Thanks to all the great guest-bloggers that have contributed to this space, and who continue to contribute. Y’all have been awesome. So I’m frustrated to have to post this message again, but here goes:
Commenters: You are totally welcome to disagree and argue with the guest-bloggers, just as you argue and disagree with the regular bloggers. Have at it — discuss, engage, debate. But no one here is welcome to treat the bloggers with disrespect. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. If you don’t like a particular guest-blogger, either challenge them on the merits of their posts or don’t read their posts. I don’t really understand why the tone in our comments sections has gotten so ugly lately, but I’m not liking it and I frankly don’t have the time or patience to monitor it right now. So please just be decent. I kind of can’t believe I have to say this, but there it is. You are all smart people, so I’m sure you can figure out what’s acceptable and what’s not — basically, anything you’d expect to get banned for saying to me or any of the other regular bloggers, you can expect to get banned for saying to the guest-bloggers.
I’ll emphasize: That doesn’t mean you need to treat the guest-bloggers with kid gloves and that you can’t argue. It just means you need to be respectful in your disagreement.
Ok? Ok. Now enjoy your guesties, because they are fabulous.
{ 55 comments }
I don’t really understand why the tone in our comments sections has gotten so ugly lately
I suspect that this has to do with guest blogger Physioprof’s post from yesterday. I refrained from commenting there, but is it really that hard to understand how the tone in the comments could get so ugly when the original post itself was so ugly? When the actual post is little more than a profanity filled rant, what sort of commentary is engendered?
I tend to read most entries in this blog as they are posted, so it’s not often that I follow the comments, but is it really the case that comments get out of hand with more reasonable, thoughtful, or informative posts? (Aside from the usual trolls, of course.)
Um, Jill, isn’t this your third or fourth post on the issue? Sorry you have to keep bringing this up!
It started before PhysioProf was guest-blogging, so I don’t think it’s just that.
I hear what you’re saying. I think that we (the readers/commenters) are used to a certain level of discourse from you (Jill/Feministe regulars), a certain tone, a certain thoughtfulness or maturity or sensibility. And that tone is missing from some of the posts submitted by the guest bloggers. It’s frustrating to come here and want to engage in one level of discussion, and find something else going on.
I agree with QLH. I like the idea of guest bloggers, but it might be an idea to give them some kind of Feministe Manual of Style before they contribute.
Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps Feministe is seeking to broaden the dynamic range of what goes on here a bit?
it might be an idea to give them some kind of Feministe Manual of Style
Wouldn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of having guest bloggers?
“Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps Feministe is seeking to broaden the dynamic range of what goes on here a bit?”
Yes, it has. And I’ve enjoyed hearing from different perspectives over the years, from both regular bloggers here and guest bloggers. I’m talking more about the level of self-analysis and critical thinking involved.
Ok, I’m gonna cut this off here. The treatment of the guest-bloggers has been poor almost across the board. I appreciate the points that have been made, and I will certainly take them to heart. Suggestions as to what works and what doesn’t are always helpful. And I totally hear the frustration of coming to a place and not getting what you’re used to.
That said, this is not the thread to complain about the guest-bloggers, so I’d really appreciate it if we could all halt that line of discussion.
I do want to emphasize that I’ve appreciated Feministe’s effort over the years to include a variety of voices. You’ve exposed me to guest bloggers that I otherwise wouldn’t have read, and I’ve enjoyed hearing new ideas from other perspectives. So thank you for that.
Thanks QLH, I really appreciate that.
Thank-you for this, Jill, b/c I have had a hard time commenting here as of late b/c I have seen how vicious things have gotten over some of the guest bloggers. Let me be clear, it has been the attitude of the comments, not the guest bloggers or their posts that have made it difficult to feel that this is a safe space to engage in discussion. I have enjoyed the guest bloggers, but it is really hard to engage when things get so nasty so fast. I am not used to that here…I used to think this was a safe space for discussion. I am glad you are trying to reel that in. I love this site…I want to keep loving it.
The dialogue EVERYWHERE is getting heated.
We live in abysmally gloomy and threatening times, as we watch the middle class fall to the whims of the 1%.
