To all who has been concerned.

[tpsbmam]

81. No one has explicitly brought up the fact that EarlG suggested THREE options,

and Neoma, IMO, took the more drastic one. She took the one that made the feminist group all about HER, rather than about a DEMOCRATIC version of what the majority want.

The options were walk away "leaving the group with no hosts," which in itself is totally inaccurate. There were other hosts, she just unilaterally stripped them of their hosting privileges. HOLD AN ELECTION FOR HOSTS. Or do what she did, which ended up making the feminists group NEOMA'S GROUP.

Is this REALLY the approach progressives are supporting? REALLY? They're not supporting HOLDING A VOTE? Wow, if I ever saw a Republican approach (akin to a Scott Walker ilk), this is it! WOW!

I'm sorry to jump in here. I've been reading all along and trying to stay out of it, leaving the discussion to the group regulars. But this last post of Neoma's just finished me -- I had to say something.

Please understand, I don't think that Neoma is THE wrong one here. I think there's fault on all sides. But Neoma isn't blameless and frankly, I'm saddened by the approach she decided to take and which DU is willing to accept. This certainly in my mind belies the DEMOCRATIC part of DU.

I'll leave off with quoting my email response to a feminist group member who was kind enough to email me when I indicated in H&M that I didn't want anything to do with the feminist group as it is today. This member felt things would improve now that Neoma had taken charge -- I disagreed.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I view Neoma's post as part of what makes it a toxic environment. From my perspective, she's not guilt-free in the whole mess. But I think it's best left to the group regulars. I'm a lurker at this point and, given the environment (Neoma included), don't have much interest in joining the group. Too bad -- I've been a feminist since I went to work one summer when I was about 16 for the fledgling MS Magazine and got my early schooling from people like Patricia Carbine and Gloria Steinem. The current environment of the feminism group is the anthesis of the kind of environment established by these early feminists, one which was a great education for me as a teen who saw a collegial atmosphere of all women working together and building each other up. It's not that they never disagreed -- they did. But they quickly worked it through like the adults they were, and NOT through a top-down bludgeoning approach! All viewpoints were valued equally. They built each other up and created an environment where women, including young women just starting out, were encouraged and built up. That was extended to a young teenage woman just there for a summer internship and having the time of her life! Yep, even my opinion was valued -- it was an awesome experience. And, like I said before, the anthesis of what the DU feminism group is like today.