There Were No Men Quite Like Us Until Very Recently

[lepusdomesticus]

Dearest Readers! Please read this article and tell me what you think! I found it very educational.  :)  Love, Susie.

P.S. Do NOT read the comments! (shudders) I know that's common sense on the internet, but...ick. I'm still disturbed by how despicable some people are when they think they're anonymous.

Comments

[ivyprairiedawn]

Ok, I get it. Regendered. But I also really do know men like that too. And they're not all gay or pagan either. Um ... I think I've even married one of them. He really does wake up at 3am and stress about whether or not he's a good enough father and whether he's doing enough by being in school, working on a major architectural project and taking care of house and children on top of it all. Maybe there really haven't been any men like these before.

On the other hand, it is kinda funny to hear him swearing at his math book. I'm telling you, Al gebra is obviously a jihadist plot to ruin Scott's productivity at his real jobs.

[lepusdomesticus]

No, I think there are many, many people like this, men and women, who worry they're not good and compare themselves unfavorably to their peers. In fact, when I put it that way, it becomes pretty much every human being ever. What's annoying is how the author (and other authors of similar pieces) makes it sound like these are only concerns of women (in the real version of the essay). It's a cumulative effect. Why enforce the idea that caring about your impact on other people and being sensitive to the world around you is a feminine thing, when in fact it's a human thing? Also, I laughed a couple of times at the translation, because changing the nouns made some statements sound especially ridiculous. I just enjoyed being forced to confront my own assumptions, because they're so ingrained, I don't see them. I think I should regender every article that annoys me from now on--many will then at least be good for a laugh. :)

[p_a_morningstar]

That kind of threw me for a loop initially, especially since I thought, at first, that it was going to be this silly article a friend had linked to on their Facebook page. (which made me think of this song, but that is probably a different post) But I would agree with the comments already on your blog. Some of the statements become particularly ridiculous regendered--and it's really sad a) how obvious they want it to be that they mean women, and b) that we let them make it just about women.

But I am a fiery feminist, so I will stop here.

[lepusdomesticus]

OK, just checked your links. Yeah, that first one...where "you" can only refer to a minority of the population. As for the second one, darn it! Now I have that song stuck in my head!

Feel free to be a fiery feminist around me. :)

Also, I really like your userpic...in the sense of "like" that is "It really creeps me out, but in a very silly pulp sci-fi kind of way."

[p_a_morningstar]

hee hee Well then, mission accomplished! I like that song, but I can't listen to it all that often because it gets stuck in my head like crazy.

I will definitely keep that in mind. Around Susie, no holding back!

Hmm...As I am answering this in my e-mail rather than at the site, I'm not sure which userpic you're referring to. But I try to have each of them fit the mood or the post or be silly, so it must be a good one. ;) Just kidding. Thanks! Let me post and see which one it is...

[p_a_morningstar]

Ah! That's my "surprised" or "scrutiny" or "Big Brother" icon. No idea what it's from, but it's really funny--in a pulp sci-fi kind of way, as you so nicely put it.