There is LIKELY no turning back, either. Not to our civil rights, not to our jobs, not to our educational systems from K – Ph.D.
But when those who HAVE power and control, those who PERCIEVE to be ALIGNED with the 1%, and have been real COMFORTABLE with all their having, are taken to task for being the reason for the losses of the masses, then I find they tend to spout, huff, snort and protest loudly about the messages AND the messengers.
It’s pure Rovian spin . . . and that’s what HAPPENS when guest bloggers upset the apple carts of the few who think it’s their apple cart to begin with. *G*
I’d say, Feministe IS broadening it’s target readers . . . I’M here for the first times, cuz PhysioProf IS guest blogging. I’ve seen some things I like, a LOT, that’s part of MY progressive wanna be paradigm . . . and I’ve seen some pure Rovian ReThuglican comments, too . . .
Violet Blue writes for SFGate.com . . . she’s a well published ’sexoligist’ I guess is ONE way to put it . . . based out of The City (how I miss it).
Writing once about the ReThuglican’s who’ve ruined our country, funneled the wealth upwards and demolished the middle class . . she penned that with the mounting progressive demands and awareness among the masses that change is inevitable, be it violent and drastic, or populist and purposeful. Her summary about the INEVITABLE demise of the ReThuglican Empire:
“We are the meteor.
They are the dinosaurs.”
Feministe, you blaze a bright shine thru the heavens to rain down on the partriarchial petroturds . . . .
*G*
It’s very odd, because I don’t remember it being like this with last summer’s bloggers. Has there been a general shift in the readers that you’re getting? I know I haven’t been able to hang around as often as I used to (darn work for making me actually WORK while I’m here!)
Completely off-topic, I have that picture (sans the LOL-catting) at my desk because that cat looks exactly like my cat Keaton. And, yes, he really is that gigantic.
From the webmistress: I think part of it is a function of growing (Feministe has grown significantly every month since it’s inception in 2003) and part of that growth leads to greater needs for moderation and discussions about the nature of blogging and the philosophy of the site. I think some readers are a bit rankled with the language and style of PhysioProf (I’m a regular reader of his blog, and heart his forwardness, and amazingly his site has not been blocked at work) because it’s so different from the usual at Feministe, which contains little to no cursing whatsoever, not to mention a(n often pointed) dearth of male voices.
But like Jill, and as a fellow moderator, I hope readers will accept the guests as guests, will accept that they may have different opinions, and that the regular bloggers may not accept those opinions as given truth merely because they are guests, in other words saying that Feministe’s annual-plus guest blogging stint has been a staple of the site since day one when I started it, often with the same controversy. Bust most importantly, I hope readers still understand that one of the major, if not explicit, philosophies of the Feministe arc is that free debate in good faith is the best way of arriving at a larger, poignant truth, and, when that doesn’t always work, sometimes we can all agree to disagree and still work for a greater cause. Jill, for one, has always made a point of putting herself in a position to admit when she feels she’s in the wrong and correct herself as she goes along, learning while under a rather large microscope. I hope that history has earned her, as a sort of figurehead for the site in its recent incarnations, some credibility.
Nicely said, both Lauren and Jill.
As a reader of Feministe for many years, the advent of guest bloggers was a challenge for me. I think a lot of long-time readers have a sense of the “Feministe brand”, represented primarily by Lauren and by Jill. Most of the regulars who came and went over the years (Piny, Zuzu, etc.) had their own distinctive voices, but somehow the brand was a clear one. In the past year, Feministe has had many more guest bloggers — and frankly, it’s been a great challenge. I mean great in both senses: wonderful, yes, but tough too. And it is through Feministe that I’ve been exposed to bloggers whom I otherwise would not have read, many of whose views are fascinating and new and enlightening — and, not infrequently, infuriating. That’s a good thing.
Point is, I think that the original sense of what Feministe was has changed. It’s not one or two voices any more, but many — and there’s a lot of good in that. But it can be disconcerting, and some folks may react by lashing out at the guest bloggers, particularly those with a style that is notably different than the “brand”.
I have thought a lot about this and really I think that if you only listen to voices that reflect your point of view, you don’t grow as a person. Feminism is fluid dynamic and alive. I feel that if you are not open to an inclusive feminism, you are not really practicing feminism.
