The most easily de-railable topic on the internet.

[Metah]

You know how hard it is to find 32x36 pants? Fucking hard.

[Weiing]

I don't think anyone here is denying the existence of gender physical/genetic differences. However, it's just a long standing tradition for men to use these differences to oppress women. Hence, male privilege.

[Mojo]

Stupid and ignorant are words I would use to describe anyone who assumes that, despite the tremendous biological differences between the two, men and women have the same predisposition for parenting. That's just silly. Nobody is saying that the observed difference is solely due to biological factors (of course there is a lot of pressure from traditional society,) but if you think that men and women are fundamentally equal in their parental urges, you're an idiot.

Also, for the record, I don't think anybody in this thread necessarily accepts gender inequality or is accrediting it all to gender differences. It certainly exists, yeah, but when someone comes along claiming that men and women are the same, of course people are going to respond to that.

[Maguspk]

Stupid and ignorant are words I would use to describe anyone who assumes that, despite the tremendous biological differences between the two, men and women have the same predisposition for parenting. That's just silly. Nobody is saying that the observed difference is solely due to biological factors (of course there is a lot of pressure from traditional society,) but if you think that men and women are fundamentally equal in their parental urges, you're an idiot.

Also, for the record, I don't think anybody in this thread necessarily accepts gender inequality or is accrediting it all to gender differences. It certainly exists, yeah, but when someone comes along claiming that men and women are the same, of course people are going to respond to that.

You think women are inclined to care more than a man for the child they produce? Why? Assuming the equal makes the most sense since both sexes have equal genetic stake in that child; proclaiming that one inherently cares more than the other makes little to no sense.

Nobody claimed the sexes were equal, the thread is about the inequality that exists not the truth of the 'men are identically equal to women' statement.

[OWS_Tonx]

You think women are inclined to care more than a man for the child they produce? Why? Assuming the equal makes the most sense since both sexes have equal genetic stake in that child; proclaiming that one inherently cares more than the other makes little to no sense.

Nobody claimed the sexes were equal, the thread is about the inequality that exists not the truth of the 'men are identically equal to women' statement.

Go through and read the thread again. There are many valid points about why woman are predisposed to care for children. I'm going to stick to my first real point, woman just care more than men because of estrogen; However, this is not always the case.

[Maguspk]

Go through and read the thread again. There are many valid points about why woman are predisposed to care for children. I'm going to stick to my first real point, woman just care more than men because of estrogen; However, this is not always the case.

lol no

[Mojo]

You think women are inclined to care more than a man for the child they produce? Why? Assuming the equal makes more sense to me, both sexes have equal genetic stake in that child; proclaiming that one inherently cares more than the other makes little to no sense.

It's already been discussed in the thread, so go back and read a bit about it I guess. The simplest way to say it is that it's been advantageous for our offspring's survival, so we evolved that way.

Also, you really should reconsider how you're approaching this. The parenting desire is somewhat of an emotion and hormones dictate emotions (in which the difference between men and women is indisputable.) I'm not saying that a man isn't going to give a damn about his child, but the nurturing instinct between a man and woman are certainly going to be different.

Maybe an abstract comparison will make it a bit more clear. Consider love between two parents. You could describe love as an evolutionary trait that better ensures survival of the offspring, although love can take a variety of forms. Humans, for the most part, experience love in a coupling way because a couple can better meet the needs to ensure survival of their offspring in the long period of time that they're feeble and defenseless.

Love, for the Australian redback spider, manifests itself in a very different form. While mating, the male will position it's abdomen over the female's mouth. Around 2/3 of the time, the female will eat the male entirely. This act gives the female more nourishment, which is used to produce stronger offspring within the female (and thus offspring that are more capable of survival.) In other species of spiders, the spiders that hatch will eat the female spider.

With spiders, it's clear that both parents do something to ensure the survival of their offspring, although there are clear differences in the way they manifest this. The same is going to be true for any species, although in the case of humans, it's certainly doesn't involve the woman eating the man. Either way, the desire to fill the "mom" role in a couple is certainly going to be different between men and women.

[Meresgi]

I was definitely surprised by how many posters agreed about the obvious male privilege in our society. However, it's especially fun to look at threads which degenerate into racial equality, where it's almost a complete 180; with some of these same arguments of 'they just need to try more' or 'they are already equal!' Racial inequality and gender inequality are equally prevalent, I just find it funny how readily BG accepts gender inequality but tends to deny racial inequality. That black boy should just study harder and get up out of the ghetto, they are all just lazy!

