Emma Wells and Felicity Stryjak
“It isn't that feminism is 'toxic'; it's that feminism, like any '-ism', knows no bounds”
The #MeToo movement led to some long-overdue reckoning in the hitherto hidden world of institutionally-sanctioned sexual assault, but its aftermath led to an explosion in the 'victim industry', which has left many female commentators fuming over what seems like a new form of injustice.
This article is in the form of a Q & A with two prominent women, Emma Wells and Felicity Stryjak, in the false allegations arena related to these new pivots in the contemporary sex/identity/gender wars.
Q: What is your opinion of the statement: 'Toxic feminism has taken over many if not most institutions throughout the Anglosphere'?
Emma Wells (of MeToo Falsely Accused) said:
“A fair comment, but let's be right about it, how many of those displaying these traits are actually 'female'? How many are being driven by men to enter into this?”
Felicity Stryjak, a writer and activist on false allegations and wrongful convictions, said:
“Feminism, like femininity or masculinity is neither toxic not benign. I think it would be more accurate to say that radical feminism has taken over if a qualifying adjective is required, though it's arguable that feminism has ever truly been anything other than 'radical' or anything to do with 'equality' regardless of the accepted definition (as per Bettina Arndt passim). To say that feminism has taken over (completely) is accurate given that women appear to dominate every aspect of life now from advertisements to the end of the alphabet”(my emphasis).
Q: Dame Vera Baird has been discontinued as Victims Commissioner, and Michele Dauber is under investigation for online bullying and abuse. How much should we read into these developments?
Emma replied:
“Ms Baird is a hateful woman and was the inspiration behind Rape Victims – You Will Be Believed. We all have it in us to be bullying and abusive online, that said, we are not in a position of power (just yet). Anyone found to be doing so whilst holding down such an important public post should be immediately suspended and the allegations fully investigated and they should to the full extent of the law, should it be proven true”.
Felicity added:
“Dame Vera Baird resigned, and according to her resignation letter it was in part because her feminist agenda was not being pursued vigorously enough and because of 'the downgrading of victims' interests'. Michele Dauber [was] being investigated, in my view, because her actions became too blatant to be ignored. Much as false accusers are only prosecuted because their accusations are too egregious to be ignored, I don't think anything can reliably be 'read into' these developments, nor can they be assumed to be connected or even considered to be 'developments'. Dame Vera wasn't getting her own way and resigned in a huff. Michele Dauber is being stopped in her tracks only because she went too far and Katie Meyer died”.
Q: Wanting to probe deeper into the post-MeToo cultural climate, we went on: Five years after Alison Saunders' removal as Director of Public Prosecutions due to overzealousness and disclosure failings, the CPS is rolling out Operation Soteria to again increase rape prosecutions. What is your opinion on the reasons behind this?
Felicity replied:
“In my opinion the feminist agenda is alive and kicking and the authorities are looking for a way to legitimise increased prosecution/convictions and remove any possible accusations of 'overzealousness' or 'failings'. 'There's more than one way to skin a cat' = 'There's more than one way to make an accusation stick/get a conviction”.
Emma added:
“I have in my possession a letter from Ms Saunders which was drafted towards the end of her reign at the DPP. Included in the draft are words which declared, at that time, that the failings were being rectified. I'd really like for the letter to be recirculated and for the DPP to discuss what actions came about as a result of her claims”.
Q: On the subject of the ever-deepening balkanisation of social groups, The RadFems, the Incels and the Trans Lobby have a deafening voice in relation to the size of their numbers. What is your take on this kind of minoritarian cultural rule?
Emma was succinct:
“I don't understand it, I don't want to understand it”.
Felicity expanded:
“Activism and the need/wish to appease minorities/not be seen to discriminate is a ticking timebomb that will destroy society if taken to the extreme, as is arguably happening. Life is messy, and some of the people can be pleased some of the time but no-one can be pleased all of the time. That's a truism that too many refuse to accept”.
Q: Onto the stats, and in the UK there are approximately 70,000 rape allegations per year, of which around 68,000 receive No Further Action. I asked how they read these statistics, and what would be the solution?
Emma had personal testimony:
“The reasons behind why they didn't get transported into court should be made public in every single case. Transparency is key, as I was told many years ago by Lancashire Constabulary. My reasons will be made public one day and I have the letter issues from Cumbria police to back up my reasons for withdrawing from a serious complaint made against an already convicted sexual offender. In my opinion a very dangerous man will be walking the streets, unsupervised, in 12 months”.
Felicity went for a long dive into the question:
“The statistics need to be looked at in terms of 'how did we get here' and with reference to the past. Reports of rape and sexual assault have increased exponentially in recent years and I do not believe that there is no connection between that fact and the facts that definitions of rape/sexual assault have been regularly modified, anonymity has been afforded to complainants and compensation is now freely awarded. These factors, along with feminist lobbying are, I believe, factors that encourage frivolous reporting at best and malicious reporting at worst. It by no means means that 68,000 allegations are without merit, but it does mean that allegations should be scrutinised without bias. Cash compensation as a matter of course should be discontinued and replaced with funded therapy after a conviction. There is no complete 'solution'. Again, life is messy. Some genuine allegations can never be proved and some will accuse without foundation. The solution, in part, is to do what is possible, (and much more than currently), to ensure that wrongful/malicious/false/incorrect accusations are recognised and identified within the statistics, remove the financial inducements and educate complainants that it is their responsibility to provide the authorities with whatever is needed in the way of evidence to pursue their complaint. Unfortunately 'believe the (lying) woman' is alive and well, her demise nowhere in sight” (my emphasis).
Q: Broadening the subject out, we asked: What's your take on the statement: 'Increasing sexual assault allegation statistics, cancel culture, free speech erosion and activist cultural dominance are all parts of a wider social movement/revolution'.
Emma rounded immediately:
“Absolutely true! We are living in a era where actual "females" have less power than we ever had. This current "radfems" hype has been created by men, not women. No one can deny that 50 years ago the balance between males and females was unsafe and I wholly applaud the early feminists who carved out an equilibrium (of sorts). As for increasing sexual allegation statistics. Well yes! If you can report a guy for looking angrily at you on a train journey and it is classed as a sexual crime then the sky's the limit really? (my emphasis)”
Felicity however wasn't so sure:
“I don't agree. I think they are the consequences of going too far down the road of 'oiling the squeaky wheel' and trying to appease unreasonable demands. It's more 'disintegration' than 'revolution', much as the activists might like to think otherwise. An overall comment - As a woman I'm horrified that what women complained about and campaigned about they are now inflicting on men in many ways. As I read today, boys and men are now lagging behind girls and women in all areas of academic achievement. When girls and women weren't fully represented in that arena, all the stops were pulled out to help them catch up. They have overtaken but nothing is being said about redressing the balance for boys and men – i.e. for 'equality'. There is nothing 'positive' about 'positive discrimination' and it now affects every aspect of our lives, from academia to watered-down physical requirements for strength-bearing jobs to women-only shortlists for desk work. To refer to the original point - it isn't that feminism is 'toxic'; it's that feminism, like any '-ism', knows no bounds”.
By Sean Bw Parker
Thank you to Emma Wells and Felicity Stryjak.
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