"Mumsnet, of all places"

[FrauRogacki]

Came across this article published on overland, which is a progressive literary magazine based in Mellbourne. The author refers patronisingly to 'Mumsnet, of all places' as a hotbed of gender critical activity.

overland.org.au/2019/05/what-is-gender-critical-anyway-on-essentialism-and-transphobia

Yes, agree with you there.

Yeh their default assumption is that they understand the nuancesof the situation

Ha

My 16 year old is on board though so there maybe a new wave along soon.

Well, I've read it and very much enjoyed the comments. What a truly dreadful article. I've left a comment and will be interested to see if it gets through moderation.

Apparently Peter Singer attended - according to protestors he was not on the side of wokeness

That is heartening......

complete and utter crap this articall

I’m really embarrassed for Danielle Moreau, both for her lack of deep reading and her condescension

Yes! Hubristic!

Each generation, it seems, has to think it is re-inventing the wheel.
The fact is what she is arguing for was the absolute cornerstone of the women's movement in the 60's/70's.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’m not sure the writer meant to offend or upset anyone.

I’ve known about Mumsnet for many years. But mainly for parenting and AIBU boards. It’s only very recently that I realised there was a feminist board. I’d heard Mumsnet was “full of t*fs, as opposed to GC (which is a term I only came across after venturing to this board). But perhaps, as a relative newbie to this board, I’m being naive.

Oh, I think most of the posters here are more amused by the ignorance of the patronising 'Mumsnet of all places' than offended or upset. Just at such a poor article.

I’d heard Mumsnet was “full of tfs, as opposed to GC (which is a term I only came across after venturing to this board). But perhaps, as a relative newbie to this board, I’m being naive.

What do you think you're being naive about exactly? Curious.

The article is gold though. I did love this bit: “Being associated with their bodies for their whole lives, and exploited within those bodies, gave some feminists from this era problematic ideas about sex and sexuality.”

“Being asociated with our bodies”, as if a female reproductive system is some kind of odd club we joined. If only we stopped paying our annual fees we could fix our wrongthink about sex.

Is this what happens to a generation which lives online?

Take up gardening honey, or bushwalking. Get outside and take a few deep-breaths of fresh, oxygen-associated gas.

Peter singer was there.

So were liberal (right wing) politicians.

That author is a legal researcher? That should suggest some research skills, shouldn't it?

I CHOSE Melbourne over Sydney. And I mostly don't regret that. But the misogynistic wokeness is stultifying.

And it can't be just because housing is more affordable, because it isn't really. When I moved here we had a tiny homeless population, now there are people sleeping wherever they can find cover. The climate is usually considered by sydneysiders to be awful, but that doesn't explain the politics.

Many people I've spoken with are peaked easily. But they won't say anything publicly. And the vast majority of my Melbourne based progressive identifying friends are horrified by my turning out to not be 'who they thought I was'. It's Melbourne that brought us safe schools and a package that is supposed to stop bullying but instead enforces gender ideology.

All I can say to comfort myself about the hideousness of Melbourne smugness is that at least we aren't Canberra.

gunk I don't think she meant to offend anyone on MN either. I don't think she realises what this site is/does or she wouldn't have said 'mumsnet, of all places' - it comes across as if she thinks it's all a bit beneath her. I could be wrong, of course, but that's how I read it.

I find it amusing but also sad, because while there is a lot of stuff here about the practicalities of raising the next generation, there are also many smart professional educated and generally switched on women here chatting anonymously.

It's fascinating, it's broad, it's funny, it's an education. To dismiss it the way she does makes me realise just how much you can miss out on in life by internalising misogyny, or being an intellectual snob, or narrow minded or simply incurious.

I am very interested to see if any of the comments make it through the moderator.

Well, mine didn't, though I didn't think it was any more critical than some which did get through. Anyway, Ani comprehensively demolished the article in her Medium reply.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/19/its-the-moral-panic-de-rigueur-but-they-cant-make-me-feel-bad-about-being-trans

Another Guardian Australia TRA puff piece where the comments are far more telling than the editorial.

It's almost as if the editors of these papers and journals are too scared to actually say anything themselves, so they post the TRA approved shite and then let the commenters do the heavy lifting by critiquing the party line - we'll load the gun, you do the shooting.

A Guardian Pick is a comment that politely but very distinctly calls out a lot of the writer's nonsense.

Only 49 comments before being closed . Pre-moderated. Not sure what’s going on at Guardian Australia. That’s another in a run of articles this week, it’s like it’s escalating here. Most recommends are with GC comments though.

Melbourne is very woke, lots of beards about. I took a huge risk I tell ya, who knows who overheard. I was risking the milk for my coffee being scalded by the barista shock

Scandalous!! Ozzies are very serious about their coffee.

I find such references to Mumsnet really patronising it is as if once a woman has a child her brain falls out at the same time and we are incapable of critical thought, being intelligent or actually knowing stuff. It says a great deal about the people who think all we can chat about is nappies, buggies and packed lunches and what they REALLY think of women - specifically mothers.

Apparently Peter Singer attended - according to protestors he was not on the side of wokeness

I cna't tell you how pleased I am to hear that, when I first read he was there my heart sank, but good to know he is still thinking clearly.

I am very interested to see if any of the comments make it through the moderator.

Mine didn't get posted, nothing in it to cause a problem. I think the first few made it but there have been no new ones after mine.

The comments on the Guardian article are very good.