Well, in my lifetime, I haven't exactly liked men, like, at all. Sure, the odd couple, but the majority is so huge the minority is just a speck. Daddy issues, maybe? Yeah, I guess so, since I didn't even know the man, since he decided that kids are a pain. And I was never abused, I just watched and listened to people's stories in the streets, in books, in documentaries and man, the stuff they went through is horrible. They were all abused women who were beautiful people. :(
So you listened to people's stories, which could very well be false, emphasized, or isolated cases, to judge others whom you never may have met? That's bigoted thinking.
Honestly, you should play it careful, but never be just completely close minded to other individuals. And that goes for anyone, not just women. It's really toxic thinking to assume that because some person has had bad experiences that you should just avoid them. If you've had your own problems, then that explains it, but from the sounds of it you're basically saying that people had bad things happen to them so therefore it's better to assume they're all bad for your own safety and well being. This is actually really close minded thinking and can lead to you making decisions that may negatively impact your experience.
Ultimately, the problem with this approach is that there are so many men in the world that even 1000 truly evil men is only a drop in the bucket. With
these statistics, assuming that the 164,000 female victims were not raped by women, were victims of gang rape or no serial rapists, that still assumes that 164000/150000000 = around .1% of men are rapists. To put that into perspective, Pokecommunity has 463,505 members. If we are to assume that half of them are male, that leaves us 283 rapists out of almost 250,000 individuals.
The danger of permitting this "well it happened so let's paint them all with the same brush" type of thinking is that it can be applies to any minority. According to these statistics,
2,640,067 black people were arrested for violent crimes out of a black population of 300,000,000 *
.139 = 41,700,000; this leads to a crime to population percentage of 6%. Is this conclusive evidence to say that I should be wary of all black people?
Of course not! Most people would find such a conclusion very bigoted. So what I ask, is what makes your conclusion any different? Because there are stories and books written on it? There are stories and books written on how dangerous black people are as well. What makes it bigoted with black people, but not men? The real reason is because it is considered racist to claim a stereotype about all black people, but most people don't realize that the same kind of ism (in this case, sexism) is applicable in the former case.
Do you still believe that your fear and dare I say loathing of men is justified?
Hey, I know what I can achieve, and that's anything. :D I'm a strong person and I can punch someone in the face like nobody's business. I was just referring to abuse in the work place from male colleagues, men telling you how to live your life and people going against you at every turn, just because you decided to have an illegitimate baby. And let's face it, Julia Gillard had a very hard time in politics, always getting lashed at for things she couldn't control.
A single individual does not reflect a problem, nor lack thereof. Again, your words make it very clear that you are afraid to approach these issues because of these words that were said to you. First off, how do you not know before you even try? I don't know how old you are, but it seems that you may not have actually
personally encountered the dynamics of the workplace yet.
Just because someone else faced problems doesn't mean you will. And frankly, claiming that problems that women do face are always attributed to hatred of women ends up shafting responsibility from other problems. I can easily complain that I don't get paid as much as my male counterparts (I actually don't) but that ignores the fact that I'm an apprentice, I've been working there for much shorter than the others, and I have no industry experience outside of this job. I can go and blame these things on the fact that I'm a woman, or I can say, "look, there
are some other possibilities. I need to investigate them." Blaming things on oppression or hatred should be a final alternative, because by blaming things on these things, you take the power right out of your hands. The only thing you can do in that situation is build your case. There are times that I have had to do this (although in reference to autism, never gender), but I always considered it a last resort.
I'm glad you had good opportunities and supportive parents. You're lucky. :D But I guess some just aren't. They can't chase their dreams without fighting for their rights at every turn. It's a journey, a process, really, that takes experience and will. So we're sort of every-day fighters.
And why can't they chase their dreams?
Again, in most situations, the most glaring factor to not being able to chase your dreams is not misogynistic pressure but rather finances. Schools are willing to accept individuals who are able to achieve these financial and scholarly requirements. There are a plethora of scholarships that are offered to allow these people who may not have the financial abilities to pursue their dreams to give them that opportunity. Financial aid is offered to students who also do not have that opportunity. What about community colleges that allow students to start off their college careers with a much cheaper to obtain degree, which can open them up to internship possibilities, apprenticeships, meeting people in the industry, and possibly having that single moment that sparks your dream into a reality.
But if you tell yourself that you cannot accomplish any of that because you read in a book that men are out there to stomp on your dreams, then what do you accomplish?
Nothing.
So what exactly is standing in the way of people chasing their dreams? Is it perhaps that people claim to have a crystal ball on people's lives because of the sex they were born as, and they are told that they will not accomplish anything and that they should fear but fight against a male dominated society that is out to attack them?
Ultimately, if this
is the problem, then why are you addressing the work place or colleges in the first place? Shouldn't your ultimate target be families that perpetuate the idea that women are somehow not capable? Or perhaps the people who sensationalize every last bad thing that ever happened to a woman ever?
I hate to say it to you hon, but we do not live in a misogynistic society. We live in a society where women are
protected, which can unfortunately have some downfalls, but also comes with many privileges. And unfortunately, because of these privileges, the best decisions aren't always made.
For example, as I stated previously, women have the immense privilege to accuse others of rape in most circumstances, something that men do not have the ability to do unless penetrated. Furthermore, if a woman claims rape, she can destroy the life of a man, even if it's not true. Regardless of what you say about the prevalence of false rape allegations, this is immense power. In addition, men who come out as being raped or even simply sexually abused are told to pocket their feelings or even worse, that they should "just enjoy it".
Women are often perceived as innocent and beautiful by default, while men must earn their innocence, even as children in the most extreme cases.
Women are often given custody of children after a divorce moreso than men, regardless of her actual ability to be a suitable parent, unless explicitly obvious. This leads to cases of abuse, including my own mother, who would have not had anywhere near as damaging of a childhood if she had stayed with her father.
Women can successfully charge employers or others of misogynistic practices and win, even with sparse evidence, depending on the case. Even if they don't win, they will have sufficient support from the media and many readers.
These are only some of the many privileges that women have in society. To claim otherwise is to ignore the power and the role that they have. To be honest, in many cases, I believe that women have more power than men. The reason why people open the door for women is not because they are weak, but because they are treasured.
That's why I like being a woman! :D
I'm glad you're happy to be a woman but being a woman doesn't automatically make you a fighter.
And believe me, no one is talking to me about it. xD I sort of listen in to grown up discussions. I'm a naive person, and I like stating my big opinions bluntly. That's who I am. >8D
For someone who claims to be an avid debater, I recommend that you do some unbiased research. I once held some of the same opinions that you did until exposed to much evidence to the contrary. A major part of debate is not simply "defeating your opponent" but rather learning about the perspectives of others - while in many cases these days, many arguments do not open oneself to enlightenment, there is a lot to be learned about the world outside books and talk shows. I implore you to investigate other alternatives and avoid echo chambers.
Took too long to read so I didn't bother. xD
welp
