Lying is illegal when economic interests are at stake: libel, slander, fraud, misrepresentation, false advertising.* Why isn’t it illegal otherwise? Why is loss of income more subject to compensation than, say, loss of self-esteem (which may, of course, result in loss of income)? And words are illegal when physical violence is involved: uttering threats, ‘fighting …
Category: gender issues
Aug 22 2018
The Grammar of Male Violence – quick perception-changing read
Read this (takes a couple minutes) and your perceptions will be forever changed: http://www.ncdsv.org/images/GrammarofMaleViolence_9-10-2004.pdf
Aug 20 2018
Responding to Wolf-Whistles
Many men will wolf-whistle at any woman.* So it’s not a special insult toward the woman in question (yes, men, wolf-whistles are insulting when they occur in everyday contexts—because they emphasize our sexuality when we’re trying to be seen for our personhood and our various competencies; it thus reduces us to sexual objects) (a wolf-whistle …
Aug 15 2018
Sex and Salespeople
Given that the people who use washers, dryers, ovens, dishwashers, and the like are usually female, I find it puzzling that the people who sell these items are usually male. Especially because it’s inconsistent with the rest of the sales world, in which men tend to sell things men use, such as hardware and men’s …
Aug 12 2018
Gwynne Dyer (along with half the species) misses an obvious point
I highly recommend Gwynne Dyer’s Climate Wars, but I must say he misses an obvious point, especially evident when he says “There are almost seven billion of us, and it is almost impossible to imagine a way that we can stop the growth before there are eight and a half billion” (p.268) — because it’s …
Aug 08 2018
Made for Men (and so made harder for women)
Because chest-waders are made for men, I have to buy a size medium so the thighs fit. Which means the shoulder straps, even at their smallest, keep slipping off. And, okay, after suffering the frustration of that a couple times – either struggling against them as they restrict my movement hanging halfway down my arms …
Aug 01 2018
The Sexism Compensation Index (SCI)
I suspect that even with today’s rigorous interview and job performance appraisal techniques, which require that all applicants be asked and scored on the same questions, multiple standards still interfere with merit as the sole criterion for hiring and promotion. How? Well suppose the interviewers are asked to rate the candidates on ‘friendliness’. On an …
Jul 20 2018
Men Who Go Fishing, Jass Richards
guest post – Men Who Go Fishing Jass Richards (www.jassrichards.com) I understand now why men like fishing. First, there’s the noise of the motor. Men like noise. They think they’re the ones making it. So they think they sound like a lion or a bear. They think they’re threatening. Instead of just bloody …
Jul 20 2018
SlutWalk: What’s the problem?
1. SlutWalk was reportedly initiated in response to a police officer’s comment about not dressing like a slut if you don’t want to get raped. The underlying assumption is that one’s attire — specific items or style — sends a message. And indeed it does. High heels, fishnet stockings, and a heavily made-up face are …
Jul 18 2018
Men’s and Women’s Sports
One good thing about television stations’ mega-coverage of the Olympics is that women’s events are shown a lot. Often within close temporal proximity to men’s events. Comparison is inevitable. And interesting. Consider volleyball. Now the women, when they dive for the ball, they do this really neat shoulder roll: it’s smooth, efficient, and really cool …
fiction
