Comments on: How bigotry works http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:19:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: An Introduction to Great Internet Feminists | Canonball http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-175796 An Introduction to Great Internet Feminists | Canonball Sat, 16 Apr 2011 04:14:01 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-175796 [...] “How Bigotry Works” by Twisty (I Blame the Patriarchy) Oh, getting back to privilege (aren’t we always?), in this piece, everyone’s favorite Internet spinster aunt Twisty bravely reads the How Stuff Works (.com) article entitled “How Women Work” and comes to this conclusion: The only real, appreciable “difference” between men and women is the fact that one group is privileged over the other. Physiology, biology, chemistry — none of these things is as absolute as women’s oppression. Take me for example. As a result of primitive cancer treatments, I possess very few of the most popular woman-specific attributes. No boobs. No estrogen. No uterus. No ovaries. My “difference” from men has been drastically reduced. I fucking look like a dude. That I am still considered a woman has nothing to do with “How Women Work.” It has to do with how patriarchy works. [...] [...] “How Bigotry Works” by Twisty (I Blame the Patriarchy) Oh, getting back to privilege (aren’t we always?), in this piece, everyone’s favorite Internet spinster aunt Twisty bravely reads the How Stuff Works (.com) article entitled “How Women Work” and comes to this conclusion: The only real, appreciable “difference” between men and women is the fact that one group is privileged over the other. Physiology, biology, chemistry — none of these things is as absolute as women’s oppression. Take me for example. As a result of primitive cancer treatments, I possess very few of the most popular woman-specific attributes. No boobs. No estrogen. No uterus. No ovaries. My “difference” from men has been drastically reduced. I fucking look like a dude. That I am still considered a woman has nothing to do with “How Women Work.” It has to do with how patriarchy works. [...]

]]> By: An Introduction to Great Internet Feminists « Canonball http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-169308 An Introduction to Great Internet Feminists « Canonball Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:02:55 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-169308 [...] “How Bigotry Works” by Twisty (I Blame the Patriarchy) Oh, getting back to privilege (aren’t we always?), in this piece, everyone’s favorite Internet spinster aunt Twisty bravely reads the How Stuff Works (.com) article entitled “How Women Work” and comes to this conclusion: The only real, appreciable “difference” between men and women is the fact that one group is privileged over the other. Physiology, biology, chemistry — none of these things is as absolute as women’s oppression. Take me for example. As a result of primitive cancer treatments, I possess very few of the most popular woman-specific attributes. No boobs. No estrogen. No uterus. No ovaries. My “difference” from men has been drastically reduced. I fucking look like a dude. That I am still considered a woman has nothing to do with “How Women Work.” It has to do with how patriarchy works. [...] [...] “How Bigotry Works” by Twisty (I Blame the Patriarchy) Oh, getting back to privilege (aren’t we always?), in this piece, everyone’s favorite Internet spinster aunt Twisty bravely reads the How Stuff Works (.com) article entitled “How Women Work” and comes to this conclusion: The only real, appreciable “difference” between men and women is the fact that one group is privileged over the other. Physiology, biology, chemistry — none of these things is as absolute as women’s oppression. Take me for example. As a result of primitive cancer treatments, I possess very few of the most popular woman-specific attributes. No boobs. No estrogen. No uterus. No ovaries. My “difference” from men has been drastically reduced. I fucking look like a dude. That I am still considered a woman has nothing to do with “How Women Work.” It has to do with how patriarchy works. [...]

]]> By: BeccaH http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-139037 BeccaH Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:32:38 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-139037 "I don’t think I will ever recover from the youthful discovery that the world I live in, my own world, considers men to be the standard and women the deviation." i find this theory to be increasingly disturbing, since in the womb, fetuses are female, until hormons are introduced to make them male. The female chromosome is XX and the male is XY, meaning that the male chromosome somehow broke/and or mutated into what it is today. “I don’t think I will ever recover from the youthful discovery that the world I live in, my own world, considers men to be the standard and women the deviation.”
i find this theory to be increasingly disturbing, since in the womb, fetuses are female, until hormons are introduced to make them male. The female chromosome is XX and the male is XY, meaning that the male chromosome somehow broke/and or mutated into what it is today.

