Happy International Women's Day.

vasselmeyer

My wife is of Slavic origin and IWD is HUGE in Eastern Europe. It's like a cross between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. We celebrate it, I wish my wife's relatives well on the day and today we're meeting other families with Eastern European members for an IWD lunchtime blowout.

Just because you like to take the mick and have no real clue what it actually means to some people, doesn't mean it's not important. For example, they don't give a shit what happens on 25th December.

By all means, take the piss, but look a little beyond the narrow boundaries of your own experience.

Sesh

Cirrus said:

beed84 said:

I’m not sure they thought it through. Surely International Women’s Day implies all other days are for men?

The existence of International Men's Day (19th November) for the last 20 years or so blows a hole in that line of reasoning.


You are Richard Herring and ICM£5

beed84

Cirrus said:

beed84 said:

I’m not sure they thought it through. Surely International Women’s Day implies all other days are for men?

The existence of International Men's Day (19th November) for the last 20 years or so blows a hole in that line of reasoning.

Lol I literally had no idea! Back to drawing board...

heavyrocker

Gassage said:

thumpingrug said:

Wow,  just wow chaps, really enlightened of you.  Must feel great to be a women here on the forum.

True acceptance is all about being able to take the mickey without agenda. If it were a gay related thing I'd do the same and I'm gay. However, your millenial outrage is noted in spirit offered.

Would it bother you that some people laughing at such a joke might be homophobic? I enjoy non-pc jokes if they are genuinely funny and come from the right place. The Viz joke, like most of the Viz stuff, is funny in a knowing way but it does make me uneasy that some people will enjoy it as a purely sexist joke, not as a joke that is poking fun at the attitude of the author. 

Having said that, I prefer that uneasy feeling to censorship. 

prowla

vasselmeyer said:

My wife is of Slavic origin and IWD is HUGE in Eastern Europe. It's like a cross between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. We celebrate it, I wish my wife's relatives well on the day and today we're meeting other families with Eastern European members for an IWD lunchtime blowout.

Just because you like to take the mick and have no real clue what it actually means to some people, doesn't mean it's not important. For example, they don't give a shit what happens on 25th December.

By all means, take the piss, but look a little beyond the narrow boundaries of your own experience.

Fretwired

fob

Fretwired said:

ICBM said:

I'm not actually sure that the lack of women here (although there may be more than you think...) has much to do with casual sexism, or more because talking about guitars, amps and pedals online is just so *boring*.

I think it has more to do with forumites thinking they're cool musos when in reality the average forumite is more like this ...

I can only dream of being as cool as Peter Sallis.

ESBlonde

I think the international bit should be noted. While the UK has come a long way with women's rights there are large swathes of the world where women's rights are hardly considered.
Bear in mind that as recently as the 1970s women in the UK could not easily apply for credit without a guarantor! I stood guarantor for a girl singer when I was 18 and lived at home, she was in her 20s and had her own flat but couldn't buy a shure mic on tick! 

munckee

Snags said:

munckee said:

Gassage said:

thumpingrug said:

Wow,  just wow chaps, really enlightened of you.  Must feel great to be a women here on the forum.

True acceptance is all about being able to take the mickey without agenda. If it were a gay related thing I'd do the same and I'm gay. However, your millenial outrage is noted in spirit offered.

True acceptance would mean not wanting a special day. 

At the risk of sounding like a millennial (although it would take 20 years off, so that's not so bad):

s/wanting/needing

Anyway, as get's trotted out every year, there's an International Men's Day too.

Its all perspective really, I grew up with a female prime minister, queen, female head teachers at school and have always worked at companies iwhere women are n very senior positions.  I work in the private sector where you negotiate your own package so two people doing the same job are not paid the same anyway regardless of their sex.

I have always been a believer that the glass ceiling that applies to women also applies to men who didn't go to elite schools and mix in the right circles, so things like all woman short lists for jobs restrict their prospects even further.

However I'm not a woman and I have no idea whether they really have equality or not.  I have never thought positive discrimination is the answer to anything as its just discrimination.  The fact that previous generations of white men had better chances of success than others is no help to the current generation who face constant criticism of being "white men" like its a negative thing.

I have a 14 year old daughter and I try and instill in her belief that she can achieve whatever she wants and the only barriers to her are those she applies to herself.

Snags

@munckee wasn't having a pop, and as you say, perspective plays a big part. Plus sometimes you see what you look for (and not what you don't). On a personal level I'm very much a people are people kinda guy, and I don't care about gender, race or anything much (although I'm sure that like everyone else I apply my subconscious stereotypes).

However, on a societal level I think it's fair to say that women still have a number of uphill struggles to redress many years of systemic and ingrained bias. When you're addressing bias you often have to overstate a case to actually level the playing field, because of inertia. It's not actually a physical seesaw.

And, of course, the absolute biggie is that none of this is a zero sum game. Pointing up that women suffer disproportionately from X in no way reduces the importance that men suffer disproportionately from Y. Or that class/education/geography can be equal factors. Maybe we all just a need a little less compassion fatigue

DLM

Fretwired said:

Oh, cool! A GASFest pic I've never seen before after all this time!

In time-honoured tradition, I propose the caption: "@Sporky, @Gassage and @NickBotfield share a joke"

Snap

I was taught by nuns at primary school. We needed an international day of mercy with that lot. Brutal buggers. And they all had men's names: what's that about then? Sister Joseph Mary ffs!! You've seen the Blues Brothers? With the nun who could float? Sister Joseph Mary, she could, of that I am certain. Like a ninja with a wooden ruler: flying round the classroom battering a bunch of five year olds. Twat.

And then Sister Gabriel - (another bloke's name). Pure evil that one. I think she could fly too. The silent assassin, death by Hail Marys.

Catholic upbringings: can't beat em.

Snags

Surely that's "Catholic upbringings: well beaten"?