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Nov. 14th, 2009 12:03 amAutomatically shipped by LoudTwitter
Nov. 14th, 2009
Pondering difficult subjects
Nov. 14th, 2009 10:39 pmHow do I discuss the concept of male privilege without being offensive to men? Many of these discussions degenerate into man-bashing, which tends to annoy the crap out of me. But, even without that, talking about male privilege can sometimes sound as though women are saying that men are coasting, or don't have to work to get where they are. That's not what I mean when I say male privilege, and I believe the term may be alienating the men who might otherwise be listening.
To think of it in another way, if people started talking about Jewish privilege, even if they weren't pointing at me in particular, I would still find it offensive. It would get my defenses up, which is not the way I want the conversation to go.
Is there a better way? Is it the terminology we use? How can we talk about the issue without raising hackles?
Warning: This is not an opening to man-bash. I reserve the right to delete comments that start down that path.
To think of it in another way, if people started talking about Jewish privilege, even if they weren't pointing at me in particular, I would still find it offensive. It would get my defenses up, which is not the way I want the conversation to go.
Is there a better way? Is it the terminology we use? How can we talk about the issue without raising hackles?
Warning: This is not an opening to man-bash. I reserve the right to delete comments that start down that path.
