Is someone pulling all our strings?

[Outoftheshadow]

It seems like there’s battles raging all over the place:
Attacks of free speech, no platforming, Twitter bans, Amazon refusing to sell books on body dysmorphia, attacks on democracy, Brexit, Scexit, denial of sex, butchering children, men believing they are woman, young girls believing they are boys, trans women are woman, COVID, misinformation, dwindling independent news outlets. rise in porn culture and I’m sure the list goes on.

The only sad constants are continued male dominance over woman, racism and religious conflicts.

It feels like we’re part of a war but we’re all so focused on the battle, we dont know who the real enemy is.

As Sun Tzu said over 2000 years ago ‘all warfare is based on deception’ (paraphrased) and he should know, he wrote the book on it.

@Icenii I worry there are so many loud trans activist voices that are not speaking for the majority, that the real issues for them are lost and those loud voices stir up hatred and misrepresent. But where are the other voices? Are they silenced too? Really, we should be an ally that can offer the most help as we know what it is like to be on the receiving end of hatred.

No. We are not required to be a good ally to a group that would look to destroy us. I also feel empathy towards genuinely trans people who are struggling, but it is not our job as women to move over be complicit in the erasure of our spaces, our voices and our identity.

As for whether they are silenced too? Perhaps some of them are, but our struggles are no less important than theirs, and we are far more likely to be shouted down, cancelled or silenced for simply stating that we believe our rights and spaces should be maintained. So who is more silenced?

But is it much different than the sentiment of the BLM movement last year- people are sick of racism and being oppressed that one particular tragic event, not much different than other similar events played out across the world, sparks such rage.

There may be certian groups deliberately shit stirring, and egging others on in order to cause general disruption, but they're not actually controlling things as such, just exploiting the divisions that are already there in order to spread chaos.

^^This.

Once you develop critical thinking skills

There's the problem for a great deal of the people on social media, right there.

One of the Russell Brand You Tube videos explains this very well. The example he used was farmers in India[there are riots there now about this apparently] who were given free technology[they obviously thought great] and that technology was used to gather information on their crops, their lives etc and was and is being used against them.

Russell Brand needs to remove the plank from his own eye:

On being asked if he has ever cared for his own children for a day:

“No. She wouldn’t go away for 24 hours, Laura. She respects and cares for their safety too much. Yes, I’m very, very focused on the mystical connotations of Mabel’s beauty and grace. Not so good on the nappies and making sure that they eat food.”

No. We are not required to be a good ally to a group that would look to destroy us. I also feel empathy towards genuinely trans people who are struggling, but it is not our job as women to move over be complicit in the erasure of our spaces, our voices and our identity.

As for whether they are silenced too? Perhaps some of them are, but our struggles are no less important than theirs, and we are far more likely to be shouted down, cancelled or silenced for simply stating that we believe our rights and spaces should be maintained. So who is more silenced?

Quite, we need to recognise appeals to our female socialisation as what they are. Women's rights matter as much as anyone else's.

"We can't really explain why it's OK for male bodied people to compete against female people in their own sports category. Let's just twitter on about right wing conspiracies instead."

"The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth, and truth be defamed as lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world - and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end - is being destroyed."

Hannah Arendt

Think about that quote, then watch the Yuri Bezmenov clips on youtube posted on the first page.

I don't generally believe conspiracy theories (sometimes find them amusing/entertaining/intellectual popcorn etc) but I do believe in one grand "meta"-conspiracy... that both conspiracy theories and queer theory/postmodernism are being leveraged to culturally undermine and split us, in order for us to be ruled by authoritarian forces, not necessarily a nation state, but ideological. If "truth" is undermined to the extent that men can be declared women in law and policy by legislative fiat, and swathes of the population unquestioningly accept this, then as a society we are done for, if we can't find our bearings as we move through history and time. If men can be women, up can be down, east can be west, war can be peace, stripping can be empowering, forest clearcutting to fuel former coal stations can be sustainable etc etc. We're ripe for subjugation and authoritarian rule by PR and propaganda, and we can't rely on our "critical thinking" to parse out the truth any more, cos it's been skewed by the influence of conspiracy theories and identitarian based politics. Even the "fact-checking" services are now politically skewed and biased. We're a lost population, and a lost population creates a huge power vacuum into which authoritarianism can blow in.