Interesting, because I do think Feministe has a brand and that’s something I’ve tried to further in a positive way as I’ve participated on the backend of the site (intermittently, I have to say). The header, the colors, the general philosophy that I’ve pushed from the sidelines ["take care of my baby!"]. But the thing I grew most uncomfortable with that eventually led me to leave is the notion that I was somehow a figurehead for a movement instead of a moderator for one space within a community — it really turned me off. So where part of the success of the site is part of it’s downfall. You want to spread the wealth and pay respect where it’s due across the board, and there will always be people who disagree with how it’s done — and room to change that, obvs. — but the size of the site begins to be cumbersome. Simply, it’s a huge time constraint, even shared among half a dozen folks who do their best with outside commitments.
Growing pains.
Big ol’ WORD to that as well. I think being challenged, especially in good faith by your peers, is awesome. It’s been so important to me, especially in bloglandia.
Brands only work for something (a product) of a consistent quality. Feministe isn’t exactly a product. It’s not even anything so consistently identifiable as, say, Joss Whedon, Coen Bros, or JJ Abrams productions.
In a way, it’s sorta wierd.
Conservative websites and blogs HAVE A BRAND, and anybody who participates in those spots *must* fit within that brand.
A group effort like Feministe (well, to me, I’ve only been a regular reader since that Mos Def video posting) is just a little too diverse, too interested in different things, with a free-wheeling discourse to have any distinct trend.
That is good.
It’s sorta like a small restaurant that only serves “dinner”. “Dinner” changes from night to night, but it’s usually pretty good. So one goes there despite the lack of choices because one wishes to take in the taste of the chef, and her moods.
Heh. I like that analogy.
“Jill, for one, has always made a point of putting herself in a position to admit when she feels she’s in the wrong and correct herself as she goes along, learning while under a rather large microscope. I hope that history has earned her, as a sort of figurehead for the site in its recent incarnations, some credibility.”
Absolutely. I love and respect and admire that about her. It’s a tremendous part of why I return to Feministe. It has earned her credibility, and my trust.
The truth is Jill you totally underestimated the backlash from trying to introduce guest contributors who hold patriarchy ennabling views that are juxtaposed to the core tenets of feminism as some would see it. I also think some guest blogger views acted as a ‘trigger’ for commentators who fought back viciously at what is seen as usurping the idealogical integrity of feminism. This has led to unpleasantness on all sides with super Muslim hater the Pakistani Heretical Girl destroying her own blog site in a fit of angst. So what was the point in encouraging all that negative emotion, Jill?
Dude, sack the fuck up. Seriously.
Sorry, but a guest blogger doesn’t deserve people to respect them or be nice to them if they are constantly insulting everyone who objects to anything about their posts.
We have:
“And if you are a whiny-ass whiner who is going to whine about colorful language, don’t farging click!”
and the comment above mine right now:
“Dude, sack the fuck up. Seriously.”
This is the kind of talk you see at online newspaper comment threads, not the sort you generally see here at Feministe. The angry-ranting-male is not what I want to see at a feminist site. Apparently I’m not alone.
If you want your blog (which has always been my favorite to this point) to go this direction, it’s your blog, and therefore your choice. I don’t understand why he’s here. I don’t understand why you are opposed to your readers voicing their opinions on this. Even if you don’t allow my comment to be posted here, I hope you at least read it.
Feministe is unique because it is Feministe. People come here because they like to read it. There are many different thoughts posted and opinions represented, but there is a certain level of analytical thought and discourse that happens here. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have guest bloggers live up to that standard. And quite frankly, I haven’t seen the sort of backlash against any of the other guest bloggers that there has been against PhysioProf because he’s the only one having angry tantrums and directly insulting people.
Fair enough. But again, this started well before PhysioProf was blogging here — people attacked the other guest-bloggers too, in a way that they wouldn’t attack the regulars. Does PP’s style sometimes engender like responses? Sure. And I’m not going to delete comments that curse or that argue or that are aggressive. But look back at the archives and see how other guest-bloggers were treated, just two or three weeks ago. It has not been good. This wasn’t just a post defending PP; it was my effort to set the tone for the rest of the summer.
