# Sexism
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [July 17, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380 "2015-07-17T01:47:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/61 "2015-07-18T21:24:34Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> There aren’t enough rolleyes in the world for that article. I can’t believe you’re stupid enough to think that an article so horribly written and logically lacking is capable of educating anybody.
Seeing as it’s extremely well cited and only says exactly what the actual concept is as defined by the experts on the subject, I believe that says more about you than it does about the article.
There’s some crap on Rational Wiki, but there’s nothing remotely controversial in that article. Of course a black woman is itself a separate identity and not just black + woman. There are stereotypes that apply to black women that do not apply to black people or to women.
---
### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/62 "2015-07-18T21:31:28Z")
> [@CinnamonBabka](#):
>
> I’m seeing this word more and more. I have a feeling it’s going to be troublesome for me as it becomes mainstream.
I try not to use it unless it’s really, really warranted.
It’s really amusing when some guy mansplains how all those nice men aren’t mansplaining, they’re being helpful!, and all us women are overreacting when we use this word.
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### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/63 "2015-07-18T21:35:16Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> Of course, one of the women that works for me has a PhD in Math, so me explaining something to her like she’s the dumb one is preposterous.
And that’s exactly what mansplaining is. Like if you told the little lady how to balance her checkbook.
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/64 "2015-07-18T22:43:16Z")
> [@dropzone](#):
>
> Well, not to your face. 😉
How could they? I’d need to be on a stool or something.
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/65 "2015-07-18T23:08:45Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#):
>
> And that’s exactly what mansplaining is. Like if you told the little lady how to balance her checkbook.
I think it is especially apt when it’s about women’s issues-like when a male pundit gives a list of hints on how not to get raped, and it’s shit like "don’t get in a car with a strange man named ‘Billy the Rapist’ ". Or suggestions for how to deal with secism in the workplace that show no understanding.
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### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/66 "2015-07-19T02:23:26Z")
> [@MandaJo](#):
>
> I think it is especially apt when it’s about women’s issues-like when a male pundit gives a list of hints on how not to get raped, and it’s shit like "don’t get in a car with a strange man named ‘Billy the Rapist’ ". Or suggestions for how to deal with secism in the workplace that show no understanding.
Bingo.
(On a related note, have you seen that ridiculous “warning” on FaceBook telling women not to wear overalls, because rapists will grab the straps to catch and rape you? Can you think of a less sexual-assault-friendly\* garb than frakkin’ overalls?)
\*\*Not that a woman’s clothing should have anything to do with sexual assault, I know. But I wore overalls during the early-90s trend for them, and it was a major productions to get the damned things off to pee.
\*
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### Author:  [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/67 "2015-07-19T03:39:48Z")
> [@MandaJo](#):
>
> I think it is especially apt when it’s about women’s issues-like when a male pundit gives a list of hints on how not to get raped, and it’s shit like "don’t get in a car with a strange man named ‘Billy the Rapist’ ". Or suggestions for how to deal with secism in the workplace that show no understanding.
A male friend of mine was explaining yesterday how I should react to and feel about street harassment.
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### Author:  [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/68 "2015-07-19T03:58:40Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#):
>
> A male friend of mine was explaining yesterday how I should react to and feel about street harassment.
The important thing is - how did you feel and react to him telling you that?
😃
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### Author:  [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/69 "2015-07-19T04:13:18Z")
Black _men_ had the right to vote before white _women_ did, … just saying …
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/70 "2015-07-19T12:01:29Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> Black _men_ had the right to vote before white _women_ did, … just saying …
_Someone_ had to get it after the other [realistically speaking], so we were pretty much fucked either way. No way American society could have walked out of that one looking good.
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/71 "2015-07-19T16:49:44Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#):
>
> A male friend of mine was explaining yesterday how I should react to and feel about street harassment.
Exactly. I think this current OP from GQ kind of illustrates the emotional issues with “mansplaining” with the gender issues removed:
> [@Binary planets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binary-planets/725519/1):
>
> The recent fly-by of Pluto by New Horizons got me to wondering: have any binary planets ever been discovered?
>
> I know that Pluto and its moon Charon are quite close together and I wondered if anyone has ever measured to see if they’re orbiting each other in a binary system, rather than as a moon orbiting a planet. And whether or not it’s true ofs Pluto and Charon, is it possible for two planets to orbit each other?
>
> Anyone?
This is a perfectly innocent question asked in dead earnest by a person who is certainly reasonably intelligent. But if you are a planetary astronomer, this is going to make you roll your eyes. Has anyone ever measured to see exactly where the center of gravity is? Has anyone ever considered the possibility of a binary system?
You can’t really jump someone’s shit for asking something like this. It’s not their fault they aren’t an expert and that they don’t realize how incredibly basic of a question they are asking, or the insult implied by the idea that something so fundamental wouldn’t have even occurred to you. But there is something incredibly annoying about the fact that they seem to think they can wander into your field–a field you’ve spent a great deal of time and effort to become an expert in–and make some amazing, revolutionary suggestion you just never thought of.
