- Pots, Prams and Politics. Flyer for tomorrow’s RESPECT Youth event.
Respect Youth are holding a women only event in Bethnal Green tomorrow to support Abjol Miah’s bid to succeed George Galloway as Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. Here is a flyer (pdf) for the event.
If their website is to be believed, Respect are committed to equal rights for women. They claim to want to see a world in which a woman’s contribution is fully valued and rewarded. Noble stuff, but not exactly borne out by the evidence of this flyer.
Entitled “Pots, Prams and Politics”, it is a fairly shocking example of sexism. Not only does the title make painfully clear what Respect considers a woman’s role to be (in the kitchen/looking after children/getting Respect re-elected) – there’s a not-so-progressive subtitle too.
Behind every man is a Woman and behind every leading woman is her Respect.
Denying women an independent identity by defining them in relation to men is a recurring theme of this flyer. The first descriptor associated with each of the speakers (admittedly including the two men) is their family status. The message also appears to be “that’s all women care about – how many children their candidate has had and whether the speakers at a political meeting are married or not.”
Contrast this with a flyer not aimed at women. In this one, Yvonne “Vote Hamas” Ridley is described as a “Journalist and Presenter.” In the leaflet aimed at women, she is
A Wife, Mother, Author, Broadcaster, Journalist and Peace Activist
Which helps to explain why there’s a very happy picture of a parent playing with child at the bottom and a nice big pink “A Women Only Event” across the top; that’s what women like, dontcha know? Families, cute babies and the colour pink.
18 Comments
Is Gorgeous George a woman? What’s he doing at a women only event. I think we should be told.
Cllr Abjol Miah looks a little masculine for a woman too. But who am I to judge an individual’s gender preferences…
if its ‘ a woman only event’, then how are men to learn how to respect women, I mean if the students are absent, then who is learning? unless Abjol Miah is the only one who is getting the message
Just kidding!
In Bangladesh of course there is a quota for women MPs, whether they like politics or not, and PM’s are women whether they are capable or not.
Hope this event goes well.
This article is just so ridiculous. Lol
Apparently the best way to respect women is by completely ignoring the fact that women can have any other identity other than that related to politics?
I think you’ll find that alot of women are not ashamed of their partners, children or their home lives, and why would they be? The fact that they juggle all their chosen roles so brilliantly is something that should be highlighted and celebrated and this poster portrays this really well.
No need to misrepresent the poster, it is FAR from disrespectful towards women.
Sara. I think you have misunderstood what George meant. It is not that a woman should be ashamed of her partner, child and home life; it is that Respect should be ashamed of making the defining aspect of a woman’s personality her partner, child and home life.
I agree with Sara, this article is a pathetic example of political correctness. Why should any person be ashamed to talk about women who might happily be a housewife with pots and prams in their midst? I guess its the capitalist mentality of bringing everyone into the work place even mothers who prefer not to work and raise their children! This title is not sexist but reality of what many women in the Bethnel Green represent. The fact that those women who attend and contributed outside their homely role also shows that Respect went that extra mile to say to women you can be a housewife or a home person and do community work or politics. Good on Respect for giving women opportunity in politics!
Yossarian – Thankyou but no, I don’t think I’m the one whose misinterpreting text here. And I am now wondering if there’s an agenda?
I mean why would anyone think that by referring to women having roles in their homes, as mothers, and as political activists, it somehow nullifies Respect’s “claim to want to see a world in which a woman’s contribution is fully valued and rewarded” ?
How on earth are the two things linked or related? It’s beyond me.
The speaker list is enough to put me off, who wants to listen to galloway and ridley doing their usual rant.
Sara you totally misunderstand this site – its run by a bunch of zionist Muslim- haters who hate the fact Respect defends the Palestinains.
They have been doing there uptmost to get Salma Yaqoob – a Muslim woman- to fail in her political career
The ‘Respect’ party is an insult to the Palestinian struggle. By mixing it with Islamism and communist bullshit to further their own politcial aspirations is sad.
Ibn Khaldun you seem to be full of ignorance about Respect. Respect is a socialist organisation and has nothing to do with Islamism or communism. That is like saying the labour party is full of islamism because Brown has given sadiq khan a high post!
Respect has done a lot of great work, people should stop being ignorant about it and find out what it has done. Especially in defending council homes in Tower Hamlets in which I have been involved in and have campaigned alongside with Respect councillors and Galloway.
Zayed – yes I know it is a Socialist organisation brain box. I am talking about the Palestinian struggle and criticising those who abuse it for their own political ends. Something Arab leaders have been doing for decades and Islamists and socialists in East London have joined them.
Muslim – please explain how anyone here is a ‘Zionist Muslim hater’ as you so eloquently put it. Are you simply not capable of a balanaced discussion without resorting to simplistic name calling.
Respect is hating by most people in Britain because it is run by people like Galloway and has nothing to offer other then anit-Western Imperialism rhetoric, which seems to win votes in areas where the people don’t know better.
Who is trying to bring Salma Yacoob down, I suppose in your view we should all support everything she says simply because she is a Muslim woman in hijab. She, like every other politician, will be judged by her words and deeds rather then religious affiliation.
bitter that they did not think first to actually promote women they go on an attack. Ridiculous!
No woman who looks after her home is ashamed to admit her ‘pots’. No woman who has babies will deny their ‘prams’ and add the element of ‘politics’ shows the intellect and multi tasking ability of women of today.
Though some bloggers seem to think differently….would they happen to be the ‘men’ who go on about ‘women’s rights’ so pathetic!
Ibn Khaldun
“Zayed – yes I know it is a Socialist organisation brain box. I am talking about the Palestinian struggle and criticising those who abuse it for their own political ends. Something Arab leaders have been doing for decades and Islamists and socialists in East London have joined them.”
yes we know you zionists would rather people shut up about the opression of the Palestinians
“Respect is hating by most people in Britain because it is run by people like Galloway and has nothing to offer other then anit-Western Imperialism rhetoric, which seems to win votes in areas where the people don’t know better. ”
Wow both racist and deeply patronising to the voters of Bethnal Green. Apparently voting for a new independent party (rather than the main 2 or 3) in one of the greatest electoral shocks of all time against a winning government which has since nose dived in the ratings is an indication that they “dont know better”
“Who is trying to bring Salma Yacoob down, I suppose in your view we should all support everything she says simply because she is a Muslim woman in hijab. She, like every other politician, will be judged by her words and deeds rather then religious affiliation.”
Your mention her hijab when no one else did is an indicationof your thinking and the reason for your opposition to her
Woman well said – these people hate Respect because they are zionists and Respect support the Palestinians
Dear trolls (me/WOMAN/Zayed).
At least make an effort to respond to what the original post said. Is this flyer a blatant example of a patronising attitude towards women which reduces them to a few stereotypes or not? This has absolutely nothing to do with Zionists, Palestinians or what adjective is the most apt to describe Respect.
And me. Shouting “Zionist” at anybody you dislike/disagree with is neither an eloquent rhetorical device nor a convincing argument. It’s idiotic and dull.
Me – Zionist, zionist, zionist – is that they have taught you. Sad. I suppose there is no point responding to anything you say because you will simply respond with ‘Zionist’.
What is Racist about my post, please point out clearly?
I love the rhetoric here when ‘me’ describes Galloway’s victory in Bethnal Green and Bow as:
one of the greatest electoral shocks of all time
You don’t know much about politics if that constitutes ‘the greatest electoral shock of all time’, do you?
Oh me, you are too funny. I fear your mushrif may ban you from posting here soon.