Things I have learned in Feminist Chat

[nettie434]

Just listening to a programme on impartial journalism on Radio 4. Yes, I know some people will be giving a hollow laugh

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008b84

To be fair, the panel includes Robert Peston and Julia Hartley Brewer. I’m enjoying it. At the beginning Helen Lewis referred to the Overton Window. I had never heard of it until I started reading posts on here.

It’s just one thing among many I’ve learned on Feminist Chat. I wondered if anyone else could pinpoint things they’ve only found out about here.

Most of the things I have learned have been depressingly “reverse”. Things I thought were put to bed years ago but apparently not.

I never knew what "biological essentialism" was until Mumsnet FWR board (after being accused of it, then learning what it actually is, etc)

PoMo.
It's not short for Pom Pom.
It's short for Post Modern !!

• PoMo. It's not short for Pom Pom. It's short for Post Modern !!*

Have you also learned that one of the two is neither use nor ornament? (you can at least put a Pom-Pom on a woolly hat)

cui bono - who benefits?

and talking about POMO, also Queer Theory.

WBH

That the world is far, far more fucked than I had previously appreciated; and that I am glad to be part of a group of amazing women who are working flat out to stem the tide.

That my unease with surrogacy is not bigoted, or squeamish. That I am in fact completely right to think it is abominable, and thanks to FWR I now have the words to articulate why I think that.

The rules of misogyny, goddess bless The Bewilderness and that actually really rather a lot of men, not all obviously NAMALT are complete and utter shits who have no respect for women and who actively would like to see our rights rolled back to the dark ages. Quite an eye opener.

Kiwi Farms. Just but also a bit of awe as well.

Love FWR. I’m here every day. When I type in MN on my search bar it defaults to FWR. I luffs all you ‘orrible vipers as well, you’re bloody brilliant.

That self-id has in practice been rolled out by stealth, without regard for women and girls.

But also that there are a helluva lot of women fighting back.

If some attack on women’s and girl’s rights is happening somewhere, someone on this board will know about it, and bring it to our attention.

Here are some things I have learned on FWR:

Biology (thank you Bowl).

What regulatory capture is (thank you Lang).

That so called clever people can be faschidiots (thank you Sally Hines).

What the Overton Window and Chesterton's Fence are.

Just how little you need to scratch the surface to expose widespread misogyny. I knew it was there, I just didn't realise how deep and wide it still is.

The Equality Act and the GRA.

Yogyakarta Principals.

That poking the vipers' nest with a pokey stick will not make us shut up and go away.

That Lang's choice of breakfast sucks ass!

Regulatory capture.
NSPCC is a shocker.

And yes, think before posting.
I'm doing my best

I've learnt all about Stephen whittle.

That there is a hill I am willing to die on.

How many pages can my list fill up?

I came here specifically because of some article I read about transgender individuals (that mentioned FWR) almost three years ago now - I was merely in a rabbit hole with time to spend on curiosity.

I've learned so many things I can't possibly list them - many directly from the board itself and many due to links and extensive research done by many of the magnificent and brilliant regular posters which gave jump points for more reading.

The Transwidows thread (the original I believe) broke my heart in a trillion pieces - I honestly thought (stupidly) that no one with a family would seek to transition at the expense of their family's well-being. So naive I was about the potential and actual impacts.

Trans got my here but I've stayed for the insightful discussions about every topic Feminism. (I am looking forward to the awaited toxic feminity thread... )

I've learned so much about the UK (et al) that I never thought I'd want to know or think of looking into.

I am forever in debt to the great minds here.

Great thread.
I can now spot an MRA/TRA posting on this board under false pretenses within the first few posts. No matter how hard they try to hide it, (saying they are a mother, or a feminist, lesbian, whatever) it quickly becomes obvious. Wankers.

It’s reignited my feminism that had calcified under a layer of complacency and neglect. And refreshed me on the fact that I don’t give a marmalade sandwich if my feminism makes men uncomfortable, or sad, or cross.

I am embarrassed to ask this, but what is WBH?

end

Weetabix horror

Weetabix, banana and hot milk...

Thank you.

Ok I may look a fool but what is Chestertons fence?

Chesterton's fence is the principle that reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the existing state of affairs is understood.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Chesterton%27s_fence

So if you want to let men into women's spaces you have to understand first why a female only space was created.

Cognitive dissonance

That people don't consider wanking at your desk or wanking in a gimp suit in the toilets, and posting it all online, to be an issue unless loads of people complain.

Hate crimes and the definition of "hate incidents"

That people are entitled to their own opinions and beliefs but not their own facts.

I got into the topic from a libertarian/free speech POV. Wasn’t too bothered about feminism. Didn’t know the history, the difference between lib and rad, thought PoMo was some university bollocks that no one took seriously, and I didn’t think we were as despised as was being claimed. You lot have changed my mind.

Since to defend our position we have to be an expert in everything, while to oppose it you just need feelings and slogans, I have also learned about UK equality and hate speech laws, human biology (chromosomes, gametes, DSDs) psychology and social gender roles in different cultures. I’ve learned about politics, candidate shortlisting, how laws are proposed and made, charities and rules governing these, and a good whack of logic and identifying fallacious arguments.

It’s quite genuinely been an education.

On one of the lurker threads, it was established that the average time from starting to lurk FWR threads to plucking up the courage to post was about six months.

It underlined to me how vital it is that we keep talking here.