Not to derail the thread too much but this really irks me. Most racial inequality, using blacks vs whites here, is shown more by blacks. There was a recent article I read where studies show that back when racial inequality was actually huge, aka the 30s,40s,50s, 80% of black children had married parents versus 35% today. Also todays black illegitimacy rate is 70% while back in the 50s it was 15%. Black kids also tend to look down on other black children for trying to get out and harass them over it, calling them pretend whites.

Women are not 'predisposed' to caring for children either, biologically they are equipped, sure, however that's where it ends. The biological equipment is what drives the larger societal force which puts them in that role. On account of the biological need of a mother's milk during infancy it makes sense for a woman to be with the child and therefore take part is low-risk activities, such as those around the main dwelling, etc. This is not to say they are hard wired to do this shit, it's entirely a societal pressure and people who don't recognize this are either stupid or ignorant, simply put. With formula and shit it's almost irrelevant though and all it takes to show an idiot they're wrong is to cite the 'stay-at-home Dad' or the 'two working parent' families.

For female mammals, and certainly for female primates , reproducing successfully is a very expensive proposition. Female primates carry an offspring to term, protecting and nourishing it within their body, often for many months. Then they provide milk to nourish it for weeks if not months or even years more. They must protect it, care for it, and support it sometimes for many additional years before it is old enough to reproduce. For every parent raising children, whether in the United States, Brazil, Thailand, or Ghana, the extensive costs involved (in time, energy, risk, and resources) resonate deeply. And then, in most cultures, once a child is raised, females remain involved in ensuring that the offspring of their offspring—their grandchildren—also survive. This is, beyond doubt or argument, an extraordinarily expensive process.

For male mammals, including male primates, the biological game is usually quite different, because they do not invest as heavily in the survival of their children as females do. In some primates, fathers contribute little or nothing beyond their sperm. While human males often become involved in support and protection of their young, this isn't the case in all cultures (see, for example, the Mosuo described by Hua where technically there isn't even an institution of marriage),4 and in few cultures does a father's investment approach that of a mother. There are some notable primate exceptions, tamarins for example, but compared to females, male mammals including male primates are generally more involved in spreading their seed widely than investing heavily in any given offspring.

[Cadsuane]

Hey, wait, I recognize this. This list was made for some feminist blog and caused a huge shitstorm god knows how long ago. In fact a similar list was made in response:

The Female Privilege Checklist


1) Due to anti-discrimination laws, if I compete against a man for a job, all other things equal, I'll get the job because it'll look good on paper.

2) I can use sex appeal to get practically anything I want from any male at any time.

3) If somebody says something derogatory towards my partner, I will not be expected to fight that person.

4) If I hit a man and he hits me back - he'll get the jail time.

5) I can sexually harass men as much as I want, and if they complain they're gay.

6) If I ever rape a man, he won't say anything for fear of being labeled a pussy. If he does say something, he'll probably just be laughed at.

7) If I ever beat up a man, he won't say anything for fear of being labeled a pussy. If he does say something, he'll probably just be laughed at.

8) If he doesn't orgasm when we have sex, it's his fault.

9) If I don't orgasm when we have sex, it's his fault.

10) I'm in charge in the relationship regardless of what any book says.

11) If I have kids and split from the father, I'll get the kids.

12) ...and he'll have to pay me.

13) If I pursue a career I'm commended as being an empowered female.

14) Anytime I do well in business, the media will look at me as some messiah because I'm a woman. Everyone will be impressed.

15) My parents were more loving to me and harder on my brothers.

16) As a child I was taught necessary skills to survive in the world on my own, such as better communication skills and the ability to make food.

17) If I cry everyone huddles around and hugs me, telling me to feel better.

18) If I get angry or sad, I can blame it on it being "that time of the month." Everyone will understand.

19) Worst case scenario I need to lose some weight and use makeup to be attractive, unlike guys who are either attractive or they aren't.

20) If I like to spend money, it's expected.

21) If I have sex with a lot of people, I maybe labeled a slut, but that just means more people will try to have sex with me.

22) There is a wide variety of different styles and types of clothing available to me. Same goes for jewelery and perfumes.

