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who came up with this B.S.?
Jul. 1st, 2009 12:08 pmYes, I'm still on a ranting tear. Indulge me, you might even agree a little.
Who the devil came up with this nonsensical "mansplain?" I know what it means - I just don't like it, or approve of the usage. The very few instances I could mildly agree with its usage, I've just never seen (they all have to do with telling a man to shut up when he's arguing against something he clearly knows nothing about, and all topics have to do with women's health and reproductive choices). No, I see it hauled out usually in an attempt to invalidate an argument because the other party is male in instances where gender isn't the underlying issue.
That's right - besides being a stupid word, "mansplain" is a truly dumb argument. It's no different than a man dismissing a woman's POV on a topic germane to both genders, based on hysteria. HOWEVER ... that doesn't even bother me so much. Neither is a very clever tactic in an argument, but that's okay - most days, I don't feel very clever myself. Hell, if I were that smart, I wouldn't resort to cursing so fucking much to make my damn points.
But DAMN - just admit you're hauling out "mansplain" because you're not feeling very clever, not because you're striking a blow for feminists everywhere (most of whom are rolling their eyes at you and wishing you'd go away and quit being on their side). It's like women who want to argue that sexually manipulating a man for nonsexual gain is a valid feminist choice. NO, IT'S FUCKING NOT. It's the same thing our female predecessors had to do because they had no legal or social alternatives to get ahead. Quit justifying your basic lack of cleverness with my politics; you don't see me trying to claim that every "fuck" and "goddamn" I pull out is striking a blow for linguists everywhere. I do it because I'm too crabby or pissed off to think of anything better at the moment, and it's not terribly imaginative even if it does get my point across.
Seriously. If you're not up to an argument, don't try to cover it with bullshit. Just flail around dumbly like the rest of us, or think before you hit "post."
(Today's cursing brought to you, for a change, simply to make a point.)
Who the devil came up with this nonsensical "mansplain?" I know what it means - I just don't like it, or approve of the usage. The very few instances I could mildly agree with its usage, I've just never seen (they all have to do with telling a man to shut up when he's arguing against something he clearly knows nothing about, and all topics have to do with women's health and reproductive choices). No, I see it hauled out usually in an attempt to invalidate an argument because the other party is male in instances where gender isn't the underlying issue.
That's right - besides being a stupid word, "mansplain" is a truly dumb argument. It's no different than a man dismissing a woman's POV on a topic germane to both genders, based on hysteria. HOWEVER ... that doesn't even bother me so much. Neither is a very clever tactic in an argument, but that's okay - most days, I don't feel very clever myself. Hell, if I were that smart, I wouldn't resort to cursing so fucking much to make my damn points.
But DAMN - just admit you're hauling out "mansplain" because you're not feeling very clever, not because you're striking a blow for feminists everywhere (most of whom are rolling their eyes at you and wishing you'd go away and quit being on their side). It's like women who want to argue that sexually manipulating a man for nonsexual gain is a valid feminist choice. NO, IT'S FUCKING NOT. It's the same thing our female predecessors had to do because they had no legal or social alternatives to get ahead. Quit justifying your basic lack of cleverness with my politics; you don't see me trying to claim that every "fuck" and "goddamn" I pull out is striking a blow for linguists everywhere. I do it because I'm too crabby or pissed off to think of anything better at the moment, and it's not terribly imaginative even if it does get my point across.
Seriously. If you're not up to an argument, don't try to cover it with bullshit. Just flail around dumbly like the rest of us, or think before you hit "post."
(Today's cursing brought to you, for a change, simply to make a point.)