And as I said upthread, I do hear the concerns and I am taking them seriously. I just think that, as Lauren said, part of what makes this community really great is our ability to argue and debate in good faith. I think we can continue to do that with guest-bloggers — or just skip the ones we really can’t stand.
So because I invited on guest-bloggers, I encouraged negative emotion? Seriously?
And yes, I did underestimate the backlash of having guest-bloggers in the space, but I don’t think we’ve featured anyone who holds “patriarchy-enabling views” — at least no more than I hold those kinds of views (and I do — we all do, to some extent). I’m not going to take personal responsibility for the Pakistani Heretical Girl destroying her blog — I didn’t attack her or even write about her, and neither did Fatemeh or Natalia (who I assume are the “patriarchy-enablers” you’re referencing here). Her decision to take down her own blog was hers; I’m sorry she didn’t like what was being said on Feministe, but just because she didn’t like the content here does not mean that I’m responsible for what she does in her own space.
Anyway, I obviously wasn’t purposely encouraging “negative emotion.” And despite this post, a lot of the reactions to the guesties has been very positive. It’s a chance to expose yourself to new voices and perspectives without having to visit 30 different blogs. I think that’s cool — a lot of other people do, too. And sometimes, it’s uncomfortable for people, or people discover a blogger they REALLY can’t stand. That’s ok too, but that is not reason enough for me to stop doing it, or to think it’s a bad idea.
I really am open to suggestions for how the guest-blogger situation should be handled, as well as how to make our comments sections more productive (and I am going to start moderating with a heavier hand, now that Zuzu is gone). But “don’t have guest bloggers” or “only have guest-bloggers who I always agree with” are not a suggestions I’m going to consider, because I think the guest-bloggers (and especially guest-bloggers who come from different perspectives) are really valuable — and I say that to be honest, not to be snotty or rude towards you, Ronda.
I can see the appeal of women’s only space, but Feministe has never claimed to be a women’s only space and has always had the feel of an open space for anyone even when there happen to be only women here at the time. Some of us like the idea of an open space for anyone. Even anti-choicers are allowed here occasionally for a discussion. Several commenters have complained that they don’t want to read angry male rantings, and that’s fine, but Feministe doesn’t have a “male free zone” rule written at the top.
As for insulting the previous guest bloggers, I have this sneaking suspicion that I was one of them. I was trying to clarify and ask questions about the religion blogs and I kept coming across as an antagonist. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.
Thanks for working so hard, Jill. I think you’re amazing and I learn so much from this blog it’s like my own women’s studies course.
Somehow, there’s something delightful about a male blogger whose initials are PP telling another male blogger on a feminist blog to “sack the fuck up”.
I’m trying to parse it, though. Am I to “place the fuck-up in the garbage bin”? Or am I to “take back the testicles that I have surrendered to simpering correctness and reinsert them into my scrotum”?
Feel free to leave this in mod, or delete it.
Jill, would you consider allowing someone from ‘their side,’ someone with integrity, patience and a dedicated feminist who simply wants to tell it from the side of not a Muslima in the US, but an ex Muslima who escaped to the US- and who is left liberal, not a Bush supporter?
Would you? Can an ex-Muslima guest blog here and explain her take on theocratic patriarchy? The political price of not doing this is allowing issues like honor killings and forced marriage to fall out of the scope of the left and into the arms of the right- where it will be misused, which is why PHG fought so hard against Neo Nazi and right wing appropriation of what she defined as ’stealing our stuff to spread race hate.’
Jill, if you are really sincere and i honestly think you are in so many ways, even to admitting that you do indeed hold some patriarchal ennabling views, can’t you address the balance and allow a seasoned, radical feminist like al apostate come here as a guest blogger? I am not suggesting PHG for one minute, but perhaps the one person who has authority with young, angry and increasingly frustrated ex Muslim girls, al apostate, who I feel sure you must have heard of.
Apostate literally bemoaned her fate as a “conventionally attractive”, straight and cisgendered liberal the other day. And then there was the thread where she completely denied that forced sterilization is a real issue. So I vote that suggestion down.
