Louise O Neill

Dirty Dingus McGee

mhge wrote: »

I don't know her columns but the book is shocking, as in you know such things happen (see Listowel case etc) but it actually makes you understand how it feels. Most of the time we just look away... you need to be kind of gutsy to read the book. I had to put it down a number of times. It's really hard to handle but on the other hand you know it's how life is for some people.

Is that shocking as in surprising.Or shocking as in "That was a shocking performance from our full back today".

Ronald Wilson Reagan

"But ‘no evidence’ is not the same thing as ‘no such group exists’ and the gleeful, triumphant reaction of the men calling me a ‘deluded feminazi’ online when the report was published does little to reassure me that this scandal was an isolated incident."

Definitely more suited to fiction than actually journalism.

Dirty Dingus McGee

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I don't think it's more difficult than being a woman. I thank God I was born a man, because feminist's are right, this is a man's world, and that is unfair. Generations of women have, for years, eloquently and intelligently described the barriers to women's participation in commercial & political life.

There are several people who continue to be articulate voices for women right across the span of generations, such as Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO) and Moulala Yousafzai.

But then there are complete idiots who seem to try and parrot these intelligent women, but are inevitably hamstrung own inane, egotistical outlook, and wander off into hysterical tangental babble. Louise O'Neill is one of these individuals.

And yet women have never been sent off to war to die in their millions or been forced into back breaking labour like men have been over the years.

My mother was able to quit work to raise her family whereas my father has never had that luxury afforded to him.

So maybe life for women hasn't been quite as bad as feminists would lead to believe.

darkdubh

b_mac2 wrote: »

https://youtu.be/ilCmywMin8I

What an utter gimp.

lertsnim

She is a brat.

Sand

Her writing does seem to be a lot of whiny navel gazing blaming of others (men) for her own problems. Just over 100 years ago Emily Davison sacrificed her own life with a concrete aim of achieving equal rights for women, and now you've got narcissistic thirty somethings living with their long suffering mother, whining about vague and imagined slights and injuries to anyone who will listen.

Badly Drunk Boy

I hadn't heard of her until I saw this thread to I did a quick search. 30 seconds into reading an article about how her 22 year old ex-boyfriend keep saying how great a body she had for a 30 year old, was enough to make me give up. I was hoping that people like that didn't really exist, especially away from the internet. They probably do.

Thoie

Both her books are excellent ("Asking for It" was not her debut novel).

Her articles can be a bit OTT, and some are downright confusing, but a lot of women find them very relatable.

strandroad

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Is that shocking as in surprising.Or shocking as in "That was a shocking performance from our full back today".

Shocking as it gives you a sucker punch of knowledge what it's like to be a rape victim in a certain type of community (which is not unheard of these days either). Guttural is actually the right word here, regardless of how she uses it elsewhere.

bridgettedon

mhge wrote: »

Shocking as it gives you a sucker punch of knowledge what it's like to be a rape victim in a certain type of community (which is not unheard of these days either). Guttural is actually the right word here, regardless of how she uses it elsewhere.

That book truly shocked me to my core. Maybe because it could happen to anyone. It was how her family and the wider community reacted that was so harrowing.

However her articles are so silly. I began reading them as I thought they would be so good having heard such great reviews of asking for it. However the majority I have read were dramatic and I just couldn't relate to them (bar one I will admit). Just to say her book doesn't make all men to be horrible people. I had to unfollow her on facebook because it was anti men. Are all men pigs? No. Are some of them? Yes but some of the nicest people I know are men. To believe because you are a man that you somehow have this perfect life is too ignorant for my liking. It's such a contrast to her book which is a shame.

IsMiseMyself

I'm a fan of both her books. They're quite harrowing and tough reads - not something you'd bring to the beach! I don't like her columns - she carries across the voice of her fiction (which is naturally dramatic) and it doesn't translate well.

strandroad

bridgettedon wrote: »

That book truly shocked me to my core. Maybe because it could happen to anyone. It was how her family and the wider community reacted that was so harrowing.

