Clementine Ford

[Sure…Media!]

#2 Capitalist prank, hypocrite crank, pulling her rank for some white saviour wank

 

[loveinfluenzas]

I'm not sure if anyone is following Nurse Merowyn on Insta but she has posted some great stories which are obviously directed to Clem but she makes some great points and articulates them well. What Clem is doing is just not okay in any way, it could actually be making things worse for Palestine people and that makes me feel sick

 

[Squelch]

If someone she hated - i.e. Mia Freedman - had pulled something like this she would have been all over it. Weeks of outrage would have ensued from Clem and her followers. When it's Clem, though, suddenly she's far too important dealing with matters of state to address anyone's concerns.

 

[atome74]

I honestly feel like Clementine's take on marriage is based on a) her own partnership falling apart and b) WAAYYY too much time spent reading mums groups complaints about their shit husbands. Everyone knows horror stories about men who literally never change a nappy, can't be left alone with their own children, and complain their wives aren't earning any money while they run the entire household. Those women are in borderline (and sometimes outright) abusive situations and they do need help. But no one goes online to sing the praises of the partner who takes on night wakes, daycare drop offs, uses his parental leave and actually loves his wife! It just feels like the most sensationalised, black and white take.
I actually agree with so many criticisms of marriage and to be honest I don't know if I would do it again - I was young, what can I say. But I also really believe in trying to make a long term relationship work, which you can't do by calling ultimatums and slamming doors as you leave.

 

[therealsmilf]

Mia is bloody awful - I don't respect her as a journo at all.

I don't want to derail this thread but the hypocrisy of Mia calling out people for staying silent, while she has stayed silent all the times Israel has been accused of war crimes, and when Palestinian civilians have been caught up in it.

I don't condone any of it, and it's awful the more I see, there is no good take. But calling out people for not commenting is so pretty and unhelpful - what does it gain in this situation?

 

[hazelnot]

I don't understand why she dates men at all if she despises them so much. We never hear about her dating antics with other genders. The focus seems always to be about men.

I guess women aren't as problematic...

I love a lot of what Clem has to say, adored her 'How To Love' book (haven't read the others yet - I read for escapism and get the sense they would feel more like work), and generally feel she does more good than bad. I think there's a frightening number of women in the world who would benefit deeply from heeding Clem's advice. But the totality of her opinions has never sat well with me. She's very all-or-nothing, and some of what she believes to be utterly, totally true just isn't. There is nuance and context to everything - I saw her speak live at a writer's event last year and the hardcore "don't get married and if you are already, you're dumb" grated a bit. It's just not as black and white as that. I understand feeling deeply perturbed by the history of marriage, but it is possible to reclaim something, or do it in a way that doesn't "honour" the shit of the past. Otherwise, by that logic there are loads of things we should veer away from now and vilify others for doing.

The history of something is often worse than the current state. That's evolution.

 

[mfch]

I think she's actually loathsome at this point.

I followed and supported her for over a decade. I own all her books- even the trash marriage one that she didn't bother to promote properly- and I feel really sad about the whole thing.

-the Taylor tribute shows while saying how much she hates Taylor and mocking people who are fans.
- The prank at the expense of her own audience and refusal to acknowledge or apologise for it.
- Exposing people to dead babies and yelling at them for being upset regardless of any triggers or PTSD that people might have.
-Turning on her own audience, who she has sold a rhetoric to and telling them how horrible and privileged they are for following HER rhetoric.
-Weird vendetta against Mia Freedman for no reason.
- Clearly HATES other women tbh- vendetta against Rosie Waterland, Jessie Stephens, any other woman who she decides to bully and pile on.
- The hypocrisy of all her botox and performative femininity.

Clem you are one of the biggest disappointments imaginable.

 

[gooridoori]

I worry about the influence she has on young ones and all the stuff she was doing with derm lab posting story after story about the expensive body mods she was having done. This new campaign also feels like public relations to try correct her reputation with the sisterhood because she is being called out by Indigenous and WOC writers for lifting their work. She doesn't have a good reputation for supporting women locally I know that much


---

That's an interesting perspective. I don't mean that sarcastically! Hard to tell tone on internet but I mean it genuinely.

So you think sensationalist or hard line views are OK because they get people in the middle talking? Personally I don't think it's a good approach, and off putting to many. It also makes it hard for me to take that writer seriously as the exaggeration diminishes the argument for me.

nothing about Clementines work even touches the surface with systemic issues it just feels like a content stream on rotation and takes away the focus from feminists on the ground doing real advocacy work or fighting to change policies and legislation. I think she does do more harm than good. I think she was saying some good stuff a few years ago that not many feminist voices were yet talking about in media in Australia but she has lost her way and is stuck in the hate all men phase and seems to be running out of ideas. Most of my mob are in Coffs and some in Sydney and our communities are battling with severe housing crisis while Clementine telling women to leave their husband's, screams of blindsided privilege to me.

 

[Sleepyapple]

Can’t stand her. Think she’s a crap feminist. She gives me Muriel Heslop gone glam vibes.

She used to not bother me so much until one day I overheard a woman berating a man about “the patriarchy” at a cafe in the inner north and I looked around and it was her. Had to listen to her rant for the entire duration of the wait for my coffee. She is painful.

She’s also not a TERF and I can’t respect non-TERFs as feminists.

