fubarobfusco comments on LW Women Submissions: On Misogyny - Less Wrong

27 [deleted] 10 April 2013 07:54PM

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Comment author: OrphanWilde 11 April 2013 06:02:20PM 9 points [-]

You know, I'm pretty sure it's sometimes used that way, but I'm also pretty sure that there's an actual category of discourse that involves men explaining things in a tone of certitude but from a position of ignorance.

This is part of humanity. It's not unique to men.

I've experienced first-hand the equivalent phenomena where straight people try to comment on what they think my situation is like as if they know what's going on, and end up being completely wrong.

Being bisexual, I know exactly what you're referring to. However, again, the typical mind fallacy is not unique to straight people, or men.

Now I'd agree that the term has become inflated sometimes to mean any negative male reaction to a female narrative, but that's just an argument for deflating it, not an argument that the inflation is universal, and that legitimate examples of illegitimate negative male reactions don't exist.

The issue with this argument is that "male" doesn't belong in your last sentence. Illegitimate arguments exist. Point out why they're illegitimate. If you can't, you have no business responding to the argument.

"Mansplaining" is sexist. It's kind of like the term "hysterical." Cognitive dissonance is encountering somebody who regularly uses the term "mansplaining" complaining about the sexist origins of the word "hysterical."

Comment author: fubarobfusco 11 April 2013 11:18:41PM 8 points [-]

At least some feminists today prefer the term "splaining", precisely because the behavior isn't unique to men.

Comment author: OrphanWilde 12 April 2013 12:37:12AM 7 points [-]

It's better (although it still fails to reject an argument on its merits, or lack thereof), but I'm not sure the term can really be rehabilitated in such a manner. First, the connotation has already been established among too many people, and it's bad, and second, most of those I've encountered who use that term write it as `splaining.

It comes across less as addressing a problem and more as hiding it. It becomes a code word - whitewashing the explicit sexism, but maintaining the implicit.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 15 April 2013 01:21:44PM 4 points [-]

The other problem is that when a problem has become a topic of public discussion, people say the same things again and again. It's not just the other side who uses bingo cards.

("Bingo cards" is a term used to deride your opponents saying the usual things.)