However her articles are so silly. I began reading them as I thought they would be so good having heard such great reviews of asking for it. However the majority I have read were dramatic and I just couldn't relate to them (bar one I will admit). Just to say her book doesn't make all men to be horrible people. I had to unfollow her on facebook because it was anti men. Are all men pigs? No. Are some of them? Yes but some of the nicest people I know are men. To believe because you are a man that you somehow have this perfect life is too ignorant for my liking. It's such a contrast to her book which is a shame.

Thanks for the warning, I'll pass. But I would still recommend the book, especially to anyone who blessed with ignorance likes to be a smarta*se on rape threads.

darkdubh

Has anyone here met her?Is she as big a pain as she comes across in those articles?

Specialun

darkdubh wrote: »

Has anyone here met her?Is she as big a pain as she comes across in those articles?

Yes 10000000%. Shes a huge dramatic diva

Lisha

I think asking for it was an excellent book. It was raw and very close to the bone at times. It shocked me in it's realness and I think everyone should read it, especially those with teenagers. Rape culture is a serious issue and I felt asking for it was a realistic depiction of how things can go scarily wrong and the associated knock on effects.

But those columns she writes are horrendous drivel.

Thoie

darkdubh wrote: »

Has anyone here met her?Is she as big a pain as she comes across in those articles?

Specialun wrote: »

Yes 10000000%. Shes a huge dramatic diva

Huh, I'd have said no, she's quite lovely, but it was a 5 minute meeting (max).

Dirty McGee

Dirty McGee wrote: »

And yet women have never been sent off to war to die in their millions or been forced into back breaking labour like men have been over the years.

Neither have I been sent off to war to die, nor forced into back breaking labour, so I'm not about to claim an inheritance of misery. I never claimed western women are oppressed to that extent, nevertheless there are barriers to women's entry into commercial and political life, globally, and so long as that situation persists there is a place in this world for those who seek reform.

My mother was able to quit work to raise her family whereas my father has never had that luxury afforded to him.

My mother had to end an exciting career to raise half a dozen children and run a farm while her husband went to work. Now her children have careers, her husband is dead, and despite her strong education & intelligence, she drives a minibus for the intellectually disabled.

There are thousands of mothers, in Ireland especially, who forsook or had to forsake careers to raise their children, educated them to advance their children's careers, stayed home to advance their husband's careers, and are now left with a 25 year gap in their CV. It's not always a "luxury".

Widdershins

Raising a family is work , if you're doing it properly .

Dirty Dingus McGee

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Neither have I been sent off to war to die, nor forced into back breaking labour, so I'm not about to claim an inheritance of misery. I never claimed western women are oppressed to that extent, nevertheless there are barriers to women's entry into commercial and political life, globally, and so long as that situation persists there is a place in this world for those who seek reform.
My mother had to end an exciting career to raise half a dozen children and run a farm while her husband went to work. Now her children have careers, her husband is dead, and despite her strong education & intelligence, she drives a minibus for the intellectually disabled.

There are thousands of mothers, in Ireland especially, who forsook or had to forsake careers to raise their children, educated them to advance their children's careers, stayed home to advance their husband's careers, and are now left with a 25 year gap in their CV. It's not always a "luxury".

Yes but you thanked god you were born a man as you'd have it easier.But for generations of men they would have had it easier if they were women.

Men as a whole have had to endure a lot of hardship that women as a whole haven't, so the supposed oppression of women in the past isn't as bad as they might think.I'd certainly have preferred to be a woman during large parts of human history as opposed to being a man.

There is far too much made about how tough women supposedly have it or have had it in the past.

Widdershins

I can't stand the white male hatred that is so prevalent now . There's always room for improvement but forming victim groups is so unnecessary .