]]> By: mearl http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125939 mearl Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:34:51 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125939 A good friend of mine is doing her PhD in math, the aptitude for which she seems to have inherited from her mother. Tell that one to the menz. These misinformed dudes should have a look at a book called "The Brain That Changes Itself," by Norman Doidge. The more you use your brain in one area, the more that part of the brain develops. Given that men and women are socialised to behave in gendered ways from birth, it would lead me to believe that this little eons-long, massively ingrained social system might account for the differences in some aspects of male/female brains. Didn't Greer say as much? I have a sneaking suspicion that if women weren't getting our heads bombarded with orders about the pink and frilly girly way we are supposed to be, our brains just might develop a tad differently. We should volunteer up some of our feminist brains for study and see if the white areas are as massive as they are supposed to be. A good friend of mine is doing her PhD in math, the aptitude for which she seems to have inherited from her mother. Tell that one to the menz. These misinformed dudes should have a look at a book called “The Brain That Changes Itself,” by Norman Doidge. The more you use your brain in one area, the more that part of the brain develops. Given that men and women are socialised to behave in gendered ways from birth, it would lead me to believe that this little eons-long, massively ingrained social system might account for the differences in some aspects of male/female brains. Didn’t Greer say as much? I have a sneaking suspicion that if women weren’t getting our heads bombarded with orders about the pink and frilly girly way we are supposed to be, our brains just might develop a tad differently. We should volunteer up some of our feminist brains for study and see if the white areas are as massive as they are supposed to be.

]]> By: wiggles http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125623 wiggles Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:45:09 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125623 Boreoboreo - I disagree that male people are inherently less intelligent than female people. I think the problem is entitlement. Boys are told that they're smart and will be great successes in life even when their greatest talent is burping the alphabet. For a girl to get that kind of balm she actually has to, you know, DO something intelligent. The result is boys who grow up to be men who think they're entitled to more medical, law, and Ivy League degrees than women, despite the fact that they're not enrolling or not working hard enough to qualify for these programs. In summary: It's not that they're inherently stupid. It's that entitlement <i>makes</i> them stupid. And lazy. I do agree that they hold women back though. Boreoboreo – I disagree that male people are inherently less intelligent than female people. I think the problem is entitlement. Boys are told that they’re smart and will be great successes in life even when their greatest talent is burping the alphabet. For a girl to get that kind of balm she actually has to, you know, DO something intelligent. The result is boys who grow up to be men who think they’re entitled to more medical, law, and Ivy League degrees than women, despite the fact that they’re not enrolling or not working hard enough to qualify for these programs.
In summary: It’s not that they’re inherently stupid. It’s that entitlement makes them stupid. And lazy.
I do agree that they hold women back though.

]]> By: Wednesday Drive-by (After-hours edition) http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125213 Wednesday Drive-by (After-hours edition) Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:48:20 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-125213 [...] Go read Twisty Faster’s blog entry, “How Bigotry Works“. [...] [...] Go read Twisty Faster’s blog entry, “How Bigotry Works“. [...]

]]> By: Boreoboreo http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124894 Boreoboreo Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:12:42 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124894 No denelian, you didn't go to a strange school. The fact is, with the event of 30 years of feminism, we now have women really speeding by men now. Women are surpassing men in getting graduate degrees and undergraduate degrees, they are starting to seriously break into the ranks of middle management, and boys are falling behind in school. Boys are actually quite dumb, and need to be coddled and given special privileges because the truth is they stink in school. It's why I think girls would zoom even farther ahead if we had all girls schools. Boys HOLD WOMEN BACK! Recently, a new graduating class at Harvard for the first time since women were admitted, had more women in it than men. Everytime I teach seminars, women far outnumber men, and they ask better questions. Medical school now has half of its graduating class women, same with most top law schools. Occasionally, I read anti-feminists like Hoff-Sommers complaining and bo hoing about this. But I just smile and say YES, put those dumb underachieving boys out in the fields to pick tomatoes or oranges, or better yet, have them do all the housekeeping nationwide. We think things haven't changed much, but they really have. My theory is that women were always far superior to men, but were held back by patriarchy. Why else would these "pretend to be dumber than the guys or they won't like you" advice to girls? Because if the girls really went for it, the boys would just look like dolts in the advanced math class, that's why. The thing about patriarchy, is that the less experienced man will be hired anyway. The thing about science is that the best minds eventually win. So women and girls who went to school in the 90s are reaping the benefits of the feminist revolution, only the news media doesn't want women to know they are winning this one. This would hurt the shallow dumb pathetic egos of men and boys! And I say BASH those egos often!! Bash, not blame! No denelian, you didn’t go to a strange school. The fact is, with the event of 30 years of feminism, we now have women really speeding by men now. Women are surpassing men in getting graduate degrees and undergraduate degrees, they are starting to seriously break into the ranks of middle management, and boys are falling behind in school.

