Tab exclusive: Investigation reveals a third of Cuntry Living users ‘too nervous’ to post

67% felt the atmosphere of the group could be improved

Cuntry Living feminism Investigation oxford

A Tab survey can exclusively reveal that a third of Cuntry Living members are too scared to post in the group.

The online survey received 730 comments in a week – a selection can be seen here.

160 of the 270 respondents said they had never posted on the group before, even though 70% of them said they had something to post.

And 57% of those who have never posted admitted they hadn’t done so because they “felt too nervous”.

“An intersectional, sex positive online space in which we can challenge patriarchy and share our experiences of oppression”

Over 270 Cuntry Living members responded to our survey and 67% them think that Cuntry Living is a useful forum for debate.

189 respondents identified as women, 81 as men and three as other.

114 respondents to the survey said they had at some point posted in the group. Just over half of these felt the responses received were constructive.

But 67% felt the atmosphere of the group could be improved in some way.

Some described the atmosphere of the group as “militant” while others felt hostility was a necessary part of maintaining the group as a “safe space”.

However, many felt that Cuntry Living could not function as both a “safe space” and a discussion group and that this conflict could often lead to issues such as what one called “authoritarian moderating”.

Members of Cuntry Living were instrumental in no-platforming an all-male debate on abortion last week.

Many users were divided as to whether or not Cuntry Living should be an “educational space”. Some believed it was “intellectual snobbery” to not help educate people on the group, while others felt users should educate themselves on basic issues before getting involved in discussion.

Some people had issues with Facebook as a format for this kind of discussion. Several felt the liking feature often made the atmosphere of the group “toxic” while some claimed it was hard to call out people for something inappropriate that they had written without it looking like a personal attack.

40% of people felt that Cuntry Living represented a broad range of feminist perspectives whilst 34% felt it did not; 26% were unsure.

Many users supported Cuntry Living’s intersectional aims but some recognised that its broadly white, middle class demographic might not always feel inclusive. Users also identified the tension between liberal ‘pop’ feminism and more radical feminism.

The online discussion group now has over 5,500 members. Some felt the size of the group compounded some of its issues.

Many users felt that Cuntry Living has been instrumental in their “journey through feminism”.

In response to the Tab survey, Alice Nutting, one of the two administrators for the group, said: “I’m very glad that the majority of people think that CL is useful for debate.”

“I want people to not be afraid to post in the group because we’re all constantly learning new things as feminists and you definitely don’t have to be an expert in Judith Butler to engage in discussion!”