In my opinion, a better use of energy and time would be for women in the West to do what they can for women in the Middle East and developing countries.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Yes but you thanked god you were born a man as you'd have it easier.But for generations of men they would have had it easier if they were women.

be a woman during large parts of human history as opposed to being a man.

There is far too much made about how tough women supposedly have it or have had it in the past.

I don't know why you keep bringing history into it. I am saying that on a global level it is more preferable to be born a male, and even just from an economic viewpoint, I thank God I was born male.

Poesia wrote: »

That is their choice to make, nobody forced them to have kids.

It was not a choice. Many of our parents had no reliable contraception.

bridgettedon

Widdershins wrote: »

I can't stand the white male hatred that is so prevalent now . There's always room for improvement but forming victim groups is so unnecessary .

In my opinion, a better use of energy and time would be for women in the West to do what they can for women in the Middle East and developing countries.

Going off topic but there plenty of women here including nationals and non nationals who could benefit from people's help. There are women being raped, beaten, isolated and have very little future. That's just my limited experience of one group of non nationals who live here.

Widdershins

bridgettedon wrote: »

Going off topic but there plenty of women here including nationals and non nationals who could benefit from people's help. There are women being raped, beaten, isolated and have very little future. That's just my limited experience of one group of non nationals who live here.

Of course , I should have said that too. I don't think I have heard much about that from feminist celebrities here.

Widdershins

Widdershins wrote: »

In my opinion, a better use of energy and time would be for women in the West to do what they can for women in the Middle East and developing countries.

I'm sure you'd be resentful of people telling you what they think you should spend your time doing, to the exclusion of all else. In their opinion, of course.

People can care about more than one thing, it's not a zero sum game. Western women can better their own lives and still care about women in the rest of the world.

bridgettedon

Widdershins wrote: »

Of course , I should have said that too. I don't think I have heard much about ththat from feminist celebrities here.

Now that you say that I have to agree. I suppose people don't know what goes on in people's homes. It's hard to believe that women in this country experience rape and abuse from their husbands on a daily basis. I know it's wrong but some women don't know any different.

cloudatlas

Going back to the UCD thing. How was she supposed to know initially that it wasn't true? Sure wasn't there a scandal years ago when PWC had a little email group sending round pictures of new starts and female interns at the company and rating them. It's not beyond the realm of imagination. Yes she thought wrong but many assumed that it was happening. Don't see how this is a black mark against her as nobody was actually accused of it.

Widdershins

Candie wrote: »

I'm sure you'd be resentful of people telling you what they think you should spend your time doing, to the exclusion of all else. In their opinion, of course.

People can care about more than one thing, it's not a zero sum game. Western women can better their own lives and still care about women in the rest of the world.

No I wouldn't be the least bit resentful if it was a general suggestion about the direction in which it might be most helpful to focus our energy as a group .

As for caring about more than one thing , I am going by what I personally have seen my self proclaimed feminist friends focusing on and being vocal about and it's quite a narrow focus. They certainly don't act on anything outside of that narrow focus .

cloudatlas

Widdershins wrote: »

No I wouldn't be the least bit resentful if it was a general suggestion about the direction in which it might be most helpful to focus our energy as a group .

As for caring about more than one thing , I am going by what I personally have seen my self proclaimed feminist friends focusing on and being vocal about and it's quite a narrow focus. They certainly don't act on anything outside of that narrow focus .

Women on my social media are always posting about women's issues in other countries. Also campaigning for certain things in your own country has an effect in other countries as it can be viewed as a test case.

D0NNELLY

She just needs some kids to worry about.
Waffling on about feck all

Arghus

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

There is far too much made about how tough women supposedly have it or have had it in the past.

People who think women have had it easier than men down through the years are living in cloud cuckoo land.

Edit: While I wasn't really too impressed by the quality of her articles I do think there's an irony in page after page of people laying into her, and then making out she's got nothing to complain about regarding male attitudes - the stupid woman, over dramatic diva etc, etc.