#M2013: Sarah Creagh on raunch culture
Colin Wilson •Colin Wilson reports on a session at Marxism 2013 on new kinds of sexism.
Sarah Creagh introduced a good meeting on raunch culture and the new sexism on Friday afternoon. Sarah gave examples of the horrifying way that gross sexism is accepted by both some men and some women, particularly in colleges – examples included pole dancing, rape “banter” and sexual harassment.
She stressed the importance of socialists taking on these issues and siding with the many people – again, both men and women – who are outraged by this oppression.
Sarah underlined how raunch culture is rooted in a neoliberal version of capitalism that turns every aspect of our lives into commodities – including women’s bodies and sexuality.
Many speakers in the discussion gave examples of how we can involve both women and men in the fight against sexism, while having comradely discussions about how to build a liberated society. Those examples ranged from the miners’ strike to recent campaigns against sexism in colleges.
Several speakers also addressed the oppression faced by trans women. The fact that new issues such as this were raised and addressed in an open and undogmatic way was typical of the very welcome tone of the meeting.
Note: This piece was published before rs21 was established as an independent organisation in January 2014. rs21 was founded by a group of people who had been in the opposition within the SWP and who left in response to its persistent mishandling of rape and sexual harassment allegations against a leading member.
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