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Originally Posted by purple_fins
AkAngel said-- though I'm NOT condoning such practices(I don't care for any person to always be made out as the one without a brain).... it does make sense that women in general would be more defensive about it-- we've only had "equal" treatment for about a century. It's a recent past filled with abuse, no value and no where to turn. Men don't have any past like that.
It's similar to racist jokes.... it seems OK to make fun of white people--(like the movie-- "White men can't jump"-- you'd NEVER see a movie that said Black men can't ______ whatever) one would be in trouble if they made fun of other races. I think it has to do with past oppression. It hits some right to their raw nerve. 
It may seem oversensitive to some-- but-- I think it's more about fear of losing their place they've struggled so hard for generations to acheive.
fins |
fins,
I always appreciate your views and am glad you shared your thoughts on this. While I agree that men do not have a past like women, I reject the idea that men don't have an abusive historical past for which societal gender beliefs and roles are directly accountable.
There is no doubt that women were treatedly prejudicially and were not allowed many privileges that were granted to men solely on the basis of their gender. It is also true that men suffered horribly as a result of that imbalance too.
We were not allowed our feelings causing untold suffering and mental illness (which in turn caused them to victimize others, often women) The idea: The body weeps the tears the eyes refuse to shed, is a warning and the reality for generations of men and boys who were taught to distance themselves from their feelings until they were strangers.
Men were the only ones sent off against their will to die in war (via the draft) for over two hundred years. Though we don't have a draft now, men still can't vote unless they register. A woman has the right to vote, a man must earn it by entering a lottery to be sent to his death at the whim of his government.
While women were not allowed or encouraged to work for the most part (though many professions were always open to them), men were implicitly required to work and accept total responsibility for the financial welfare of their families, often breaking their bodies down by working at whatever it took to pay the bills.
Have all men lived up to the best of societies desires for them? Of course not. Many have abused their power - as have many women, though their powers are different. I firmly believe that every benefit society offers either sex based only upon their gender comes with a price tag and every detriment comes with hidden blessings.