I can’t respect TERFs as feminists

 

[snarkyshark]

I’ve been waiting for a Clem thread - long post ahead sorry! I’m super torn about her - I enjoy her arguments but totally agree that she ignores nuance. I find her frustratingly condescending, as if us poor little women (whom she hasn’t deemed worthy of her feminist crown) need her to guide us. She talks down to her audience, with an approach that ignores our own autonomy, circumstances and ability to assess our own situations. It ironically reminds me of the approach that conspiracy nut jobs take, that smug “well you wouldn’t understand, you are simply blind to x and y” - as if those of us that dare to disagree with her lack critical thinking skills. I think it would be exhausting being her friend with her holier than thou approach - the whole time you’d be nervous that she might publish a public call-out or throw you under the bus.

My partner and I are educated from top universities. Shockingly, he is receptive (and has initiated discussions about) to discussions regarding the mental load, weaponised incompetence and domestic inequality - concepts that she did not invent, but seems to think she is the spokesperson for. Marriage is something we have discussed and are excited for (and no, de facto does not provide identical privileges). We complement each other, respect and love each other in a way that is different (but not less than) than that provided in a platonic friendship. Yes, I am sure my partner is a rare find but he is the nuance, the grey and genuinely improves my life - something she seems to think doesn’t exist or, more frustratingly, that he (and my beliefs about him) are a mirage, and I’m too stupid to realise that. That I need her, in her top feminist of feminism glory to show silly little me the truth - or rather her version of the truth. Honestly, sometimes I find her exhausting.

 

[livelaughlauren]

I’ve actually enjoyed some of Clem’s commentary around marriage (and I’m saying that as a married woman!), but this just feels really mean. I don’t see the need to put some girl on blast who Clem (presumably) doesn’t even know?

 

[Wordlechampion]

I know a few of the people on the list. Their only crime being that they are successful Jewish businesspeople. I asked one and she didn’t even know she was on the what’s app group. Someone added her but she didn’t have her notifications turned on so had no idea. She is getting constant harassment , death threats and may even have to shut her business. A business that employs so many Australians who will all lose their jobs because the owner happens to be Jewish. How is this freeing Palestine?

 

[loveinfluenzas]

I just think imagine if this was the other way around and Clem went to this event.. she would blast the hosts forever, never let them live it down and be a massive bully about it. Hopefully she actually learns accountability and how to tone it down.

 

[screenfreelookatme]

I’m glad she caught that story and called her out. She’s not wrong. Mia is awful and sharing that story, from that page, in light of her deafening silence on the conflict was horrible. Mia went back and deleted it.

 

[screenfreelookatme]

@gooridoori please don’t feel like you need to defend yourself. You explained right at the start and I don’t know why people keep questioning it. It made perfect sense to me. It’s just derailing at this point. I think you’ve raised some really interesting points for discussion. It’s super common on Tattle for people to deep dive and drag out old screen shots, it means nothing. Presumably we’re all adults and can read both sides of an argument and make up our own minds, without resorting to fighting with one another.

 

[loveinfluenzas]

Safe to say that any credibility she did have is long gone. She's clearly mentally unwell and just completely unhinged. People are allowed to be devastated about more than one thing at the same time. People are also allowed to not post something on SM about a tragedy - generally this does nothing anyway! People are also allowed to actively disengage from trauma and traumatic events for whatever reason. She's an idiot thinking she can write all the rules and say when and what people should be posting/outraged about.

 

[screenfreelookatme]

I mean she’s right it doesn’t take much sleuthing. If you are going to troll make sure you don’t leave any tracks…View attachment 2635466View attachment 2635467

Lol. The password recovery to same number/email address is how we found Deni trolling himself too #memories

Well done Clementine

I was nervous about Bobux there for a minute. I’ve spent so much money on their shoes

 

[atome74]

She’s also not a TERF and I can’t respect non-TERFs as feminists.

oh get in the bin

 

[Michy02]

She makes me absolutely sick. Of course people getting murdered by a crazy guy with a knife in my own country (i.e close location to my family the shopping centre some attend) is going to affect me! We are allowed to be shocked and grieve. This comment by her is disgusting. She has certainly gotten on with her own life in the past few months: that Taylor Swift singing thing, the panel where she pranked people, numerous selfies and walks and rants. Not sure what else as I don’t follow anymore but she’s not been sitting in a corner crying.

Of course the images from overseas are shocking, sad and troubling and she’s the one reposting them like it’s war porn. What does she think her reposting has actually achieved?? Clem has absolutely hyper focused on Palestine to the point that she’s completely obsessed.

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Fight for these children?? HOW? Resharing someone’s IG post?

 

[loveinfluenzas]

Disagree. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of what she's doing.

She has a responsibility not to dox people who are on that list solely because they are Jewish, as appears to have happened in at least one case. Or people who were in the WhatsApp group but weren't participating in the political organising and lobbying, as also happened. She's doing online journalism - not very well, but it is journalism - and she appears to just be throwing stuff online without any due care for accuracy. That's completely irresponsible, especially in a heated environment where businesses are being targeted and people are receiving death threats.

She published a woman's banking information on her stories because she mildly disagreed with Clementine. There are all kinds of financial abuse someone can do with that information. She's a disgrace.

That's leaving aside how grotesque it is for this privileged white woman sitting safely in a rich country to be doing glamour selfies followed by images of dead Gazan babies then manic posts about her own bravery. The narcissism is off the scale.

This sums up my issue with it 100%. A privileged white woman thinking she is making things better for others while she sits in her rich country doxxing people and acting like she is being brave. She cannot ever relate to the people living it and I highly doubt she is making things better for them but someone please prove me wrong because I just cannot see how she is helping at this point.