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The Shard protesters also struck a blow against macho activism The Shard protesters also struck a blow against macho activism
(2 months later)
The joy of discovering that six women from Greenpeace scaled the Shard in London on Thursday, to protest against Arctic oil drilling, was dwarfed only by the news that Toby Young had taken to Telegraph blogs to denounce the protest as sexist. According to Young, the activists were trying to shock by having women do things that require physical strength and are thus "implicitly accepting that women are the weaker sex".The joy of discovering that six women from Greenpeace scaled the Shard in London on Thursday, to protest against Arctic oil drilling, was dwarfed only by the news that Toby Young had taken to Telegraph blogs to denounce the protest as sexist. According to Young, the activists were trying to shock by having women do things that require physical strength and are thus "implicitly accepting that women are the weaker sex".
Honestly, sometimes I don't know what feminism would do without the guidance of men like Toby Young. I bet Emmeline Pankhurst is gazing down from heaven as we speak, thinking: "If only some bore had been writing disparaging blog posts during our campaign; we might have got a lot more done."Honestly, sometimes I don't know what feminism would do without the guidance of men like Toby Young. I bet Emmeline Pankhurst is gazing down from heaven as we speak, thinking: "If only some bore had been writing disparaging blog posts during our campaign; we might have got a lot more done."
Anyway, it turns out the Telegraph isn't the only medium to transmit the sexist observations of men who'd got wind of the protest: Vice magazine also reports a Twitter user's concerns that the protest had deprived the activists' husbands of breakfast. Picture, if you will, a tearful man watching the Shard on the news while hopelessly attempting to fry an egg. It doesn't bear thinking about. Meanwhile the Evening Standard ponders whether the activists had heard that the Shard's restaurant is a popular place for marriage proposals: "Perhaps the Greenpeace protesters scaling the building this morning were just latter-day Juliets looking for a Romeo." Of course they were. I frequently press myself against the glass of 30-storey offices, screaming "LOVE ME!!!" to the men working inside.Anyway, it turns out the Telegraph isn't the only medium to transmit the sexist observations of men who'd got wind of the protest: Vice magazine also reports a Twitter user's concerns that the protest had deprived the activists' husbands of breakfast. Picture, if you will, a tearful man watching the Shard on the news while hopelessly attempting to fry an egg. It doesn't bear thinking about. Meanwhile the Evening Standard ponders whether the activists had heard that the Shard's restaurant is a popular place for marriage proposals: "Perhaps the Greenpeace protesters scaling the building this morning were just latter-day Juliets looking for a Romeo." Of course they were. I frequently press myself against the glass of 30-storey offices, screaming "LOVE ME!!!" to the men working inside.
I haven't spoken to the women who took part in the protest (though if any of you are reading this, I want to buy you a very big drink), but I'd like to offer a theory as to why all six climbers were women. You see, social justice campaigners tend to be aware that we are living in a world where women are not equal to men – a patriarchy, if such a term isn't too frightening for any sensitive souls out there. Campaigners usually accept the fact that men dominate public discourse and women don't really get a look in. Unfortunately, they also realise that, left unchecked, social movements can also fall into this trap.I haven't spoken to the women who took part in the protest (though if any of you are reading this, I want to buy you a very big drink), but I'd like to offer a theory as to why all six climbers were women. You see, social justice campaigners tend to be aware that we are living in a world where women are not equal to men – a patriarchy, if such a term isn't too frightening for any sensitive souls out there. Campaigners usually accept the fact that men dominate public discourse and women don't really get a look in. Unfortunately, they also realise that, left unchecked, social movements can also fall into this trap.
Just look at the labour movement, which is widely credited to the male dockers who went on strike in 1889, despite the fact that they were inspired by women working in the Bryant & May match factory who took industrial action some years before. Or consider the Socialist Worker party, currently in crisis because it mishandled rape allegations in an apparent attempt to protect its leadership.Just look at the labour movement, which is widely credited to the male dockers who went on strike in 1889, despite the fact that they were inspired by women working in the Bryant & May match factory who took industrial action some years before. Or consider the Socialist Worker party, currently in crisis because it mishandled rape allegations in an apparent attempt to protect its leadership.
When groups like Greenpeace or No Dash for Gas (a mixed group with primarily female spokespeople) put women at the forefront of their activism, they're doing it because they recognise that women must be at the heart of any progressive social change, and not just act as a bonus to be hastily stapled on at the end. These groups are not being sexist by promoting female activists; they're correcting an existing imbalance which relegates women to supporting roles in campaigns for social justice. Gender equality is something that takes constant work, and I'd say Greenpeace is doing a damn sight better at it than the media outlets currently hosting baffled articles about its women-led protest, or our indeed political representatives jockeying to condemn (a paltry 22% of MPs are women).When groups like Greenpeace or No Dash for Gas (a mixed group with primarily female spokespeople) put women at the forefront of their activism, they're doing it because they recognise that women must be at the heart of any progressive social change, and not just act as a bonus to be hastily stapled on at the end. These groups are not being sexist by promoting female activists; they're correcting an existing imbalance which relegates women to supporting roles in campaigns for social justice. Gender equality is something that takes constant work, and I'd say Greenpeace is doing a damn sight better at it than the media outlets currently hosting baffled articles about its women-led protest, or our indeed political representatives jockeying to condemn (a paltry 22% of MPs are women).
One may disagree with the methods or the subject of Thursday's protest (I don't), but Greenpeace should be congratulated for addressing the fact that protest can sometimes be a too macho game. I know that seeing six women scaling the Shard made me feel like I also had a stake in the protest; a sensation I rarely get from watching men in suits trade insults in the Houses of Commons.One may disagree with the methods or the subject of Thursday's protest (I don't), but Greenpeace should be congratulated for addressing the fact that protest can sometimes be a too macho game. I know that seeing six women scaling the Shard made me feel like I also had a stake in the protest; a sensation I rarely get from watching men in suits trade insults in the Houses of Commons.
Of course, there's always another explanation: that these people were simply the six best climbers for the job, and the fact that they're all women is merely a coincidence. There's always the possibility that if six men were halfway up a building, no one would be writing articles criticising them for playing into unhelpful stereotypes, or suggesting that they were using a rather unorthodox method of finding a wife. As outlandish as it may seem, six women may have just decided to put in months of training to develop the skills to do something their neanderthal critics couldn't manage in a million years. So perhaps it would be better to stop focusing on what these activists are, and start focusing on what they did – because what they did is spectacular.Of course, there's always another explanation: that these people were simply the six best climbers for the job, and the fact that they're all women is merely a coincidence. There's always the possibility that if six men were halfway up a building, no one would be writing articles criticising them for playing into unhelpful stereotypes, or suggesting that they were using a rather unorthodox method of finding a wife. As outlandish as it may seem, six women may have just decided to put in months of training to develop the skills to do something their neanderthal critics couldn't manage in a million years. So perhaps it would be better to stop focusing on what these activists are, and start focusing on what they did – because what they did is spectacular.
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