Their feminism will be self-centered or it will be bullshit
Goldsmiths Feminist Society has its priorities straight. Not long after its statement of solidarity with ISOC (and against ASH and Maryam), it changed its cover photo.
Self Care – that’s what feminism is all about innit. Not solidarity with oppressed women around the globe, but care of the precious beloved self. Not repudiation of misogynist bullying theocratic men, but tender loving concern for the ever-fragile ever-needy Self.
Right.
Maybe student unions themselves have become useless. What idiots!
These people are pathetic.
hippies
I don’t think you should disparage self care. Too many people have burned themselves out while helping and showing solodarity to others, because they cared too much for others and ignored caring for themselves. And the way woman generally have been socialised they are extra vulnarable for this.
I understand where this comes from but I am still not happy that you seem to suggest that self care implies selfishness or that this would be an inappropiate subject for feminists.
Axxyaan @ 3, she isn’t disparaging self care; she’s disparaging these specific nitwits, the ones who aren’t helping but who are instead showing solidarity with people who would oppress. And now, awwwwww, they need to take time to self care in the midst of all these mean, nasty, actual-feminists calling them on the fact that they are heinous, twisted, misinformed “activists” doing far more harm than good.
But maybe you’re right. Maybe being fucked up people with fucked up priorities does require some self care. The kind of self care these assholes need, though, is probably not the kind you’re talking about. It would involve a hell of a lot more reading and education and insight acquisition and a heck of a lot less be-kind-to-and-make-time-for-yourself.
Personally, I hope these fucks burn themselves out, and fast, as they continue to do all that helping and showing-of-solidarity with the likes of ISOC. The burnout simply can’t happen fast enough.
“Self Care – that’s what feminism is all about innit.” Dunno but total self-absorption seems to be what many university students are all about. But I noticed when at university that it was rarely the STEM students that got up to this kind of thing.
@TonyInBatavia #4.
But what is she disparraging these nitwits for? I get it, these people screwed up big. But we should be careful that this big screw up of them, doesn’t make us inclined to judge everything from them in a negative light.
If you think self care is an significant issue, that can be an important subject for a talk in a feminist group, you shouldn’t disparage these people for organising such a talk. I understand the temptation and I agree the timing is
unfortunate but at this moment I still think we should let this one big screw up not let us colour our judgement of their next actions in a significant way.
Otherwise it looks too much like searching for a stick to beat the dog.
I don’t think self care is a feminist issue. Feminism is a political movement, not an encounter group. Sure, no doubt feminists need self care because life is hard etc etc but that doesn’t make self care a feminist issue, just as massage and getting plenty of sleep are not feminist issues. This is a feminist society, not a random grab bag of Stuff.
I think that women’s solidarity and feminist CLEAR THINKING in the face of the current surge in misogyny trumps some muddled concern about ‘self-care’ any day.
What on earth is meant by self-care?
A facial? A manicure? A pedicure? A hot bubble bath? A safe space with oodles of cookies, crayons and coloring books?
I don’t get any of this anymore.
Quack psychotherapy has a lot to answer for. Pitchforks and torches are in order for the woo-peddlers and victimization promoters.
Feminism is a political movement, not an encounter group. @OpheliaBenson
Yes, that ^^^^^
@TonyInBatavia: Heinous, twisted, fucked-up assholes who you hope burn out? Really?
I see a bunch of women with entirely valid rightous anger and indignation at injustice who, for some reason or other (youth and inexperience?) don’t have the whole picture and are pointed in the wrong direction when it comes to venting their anger and demanding change.
Who here has felt that anger and indignation? Everyone, right?
Who here has always seen the whole picture? Always directed their anger at the right groups? Never had a bunch of misconceptions about some aspect of the problem until they saw something, read something, or heard something that made them suddenly think “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh…….” and realise how much they’ve screwed up in the past?
Anyone? At all? Certainly not me.
I don’t hope these people burn out. I hope that somehow, something someone says gets through the defensive barrier that they’ll have up (that we *all* have up at times) and they get themselves pointed in a more constructive direction.
@Ophelia Benson #8
I don’t understand how your remark about feminism not being an encounter group is relevant here. The context where I see the term “self care” used, is the sector of volunteers. In this sector a number of people run the risk of burning out because they tend to feel presured or feel it necessary to put the needs of others above the needs of themselves. So self care is about the need to regulary take time and space for yourself in order to replendish your energy and to stand up for yourself when society and/or your environment expects you to prioritize other’s needs over your own, often enough to the detriment of your health.
So I feel this is very much a feminist issue, because in our society, the presure to prioritize other’s needs over one’s own is mostly put on women and when those women start to signal to their environment that they want some space and time for themselves, they can expect push back. So I realy don’t see what the problem is with a feminist group putting this subject on their agenda.
To me, self-care is something valid for them to bring up. *But* it seems like it shouldn’t be the only thing they suggest people do over the holidays. For example, Christian feminists might try putting the Mary back in Merry Christmas– she’s never portrayed as someone who did the hard work of giving birth, in a barn of all places– and with that, they could pressure their family to honor their own matriarchs. Usually, mom is cooking and cleaning throughout the holiday. Self-care is nice, but how about caring for others.
If secular social justice is your thing, how about going to a women’s shelter and bringing cookies and a holiday card to women who don’t dare give their address to their loved ones for fear their ex will get it?
and so on.
Why not a holiday message of action and solidarity? These are college kids. They are about to get a month off. They can manage a few hours of good works.