Feminists! They’re everywhere, including today’s Irish Times, where Finola Meredith talked to some young Irish feminists about the rise in Irish feminist activism. It warms my heart to see young women getting involved in feminism while proudly embracing the word and getting such high-profile coverage. Now to sit back and wait for all the disgruntled letters to the Times declaring that men are the REAL oppressed group and why aren’t these women devoting themselves to men’s issues as well and why are these terrifying gender supremacists getting space in the paper blah blah blah….
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Anthea McTeirnan
Antonia Hart
Aoife Barry
Aoife McLysaght
Arlene Hunt
Attracta McCarthy-McKenna
clairehennessy
Ann Cronin
Amanda Brown
Eleanor Fitzsimons
Edel Coffey
Anna Carey
Lauren
Jennie Ridyard
Jude Leavy
Hazel Katherine Larkin
Léan Ní Chuilleanáin
Leigh
Lisa McInerney
Laura Slattery
Maman Poulet
Megan McGurk
Clare Kleinedler
Molly
Rosita Boland
Catherine Crichton
Sinéad Gleeson
sarahefranklin
siobhandowling
Susan Daly
theantiroom
Nuala Ní Chonchúir
There will also be some benign sexism of the type “surely women should be what they want to be, and that is soft sweet things that don’t threaten men”.
Oooh, yes, and some of them will definitely be written by women. “Why are those harpies so angry? I’ve been happy to make my husband’s dinners for 50 years and have never wanted anything more. In fact, I’d be happy if women didn’t have the vote because we should leave that sort of petty fighting to the boys” etc etc.
I’ve no doubts the Minister for Men (can you guess who?) will certainly have a go as well as the usual cosmic-muesli right-wingers. Pity the Anti-Room wasn’t mentioned…
I can’t say that I’ve noticed feminism ‘bursting out all over the place’ but I’m delighted to hear it. And an Irish Feminism Network, no less! Off to find them on twitter.
Now watch as John Waters needs to be given something to calm his nerves.
I expect (after reading Maman Poulet’s article on the Galway
Arts Festival 2010)
that letters re the Oppression of men will be
published in the National Broadsheet.
*Exhibit A* :
Madam, – In response to the “Galway (Men’s) Arts Festival” letter (July 15th). It is not that Galway Arts festival shouldn’t be taken to task for many of its failings – most notably the undermining and low level of support of local artists for many years (which led to “Project 06” – a fringe festival created in order to draw attention to this). I would, however, like to highlight the many minefields created when someone (or even a large portion of a university department) starts to question the gender equality of any organisation.
In the organisational team of the Galway Arts Festival, as listed on its programme, there are 14 women listed as opposed to 11 men’s names. It doesn’t really seem to fit the profile of a chauvinist think-tank. Maybe there were fewer performance groups figure-headed by women putting themselves forward for consideration this year. Maybe the female-dominated organisational committee prefers male performers. Or maybe, just maybe, the acts were chosen purely on merit and not on gender grounds at all.
Finally, I must inquire why there isn’t a men’s studies course on offer in NUI Galway to contrast the women’s studies course there? *Maybe it’s time to change its name to NUI(W)G – National University of Ireland’s Women, Galway? Just a thought.** – Yours, etc,
”
shoulda pasted article by maman.
https://theantiroom.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/women-artists-thin-on-ground-in-galway/
I think feminism is recognised as a discipline *everywhere*
except Ireland cos it scares some boys
Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall an exchange on twitter with @christinebohan and some headbanger. He called her part of a ‘radical feminist elite’, or something like that. Just waiting for the phrase to enter the debate.
I’ve got a google alert for the word feminazi, and a bet with Paddy Power when it will appear in the next three days.
Ha! I’m pretty sure you’ll win that bet.
I want to be part of this radical feminist elite! Where do I sign up? *looks around expectantly for all-powerful feminist overlords. I mean, overladies *
Just saw this on the BBC. Ireland doing well in terms of gender equality apparently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11517459
From the article:
“I’m more and more coming around to the idea that feminism is quite simply about smashing the patriarchy. Look at the pro-prostitution lobby. We need to start being honest with ourselves: smashing the patriarchy is more important than defending someone’s right to sell sex.”
