Thanks so much for talking with me on Saturday, it was great to meet you! Here’s the video and blog post:

http://www.shemakeswar.com/blog/2009/03/09/warriorgrrl-vblog-ep-05-million-women-rise/

(you can embed the video from my Vimeo page and download it here: http://www.vimeo.com/3540603)

As for Brad’s beloved “real world” – well, slavery is a part of that as well. Guess we need to shut up and accept the status quo.

SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2009

12PM MEET AT PORTMAN SQUARE, W1H
(Nearest Tubes: Bond St, Marble Arch and Baker St)

MARCH ROUTE: OXFORD ST, REGENTS ST, PICCADILLY!

RALLY AND CELEBRATION WATERLOO PLACE (2.30 – 5pm)
(Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Charing Cross)

I was with your whole thrust about tokenism until it became clear that your issue was with her gender. I’d agree that, yes, in the situation of having fundraised to get the opportunity she was in an exceptional position and that doesn’t buy her special dispensation (although I’d remind football fans that if they routinely abuse people who help keep clubs running it’s a fundamental “own goal” and they shouldn’t be surprised when no-one is willing to do that).

Similarly I don’t think that being a woman she should get treated differently than others in her position, necessarily, although I abhor the valorisation of verbally and physically violent and discriminatory behaviour. But if football fans want to support an essentially abhorrent set of codes of behaviour that’s their choice.

However I object to your position on two points. Firstly, the gendered nature of the insults. Apart from the clear, blatant and boring rip off of insults from the Hilary Clinton campaign in the US primaries (can British fans not think up more original insults?) Are you saying you similarly condone racist abuse to a black man in the same situation? Or homophobic abuse to a gay man? Can you tell me how this is analogous to the abuse men receive in the same position – are they told to “get back to the garden shed” perhaps? Do opposition managers routinely refuse to shake hands (I suspect given you commented on it, the answer is not). See your position of “this was no different to that when other people receive” is nonsense given it clearly was different treatment solely based on gender – that was the whole point of your article, wasn’t it? If she received comments no different to other managers then it wouldn’t have been news worthy would it? “Female manager receives abuse, so does male manager” strikes me as lacking in newsworthiness and interest rather. So, lets reframe this accurately, this woman did receive different treatment and that treatment was based on her gender and therefore claims that “it’s no different” are baseless.

Moving on if your position is that “high passion” is part of the game (and quite rightly as it is of most competitive sports and all the others I’ve experienced have nowhere near the same level of bigotry – remember it is possibly to engage in banter without being a bigot or discriminatory) and therefore the normal rules of decent behaviour don’t apply, I’d challenge the foundations of that viewpoint – perhaps you could say more about that?

If, as it seems from your response to this article, you are implying that in your view the “working class” nature of the supporters means they don’t abide by these rules then such a classist position is also very insulting and quite baseless. Do you have any evidence about the class background of these or any other fans? I’d assert (and acknowledge that’s all it is) that my feeling is football is no longer a “working class” sport at local, regional or national level. Moving on your idea therefore that this is “a woman” v “working class culture” ignores the inconvenient fact that women are part of the working class and are more than used to it. I disagree that this is an exemplar of working class culture, speaking as someone who is proud of their working class background.

Even claiming “football fans” as a special subculture, this wasn’t a random woman being put in this situation but someone with a strong connection to the sport, who is qualified to coach and who is obviously passionate about the game.

Instead of shrugging off your position of privilege (Oh well if I’m a sexist pig, then so be it) perhaps it’d be more useful to examine how you (yes you) perpetrate the continuation of discriminatory practices. After all I’d rewrite your “if that makes me a sexist pig” as “as a man I benefit too much from this to want to acknowledge my privilege” and “I don’t actually care about or want women to have equal access to these opportunities”.

Thanks for your comments. I’m running one D&D game right now, and playing in another, so I’ll certainly have a think about what I can write on the topic.