Dude, I was just trying to humorously call attention to the fact that calling the presence of guest bloggers on a blog you like to read a “challenge” and “tough” is a tad melodramatic. Good one on the “PP” crack!
All kidding aside, angrily ranting and raving is PhysioProf’s schtick. I was invited here to do my thing, so I’m doing it. As Jill has pointed out more than once, no one is forcing readers to read my posts.
Having read all the guest bloggers, I have noticed that everyone (with perhaps the exception of Mahlena) was attacked for something.
As a future guest blogger, this makes me a bit concerned as to how discussions on race/pop culture/slut shaming will be received as they run counter to this site’s normal dynamics. Bringing up race here tends to be difficult under the best of circumstances – centering racial analysis in feminism may damn near start a riot.
I am debating tactics to deal with this.
At first, I was going to use my time blogging on Feministe to do all the fun stuff I don’t get to do on my blog, like discuss women in comics (without race as a base) or deconstruct messages in music videos.
Now I wonder if I should keep forcing some of the issues that came up here, particularly race in feminism & the clashes between religious feminists and secular feminists.
Ah well – I’ve got until August to decide a plan of action.
As I understand it, we’re committed to having many different kinds of voices here, all centered around feminism in one way or another, especially when we invite guest bloggers. Because of that, some feminisms, some takes on feminism or lenses on feminism, will inevitably be ones that some feminist readers disagree with. Some readers have disagreed with the core bloggers’ take on feminism as well. That’s not a bad thing — disagreement and ideas in tension is a vital part of feminism, if you ask me. I can’t speak for all the core bloggers’, but I think we would all like to maintain things at a civil level of disagreement, which we need all of your help with — given the limited number of hours in the day that we can do this stuff.
The Planned Parenthood issue which has been totally answered, brilliantly, specifically with implants in Bangladesh. So we don’t need to talk about that and have no mandate to.
The point we are making here, Hippolyta is reaching out to those people who respect and no doubt follow the apostate. It seems only fair.
“deconstruct messages in music videos”
Do that! Please! Yes?
Just want to say I am truly enjoying all the guest bloggers. I love having so much diversity in one blog! I have discovered other blogs that I enjoy through the guest bloggers. And on the whole I think it’s a fantastic idea, this chorus of voices!
And b/c it is a chorus of voices, I don’t mind that they aren’t the same as the “usual feministe”. I mean, that’s the point, right? Bring on the diversity of communications!
@QLH –
Three words: The Pussycat Dolls. They have to get their own post on their music videos just because it’s so ridiculous. Maybe I’ll do another one. We shall see…
I don’t have too much to say that hasn’t been said, but I do want to say – PhysioProf, I don’t get the point of that “sack the fuck up” comment. Seemed unnecessary, and if you intended to “humorously call attention to the fact that calling the presence of guest bloggers on a blog you like to read a ‘challenge’ and ‘tough’ is a tad melodramatic” (which of itself is a dubious dismissal to what seems like a reasonable comment), you could’ve done it in a better way. I mean, what does “sack the fuck up” mean, anyway? I’m far from a prude when it comes to cursing but that comment in particular did rub me the wrong way. While I agree that commenters have been excessively hostile at times, especially to guest bloggers, I also think that we bloggers have a responsibility to avoid unwarranted, pointless hostility on our own parts.
I’m probably more of a drive by commenter than a consistent presence on this site but I have pretty much enjoyed all the guest bloggers. I do think that we tend to get slightly territorial about certain websites and that might be the issue of some of the anger. Feeling like “our’ blog is being changed or taken away, however, while I may not always have agreed/understood what they said I have enjoyed them. I especially miss Renee and Natalja and have followed them over to their sites.
i’ve enjoyed all the guest bloggers. but i like having access to many voices in one space, i mean i dont want to diss the feministing crew, but now that the community blog function of that site is up i find i enjoy it more than the classic feministing. i get sad here when the summer guest blogging ends. i do miss some of the regulars here tho, like, where the fuck is kactus?
also, latoya, i cant wait to read anything you write! your posts on racialicious always make me think and often make me laugh. youre a clever lady.
