Is mother being obscured by postmodernism

[mangomangodurian]

While woman, is being deconstructed by postmodernists and gender ideologists, how do you feel that specifically mother is losing its meaning?

It's not losing its meaning. It's pretty unlikely it will.

So... some fools are trying to reduce its usage. It doesn't wash in the real world.

No, nor is it likely to. Some people are encouraging 'gender neutral' language in some healthcare contexts, but they're not decreeing that no one must use the term mother in any context.

Personally I prefer 'additional' language if you want to be inclusive, eg 'mothers and birthing parents' because it still ensures that primacy of this issue for women is recognised while still being inclusive and also encourages solidarity between groups and recognition of shared needs, rather than causing arguments.

Well I have read things like mother is a construct as well. So I think it is being effected.

I know that patriarchal systems have also tried to construct for their own purposes "mother" but I don't think gender ideologists are liberating women, I think they are obscuring things further

People write all sorts of tosh. Especially postmodernists, but by their own rules no one has to believe them.

Mother has been specifically nailed down in British law as a sexed role not a 'gendered' one.

I think this one can be a bit of a red herring in discussions about how trans rights and women's rights connect.

Mostly I think additive language is fine.

I think much of the "mother is a transphobic dogwhistle!!" stuff is online bots and well-meaning idiots - a bit of an updated version of "schools are stopping children from singing baa baa black sheep because they say it's racist!"

I can't get into appeasing that, or arguing against it as a major and widespread problem. I will keep right on, calmly using the word 'mother' when I think sex is relevant (v often, given we still do the lion's share of child-rearing) and using the word 'parent' when I think it isn't, which sometimes is an actual deliberate feminist choice rather than a trans-focused one.

www.wired.com/story/science-redefining-motherhood/amp

I think this is what I'm talking about

I agree with you OP. I also have to say I don't approve of the additional language mentioned because 'mother' denotes the relationship with a child - a child-centred term I suppose - and reframing as 'birthing parent' removes the focus from the child and makes me feel like they're a validating accessory for someone's identity. It's also quite a dehumanising expression, there's nothing wrong with being a mother, as well as vague because 'parent' is either of 2. I don't understand why we're seriously discussing it iyswim, maybe it would be better to be honest and straight and say it's PoMo stupidity that shouldn't be given attention.

I thought inclusiveness was meant to be the other way around? All "birthing parents" are mothers, but no all mothers are birthing parents. There are adoptive mothers, and there are birthing and non-birthing mothers in lesbian couples.

I thought inclusiveness was meant to be the other way around? All "birthing parents" are mothers, but no all mothers are birthing parents. There are adoptive mothers, and there are birthing and non-birthing mothers in lesbian couples.

Exactly so. People in the real world aren't confused by this.
The 'birthing parent' aspect of U.K. laws has been clarified. Children are born specifically of mothers.

It's nonsense. Just because someone asserts a position doesn't make it true. 'Woman' does have an objective reality, regardless of what a subset of idiotic people pretend - adult human female. 'Mother' is a shade more complex because it has the objective meaning as in 'birth mother' and then the additional more nuanced meanings. But the latter do not nullify the former.

'Postmodernism' was the Redactle topic earlier this week so I happened to have had a scan through the Wikipedia entry. Here's a criticism by Roger Scruton which is good advice.

"A writer who says that there are no truths, or that all truth is 'merely relative,' is asking you not to believe him. So don't."

People write all sorts of tosh. Especially postmodernists

That. There will be much shouting about 'language evolves' (yes it does; top down yelling, scolding and enforcing by a small group of nutcases is not the same thing) but this isn't going to go any further than 'cis' has. Or 'well 'ard' did in its day.

I know that the WHO states that everyone is entitled to offspring. Including males.(rape culture much?) I think that reproduction and woman's bodies are being colonized and the postmodernist radlibs are doing the work of normalizing and promoting it is equality or progressive. And Liberalizing reproduction like in a bad way that uses, abused and commodifies mothers and children. And that article is a good example