Thanks for the love of the blog and and congratulations on your excellent taste in comic books. You did see this, right: http://meatinaroll.blogspot.com/search/label/fictional%20chicken%20shops Keep up the good work getting drunk then writing on the internet about it.

By the way, you know Andrew Mickel? So do I. I’m Rachel. I <3 your blog, even though I'm a heathen (read: vegetarian). *waves*

(Wetherspoons simile = superb.)

As for the media’s influence, I guess we’ll have to disagree. The prevalence of sexist advertising, anti-women portrayals in movies and TV and a lot of crappy reporting (‘Attractive young mum Zoe, 26…’ etc) seems to me a big part of why a lot of young women feel like they can’t claim to be feminists – it takes a lot of guts and the right education to openly step out of line – or that’s what it took me, anyway.

As for patriarchy, it’s oppressing us all, right now, and I personally think it’s just as damaging to men as it is to women. Just because one march didn’t get as many participants as they’d have liked doesn’t show feminism is turning women off, I think it shows women have been turned off feminism by an insidious culture of women-bashing that has gotten a lot more subtle in marketing itself and thus has become a lot more dangerous; it’s supposedly now empowering and healthy to learn how to pole dance; you can still buy a huge range of Playboy stationery for girls as young as 5 in WH Smiths.

Individual columnists are also easy pickings – just because you dislike one feminist’s view it doesn’t mean they represent a general decline in quality commentary nor should it reflect, at all, on other feminists unless they’ve openly stated their support for said editorial. For example, I would consider myself a big supporter of green initiatives, I believe strongly in climate change and feel we just aren’t doing enough to tackle it. But I can’t abide Monbiot. He just drives me nuts. Even so, I’m hardly going to say that green issues are worthless or irrelevant just because he claims they are in what I find to be a pompous and irritating manner. Nor would I ridicule people who enjoyed his articles.

You seem someone who, while believing in women’s rights, feels as if the fights have been won and maybe we should stop moaning? If only that was really true…

Actually, I do browse most of the decent feminist websites – like The F Word – quite frequently. I’m not not sure the `meejhah` is really to blame for feminism’s lack of resonance; I just think most women don’t feel oppressed by the patriarchy and are generally turned off by the Million Woman March (actual attendance: 578) and, yes, that they see the Bindel faction – that isn’t just part of the mad fringe; Julie Bindels’ abound in the movement – and are generally turned off.

But I don’t want you to start fuming at me!

If it helps, I’m fairly nauseated by Mens’ mags and can tut-tut as much as any of your sisters at objectification in advertising etc. All the fun stuff! Although invariably, whenever I read, say, Cath Elliot over at the Guardian (familiar?), my hackles tend to be raised…

Oh, I’m 28. That’s about the only criteria I satisfy, though…

Regardless, your blog has a new fan. I never read blogs either, so my fandom counts for quite a lot, if I do say so myself…

I also think that feminism has been given a very bad name by patriarchal institutions such as the media trying to portray it in a negative way, and thus feel like I want to stand up and pronounce myself a feminist and defend my belief in women’s rights whenever anyone spouts crap about it

So how old are you then? Do you live near London? If so, I feel we might have to go drinking.