23) I'm taught the skills necessary to make it on my own, but that it's okay to rely on others - unlike a males who generally aren't taught to even cook and that they must compete over every last little thing. If they lose, they're lesser men.

24) If a crime is commited against me, the punishment will always be worse than it would be for commiting it against a man.

25) Regardless of how much or how little I do around the house, I can nag my boyfriend/husband for not doing enough and he'll put up with it.

26) If I get pregnant, regardless of what the father wants, I can choose to abort the child or not abort the child.

27) If I make more money than my husband, people will think more of me and less of him.

28) If I look down I can expect everyone, even complete strangers, to care and tell me to cheer up or smile. The'll do little extra things to try and make me feel better.

29) If I don't want to have sex early on, people don't wonder if I'm gay.

30) I have the privilege of being fully aware of these advantages, and I use them in excess.

Some of these are even whinier than points on the original list.

[Komm Suesser Tod]

That was linked earlier.

[Maguspk]

Not to derail the thread too much but this really irks me. Most racial inequality, using blacks vs whites here, is shown more by blacks. There was a recent article I read where studies show that back when racial inequality was actually huge, aka the 30s,40s,50s, 80% of black children had married parents versus 35% today. Also todays black illegitimacy rate is 70% while back in the 50s it was 15%. Black kids also tend to look down on other black children for trying to get out and harass them over it, calling them pretend whites.

Congrats I think you missed the point entirely. Whether or not women end up taking care of children is not the argument whatsoever. Society is the cause of the role, it's not some built in mechanism (biological) that says only women can care for a child, are somehow better at it, or even more 'willing' to do it.

[Meresgi]

Congrats I think you missed the point entirely. Whether or not women end up taking care of children is not the argument whatsoever. Society is the cause of the role, it's not some built in mechanism (biological) that says only women can care for a child, are somehow better at it, or even more 'willing' to do it.

Totally quoted the wrong part btw, lol.I'm not saying that only women can care for a child, both sexes can. I'm saying the women, through the birth of a child have a lot more connection to it and therefore tend care for it better then most men. It's not 100% sure, but nothing is exact. Not saying men can't care for a child, but women have a connection with a child they gave birth to that men can't understand.

[Zeh]

Most female mammals take care of their young in a more direct way than the males. That's a fact of life. Call our societal pigeonholing what you will, but it's not based off of nothing.

[Narol]

If I get angry or sad, I can blame it on it being "that time of the month." Everyone will understand.

Doesn't work if you aren't careful about how regularly you use it, though. Even an idiot can tell "that time of month" doesn't come 10 times a month.

In contrast, estrogen causes traits which are commonly associated with women, lesser muscle mass, breast growth, reduced aggression, even when used in men.

Not really a serious argument so much as it is an amusing (to me) anecdote, but I have a male-to-female transsexual friend who, despite being on estrogen and specifically blocking off androgen/testosterone, manages to be one of the most aggressive people I know.

Related, I may be one hell of a bitch/shrew/whatever, but damned if I could ever grok the pointless aggressiveness men engage in seemingly on a daily basis. Doesn't it get tiring or something?

[Lucienne]

I am not sure why this debate so fast evolved into being a discussion about parenting and the biological differences between genders. It is very hard to debate something that is a given fact. Women do give birth and our bodies do have biological differences.

In my opinion, equality isn't about claiming that we in fact are the same, but about accepting each other's differences and valuing each gender's strong sides equally. Male attributes give in general more respect than female ones.

To me, the fact that a woman dressed in a suit speaking in a deep voice will be percieved differently than if that same woman wore a flowery dress, high heeled shoes and spoke in a girlish way with a little laughter after every statement is a far bigger problem than the fact only women can breastfeed.

We could mention the perception of women on the internet too. Right, there aren't any, forget what I said.

There is another aspect of the discussion that hasn't been touched much, and that is the fact that both genders are very much viewed as an impenetrable mass through a looking glass of traditional values. I'd like to believe that the difference in values between individuals is far greater when based on social aspects rather than biological.

[aduidarnenye]

I was definitely surprised by how many posters agreed about the obvious male privilege in our society. However, it's especially fun to look at threads which degenerate into racial equality, where it's almost a complete 180; with some of these same arguments of 'they just need to try more' or 'they are already equal!' Racial inequality and gender inequality are equally prevalent, I just find it funny how readily BG accepts gender inequality but tends to deny racial inequality. That black boy should just study harder and get up out of the ghetto, they are all just lazy!