And when it comes to men on women’s issues, it happens all the time. All kinds of well-meaning advice and suggestions that are about like asking if the person suffering from a complete server melt-down has thought about trying to reboot it. And it’s hard to respond to this, because the polite thing to do when you are offered advice is to smile and act like it’s useful, even if it’s stupid. But that means we have developed an entire set of institutions that are basically stupid advice men think women need to hear (think every pamphlet ever) because no one can say “No, that’s stupid, that doesn’t work and doesn’t begin to address the problem”.
---
### Author:  [@CinnamonBabka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CinnamonBabka)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/72 "2015-07-20T16:23:14Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> I’m short and assertive, no one has ever mentioned little man syndrome.
Do you work with any other short/assertive guys? Because people tell me how they have LMS all the time.
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### Author:  [@CinnamonBabka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CinnamonBabka)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/73 "2015-07-20T16:26:53Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#):
>
> I try not to use it unless it’s really, really warranted.
>
> It’s really amusing when some guy mansplains how all those nice men aren’t mansplaining, they’re being helpful!, and all us women are overreacting when we use this word.
I’ll just start using the term “womansplain” for when someone is more concerned for how a discussion makes them feel than the substance of the discussion itself.
---
### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/74 "2015-07-20T16:34:01Z")
> [@CinnamonBabka](#):
>
> Do you work with any other short/assertive guys? Because people tell me how they have LMS all the time.
I don’t notice any real correlation. I work with lots of people, some short, some tall, some assertive, some not. I used to work on a trading floor, and pretty much everyone had some kind of complex.
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### Author:  [@CinnamonBabka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CinnamonBabka)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/75 "2015-07-20T16:43:23Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> I don’t notice any real correlation. I work with lots of people, some short, some tall, some assertive, some not. I used to work on a trading floor, and pretty much everyone had some kind of complex.
Maybe I just work with a bunch of assholes.
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/76 "2015-07-20T16:54:16Z")
> [@CinnamonBabka](#):
>
> Maybe I just work with a bunch of assholes.
> [@](#):
>
> …misunderstandings and neglect create more confusion in this world than trickery and malice. At any rate, the last two are certainly much less frequent.
_The Sorrows of Young Werther_, Goethe
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### Author:  [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/77 "2015-07-22T09:17:49Z")
> [@eulalia](#):
>
> I’ve been an electronic technician for over thirty years, and I’ve always wished there were more female techs. .
I do to. Along with women being mentally equal in tech fields they often have the advantage of their hands being smaller and thus able to work in tighter spaces like inside a computer cabinet. They also seem to be better at handling delicate and small parts.
I find women in my tech field are about 1 in 20 but they are usually the best ones.
---
### Author:  [@BrightSunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightSunshine)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/78 "2015-07-22T09:28:40Z")
> [@MandaJo](#):
>
> Exactly. I think this current OP from GQ kind of illustrates the emotional issues with “mansplaining” with the gender issues removed:
>
> This is a perfectly innocent question asked in dead earnest by a person who is certainly reasonably intelligent. But if you are a planetary astronomer, this is going to make you roll your eyes. Has anyone ever measured to see exactly where the center of gravity is? Has anyone ever considered the possibility of a binary system?
>
> You can’t really jump someone’s shit for asking something like this. It’s not their fault they aren’t an expert and that they don’t realize how incredibly basic of a question they are asking, or the insult implied by the idea that something so fundamental wouldn’t have even occurred to you. But there is something incredibly annoying about the fact that they seem to think they can wander into your field–a field you’ve spent a great deal of time and effort to become an expert in–and make some amazing, revolutionary suggestion you just never thought of.
>
> And when it comes to men on women’s issues, it happens all the time. All kinds of well-meaning advice and suggestions that are about like asking if the person suffering from a complete server melt-down has thought about trying to reboot it. And it’s hard to respond to this, because the polite thing to do when you are offered advice is to smile and act like it’s useful, even if it’s stupid. But that means we have developed an entire set of institutions that are basically stupid advice men think women need to hear (think every pamphlet ever) because no one can say “No, that’s stupid, that doesn’t work and doesn’t begin to address the problem”.
This example is far too courteous and respectful compared to most mansplaining cases. The most important thing is, the person asking knows that they do not have superior knowledge on the subject, vs in the mansplainer cases, they think they do.
---
### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/79 "2015-07-22T11:08:14Z")
**Brightsunshine** , **MandaJO** , and I obviously shouldn’t worry our pretty little heads about this stuff, and should just go get a nice cup of coffee for the men who are talking. The rest of you ladies can come along too, maybe we’ll bake cookies and get pedicures.
> [@CinnamonBabka](#):
>
> I’ll just start using the term “womansplain” for when someone is more concerned for how a discussion makes them feel than the substance of the discussion itself.
That will be truly handy. People will be able to see right away that you are missing the point.
---
### Author:  [@BrightSunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightSunshine)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexism/725380/80 "2015-07-22T12:35:40Z")
> [@eulalia](#):
>
> I guess this is where the thick skin comes in, and the not putting up with much. The fact is I can usually bounce their shit back at them, with the backing of those of my co-workers that I’ve helped in the past.
>
> I don’t hoard knowledge; I pass around what I figure out so we can all do a better job, and a lot of guys I work with really appreciate that, especially my bosses.
Ok. So anyone whose career has ever been hindered by sexism is just doing it wrong?
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