Women Who Eat on Tubes founder is, unsurprisingly, condescending to women
11th April 2014
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If you’ve missed the latest outrage sweeping the nation this month, there was a handy catch up guide on Radio 4 this morning.
The founder of the Women Who Eat on Tubes Tumblr and Facebook page had a fascinating, if odd, conversation about his “art project” with Lucy Brisbane McKay, a student and journalist who set up a counter movement encouraging women to picnic protest on the Tube next Monday.
Filmmaker Tony Burke created the page as “an observational study to capture a moment and create something artistic”, before conceding that the page had “mutated into a radioactive monster”, although in his opinion this was largely the fault of the press. Indeed, the Facebook page has since been deleted.
Despite being asked repeatedly by McKay, the self-styled creative refused to take responsibility for the comments and content of the page, repeatedly calling the page an art project. He also dismissed the concerns of feminism, calling it “irrelevant” in the context of his project. At one cringe-worthy point, an exasperated McKay says “thanks for belittling me”, to which Burke says “you’re welcome” – probably not the best thing to say if you’re trying to avoid a reaction. Burke’s condescending manner is frustrating, because he actually raises some good points about the controversy his project has created. At its heart, the project raises issues about privacy rather than misogyny. Women Who Eat on Tubes is about sneakily taking pictures of people in a public place before posting on social media, nothing of which is illegal – dubious morally yes, but not illegal.

Despite being asked repeatedly by McKay, the self-styled creative refused to take responsibility for the comments and content of the page, repeatedly calling the page an art project. He also dismissed the concerns of feminism, calling it “irrelevant” in the context of his project. At one cringe-worthy point, an exasperated McKay says “thanks for belittling me”, to which Burke says “you’re welcome” – probably not the best thing to say if you’re trying to avoid a reaction. Burke’s condescending manner is frustrating, because he actually raises some good points about the controversy his project has created. At its heart, the project raises issues about privacy rather than misogyny. Women Who Eat on Tubes is about sneakily taking pictures of people in a public place before posting on social media, nothing of which is illegal – dubious morally yes, but not illegal.
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