I don't think that's true. I've seen lots and lots of female bashing on this board, especially towards pregnant women or overweight women or, as a board specialty, female gamers. A lot of "she's just a chick" or "stupid bitch get over it" type of stuff. I think it might be all in what your personal focus is as to what you might notice.

[Vigilia]

I'm bored so just going to reply all of these, will probably get tons more replies before I'm done writing though.

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.

I don't think so, I got my last job over about 50 male applicants and it was for a majorly male dominated kind of job (courier van driver). Ugh, same for the job I had before (video games industry, I was one of 3 female animators in a company of 400 staff at the time). If you have the brains and skills to do the job there's not a lot of difference anymore, not in "normal" jobs anyway. I know on paper there's a lot of bitching about management jobs but not experienced that myself so can't comment.

2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex – even though that might be true. (More).

Situational, if it's a physically demanding job there's really no competition.

3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.

I don't think women not getting promoted has necessarily anything to do with their sex although it is directly affected by it. Imo it's all down to personal career choices and priorities in life, women are just more likely to put family first and opt to skip important board meetings for their children. You could blame it on gender and for us being the ones giving birth but in this day and age that's not really an excuse and there are many women making the choice of putting their careers first and they have done remarkably well. I personally belong into the ones who puts family first, sod career, but I am very aware that should I want to go crazy in a job the option is there.

4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.

Ehhh only if you're in a job that has traditionally been dominated by the opposite gender and even then only in the eyes of one or two random people at your workplace. But then the same goes for all men that wander into jobs like nursing or daycare.

5. I am far less likely to face sexual harassment at work than my female co-workers are. (More).

Definitions of sexual harassment aren't equal though like many times already observed in this thread.

6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.

I don't think so.

7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are relatively low. (More).

Well the odds of being raped are pretty nonexistant for all women too? Unless you live in a warzone, but I assume this male privilege list is mostly about Western world, i.e. USA/Canada and Europe.

8. On average, I am taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces much less than my female counterparts are.

Situational. I've never been told it's dangerous after dark and I've met more men than women that don't go out at night in their neighborhoods for the fear of being mugged.

9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.

Not so much masculinity but definitely maturity. I can't talk for men obviously but from what I've seen in my partner and his friends after the birth of our child having kids for men is a very much a "who's the DADDY??!!" kinda thing and many see their childless friends still as boys or otherwise failures unable to do the man thing. Unless of course they are gay or have some physical reason they can't have children.

10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.

Not masculinity directly but being a father is very much part of it. If anything it's becoming more and more applaudable for a man to stay at home. Feck it, I have a husband who WANTS to stay at home but can't since he's the better earner. When was this list made? In the '50s?

11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent. (More).

True but same goes for women. There are no tests or exams anyone has to take before they have children so there is no standard for parenting either. These days you'll always be told "oh you're such a good mum/dad" even if you just take your kids to the park and don't leave them sitting in front of the TV.

12. If I have children and a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.

With the availability of childcare only really old/conservative people would think that of women these days either.

13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.

I have not really paid attention to US politics in detail but I have never ever noticed this in the press in UK/Finland. Kids go to daycare/school as usual.

14. My elected representatives are mostly people of my own sex. The more prestigious and powerful the elected position, the more this is true.

Coming from a country with both female president and prime minister I call bollocks.

15. When I ask to see “the person in charge,” odds are I will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.

Shit's situational again, it's been 50/50 in my experience

16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than my sisters. (More).

Not in our family but they're all different.

17. As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I never had to look for it; male protagonists were (and are) the default.

Someone already pointed this out but male characters are just as stereotyped as the female ones. And there were plenty of positive and active female heroes in films and TV when I was growing up; Lady Oscar, Nausicaa and Belle from Beauty and the Beast were my favourites and there were many more. Oh and Mary Poppins.

18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often. (More).

I don't think so but it would depend on the teacher more than the child.

19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.

Tbh I think the whole concept of "that time of the month" and "bad hair day" have been created by us women ourselves as get out of jail free cards to eat more chocolate or have an excuse to put our feet on the table for a bit. If we ourselves stopped using them as excuses they would eventually vanish. Case in point, I never heard of anyone this side of the pond having a bad hair day, that's entirely an American invention. We made them and we could make them go away but we don't want to because they serve our selfish purposes of getting some more delicious cake.

