* News * UK news Lay off men, Lessing tells feminists

**Feckless** · 3rd-September-2008

Lay off men, Lessing tells feminists

Novelist condemns female culture that revels in humiliating other sex

The novelist Doris Lessing yesterday claimed that men were the new silent victims in the sex war, "continually demeaned and insulted" by women without a whimper of protest. Lessing, who became a feminist icon with the books The Grass is Singing and The Golden Notebook, said a "lazy and insidious" culture had taken hold within feminism that revelled in flailing men.
Young boys were being weighed down with guilt about the crimes of their sex, she told the Edinburgh book festival, while energy which could be used to get proper child care was being dissipated in the pointless humiliation of men.
"I find myself increasingly shocked at the unthinking and automatic rubbishing of men which is now so part of our culture that it is hardly even noticed," the 81-year-old Persian-born writer said yesterday.
"Great things have been achieved through feminism. We now have pretty much equality at least on the pay and opportunities front, though almost nothing has been done on child care, the real liberation.
"We have many wonderful, clever, powerful women everywhere, but what is happening to men? Why did this have to be at the cost of men?
"I was in a class of nine- and 10-year-olds, girls and boys, and this young woman was telling these kids that the reason for wars was the innately violent nature of men.
"You could see the little girls, fat with complacency and conceit while the little boys sat there crumpled, apologising for their existence, thinking this was going to be the pattern of their lives."
Lessing said the teacher tried to "catch my eye, thinking I would approve of this rubbish".
She added: "This kind of thing is happening in schools all over the place and no one says a thing.
"It has become a kind of religion that you can't criticise because then you become a traitor to the great cause, which I am not.
"It is time we began to ask who are these women who continually rubbish men. The most stupid, ill-educated and nasty woman can rubbish the nicest, kindest and most intelligent man and no one protests.
"Men seem to be so cowed that they can't fight back, and it is time they did."
Lessing claimed that much of the "great energy" whipped up by feminism had "been lost in hot air and fine words when we should have been concentrating on changing laws.
"We have got the pay but only real equality comes when child care is sorted out and it hasn't been yet, well not for those who really need it anyway".
Lessing also revealed she is not going to write a third volume of her autobiography because she did not want to offend so "many great and eminent people by reminding them of their silliness. I just can't be bothered, to be honest".

**Percy** · 3rd-September-2008

Nice find, Feckless, but a little dated. That was quite a few years ago and she died last year (or was it the year before?).

It is always worth quoting though.

**Marx** · 3rd-September-2008

Source helps

**nivek** · 3rd-September-2008

Yeah i remember this article, it was a long time ago.
the only newspaper i ever buy is the independent (only cos i like the crossword) so it may have been in there.
althoug at that time i would have been printing the sun ... but the article dosn't mention tits aliens or footy so it would'nt have been in there.

**6ame** · 3rd-September-2008

"The most stupid, ill-educated and nasty woman can rubbish the nicest, kindest and most intelligent man and no one protests."

It may be an old article, but the above quote has been very fitting over all my years on this Earth, it still stands true to this day.

**nivek** · 3rd-September-2008

Quote from 6ame

It may be an old article, but the above quote has been very fitting over all my years on this Earth, it still stands true to this day.

True.

**Feckless** · 3rd-September-2008

I know stuff I post is getting older but hopefully it is still interesting.....usually I am fighting through entire german blogs and post interesting things in the English / German section. And I think the source is lost forever....oh googling helps

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Ar...238674,00.html

**Tyrael** · 3rd-September-2008

Should this be in the facts and figures forum section?

**brian44** · 3rd-September-2008

Quote from 6ame

It may be an old article, but the above quote has been very fitting over all my years on this Earth, it still stands true to this day.

That used to be my signature. It's one of my favourite quotes.

**brian44** · 3rd-September-2008

Quote from Percy

Nice find, Feckless, but a little dated. That was quite a few years ago and she died last year (or was it the year before?).

NO, the great woman is still alive. She's doing a booksigning at the National Theatre in London on 24th September!

**Percy** · 4th-September-2008

Quote from brian44

NO, the great woman is still alive. She's doing a booksigning at the National Theatre in London on 24th September!

Well, I am glad for her health.

But, chaps, while she is a good quote to throw back at feminists, remember this -

She is an old-school feminist. One of the originals from pre-WW2.

She is like a flag-waving Nazi complaining about the noise from a friggin' Hitler rally.

It was she and her now knackered old sistas who urged on the marauding hordes of female-wreckers who now take every opportunity to savage men, just like Nazi fraus cheered on when the SS dragged Jews from their houses, smashed their windows and stole all their belongings. They dragged the poor sods off to extermination camps.

Just what the fuck did she expect? That men would get a nice friggin' holiday?

(By the way, Stefan, I am very impressed with your continued researches. You do a great service resurrecting stuff and bringing it to us, along with all the new things you bring to our attention.

May I take this opportunity ( and calm myself down from an hour of ranting ) to say that I think you, sir, are one of the best men on this site and it is a privilege to sit in the foxhole with you. )

**Feckless** · 4th-September-2008

Quote from Percy

(By the way, Stefan, I am very impressed with your continued researches. You do a great service resurrecting stuff and bringing it to us, along with all the new things you bring to our attention.

May I take this opportunity ( and calm myself down from an hour of ranting ) to say that I think you, sir, are one of the best men on this site and it is a privilege to sit in the foxhole with you. )

Thanks a lot. Resurrecting was one of my favorite classes in school (but don´t get me started on the zombie massacre 1998). Comming from you mouth that means a lot. (I should print it out and frame it

).

**brian44** · 4th-September-2008

Quote from Percy

She is an old-school feminist. One of the originals from pre-WW2.

Which makes her anti-feminist statements all the more forceful.

**Celtic Druid** · 8th-September-2008

Lessing, imbued with a newly found conscience - 'possibly' realizing her impending mortality, admits to the negative fallout men and BOYS (alongside society as a whole) are suffering as a result of something she actively and enthusiastically engaged in for decades.

The novelist Doris Lessing yesterday claimed that men were the new silent victims in the sex war, "continually demeaned and insulted" by women without a whimper of protest.

But, despite her recently (temporary?) found conscience, it doesn't seem to extend too actually doing anything about it.

Lessing also revealed she is not going to write a third volume of her autobiography because she did not want to offend so "many great and eminent people by reminding them of their silliness. I just can't be bothered, to be honest".

Surely it is the duty of any influential writer who purports to have a conscience (even if it is temporary, retrospective and self concerned), to remind people, whatever their 'supposed' greatness or distinguishment - of their destructive transgressions. No one is above what is right and wrong. Therefore, if offence is necessary in order to facilitate a greater good, then so be it!

Also, I think "silliness" is a rather diluting, excusatory and obfuscating phrase to explain away feminisms insidious and methodical attempt to dehumanize the whole male gender.

It's one thing to deny the existence of a great wrong wrought upon a group of people. But, it is moral cowardice to admit it's existence and then do nothing about it.

Thankfully, history has been blessed with those people who COULD be bothered!

**Percy** · 8th-September-2008

she did not want to offend so "many great and eminent people by reminding them of their silliness

They need more than reminding. They need the stocks. They need an old-school woman like Lessing to apologise strongly for the faults of feminism - her chosen idiocy - and to point fingers at those responsible.

She 'can't be bothered' but nevertheless is accountable.