Fellow feminists, your input is humbly requested.

[redqueen]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002631791

Thanks.

[seabeyond]

1. ya ya ya. been there, done that. lol. nt

[monmouth]

2. If anyone refers to me as a "girl" I am very grateful..n/t

[Scout]

3. why? are you ashamed of being a woman?

did you buy into the crap you were sold that women are worthless, unless they are young, hot and fuckable?

[redqueen]

4. I would say most women in most societies do internalize that message...

that aging, for a woman, is a bad thing.

[monmouth]

16. Get a sense of humor, okay? n/t

[Scout]

19. my sense of humor is fine, thanks for your concern

hmmmmm, which feminist bingo square did that fill up, eh?

you damn feminists just need a sense of humor

[Scout]

20. oh, answer the questions, okay?

[laconicsax]

5. And who'd have thought...the majority find it offensive, yet...

some of DU's resident misogynists are still arguing why everyone who finds it offensive is wrong.

[MadrasT]

6. I know, right?

[seabeyond]

7. i think the funniest in these threads, is the REFUSAL, absolute refusal to read what is

actually being said and going down the line of posts simply insulting people. but the refusal to even listen or read what is being said. why bother even replying.

though one poster was kind enough to offer pictures, lol

[Scout]

8. Words Matter ... but not if you're a woman/feminist, right?

i know i'm not the only one who has had that thought.

[seabeyond]

9. oh, well geez, it is flat out said.

i see posters starting words matter, as they embrace the denigration of women. totally amazing.

[redqueen]

10. Ah, it's not that amazing reallly.

Like I keep saying, no group besides women has so thoroughly internalized their own oppression.

[seabeyond]

12. no group besides women has so thoroughly internalized their own oppression.

[redqueen]

11. If they're misogynist words, just let it roll off your back. Ignore it. Don't give up your power!

If they're offensive in any other way... SHUNNNNNNN! BAN! ALERT! etc etc etc

[Scout]

13. yup.

now i'm getting the "false equivalency" bullshit that it's not ok to call African American men "boy" but it most certainly is ok to call women "girl."

i guess it helps to be a "scary black man" ... nobody is scared of women

[MadrasT]

17. The thing that seems to elude some people,

is that one can personally choose to not be offended and to not "give up power"... while at the same time, advocating for awareness of how language actually matters in a society.

People can call me c*nt (or "girl" or whatever) all day long and I do not feel diminished, because today, I have strong self worth.

I still see how it disempowers all women as a group when that kind of language is accepted as normal part of everyday language.

And I still remember a time when my horribly misogynistic (ex) boyfriend called me "stupid bitch", smacked me around, and I believed I deserved it.

Today anyone can call me anything he likes and it does not diminish or devalue the core value of me, but language like that directed at women is not good for society.

For me, it's bigger than "all about me" now. And that's the bit it seems some folks miss.

At least that's what it seems like to newbie feminist me.

[redqueen]

18. No you're exactly right.

My point was lazily made.

The person who said 'don't give up your power' regarding the term 'girl' voted that it was never offensive... so I don't think they're seeing this issue the same way you are.

Sorry it was two people who voiced the 'don't give them the power' idea and also voted that calling women 'girls' is not a big deal at all.


And another edit, if anyone could think of a quick bumper-sticker type slogany way of conveying the idea that recognizing the power of language does not require getting personally offended that'd be ever so helpful for convincing some people to think beyond 'it doesn't bother me so it must be fine!' stuff.

[seabeyond]

21. " it's bigger than "all about me" now". i think this is what maturity gives us.

when we are younger it is truly, all about me, lol. and having fun. maturity brings this along the way. what is really impressive is listening to a young person that can get it.

[iverglas]

27. just exactly what I was getting ready to say

Same words even: it isn't "all about me".

For pity's sake, that seems to be about the only level half these people can operate on, doesn't it?

[JTFrog]

32. You are not the only one. n/t

[seabeyond]

14. ok, really, that thread has become ridiculous. redqueen asks WOMEN how THEY feel being called

a girl.

interesting poll. i get why she polled it.

there are SOME men running up and down the thread like their hair is on fire at the audacity of a women stating how they feel about being called a girl. the audacity that maybe SOME women prefer to be addressed as a woman.

what is that? why should a single one of these men run around insulting women cause they spoke how they feel? who are they to tell women, or insult women that they should not have an opinion if the opinion does not jive with what they think?

and all this

on a progressive board.

truly, embarrassingly ridiculous.

[redqueen]

15. And also funny.

BROgressive board, sea... brogressive. A progressive board would have a much lower level of tolerance for the amount of sexist/misogyinst crap that flies around here freely on a regular basis.

[seabeyond]

22. and BROgressive would be? i have been curious. nt

[Scout]

23. BROgressive = man-child progressive n/t

[seabeyond]

24. interesting. hm. thanks. nt

[redqueen]

25. Progressives that think

the 'hot babes of occupy' (or whatever the hell it was) was awesome and cool and feminist.

And that 'save the ta tas' is awesome and cool.

etc etc etc

[seabeyond]

26. ahhh. ya. that. lol. nt

[Texasgal]

28. I cannot go into that thread..

You Women explain yourselves waaaay better than I could ever!

Good poll Red!

[iverglas]

29. me either

Not because I can't explain myself good (and not that you can't, either).

Just because I don't feel like doing myself an injury tonight. Enough brick walls to beat my head against and ugly dishonesty to puke over in the work I've been landed with. Actually, reading Conservative Party nonsense is almost refreshing compared to reading threads like that ...


edited for clarity :grin:

[seabeyond]

30. lmfao.... nt

[BlueIris]

31. It is sick-making.

I wish I hadn't looked past the poll.

[TorchTheWitch]

33. I'm glad now that I didn't

I had a feeling it was going to end up a misogynist thread with the usual suspects acting like pigs all the way through it. The rampant misogyny on DU since I've been here is exactly what has made me refuse to ever donate a single dime.

[seabeyond]

34. there are at least 3, or more men that just had to vote girl is never offensive. they HAD to.

just. couldnt. let. women do the voting. wasnt going their way and they had to throw in their names.

what a fuckin childish hoot.

at least now when we see these polls directed at women, we see the men voting. in the past it was just assumed they were throwing in their votes to skew.