20. I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented.

How do you define wide representation because if you open The Sun there will be more women there than anything else. If you mean wide representation in terms of size and age then I can't really complain about BBC, there are news readers and reporters of all sorts.

21. If I’m careless with my financial affairs it won’t be attributed to my sex.

Depends how you get about to said carelessness. If you lost it all to wenches and ale then damn straight it's attributed to your sex.

22. If I’m careless with my driving it won’t be attributed to my sex.

Yes it will, young males are notoriously bad drivers and insurance companies will charge you for it while I'm enjoying my women-only insurance's cheaper premium.

23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.

I never thought of speaking in public as going on trial.

24. Even if I sleep with a lot of women, there is no chance that I will be seriously labeled a “slut,” nor is there any male counterpart to “slut-bashing.” (More).

Difficult one this. There are cases of women who have slept with hundreds of men and nobody would dream of calling them sluts (cases in point porn stars and the author of Belle du jour for example). However the girl next door gets called a slut for sleeping with two different guys in her school... and it's the other girls who label her, not boys. But then it is possible to label a man a man-whore as well and in a place like office work environment that can seriously make things uncomfortable for the man in question, from both women and other men near him. It's not a case of double standards between the genders, it's a case of double standards even within the gender.

25. I do not have to worry about the message my wardrobe sends about my sexual availability. (More).

I don't think most women worry about this either. Except when going out to clubs/pubs but then lads spend just as much time worrying about their shirts and shoes for that.

26. My clothing is typically less expensive and better-constructed than women’s clothing for the same social status. While I have fewer options, my clothes will probably fit better than a woman’s without tailoring. (More).

Lies. All clothing and shoes are affordable and decent as long as you fall within the average size range. However, if you are superskinny/small or on the large side in either height or width, you're screwed whatever your gender.

27. The grooming regimen expected of me is relatively cheap and consumes little time. (More).

Again, depends, there are men who spend more time shaving than women putting their make-up on. Cheapness factor is a bitch, I agree. Cosmetics being overpriced to hell doesn't really help.

28. If I buy a new car, chances are I’ll be offered a better price than a woman buying the same car. (More).

On new cars? No way, the garages of reputable companies follow their price lists and they're impossible to get to move from them. At least this side of the pond. Second hand cars are a different case though and the price will depend mostly on your skills in haggling.

29. If I’m not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.

I didn't know being ugly had disadvantages.

30. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.

This was already summed up, you'll just be a loud cunt then.

31. I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of violence is called “crime” and is a general social concern. (Violence that happens mostly to women is usually called “domestic violence” or “acquaintance rape,” and is seen as a special interest issue.)

I don't really understand this point because it's the exact opposite. A man would be considered selfish if they demanded a police officer to follow you around town after dark to avoid said crime. Women looking for restraining orders and moving into safe houses to avoid domestic violence are not considered selfish but victims and in need of protection.

32. I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence will always include my sex. “All men are created equal,” mailman, chairman, freshman, he.

Only in English. Not all languages are gender-specific to begin with.

33. My ability to make important decisions and my capability in general will never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.

Nowadays with the nice and clean tampons and pads we get nobody knows when it's my time of the month unless I blurt it out. Any woman who gets her capability questioned during her period kind of brings it on herself.

34. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned if I don’t change my name.

I've never heard of anyone complaining that they were bitched at for keeping their own name. Having said that, my partner's 95-year old grandmother persistently sends all cards addressed to us as Mr. and Mrs. Mypartnersname. But that may also be because she still hasn't learned to spell mine.

35. The decision to hire me will not be based on assumptions about whether or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.

Sad but true, not so much in the UK where maternity benefits and the amount of maternity leave you can get are fairly limited so companies do not take huge risks hiring young women. My Finnish friends have been struggling with this more. It has less to do with their gender though and more to do with law guaranteeing them three years of maternity leave so companies prefer to take young women on only with short-term contracts.

36. Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own sex. Even God, in most major religions, is pictured as male.

Out of the current religions around the world yes. If you consider every religion that ever existed then the figure is coming to a fairly even split.

37. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient to me.

