“It is our role as feminists to always be there, and to make sure that people know that we accept them for who they are.” So says the Executive Director of UN Women...

[AngeloMysterioso]

Posted to their Facebook page last night (not Twitter though as far as I can tell)

www.facebook.com/unwomen/photos/a.10150211048801905/10157633781351905/?type=3

^“This was one of our Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's answers to questions from young people from all around the world. Watch their empowering talk here: unwo.men/ZyIz50C3PWp”^

So far the comments do not agree...

I think that's our role as mummy, isn't it?

Is feminism the role of eternal, unquenchable, boundaryless (penetrable) mother? Cause it sounds a lot like femininity, the thing feminism aims to decouple from womanhood.

I posted on another thread that sometimes we need to mind ourselves as this activism can be all consuming and depressing. And then I read this, and all my self care to-day goes out the window and I feel depressed about the state of the world for women again.

'Feminist' does not mean 'support person' - especially for those who have no interest in women's rights other than how to appropriate or destroy them.

It's not my role to be there for anyone, thanks. FFS. FFS.

Do women count as "people"?
Are we able to "identify ourselves as the way we want to"?

Or do I already know the answer to that question.

My requirement to be there for someone extends to my children and that's it. I'm their actual mummy and that's enough. I don't mother my partner, I don't mother my friends, I'm sure as fuck not going to mother perfect strangers and/or people who actively hate me and are campaigning to remove my rights. They can all get in the fucking sea. Unwoman is such a pile of shit, it's so depressing that this is who we supposedly have advocating for us. What the fuck happened to mainstream feminism?

Where 'feminist' means 'assigned support human at birth' and 'people' means men.

Anyone watched Mona Lisa Smile lately? It seems like we're fast heading back in that direction. Twinsets on, stroke your washing machine and mummy the world without any nasty ambitions or selfish wanting a life for yourself, you were born for this support human role!

No. There's nothing healthy or progressive or right about trying to push women into this box, it's misogyny. Not playing that game.

Actually, I think that poster could be fixed with a one word edit. Change 'accept' to 'see'.

Wasn't it UN that were forcing desperate women and children in disater areas into prostitution?

Besides that I think they're mistaking "Feminism" for "Mothering" which to be fair is easy to do when anyone can identify as anything.

If you want to test how profoundly sexist this is, ask yourself where is the cheerful encouragement of "It's your role as men to always be there and make sure women know you will...."?

For a start, men would just snort and say no. It isn't a socialised expectation that men put themselves out to nurture others, or care for others.

There would be instant retorts of 'who is going to be there for the men?!' and lots of reminding of how very tough it is for men, and how women don't have those needs/need that much anyway.

And women would mostly say for pete's sake don't condescend to and infantilise us like that. Victorian Britain paternalism is over, equality means not treating some as the competents with responsibility and others as the helpless, dependent on being taken care of.

Feminism is about women's rights. Women and girls - the people with uteruses.

It is not about "beeee kind" and be everyone in the whole world's mum. It is certainly not about centring male delusions, however deeply felt those male delusions may be.

It is my role as a feminist to help other women break free from socialisation and see that they should not accept people on their words, but on their actions.

I'm so sick of being told I must be a support human otherwise I'm unkind

Well, this is bullshit. The comments are heartening.

The comments are heartening.

They really are. Goes to show if you can speak out safely, please do, because it gives others hope and the knowledge they aren't alone.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka needs assistance in a hostage situation. Her captors have taken over her critical facilities.

I'm not sure that this is a problem specific to feminism.

I've noticed a similar thing with other SJ topics, there is this sense that they are all part of one big equalising (whatever that means) movement.

Which in some ways people maybe always accepted, that all kinds of justice movements come from the same place of wanting what is right for people, and that is compelling no matter who they are.

But the edges seem very blurry now. I've noticed for example Pride branding seems to be mixed up with Diversity branding in a lot of people's minds.And I use branding purposefully, because there is no sense that there is a process involved in figuring out what all of it means, or should look like, or sometimes there could be disagreement or lack of clarity.

This business of everyone can be who they want to be seems to be one of the principles of the whole thoughtless pile of dung, except it (obviously) doesn't apply on race for some reason.

All that said - I don't know why these people don't try speaking as humans, rather than as feminists or women or anything else. It seems to me it would be a lot more relevant even if the thing she is saying is kind of dumb.

There are not enough eyeroll emojis in the world for this nonsense...

If you go fully for treating everyone as an individual you are saying there is no role for class based analysis , which is a bit nasty for all groups of people who have relied on class based analysis to highlight discrimination. No wonder people in position of priveledge go for that idea. Because the people with priveledge never see their class blinkers

I am browsing to find out how much this Executive Director is paid. She's apparently still getting money from the SA government since stepping down

from the link. R6.7m on former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka since 2017.

That's 315 thousand pounds.

www.2oceansvibe.com/2019/10/03/sa-taxpayers-paying-huge-sums-of-money-to-fund-former-sa-presidents-and-deputies/

UN pay crazy salaries. I will keep digging.

I'm not sure that this is a problem specific to feminism.

Are there any other groups, which expressly exist to represent the rights and liberties of one specific protected class, who get told their 'role' is to do something which isn't in their interest?

www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm

So it looks like an ED in the USA gets a salary of up to 170 000 USD. There's usually a bunch of allowances and expenses paid too.

So she's making at least a quarter a million a year to talk shite about women.

Isn't she the one who made some comment last year about gender, but it was not part of official UN policy.

But either way for her to say it, and for them to publish it on their facebook page it just so depressing. I cant even get angry. This whole women must move over and be accepting is all around us.

But glad to see those who have found the energy to contradict this statement on facebook.

Wouldn't it be great if our time on social media was just about sharing positive news about forwarding women's rights, instead of this endless need to reject this gender tsunami against women's rights.

I think she got feminists and surrendered wives mixed up

FFS. Comments are really encouraging though.