Here's a comment from a male TFP member:
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Hi there,
I'm male, and i've been reading the LL thread about women in the forum. As i write this, i'm sitting across the table from the (female) campaign manager for a state supreme court justice. She is far too busy to be chit-chatting here or anywhere else. She's making fund-raising calls and writing campaign emails. According to her, women are by far the more effective campaigners. I can say that most of the volunteers and staffers for the local Obama campaign were female. So it's not that women aren't involved in politics -- they most definitely are. I think the problem is that the Politics forum is somehow androcentric. There could be many reasons for that. I do think it's an interesting topic. Thanks for raising it.
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-----Added 7/11/2008 at 05 : 10 : 46-----
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Originally Posted by merleniau
Rather, I realize that I don't want to participate in what I know from experience will fall apart into one big name-calling and back-and-forth-about-nothing argument. Why do I want that negativity in my life? I don't. So I vote, I encourage others to think about their choices and re-think negative comments, but I do so within groups and one-on-one conversations with people I know in real life.
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Right, and I can understand that--but for me, I feel like if there are more women jumping into Politics (the forum) then just that change in itself will help make the tone more positive, or different, or I don't know... something better than what it is, I feel. Because I personally don't like going in there, either--but I'm looking for ways to improve it, and to get new voices in there would help, in my opinion.
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Originally Posted by merleniau
Honestly, I'm a bit annoyed with the "just get in there and ARGUE!" tone in your typing about women in politics on here. If I wanted to, I'd do it - I don't need you pushing me. I prefer to keep my political discussions in places where I am comfortable with the idea that I will be heard and understood and given a chance to explain my point of view, so that's what I do.
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And I appreciate you getting in here (on this thread) and telling me what you think. I definitely understand wanting to feel comfortable before engaging in a political discussion--but what I really want is to make our Politics forum a place like that, instead of being a swamp of negativity.
Really, it's fine if you don't want to get in there, as I said--I hated going in there for most of the time I've been on TFP. And we can post political stuff right here in LL as well, if that's more comfortable. But I'm just interested in hearing more political opinions and thoughts from the women of TFP, in general. I'm not attempting to "force" anyone to do it. But I think it would be powerful and transformative to the forum if we had more of it. That's my point.
-----Added 7/11/2008 at 05 : 12 : 57-----
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Originally Posted by merleniau
My voice? Says nothing about what I know or what others know in relation to me.
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Btw, sorry I missed this in my first response--but I don't see you as the "average woman" at all.