The current major religions do yes. However there are no laws telling me to listen to any of the bullshit these religions spew.

38. If I have a wife or live-in girlfriend, chances are we’ll divide up household chores so that she does most of the labor, and in particular the most repetitive and unrewarding tasks. (More).

Situational, depends on who's working, if both are working and their working hours etc... there's really no set formula these days and there shouldn't be.

39. If I have children with my girlfriend or wife, I can expect her to do most of the basic childcare such as changing diapers and feeding.

Whoever stays home (i.e. whoever earns less) will end up doing it, simple as.

40. If I have children with my wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one of us needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we’ll both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.

See above about whoever earns less. I have two more or less stay-at-home dads in my close circle right now. The other one is "more or less" since him and his wife take turns in it. She's a specialist nurse and he works in basic IT support, so they're on pretty much same salary. They've had 3 kids in the last 7 years and she's worked roughly 4 of those years and he's worked 3 (basically she stays home every time there's a baby that needs breastfeeding). If you ask me, that's kind of an ideal set up giving both of them breaks from the tedium of 9-5 job. Especially since they are both in jobs with very little options for advancement.

41. Assuming I am heterosexual, magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to appeal to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are rarer.

How's this a privilege though, I thought it was proven by advertising experts that pictures of attractive women appeal to women as well whereas very few women get any kicks out of pictures of naked men. Something to do with how female brains are wired to identify rather than objectify with others. I know I much rather look at beautiful women than semi-naked men.

42. In general, I am under much less pressure to be thin than my female counterparts are. (More). If I am fat, I probably suffer fewer social and economic consequences for being fat than fat women do. (More).

It could be counterargued though that men have equal pressure from society to be wealthy and in general more well-to-do. However, I have never not once experienced this pressure myself and I'm convinced it's mostly in the heads of all the little gangsta rapper and Hannah Montana wannabes and in that way, the males suffer just as much as the females do with their (imaginary) peer pressure. Next up, teenagers of today are all under pressure to be werewolves and vampires.

43. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover. (More).

It's more likely than you think.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/he...00/7878801.stm

44. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to “smile.” (More: 1 2).

No, but they walk up to me and ask for directions. x.x

45. Sexual harassment on the street virtually never happens to me. I do not need to plot my movements through public space in order to avoid being sexually harassed, or to mitigate sexual harassment. (More.)

Where the hell does the maker of this privilege list live? Only time I've experienced anything even close to harassment was when waiting outside clubs and even then it was just whistles and lewd comments. And in those situations it goes both ways, women are just as lewd and "harassing" to the good-looking men.

45. On average, I am not interrupted by women as often as women are interrupted by men.

Situational, people are different etc. I know more women than men that will talk your ears off.

46. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

And apart from silly stereotypes about wages I was also largely unaware. I've never felt un-privileged in my life just because I'm a woman.

tl;dr most of that list from the point of view of a woman was bollocks.

[Obev]

Damnit, I was just about to spend the last hundred quid of my student loan on wenches and ale.

[Innuendo]

tl;dr most of that list from the point of view of a woman was bollocks.

I think you (and some other people who've done similar things) are missing the point with this kind of list. You can go through it dismissing points because of where you live or languages are different or your experiences don't gel with what it says, but the point is that the whole of society is affected by this stuff without realising it, not "how many of these things apply to you?"

For example:

.
How's this a privilege though, I thought it was proven by advertising experts that pictures of attractive women appeal to women as well whereas very few women get any kicks out of pictures of naked men. Something to do with how female brains are wired to identify rather than objectify with others. I know I much rather look at beautiful women than semi-naked men.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here that it's more conditioning than an inbuilt "women have no libido" thing. Which is exactly the point.

[Lucienne]

I think you (and some other people who've done similar things) are missing the point with this kind of list. You can go through it dismissing points because of where you live or languages are different or your experiences don't gel with what it says, but the point is that the whole of society is affected by this stuff without realising it, not "how many of these things apply to you?"

I actually think you might be the one missing the point in this case. I believe we were asked to bring in personal opinions and to actually relate to the list from our own perspective, not to try to spit out some general truths.

Mainly, I want to hear from the females here. It's no secret that by virtue of being here we're taking a non-random selection of the female population, but still, I think some of these issues may ring true to even the most "rugged" girl-gamer here on BG.