Natalia was unfairly criticized by PHG who was provoked into going over the top, but the apostatepakistanigirl’s views were and still are supported, among others, by the “Reclusive Leftist,” who took the apostate unified idealogical position on the linkage between honor killings and religion and wrote a severely critical 500 word post dissecting Natalia’s entire argument step by step. Clearly, if the “Reclusive Leftist” came out in total support of the apostate stance, criticism of guest bloggers can not be written off as ranting, male hating Paki girls “gone mad,” or whatever other racist clap trap is thrown in their general direction. There is a lot of bitterness left in the air and the fight between western religious and developing country secular feminists is tinged with accusations of, among other things- imperialism from one side and Islamophobia on the other. I can not stress enough that these divisions are growing and are important enough to be aired properly because the common ground needs to be explored. Yet right now there is only anger and frustration.
I’d like to second Ronda’s suggestion of the Apostate as a guest blogger. She has a unique and informed POV on a number of issues where more visible speakers do not have her life experience and depth of understanding to draw on.
While I believe Hippolyta has mischaracterized Apostate’s statements, even if she hadn’t, I am not sure why agreeing with everything (or even most things) someone says is a prerequisite for offering her a platform.
So anyway, while I know it’s up to our good hosts and this thread didn’t solicit such suggestions, I second Ronda.
Here is a link to Apostate’s blog: http://apostate.wordpress.com/
I can see the appeal of women’s only space, but Feministe has never claimed to be a women’s only space and has always had the feel of an open space for anyone even when there happen to be only women here at the time. Some of us like the idea of an open space for anyone. Even anti-choicers are allowed here occasionally for a discussion. Several commenters have complained that they don’t want to read angry male rantings, and that’s fine, but Feministe doesn’t have a “male free zone” rule written at the top.
Feministe also had a male blogger who posted daily for months, got angry pretty often, swore quite fucking frequently, and scarcely encountered any hostility from regulars. I don’t think this only has to do with Physioprof’s gender, or his cursing. I think that what my worthy blog mavens said about branding/homogeneity/predictability is true. I also think that some commenters want to pick. I also think that some commenters have had good points to make in dispute, and I’m glad that the guest-blog posts have sparked discussion.
Maybe some people come here because this isn’t Whiskeyfire; I suppose there’s no accounting for taste. I don’t see anything offensive, personally, about swear-filled rants in their place, and I think that any commentariat should probably get ready for more. The election is only a few months away, after all, and the official conflation of birth control and abortion is apparently heading into its final stages. I think the guest bloggers should be encouraged to write in their own voices.
Octo, Feministe bloggers and The Apostate have had a lot of contact already. I’ve been backpacking abroad for the past several months, and even I know that. You should, too–you were in some of those comments threads. Why are you writing as though it’s all argument on one side and ignorance on the other? It’s really dishonest to pretend that there are no interpersonal reasons why Apostate isn’t guest-blogging here.
Piny, you missed a lot while you were backpacking. There is plenty reason to put ‘interpersonal issues’ aside because it is stifling the need for genuine debate. You might not personally be very interested in issues revolving around the conflict between secular and religious feminists and you seem more fixated on the Planned Parenthood phase of 8 months back. Fine.But what you missed is a vicious campaign by ex Muslimas to undercut and basically humiliate guest bloggers who are faith based. The apostates function more like a cult than an ordinary bunch of bloggers. There have been personal attacks, endless propaganda, bullying and dramatics. The apostate herself is not directly responsible-but she has final and commanding influence with those who are and who follow her ideas. Bringing her here is more important than any ‘interpersonal issues’ you may be holding on to.
@ Latoya
I’m excited to see your work here!
Yes, thanks, that was exactly what I was referring to. I didn’t remember the Planned Parenthood back-and-forth specifically until you mentioned it. I call those interpersonal issues, ones which color any discussion of whether or not Apostate should be a guest blogger. Should I have used more profanity? She commands–and what an attractive verb that is!–this whole crowd of commenters who rate our guest bloggers in really horrible ways.
For some reason, and maybe I’m reading you wrong, you seem to think this makes her a better candidate, not a much worse one. I don’t really understand why. I also think the political stuff doesn’t end with the faith/apostasy chasm. Her shallow-at-best, hateful-at-worst insistence that feminism shouldn’t bother with issues like police brutality is another reason I wouldn’t want to see her here. Add that to her somewhat unpleasant personality surrounded by really unpleasant ancillary personalities, and why not just lose her invite, seriously?
