Now a woman wanting to have sex with her husband is a whore? A woman wanting to thank her husband for helping out around the house in a way they'll both enjoy is a manipulative whore?

Brightstar, you are without a doubt one of the biggest fools I've ever had the misfortune to read. You hate women yet did you ever perhaps think that your attitude is what has caused this? Nobody is *ever* going to be nice to someone as bitter and twisted as you. Men, women, nobody.

Seems to be the insane (yes, I think they're insane) rantings of the women on the site just because one woman got a dog. It does provide a nice bit of ammunition to the misogynists around here - you know who you are - to support their theories that all feminists are shrill, bitter, vegan people haters who just want to ruin it for the rest of us.

So sad really. I'm a feminist and I wouldn't associate with those type of people. I believe in having your political and social beliefs combined with the type of life that allows you to enjoy it. Do you think for one second people that apoplectic about their beliefs can really enjoy the world they see around them? Yes there are terrible things happening to women all the time all over the world. You do what you can to help them. There are also things that happen to animals that make me weep. I do what I can there as well. But if I really lived and breathed those issues at the same level those people do all the time I'd lose every ounce of perspective just like they have and I refuse to do that.

On a side note (cos I do love my animal talk) I agree that there are reputable breeders out there and they're not evil. I personally have always had rescue animals, cats, dogs, budgies (sorry, parakeets for the US readers) etc. My beloved cat was dumped outside my house as a kitten and my last dog (a Great Dane) was a shelter dog and she was the sweetest thing imaginable. It also helps to pick a shelter that takes the time to know the animal they're giving away, makes things much easier with older animals.

Don't ever try and make yourself seem non-biased and then start talking about us breaking our nails while we tap away at Starbucks or whatever.

Simple little things like that show your agenda straight away. You talk about equality then put up or shut up! You've had a bad experience with feminists then I'm sorry but stop tarring us all with the same brush!

You complain about how everything here is so gynocentric but if you want a man's perpspective DON'T HANG AROUND A WOMEN'S BLOG! God, it's not hard.

Without quantifying them anonymous. Read my other letters if you like, I'm a feminist and I don't believe in blaming men for the wrongs of the world. Note I said 'men' - in other words I refuse to generalise and say it's *all* the awful man beasties that make things so hard for women. Some men do, some women do. To me it's just a matter of asserting myself for my rights and feminism is what enables me recognise those rights and go after them.

If I find it easy to avoid generalisations about men maybe all the anonymous', blackpaws, raiders, brightstars (who are probably one and the same) etc. out there can do so too?

Feminism is like any belief system. It takes faith and a certain tenacity to stick with it through the tough times. Like any belief system there's always going to be internal brawling over definitions, power struggles and the extremists who take it too far. I try so hard to show that feminism is accessible to all and that what it really means is that men and women *can* achieve true equality. It doesn't happen now and it probably won't happen in my lifetime, there's just too much flux over the changes that the first feminists wrought really only a blink of an eye ago.

I personally don't want a whipping boy, I just want a man to recognise my equality. But you lot can't see that can you?

I'd be uncomfortable with a lot of these shows. Not only because of what sounds like a lot of awful male characters but that the females don't sound much better. I mean, walking in on someone in the toilet isn't a symbol of 'empowerment', it's just rude. And if my husband carried on like a pork chop just because I might earn more money than him there's no way he'd get anywhere near my goodies once it was all revealed to be a 'misunderstanding'. Geez, sack up son. If you're that insecure there's no way I want your genetic material anywhere near me.

It's stuff like this that makes feminism look bad because there never can be a middle ground, it's always overly submissive doormat or prickly, ball busting harridan.

Again. I should have known better than to try and present a balanced view of things, it never makes any difference and it's too disheartening.

Every women's blog that I come across has this same problem with angry woman/feminism haters. I would love to be able to read about women's issues without this constant yapping from the sidelines but I guess it isn't going to happen. In fact, it seems in here now that the haters outnumber those who are genuinely interested and want to open up a dialogue. So depressing.

Rather than the message. If you're antagonistic far less people are going to give whatever you say any merit.

I've lost my temper in here a few times and I regret it because it doesn't serve my cause at all.