What is the current state of Dulwich Women's institute?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Here's a WI tip: a little sweet sherry makes elderflower more cordial.

[Jeremy]

elderflower Wrote:

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> I think as a woman commenting on the women institute I have the right to comment.

Everybody has the right to comment. Nobody has the right to tell other people what to do with their spare time.

[buggie]

Elderflower - isn't is slightly daft to judge everything the EDWI does on the basis of one months activity??

I'm not a memeber, but was for a few months at the beginning (work made it difficult to continue) and I'd say judging the whole thing on one activity is like looking at the tip of an iceberg and deciding that's all you need to see to know the full size of it.

[peterstorm1985]

I do hope that elderflower does set up her own branch of the WI and makes it truly inclusive of the demographic of East Dulwich. Then I'll be happy to drive my 92 year old mother-in-law over for the first session and as she does have a vagina (NO, LET'S NOT THINK ABOUT THAT), she can let us know if she feels it's relevant.

[Magpie]

Quick google:

Islington

http://n1wi.typepad.com/the_website_of_the_n1_wom/

Tells you how to apply make up as if you lived in the 1950's

Shoreditch:

http://shoreditchsisterswi.typepad.com/modernwomen/2010/06/june-2010-meeting-zines-bunting-and-more.html

Guess what it involves bunting

Seems like Islington and Shoreditch are just as Middle Class as the East Dulwich WI. Suggest Elderflower gets off her judgemental high horse.

[Twirly]

I'm not a member of any WI, and never have been, nor have I ever made bunting (though I do sew a lot of my own clothes and knit amongst other craft-type things). However, I can see why making bunting might be an activity that would be suitable for a WI meeting.

1. It's simple - an entry level sewing activity which might whet people's appetites for more sewing or other creative activities, including the recycling of old clothes or creating new ones from scratch.

2. It?s collaborative. From what I?ve heard of the WI (and from comments above, particularly the ED WI) it?s at least in part about being sociable. And making bunting would teach people how to work together to achieve a common aim. Learning how to make a skirt might be useful, but you?re either going to end up with one skirt in which case who is going to take it home and use it, or you?re all going to be working separately on your projects.

So whilst it might seem a bit old-fashioned, and doesn?t appeal to me personally, I can see why it would be a good choice.

This doesn't stop other meetings of activities having more social significance. I?m sure that the members of the ED WI chose activities to suit themselves, and don?t need to be dictated to by anyone. If their ethos doesn?t suit, then join a different branch that does, or as elderflower has said, start your own with like-minded women.

[annaj]

elderflower, may I ask one question?*

Have you actually been to an EDWI meeting yourself?

*as the owner of both tits and a vagina, and a childless woman who can think of several uses for bunting, I think it's ok for me to have an opinion, isn't it?

[elderflower]

I went to the last EDWI. I obviously was not taken with EDWI. I did not revive this old thread

I find east dulwich laughable in there are several threads where you make a judgement and end it with telling people not to do the same. You defend your middle class status and go as far as to assume that everyone cares and that we must all live by the benchmark. I'm not any less a woman because I don't consider myself a middle class person so I don't see that an organisation that is suppose to be representative of women in a community has to be taken up as a relics club for the limited appeal of pointless activities for pointless people.

Shoreditch and islington may be partaking in similar activities but I know they have what east dulwich will never have and that is class and style which colours the intonation of anything and doesn't pally up in pile of judgements and frazzled nonsense.

x

[annaj]

Umm, ok. That's quite a response to a simple question.

Thank you for clarifying. Although I don't necessarily agree with all you opinions, or the way you've expressed them, it's interesting to know that they're based on personal experience.

As for the rest, well, I'm sorry you're so unhappy and disappointed by the area and its women, but that was an awful lot of rather unpleasant generalisation, (presumably about me, since they were in response to my post) based on knowing nothing more than my basic anatomy, parity and opinion on bunting.

Edited to add paragraphs. So much neater

[Fuschia]

elderflower Wrote:

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> Shoreditch and islington may be partaking in

> similar activities but I know they have what east

> dulwich will never have and that is class and

> style which colours the intonation of anything and

> doesn't pally up in pile of judgements and

> frazzled nonsense.

