Are *they* being unreasonable?

I agree Iam and the RNLI have made it clear that it goes way beyond those pathetic mugs. It’s amazing isn’t it - Oxfam and Save the Children get castigated for unacceptable behaviour towards women and girls and then the RNLI get the same treatment for actually dealing with unacceptable behaviour towards a woman.

There is clearly more to this story than is in the public domain. I'm sure the RNLI would not have acted as they have without good reason.

Not a joke. A genuine enquiry. Your reply to Saggi indicated you were in possession of facts. So was your post based on facts and where did you get them?

Or did you make it up?

That’s a reasonable thing to ask, isn’t it?

Eglantine my post was a spoof on the range of excuses given by men ( and sadly plenty of their female apologists) as to why the whole range of inappropriate sexist behaviour is deemed acceptable and that it’s ALL the women’s fault and men should never have to take any responsibility.

What a fuss about nothing and now more volunteers are needed and more money spent on their training.

Barmey please explain ‘fuddled about nothing’.

Or fuss but I guess fuddled is quite apt in the circumstances - a lot of people seem fuddled about the fact that there should be standards of behaviour in the work place

Why anyone should expect volunteers to put themselves in danger to rescue them often because of their own carelessness whether it's on the sea, up a mountain, down a pothole or wherever is beyond my understanding. Anyone who involves themselves in such sports and activities should pay a premium which should go to cover these services or be charged a suitable fee afterwards to cover their rescue. However, if there are decent men out there who volunteer to do this for nothing and they came out to rescue me if I needed them, I would be very grateful and I certainly wouldn't give a toss if they wanted to drink coffee from a mug with a picture of naked woman on before they set out!

qq If you could be bothered to RTFT you’d see it was much more serious than the stupid mugs.But having said that would mugs making fun of disabled people or black people be OK or is just women that are fair game?

Interesting.

RNLI sacks two men for their actions and behaviours
Majority of public blame woman

Of course they do - seakay misogyny rules - it’s pretty active on GN.

You're telling me maryeliza54 - shocking and very disappointing that so many of our fellow oldies aren't aware that the majority gender no longer wants to to be defined and regulated by the minority and is happy to say so

We do fund raising for the RNLI and will continue to do so, even, if and when the full details emerge, it turns out to be more serious than the first post indicates. This is one small example of silly behaviour amongst hundreds of serious lifeboat crews.
In the light of the publicity about how offensive such pictures are to an increasing number of women, the men should have thought again and, since they may be looking for a scapegoat, let’s look at fining those who source the beakers.
I wonder if those who walked out in support knew the full details?

Why anyone should expect volunteers to put themselves in danger to rescue them often because of their own carelessness whether it's on the sea, up a mountain, down a pothole or wherever is beyond my understanding.
Do you eat fish quizqueen?

Not everyone goes to sea for fun.

^ misogyny rules - it’s pretty active on GN.^

So you are saying that Gransnetters, who are in the main women, have 'a hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls'.

I don't think so.
I think that common sense usually rules on GN
I think that we do not as yet know the full facts and therefore should perhaps not make a judgement.

How absolutely bloody typical of today’s humourless, stupid, PC brigade. I have always supported the RNLI financially but this does make one seriously wonder if that is the best use of my ‘spare’ cash.

Neil FFS it is not just about the mugs - do you not believe the RNLI statement or is the DM to be trusted? Do you honestly think that the RNLI would stand two men down over just the mugs? Really? Really? I expect you believe we’re not allowed to say Happy Christmas either. And what do you mean by today’s stupid PC brigade? You think racist; sexist, disabilist language and behaviour is just a jolly good laugh,banter you know and that we shouldn’t treat each other with respect and that as long as you’re just ‘’aving a laff’ then no harm done? And yes Jal there’s a lot of misogyny on GN - it’s not just the preserve of men. As for common sense, where’s the common sense in thinking the DM was telling the full story?

I support the RNLI & will continue to do so. I had not come across this story before today so have no comment to offer. I do wonder (depending on the exact circumstances which we don't know) when women became such wimps that they can't deal with working in a predominately male environment, I have worked in predominately male workplaces & found I have been treated with respect, perhaps I've been lucky but I'm also capable of a suitable "put down" if required. I suspect there is more to this sorry tale but to cancel support of the RNLI is a stupid response.

Right now I'm putting my tin hat on & settling down behind the parapet

I am an RNLI volunteer in Whitby and am saddened that social media and the gutter press have at times misconstrued and incorrectly reported the facts about this issue. I feel incredibly sorry for all those involved including the fact that the only female crew member has been blamed for something she seems to have played no part in. The entire incident has made me remember to keep a balanced and open mind next time I read any 'sensational' news headlines.

Legs women are NOT wimps- they can and do work in a predominantly male environment - but if a man behaves inappropriately it is NOT wimpish to complain or not laugh it off. It’s misogynistic to call the woman a wimp whilst therefore implicitly accepting that men can do what they want and women have to put up with it. There are many things women had to put up with in the past that no one took seriously - just a woman's lot - both domestically and in the workplace. And thank goodness things have changed ( although there is a way to go obviously). Val thanks for your measured post - sadly the misogynistic sexist gutter press as personified by the DM is actually thought to report facts by some posters rather than its own twisted version of reality. I appreciate you can’t say much on here - I expect you’ve been advised not to make comments to the media on the matter and I hope you don’t mind my saying that the DM trawls our threads and they may end up in there or on Twitter or FB ( which GN sometimes do)

Funny, there's a thread on Mumsnet where the mums are discussing this. A lot of them are very pc and taking the opposite line, how it was a dangerous to any visiting children etc and these brave unpaid volunteers deserved to be dismissed. Ridiculous, how have the younger generation become so humourless!? The offending mug didn't even show any naughty bits! Kids see more than this every day! I despair!

Chinese the mugs are NOT the real issue. Have you read the statement from the RNLI ? Having said that, would you have found a mug making fun of black or disabled people funny? Perhaps you could explain why it’s OK to use images of naked women even when their ‘naughty bits’ aren’t showing. Did you mean their breasts and vulva btw - how are they ‘naughty’?

The mug wasn't making fun of women, maryeliza. It was making fun of the owner's face superimposed on a female body! And ok if you don't like the term 'naughty bits' even though it's crystal clear what it means, how should it be termed - 'private parts'? Nothing private was on display.

The mugs used a naked woman as part of a ‘joke’. Why? Why not a black person or someone with a guide dog or in a wheelchair? Why is it funny because it’s a naked woman? As for your use of language, turning breasts and vulvas into ‘naughty bit’ helps to promote unhealthy attitudes towards sex in general and women into particular.

The only images of “the mug” I’ve seen are various silly mock ups of what it might look like by the press. You couldn’t make it up (but they could).

Val, I hope you don’t mind me saying that if you’ve used your real first name you could be identified. Your input is much appreciated though.