The political power of Mumsnet – Interview with Helen Joyce & Sarah Pedersen

[UtopiaPlanitia]

I came across this interview and thought I'd post it here for those who might enjoy it. FWR gets a mention 😊

Oooh thanks!

Good interview 😁 makes me proud of you fabulous women!

Thanking you, UP.

Really good interview, the historical context of how mn changed nhs practises etc was really good to include .

The comments about politicians reminded me of the Stella Creasy car crash

most enjoyable, thank you!

Yup, politicians who come on here to discuss their biscuit preferences are sadly mistaken if they think Mumsnetters aren’t well read and forensically inclined when it comes to policy and law.

I’m still amazed (aghast? bemused? scandalised?) at how the NSPCC looked at their webchat questions (99% about child safeguarding) and noped the fuck out.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3425537-you-know-what-i-am-still-passed-off-with-the-nspcc-over-their-mn-webchat
(will listen to Helen & Sarah later, thanks for sharing!)

Excellent article.

Sorry for the de-rail. What was the issue with Stella Creasy please?

BOLLOCKS IT IS NAEBDY IVER AKSED ME ON

Thinking the women asking questions were some scatterbrained daft mums sitting around with babies on their knees. She came out really badly. It was about 3 (?) years ago but I think the webchat got deleted unless anyone knows how to find it

Stella I think had already made her “women can have penises” comment so……

Oh dear! After all her work on abortion rights Im surprised. But I’m surprised by a lot these days. Lots people I thought were sensible actually seem to have gone completely LaLa

I’ve noticed that politicians and the delightful FWR ploppers often seem completely convinced that women on Mumsnet don’t have the standing or credentials to involve themselves in the discussions and lobbying that’s happening in the public sphere.

Helen Joyce describes this condescending attitude towards MN brilliantly in the interview. Women who have babies also have brains and skills and experience and remain capable of making use of them, somehow this seems to be such a radical concept for such a lot of people to understand.

The other thing the ploppers assume is that all women on FWR are straight, white, middle-class and conservative. The idea that women from across society might gather together to discuss things that affect all women seems never to occur to them.

Despite being considered influential en masse i.e. election campaigns increasingly involve a trip to MN for a webchat, we Mumsnetters are still often pigeon-holed and insufficiently understood. Very frustrating!

if I want to try to understand something in current affairs I generally come to mumsnet and read a few threads on it. It was what I did to try to wrap my head around COVID. Obviously there are the usual obvious nutjobs and trolls, but you read the threads, you form your views on who's talking nonsense and who to take seriously and you come away better informed than you went in.

I remember telling my boss about taking to mumsnet to understand COVID and being a bit embarrassed to say it. it didn't help that he was absolutely boggled. I did point out that a lot of scientists, civil servants,politicians etc are also mums and this is where they come to chat. i don't think he got it

Thanks for sharing! Love Helen Joyce ❤️

Like many others before me, being on Mumsnet, and especially discovering FWR, opened my eyes to the extent to which women’s (mothers) voices and experiences are routinely minimised and dismissed.
Hell - I’ll admit I unthinkingly did it myself before becoming a mum and simultaneously getting educated here a few years ago.

Someone has probably said this a lot more eloquently somewhere but whilst, yes, it is frustrating and dispiriting to witness women being underestimated en masse, there are certain benefits to being able to fly under the radar/hide these conversations in plain sight on Mumsnet.

I saw this a while ago and thought it was quite apt 😁

The other thing the ploppers assume is that all women on FWR are straight, white, middle-class and conservative.

haha I am none of those things! (well, maybe understand the conservative viewpoint more these days since the liberals have lost their marbles)
curious what the actual demographics are though.

Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed that and it looked like all three in the conversation enjoyed it too.

Loved what Helen Joyce said about 'if you go on there and condescend, you'll wish you'd never been born'. I've seen that happen and it's true.

Yes, Joyce is absolutely correct. One of the things I learned very quickly from reading FWR is that if you make an argument you are expected to have data/facts to support what you’re saying because Mumsnetters want to get into the weeds and really cover things in detail. I’ve learned so much from the posters here.

FWR is a valuable resource and I agree with Pedersen that it acts very much like second-wave feminist consciousness-raising groups.

Same here about learning @UtopiaPlanitia.* *It's one of the most thorough educations I've ever had, about pretty much anything. The depth of detail that gets explored is incredible.