Keep hold of the basic bearings of truth and fact, stop giving clicks, data and ££ to big tech, shop at small and medium sized businesses, triangulate your news and information sources to a variety of viewpoints, have time away from screens/social media... do something hand-based like bread making or wood carving or out in nature like gardening or long dog walks etc. Shift a lot of online focus/energies to a face-to-face community level focus, rather then endless twitter clicks and doom-scrolling that gets lost in the data cloud. Disempower the technocrats and the transhumanists.

I'm not talking about being a good ally to the trans activists. Certainly not. They want to cancel us. I'm hoping they are not representative of all trans people, and many are supportive of sex based rights. But you don't hear their voices so maybe I am wrong.

@Icenii

I'm not talking about being a good ally to the trans activists. Certainly not. They want to cancel us. I'm hoping they are not representative of all trans people, and many are supportive of sex based rights. But you don't hear their voices so maybe I am wrong.

I agree that there are many trans people who are not in favour of the TRA agenda, however maybe they should start a moderate trans movement to campaign for third spaces. I for one would support this.

However my point was and always will be - this is not women's job to do, we have our own problems (as this weeks events have clearly shown).
As a previous poster has mentioned, women are often socialised to put others first, even at the expense of ourselves.

Do you believe in a collective consciousness?

I think nobody is as autonomous as they think they are. Mumsnet feminists included, though I don't think second wave feminists are an 'identity group' in the same way as LGBTQ + and intersectional feminists have become, they are still being used in the oppressed minority narrative of SJM.

We all have inherently tribal instincts. Most people have a will to power. Most people are prone to peer pressure to a certain extent. We all have the same endogenous endorphin systems which can be manipulated with likes and agreement and we would all like to avoid cognitive dissonance, discomfort and censure. Everyone can fall prey to echo chambers. Our conscious reasonable self is a tiny part of our brain compared to our unconscious.

I do think this recent outpouring of fear and anger over personal safety is emotionally driven and reactionary. I am not personally fearful for my physical safety because I am female. I am fearful for my freedom and liberal rights because I am gc though.

I strongly believe that Queer Theory and CRT and the SJM are not accidental. They may not be engineered by an individual, but they are ideologically power driven (which is also emotional to a certain extent) and cynically exploiting the subconscious vulnerabilities of the 'proletariat' using old techniques adapted for the new age.

The new tech tools(the internet), machine learning algorithms, targeted propaganda and advertising have given players on both sides an ideological and financial lever.

The far left are using reified postmodern techniques under the Social Justice rallying cry , there no end goal other than blur reality and destroy what is. There will how ever be a power vacuum into which players will step, (so there may be people waiting in the wings and subtly steering now).

The far right will not be able to steer with these particular reins, so it isn't them . Though they could still use their favoured tactic of extreme violence to suppress.

The liberal center must hold. The pushback against this is rational and necessary but I can't help feeling that the vigils and women's marches are part of or feeding into the SJM narrative and I want no part of them.

I believe the reality is many millions of people are being sexist because that's their normal. Patriarchy runs deep.

I don't know about any more "hidden" conspiracies or plotting, though it's interesting to hear some of the ideas here.

But I think the above is true either way. Everyone is saturated with misogynist attitudes from birth; some of us gain more awareness than others for various reasons, some of us fight back. But an idea that embodies misogyny, whether it's come about through normal cultural changes or sinister scheming, will appeal to people's misogyny and get perpetuated.

Liberal feminists who bully other women on twitter for saying that sex matters, for example, think they are just being kind and accommodating without realising that being socialised to put males first is part of misogyny, doing what males want when they behave threateningly is part of misogyny, picking on women who don't bow down to misogyny is part of misogyny.

Meanwhile misogynist men jump on the TRA bandwagon whether they are invested in the trans cause or not, because it just feels good to hit back at feminists and display dominance – again they may not realise that and fully believe themselves to be woke and caring, but IMO it's under the surface.

I can't help feeling that the vigils and women's marches are part of or feeding into the SJM narrative

I agree with this. Someone on R4 today talked about it being a "moment" for women's safety or some such, and I thought yes, it's become the fashion that everyone must have their "moment" and protest loudly about the injustices afflicted on them and that becomes flavour of the month for a bit, and gets exploited by business to sell stuff, and gets plastered all over everyone's twitter banner, until it's the next thing. The issues themselves don't matter as much as being seen to be having a moment, so the inequalities can be perpetuated.

