It appears you haven’t been around here long. You will find all manner of fascinating jumping-to-conclusions targeted both at men and women. We are equal opportunity reactionists here!
As for your criticism of… well, critical theory, I don’t think you’re understanding the difference between individual personal acts of sexism and systemic characteristics that perpetuate it. There have been some academics who confuse this as well (and some early feminists, like that Catherine MacKinnon lady, were craaaaazy), but critical theory is much more about statistical inequality than it is about trying to shame any individual based on their sex. For example, we know that in the U.S., single women with children are one of the poorest demographics, significantly poorer than even single men with children. That effect is magnified when race is a factor. To criticize that reality in no way targets any individual as sexist or racist but serves as a useful structure to analyze the societal factors that might be playing into that. I think one of the single greatest problems with feminism and critical theory in general is its failure to make that distinction clear enough. You can criticize a system as being sexist without implying that all men or women are sexist.
I don’t find the linked post very threatening, because this is the kind of guy I wouldn’t give the time of day to. I once lived with five men in college, three of which were extremely misogynist (but not, you know, hatefully so) and it was the most demoralizing experience of my life. I don’t ever remember being so unhappy. (’‘olives, you cleaned the kitchen? Wow, you might not make such a terrible mother after all!’’ Teehee.) It was a much more subtle form of sexism and it was shrouded in a constant playful affability so even now it’s difficult for me to be angry at them. That is the kind of sexism I really loathe–and fear, because it seems non-threatening even though it is.
Well, there are certain feminist sites where I see people bending backwards to try and defend horrifying things done by women and jumping all over men for not recognizing their “privilege.” And whenever I see people ranting about the patriarchy sometimes I mentally substitute “black people” or “radioactive midgets” for “men” or “white men” to get a giggle. And when people admit that it’s okay to make fun of men but not women because men are the dominant paradigm or whatever, it’s a little weird.
The Internet is a big place. If you want to, you can easily find someone posting a message that will push exactly the right buttons that will make you boiling mad.
I used to get white-hot at all the anti-Semitic screeds I would see from time-to-time posted on various bulletin boards, but now I just ignore them.
(Emphasis mine.) The OP made a negative comment about a particular man. Not ALL men, A man. She did not attempt to draw any conclusions about all men based on the behavior of this particular man. You are the one who has decided that this particular man represents the entire male sex.
Well, but why decide that this person would wake up one day and flip from being a foul-mouthed blogshitter to a gun-toting woman-murderer? I submit there is a reasonable suspicion that the OP makes that link because the ranter is a man, and “that’s what men do” - which I believe is the connection Blake was making too.
I just hope you realize - given the fact that violence against women is a very real issue - that the second amendment applies to women too. Just wanted you to know. There’s no better way to ensure that you don’t become another statistic than having your own “righteous collection of guns.” Just saying, you know, so you don’t think that being armed for self-defense is the exclusive domain of misogynistic woman-bashing cavemen. Some big drunken brute will be stronger than you, but you can even the playing field. 100 grains of lead beats 100 pounds of muscle.
I’m pretty sure it meant that BigT recognizes that when entire demographics are kept at some kind of disadvantage, it might change the way they feel about edgy behavior. For example, part of traditional white treatment of black people in decades past, especially in the South, included extreme violence; this tended to help guarantee that black people would be more easily intimidated. If you have been given multiple examples of rage becoming murderous, you are more likely to fear an enraged ranter than is somebody else who hasn’t been.
But where did she say that? – ‘‘That’s what men do.’’ The more obvious connection would be, ‘‘That’s what batshit crazy people do.’’ (And she didn’t even say that.) Why assume gender bias absent any evidence?
I pulled it outta my ass. Or, alternatively, the rest of the post was about “men this, men that, men the other thing”, not “crazies this…”. You choose. Possibly the OP is equally afraid of women.
@AT: Much obliged. Obviously it’s a shame to pass up an opportunity to spend five hundred posts talking about guns, but I guess we can live with it.
Actually it was ‘‘there are men’’ this and ‘‘there are also men’’ that. Come on. Someone can’t bitch about a blatant example of sexism and discuss experiences about sexism without also being labeled a sexist?
He’s just an internet troll, the kind who likely believes the crap he spews rather than just does it for the lulz. The kind who Mommy didn’t hug enough, got dumped by the prom queen, etc., etc…
MOST Dopers can distinguish between criticizing a man/some men for their behavior and condemning all men everywhere, but there’s a vocal minority that can’t.
