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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Jean Hatchet: No, Freddie Attenborough, verbal sexual harassment is not "free speech"

17 replies

LibertyKnickers · 22/08/2025 01:13

https://jeanhatchet.substack.com/p/harassing-women-is-not-free-speech

This is an excellent piece. I knew Attenborough had dodgy credentials, but this is something else: minimising women's and girls' experiences, our everyday lives, in favour of a man's right to comment on her body and to invite her to reveal it or have sex with him. I am really disappointed that the FSU seems to stop at TWANW.

Harassing women is not free speech.

Ten out of ten women aren't cats.

https://jeanhatchet.substack.com/p/harassing-women-is-not-free-speech

OP posts:
AliasGrace47 · 22/08/2025 04:06

Don't be surprised in Young. Just read his Wiki page, there's multiple incidents documented for years of his disgusting misogyny.

Carcass · 22/08/2025 06:06

Wikipedia is a joke, you can’t take it seriously

hholiday · 22/08/2025 06:40

Reading her article broke my heart. So many little girls and women left traumatised by male sexual aggression - and clearly feeling unable to talk about it because society seems to think men are entitled to behave that way. We need more articles like this, calling out anyone who publicly supports this behaviour. I wish we saw similar pieces in the mainstream media.

deadpan · 22/08/2025 09:19

I was only about 10 when I was walking my dog and a man shouted from the other side of the road "does the dog have a phone number?". I just smiled and chuckled slightly because I didn't know what he meant and that's what most of us do in uncomfortable situations. No one told me unsolicited male attention was supposed to be a positive, but I grew up in the 70's and if you see any TV from then you'll know why. But then it obviously hasn't improved much. The trouble with the blanket term "free speech" is that anyone will use it to support any behaviour. Especially blokes. And especially blokes like Toby Young.

Imbrocator · 22/08/2025 09:38

Thanks for posting this article - what a sensible piece and how sad that it’s necessary.

I had any number of men harass me from around age nine too, as I expect most girls have experienced. Even being walked to school by my mum didn’t stop it. However, there were never any when I was walking with my dad. I can well see how a less attentive father might have taken this as confirmation that it doesn’t happen, but it’s always upsetting to see men like Attenborough repeat idiocy like this, who presumably have mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, and daughters, all of whom would be able to relate similarly unpleasant experiences if asked. What a disappointing lack of critical thinking on his part.

Mochudubh · 22/08/2025 10:06

Do these men never stop to think that it could (and at some point, will) be their 9 year-old daughter being told to "take your knickers down in case I know you"?

(Rhetorical question).

HappyNewTaxYear · 22/08/2025 10:08

Toby Young would be just another dickhead in the office if his father had not been Michael Young, an influential left wing thinker who threw his principles away when he phoned various mates at Oxford University and persuaded them to admit his useless son who’d just failed all his A-levels. The man has no talent, he shouldn’t be where he is today, and it’s a great shame that he has an audience.

ErrolTheDragon · 22/08/2025 11:36

Thanks.
I wonder if this misogynistic bloke ever for a moment considers how much women’s freedom of speech is constrained? Obviously, as Jean’s piece shows, women's actions are frequently limited by men’s words - women ‘choose’ not to go running, we ‘choose’ not to walk home alone in the evening etc. But we also curb our tongues for fear of endangering ourselves.
So why doesn’t he celebrate those women who are empowered by being police officers with backup when they do speak to these abusive men?

WarriorN · 22/08/2025 12:14

This is why JKRs fund is so very much needed; women need female support without a load of other shit attached to fight this fight

Igmum · 22/08/2025 12:56

Thanks Liberty. In the 70s I used to dread the strikes. Picketers out with their braziers shouting sexual harassment at me even when I was wearing a Paddington bear duffel coat and sensible school shoes. Walking along deserted roads with the cat calls ringing in my ears, terrified they would chase me and determined not to look back.

AliasGrace47 · 22/08/2025 15:31

Carcass · 22/08/2025 06:06

Wikipedia is a joke, you can’t take it seriously

I know lots of unsubstantiated things are put there, but the incidents I refer to were backed up by links to disgusting comments Young had made himself, and newspaper articles documenting.

AliasGrace47 · 22/08/2025 15:32

HappyNewTaxYear · 22/08/2025 10:08

Toby Young would be just another dickhead in the office if his father had not been Michael Young, an influential left wing thinker who threw his principles away when he phoned various mates at Oxford University and persuaded them to admit his useless son who’d just failed all his A-levels. The man has no talent, he shouldn’t be where he is today, and it’s a great shame that he has an audience.

Is that how it happened? Makes sense. I read Michael Young's book The Rise of the Meritocracy recently & v much appreciated it. But knowing he abbetted & presumably didn't see an issue w this turds behaviour sadly puts me off him a bit.

AliasGrace47 · 22/08/2025 15:34

Carcass · 22/08/2025 06:06

Wikipedia is a joke, you can’t take it seriously

Here's an example of things he's done

https://theweek.com/90822/toby-young-what-were-the-tweets-and-comments-that-led-to-his-resignation

BernardBlacksMolluscs · 22/08/2025 15:49

Are there any men called Freddie who aren’t complete and total wankers? Statistically speaking there must be some I suppose but I’ve never come across one

Toby Young is a man who comes across as a grade A arsehole in his own autobiography. Even he doesn’t seem to like him very much

deadpan · 22/08/2025 16:23

Instead of the police officers wasting their time maybe Freddie and Toby would rather females had a curfew. Similar to the one the Yorkshire police inflicted on women when they couldn't find the Yorkshire ripper. Or the one the Scottish police tried to inflict in the late 70's because of male violence.
FFS, why can't we just live our lives like they do.

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