@thinkingaboutLangCleg

American far-right christian groups funding some anti-trans people with hope of driving a wedge between or otherwise destabilizing both the LGBT community and feminist groups

Why would women need strange religious backers to make us defend single-sex spaces and oppose medical experimentation on children? Why do you consider supporting women’s and children’s rights is ‘anti-trans’? I would defend these rights against whoever was undermining them.

No clue. Maybe ask the people getting paid by them.

Take a look where the ADF and Graham Institute money's been going over here.

*Omg not the Heritage Foundation 😱

Please. They are just a conservative, pro-business group. Think establishment Republicans. You don’t have to like them, but they aren’t a far-right hate group ffs 🤦‍♀️*

...This is what I mean when I say infiltration.

Far right conservative group who want to strip us of reproductive rights are not "just pro-business."

If that's happening, do these "American far-right christian groups" do this knowing they are "funding" lesbian feminists who support abortion rights (among other not very far right christian aims)?

@WindyPudding

If that's happening, do these "American far-right christian groups" do this knowing they are "funding" lesbian feminists who support abortion rights (among other not very far right christian aims)?

Divide and conquer policy.

Turn women against each other. Turn LGBTQ+ people against each other by finding areas there are philosophical differences (for a lack of a better term) - so in the feminist case, sex work, trans people etc.

It's neither a new thing nor a complicated concept. They just need to find people within the groups looking to make easy money or zealots willing to ignore their stances on other areas.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/20/alliance-defending-freedom-multimillion-dollar-conservative-christian-group-attacking-lgbtq-rights

Guardian piece from last year on it.

www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-us-christian-spending-global-revealed/

For a more in depth look.

I believe the reality is many millions of people are being sexist because that's their normal. Patriarchy runs deep.

Yes. People truly believe that men and women have fundamentally different brains and motivations. That women are wired to be better at nuturing and homemaking and that men are inherently better leaders and drivers (for sake of example).

Divide and conquer policy.

To what end?

The only sad constants are continued male dominance over woman, racism and religious conflicts

True. But at least things are starting to be heard by the grownups who can change things for the better and can't be sacked in the High Court and HoL. no amount of goady fuckers can remove women and girls rights once it's heard in court.

Divide and conquer? To what end?

More like divide and destroy by fomenting civil war on multiple fronts.
Just think who benefit.

Far right conservative group who want to strip us of reproductive rights are not "just pro-business

Nearly half of Americans are pro-life. It’s not a far-right position and not considered extremist at all.

To be clear, I don’t personally hold these positions. But it’s fairly common opinion held by both men and women

@SabrinaMorningstar

I'm not sure what you mean? Is there a big conspiracy going on? I don't think so. I think men are determined to maintain the patriarchy at any cost. We're experiencing the pushback against women's right and MeToo. We're also reaping what happens when society moves online and the MRAs and incels find themselves in a position of power. Society moved into their lair and they know best how to game the system from setting reporting standards on twitter to manipulating trending algorithms. Added to that, is the fact the government communication departments are following the strategy of creating lots of little fires and misinformation with the aim of stopping people from mobilising and keeping them divided. If the public are fighting each other, there's not any class analysis to challenge the establishment and the conglomerates. So yy men and people with money and power, are fighting to maintain their position. 'Twas ever thus.

Have a read of Jennifer Bilek's writings. Easy to assume she is a bit of a conspiracy theory nutter but if fact check some of her analysis it's spot on.

www.the11thhourblog.com/post/follow-the-money-how-the-pritzker-family-makes-a-killing-from-the-transgender-industry-flow-chart

(Haven't read the full thread as Mother's Day etc...)

@Icenii

There's not a single political party that represents females and what we want and all the good things that would come from equal sex, it would have a knock on effect to so many other issues. Yet, no new party would ever gain power. People need to infiltrate those already in place. All of them. Right to left.

Why I was so dis-heartened to read Julie Bindel's damning article of the Green Party conference. 3 women and children's motions were tabled and the TRAs won. Self-ID, saying no to a women's rights policy and yes GenderGP are great were the motions won. But there only 500 ppl at the conference. If more women had joined the GP would not have these policies in place for 2 years. Really stinks.

One big issue Munro is that many women who are in the gp who might have voted the other way, are struggling with lockdown and kids at the moment and couldn't attend.

I'm one, my sister definitely and I can certainly name several more.

By chance I discovered proxy voting. However couldn't log on to upvote some stuff as they'd changed the log on thing a few weeks ago, a few of us missed that.

Those who are most obsessed with destroying women's rights tend to have more time on their hands to do this stuff.