Smashing patriarchy is more important than individual liberty? Nah, I don’t agree with that. She thinks feminists should be able to control what other women and men do with their bodies, which seems deeply conservative and illiberal.
Delighted to see it.
If anyone is out in the Ballymun / Glasnevin direction tonight, I see that Madeleine Hawke, mentioned in the article, is speaking at the DCU Law Soc – motion being “Porn Degrades Women”.
Did any of you read the piece on the 40th anniversary of The Female Eunuch in last weekend’s Sunday Times News Review in which John Lyndon claimed that “every boy whose education is treated as a secondary concern, every young man who has to get to the back of a queue for a job behind more favoured women” is a victim of both feminism and Greer’s accursed tome!
Poor old Lyndon. Will *nobody* think of the men?
There are victims everywhere Aoife, only waiting to be victimised.
There were two distinct playground ditties in Our Lady of Victories Primary School in the Mun when I was but a button of a thing…we’d sing the first really loud in the direction of the then segregated boy’s school up the hill during our lunch-hour and they’d sing the second one back. It was 1974 and maybe we were onto something:
Boys are stupid, boys are mad, boys are stupid, and the girls are very glad.
[they’d sing back]:
Boys are stupid, boys are mad, boys are stupid but the girls are twice as bad.
I was listening to Ivan Yates interviewing sports broadcaster Bill O’Herlihy on Newstalk last week. Bill was asked who his heroes were. Nelson Mandela, he replied. So far, so predictable. Then a more interesting choice, Hillary Clinton. What qualities did Ivan think Bill O’Herlihy might find admirable in Hillary? The conversation continued as follows (I listened back to the podcast to check):
I: Do you fancy her?
B: No, not really, not in the sense you’re suggesting
I: That’s not a crime
B: She’s younger than me of course
I: She’s not unattractive. I don’t like those pants she wears but other than that she’s fine
B: Maybe she has bad legs or something I don’t know:
I: I don’t know, her posterior is questionable as well.
Cue lots of loud laddish laughter, end of discussion on Hilary. I could not believe what I was hearing. It was like listening to the guys in the offices of Sterling Cooper discussing the new secretary. And there was me thinking the attitudes in Mad Men were anachronistic. Good luck to the new feminists – clearly there is still a long way to go.
If the two men were gay would they discuss a male politician in the same way?
This is the same idiot who claimed it took two to tango in the Tiger Woods infidelity story and, y’know, sure she might be frigid after all and what is a guy supposed to do? So nothing surprises me…
That kind of ‘ditty’ on women in mainstream media, in newspapers, on buses, in hospital waiting rooms and the polished corridors of the Dail, is so diluted-normal that I’m not surprised you had to play the clip back to see if you heard correctly. And yet there are plenty who will will auto-bleat off about the perils of feminism at the slightest mention! Women are gees to please. Men beat chests and build sky-scrapers. If you find a few hybrids with brains and independent thought to hang out with in the meantime, you’re lucky. PS. Did I meantion how and why I became a sociopath?
PS. Apologies for spelling/grammar mistakes. I type too fast and can’t fix/edit when I’m not logged in. Arse!
I’d imagine the letters will be spewed forth by the same amoebas who puff up with indignation and say things like “Well, why can’t we have a STRAIGHT pride parade? Why can’t we have events that celebrate STRAIGHT culture?” before folding their arms and grinning smugly as if they’ve nailed your double-standardy, hypocritical, PC ass to the wall.
Woul you be disappointed if you did not attract any male opposition?
Yeah, we’d be really disappointed Charlie, because our whole lives revolve around just looking for attention off men. Even if it means opposition, phew, thank God they are still looking in our direction. Get a grip.
As I understand it, the whole of Britain and Ireland is committed to gender equality among many other human rights. It is one thing to be commited and another to be effective. To paraphase J S Mill each age must define equality for itself. Opposition to prejudice must be detailed, persistent and persuasive. I am not persuaded that all the comments one reads will persuade men to alter their their wicked ways and too much of it belongs to the play ground. Basically no one of either sex is persuaded to change by being sworn at. Be right and nice with it.