of man?” is common).

But “Do you believe a woman can have a penis?” is pretty thought-provoking to even someone who’s never challenged their own internalised opinions on sex, gender and oppression.

As a fairly new poster on the Feminist boards, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about or why you and LaSqrrl have attacked me. Nor do I care, particularly

I don't see what you did either. There seems to be some backstory involving these posters and Dittany which you could not possibly know about and seem to have transgressed but there is nothing in your posts which deserved that reply.

“Well, I reported them as lies, and MNHQ deleted them. Of course, you're right, it could be because it's the second Friday in the month (is it?). “

So are we to assume your deleted post was also lies?
Or was that calendar related too

This thread is a fascinating flashback to old-style FWR. In all its aspects.

quim, they deleted the bits quoting lass too, I think. Could be I was gratuitously insulting, but it wouldn't be like me.

oh wait

I thunk beachcomber still posts every now and then. She was brilliant. There was also someone called butterfly something or another who was good and used to debate a lot with SGB. Getoif* was another excellent occasional feminism poster. I miss her too.

*cant remember exact spelling

"Ok, now it’s like the boards of old. And a reminder of why they were hated by many..."

Exactly.

I clicked on this thread to check for news of Dittany. Just wanted to say thanks to the posters who said nice things about me

I'm still here. I read quite a few threads but don't post often. There is a lot of brilliant stuff posted here by brilliant women and I love reading you all

I remember many of those names although I was a bit overawed in those days and never dreamed of posting. I wish now that I'd tried to engage with some of them but I guess I assumed they'd be around forever.

Yes there's been a big change in these boards with these last few months with people like me starting to post so if there's a problem then I'm part of it! I think it's great to see so many women engaging with feminism and I completely understand why self ID has taken over for now but I think what we have lost is some of the context. When I used to lurk there were always posts about male violence and prostitution and pornography which taught me a lot and for me, they're the reason self ID is such a massive deal.

Aww my goodness cheers AnyFucker and CertainHalfDeserted... (that's all my phone will display) 😊

Amazingly nice to be remembered, especially by the bloody marvellous women on here. AnyFucker is a legend in her own lifetime and gave me great advice under name changes more than once, as well as handholding probably thousands of women through traumas. If anyone deserves an MBE it's her (Mumsnet Bastard... Evacuator?)

I need a new poetry name now I've outed myself! Help me out, Certain.

If anyone deserves an MBE it's her (Mumsnet Bastard... Evacuator?)