She has a platform, and she is welcome to use it to create genuine debate. If all that’s being accomplished now, with her help, is a cultlike atmosphere of spiralling viciousness, why would bringing her here make things better? What open debate would happen? Heart isn’t gonna be blogging with us this summer, and between the quiverful history and the doctrinaire radical feminism, she deserves a place just as much as The Apostate does. Giving her one would be a really stupid idea, and it would only look more idiotic if her friends showed up here to start fights beforehand.
And now that you mention Planned Parenthood–that whole kerfluffle did give us a preview of how she handles conflict outside her own sandbox: like a three-year-old.
Thank you Piny for already partially covering this. Ronda, Jill does most of the back-end admin work, and is often recognized as the “face” of Feministe, but as she will readily and frequently acknowledge, she is not “in charge” here. We run things democratically. Everyone gets to suggest guest-bloggers, and we all get to veto suggestions if we want to. So I don’t know how Jill feels about Apostate, but I would not allow her here. Vetoed, even if Piny or no one else did. Apostate is someone who has regularly lied about me on her blog, called me names and would not be welcome in my space — which this is, as much as it is Jill’s, Holly’s, Piny’s, Jack’s, Lauren’s and Kactus’.
Just echoing what Piny and Cara said. The process of picking guest bloggers involved all of us — the floor was opened for ideas, and they were collected from all the bloggers. I sent out the invites, but the whole list was generated and then approved by all of us. Everyone had veto power, and everyone had the opportunity to suggest bloggers. So the guestbloggers represent selections made (and accepted) by all of us. There are some bloggers who some of us like but others are uncomfortable with; there are a lot who some of us are unfamiliar with, but who others have had bad dealings with in the past. I’m not all that familiar with the Apostate; I haven’t interacted with her all that much, and I’ve read her blog a few times but not with any regularity. I do know, however, that she has been abusive to my co-bloggers, and they’ve made it clear in this thread that they wouldn’t be comfortable having her here, so that’s the end of the story.
And Apostate certainly isn’t the only feminist blogger who would be vetoed, as Piny pointed out. None of us are in the business of playing Feminism Police, and we purposely invited guestbloggers who have varying perspectives and interpretations of feminism. My feminism doesn’t look like the feminism of a lot of people who have written for us, and a lot of the people who will be writing for us in the future. Heck, my feminism isn’t a carbon copy of Cara’s or Jack’s or Piny’s or Holly’s or Kactus’s either. But we’re on the same page enough that it works, and it makes sense to have us all in this space. We push the envelope even more with guest-bloggers, and invite people who differ more deeply, but there are fundamental things that we aren’t going to compromise on. In another thread about guest-bloggers a while back, one of our regular conservative commenters suggested that we invite someone who isn’t feminist and doesn’t buy into feminist ideology. Well, no, that’s not going to happen. We also aren’t going to invite people who have histories of transphobia (like Heart), or racism, or who have attacked us personally in the past. Picking guestbloggers is tough because there are just so many great people out there. We aren’t going to give a space to someone who has attacked our bloggers in the past (and I’m talking unfairly attacked, not disagreed or argued with) or has made statements that are contrary to the fundamental beliefs that this site rests on.
And even if I thought the Apostate would be the perfect guest-blogger — which I don’t, but let’s pretend — a veto from another Feministe blogger is an immediate no-go.
Well, I have been having a great time guest blogging here! It’s definitely been enlightening to receive comments from a more diverse crowd than my usual band of merry pranksters that hang out at PhysioProf and DrugMonkey.
It’s not fair to suggest that the girls are a cult.
Piny — I’m not saying it’s argument vs ignorance nor that statements about guest bloggers make anyone a better candidate. If you read me every, you’ll see that I have never — and yes, that would be never — made a personal comment about another blogger, so you can answer your own question there.
My seconding Ronda’s recommendation was for substantive reasons. You’re welcome to disagree with those, as well as to disagree for the reasons you mention as well. As I said in my earlier comment, I was voicing my opinion. Nothing “dishonest” about that.
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