>

I have read this sentence over and over and I really can't make sense of the second half of it!

"class and

style which colours the intonation of anything and

doesn't pally up in pile of judgements and

frazzled nonsense."

Eh?

[Magpie]

You've been called on the supposed relevance of your previous WIs, and obviously don't like it. You then resort to insults. I am proud to be middle class, it beats hypocritical chippy whinging about relevance, and proclaiming working class hero-hood, while living in bastions of white middle class London such as Islington, Shoreditch and East Dulwich.

As has been pointed out, if the EDWI disgusts you so much, start a rival faction focusing on relevant bunting with class and style.

[sb]

.

[snowboarder]

Oh! I had a lovely evening making bunting!! Never sewed in my life save the odd button so it was fun, I got to chat to friendly people and have a drink. A rare night out for me though - have to admit to being a mum with small child. Hope that doesn't put anyone off.....

Sorry you didn't enjoy it elderflower.

[Twirly]

sb Wrote:

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>

> So can I deduce that elderflower is Upper Class,

> seeing as he/she clearly looks down on the Middle

> Classes?

Actually, I'd have read it that she is from a different background, either working class and/or from a non-white background (the Two Ronnies Sketch is very funny, but also now very old!). I would anticipate someone who considered themselves "upper class" as not giving a toss what the ED WI or anyone "middle class" did. Although I could be completely wrong of course.

What I'm curious about is why elderflower is so angry at the "middle classness" of the ED WI. It's a bunch of women doing what they want to do, but it seems to have caused great offence for some reason.

[sb]

.

[Ridgley]

The best thing, to do is to come down and judge for youreslf:)

[*Bob*]

That's right.. and if the one here doesn't appeal, feel free to set-up a really, really wanky WI, like the ones in Hoxton or Shoreditch, which are, ummm, like, really relevant, yeah?

Now do excuse me, ladies, I have to go and knit a post-ironic space-invaders doll.

[PeckhamRose]

And we're childFREE, dya mind?

[DJKillaQueen]

My only experience of the WI was thirty years a go when I spent a day with them for the voluntary section of my Duke of Edinburgh award. We were sorting donated bags of jumble to go to various charities and that was a worthwhile exercise I thought. It had a purpose.

To be fair, the WI has always championed things like jam making, cooking and sewing and because of that it has always had difficulty shaking off the traditional image it has. Many of today's women just are interested in home economics, nor are they interested in something that 'seems' to keep women more concerned with traditional ideas of a female role (i.e baking and sewing). I think that's what elderflower is alluding to. And it a fair point to suggest that in some ways the WI is outdated.

That of course doesn't mean to say that it doesn't work for those that obviously enjoy being a part of it, but 200K members nationally is so small a fraction of the female population that it's very clear that it's appeal is extremely limited.

[Moos]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> And we're childFREE, dya mind?

Who's that comment aimed at?

[Jeremy]

Is this what they're making over in Shoreditch?

http://www.gearfuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/knitted-ash-evil-dead.jpg

[pearl1]

White working class with middle class pretensions here....(hence living in ED)

I just don't understand how anyone can get upset about the WI not being radical enough? I'm quite partial to a bit of bunting and have made my own so I'm not knocking the WI but if I wanted current affairs and action, the WI would not be my first port of call. Why the complaining? It is what it is. I can't see what difference it makes what you are sewing or knitting - unless it's going off to support people with need - what advantage does knitting dolls have over bunting?

[Alec John Moore]

Is there an alternative to the WI, in ED or elsewhere? Despite its national website promoting a global, social justice, perspective on being a woman in the 21st century, the reality is that women would rather chat over sewing, or so it would seem. I know that well established organisations with origins in a different era try to reinvent themselves - I'm thinking of the scouting movement - with differing degrees of success, probably. There's also Woodcraft Folk as an alternative to the militaristic aspects of scouting. What do women who are not very politically active or church attending do if the WI isn't radical enough for them? It's a genuine question.

[Fuschia]

I think women just get together informally via sports clubs, PTAs, internet forums...

[DJKillaQueen]

I would agree with sport and PTAs, also Residents Associations (which are usually very pro-active in what they do).

The WI is what it is. Does it need to be anything different? Probably not.....if the WI is happy with it's limited appeal.