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You may or may not be familiar with (former?) Wellesley professor Peggy McIntosh's article "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack."
If you are not, go read it, right now. It's very good, and this will make a bit more sense.
I came across this recently, and wanted to share it. I am not posting this to start a discussion or an argument. The ( Read more... )
If you are not, go read it, right now. It's very good, and this will make a bit more sense.
I came across this recently, and wanted to share it. I am not posting this to start a discussion or an argument. The ( Read more... )
5. The odds of my encountering sexual harassment on the job are so low as to be negligible.
No, but the odds of attention being called to it are so low as to be negligible. If attention is called to it, my masculinity is certain to be called into question.
7. If I'm a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are so low as to be negligible.
See above.
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.
Bullshit. The press will harass any politician for any reason they can come up with -- as long as it'll sell papers.
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 heroes were the default.
Um. No. Neither sex gets this, as wonderful an idea as it is.
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.
Man OR woman nobody can MAKE you have a bad day except you. If you have a bad *year*, you have a much bigger problem than sexism, and it's internal.
22. If I'm careless with my driving it won't be attributed to my sex.
Tell that to the insurance companies.
24. If I have sex with a lot of people, it won't make me an object of contempt or derision.
Maybe that used to be true, but these days this one goes all four ways. Men can have lots of sex and be looked up to for it, but they can also face a lot of attacks for it. Similarly, some women are looked down on for having lots of sex, but there are also those who make their sexuality into their power. Maybe it's easier for men, maybe it isn't, but it can go either way and again, it's something that's intrinsic and only that person can change.
25. There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is possible for me to choose clothing that doesn't send any particular message to the world.
Wrong. There isn't value-neutral anything for anyone.
26. My wardrobe and grooming are relatively cheap and consume little time.
And if you want me to find you attractive, so are yours. There are huge numbers of guys who wish they could find a girl who looked like a girl instead of a china doll. For some strange reason though huge numbers of women insist on pleasing the idiots who are so incapable of turning a woman on that they want them to paint their faces in such a way that they can trick themselves into thinking they're worth her time.
28. If I'm not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.
Again, a giant myth, it doesn't serve either gender to spread shit like this. I'm pretty, so when I do it, it's sweet. If I were ugly, I would be creepy. It could be many many things.
29. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.
No, but I will be called an attention hog and a chauvonist.
36. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient to me.
Maybe a plurality. Certainly more than the reverse. I think we need to either look up majority, or spend more time looking into the current teachings of the world's major religions. Citing documents or statements more than 50 years old isn't fair, the world has turned on its head since then. Citing documents or statements which have since been retracted, modified or otherwise made irrelevant also isn't fair. Citing the most outspoken, moronic voice in a sea of reasomableness also is not fair.
42. If I am heterosexual, it's incredibly unlikely that I'll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover.
See my first complaint.
43. Complete strangers generally do not walk up to me on the street and tell me to "smile."
Well that's awefully rude of them. I could use the reminder. I'll have to make a point of focusing more on men when I go on smile patrol, since we apparently aren't getting enough of it.
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