Boys are actually quite dumb, and need to be coddled and given special privileges because the truth is they stink in school. It’s why I think girls would zoom even farther ahead if we had all girls schools. Boys HOLD WOMEN BACK!

Recently, a new graduating class at Harvard for the first time since women were admitted, had more women in it than men. Everytime I teach seminars, women far outnumber men, and they ask better questions. Medical school now has half of its graduating class women, same with most top law schools. Occasionally, I read anti-feminists like Hoff-Sommers complaining and bo hoing about this. But I just smile and say YES, put those dumb underachieving boys out in the fields to pick tomatoes or oranges, or better yet, have them do all the housekeeping nationwide.

We think things haven’t changed much, but they really have.
My theory is that women were always far superior to men, but were held back by patriarchy. Why else would these “pretend to be dumber than the guys or they won’t like you” advice to girls? Because if the girls really went for it, the boys would just look like dolts in the advanced math class, that’s why.

The thing about patriarchy, is that the less experienced man will be hired anyway. The thing about science is that the best minds eventually win.

So women and girls who went to school in the 90s are reaping the benefits of the feminist revolution, only the news media doesn’t want women to know they are winning this one. This would hurt the shallow dumb pathetic egos of men and boys! And I say BASH those egos often!! Bash, not blame!

]]> By: Kali http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124889 Kali Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:21:39 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124889 <i>Men have 6.5 times more gray matter in their brains than women do. Women have 10 times more white matter. </i> That is the theory from 1970s. The current theory is that women have more gray matter and men have more white matter. And lo, behold, it is white matter that creates a math genius. It's simple. Whatever men allegedly have more of is what makes them better. We *have* to believe men are better. Or women might wake up and realize that our lives are better without men. Men have 6.5 times more gray matter in their brains than women do. Women have 10 times more white matter.

That is the theory from 1970s. The current theory is that women have more gray matter and men have more white matter. And lo, behold, it is white matter that creates a math genius.

It’s simple. Whatever men allegedly have more of is what makes them better. We *have* to believe men are better. Or women might wake up and realize that our lives are better without men.

]]> By: ElleR http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124762 ElleR Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:10:12 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124762 I am a feminist, but I have some problems with the feminist argument that there are no essential differences between men and women-- just culturally constructed ones, although I readily agree that our ideas of male and female are largely the result of patriarchal construction -- especially the differing values assigned to male and female roles. First, it seems like in protesting against the "men and women are different" perspective, feminists seem to be wanting to join the male club, i.e., in a patriarchal culture, the logical conclusion to the argument "there are no differences between men and women," is women are just like men. (If this is not the logical conclusion, please set me straight.) Anyway, no one ever makes the argument that men are just like women. Men don't want to be just like women -- even liberal feminist men never (rarely) argue that they are just like women, although they are willing to concede that women are no different from men. This may be a small point, but it seems important to me. Since patriarchy was created by men for men and since patriarchy not only sucks, its continuance represents a threat to the human species, if women are no different in our mental processes, does that mean that, if women had the power, women would also create a patriarchy-like social structure based on the concentration of power in the few for the exploitation of the many? I hope not. (The July 19-25 issue of "New Scientist" has an interesting article on male and female brains -- cover story, in fact.) There is no doubt that patriarchy has constructed both what it means to be masculine and what it means to be feminine and has set up the human male as the standard for what it means to be fully human. But do we women have to buy the argument that the human male is the standard and therefore that the only way to be fully human is to strive to emulate male behavior as constructed by our society? I, for one, devoutly hope that women are different from men so that as we get more and more power we can offer a different way of being in the world and a different value system which might promote the survival of the human species. If we are no different from men, then I don't hold out much hope. Men have no problem with the "biology is destiny" idea as patriarchy constructs male biology as essentially superior to female biology. Women need not fight against the biology is destiny point of view; we just need to reevaluate that destiny and not accept the patriarchal judgment that female biology is innately inferior. Men are very happy with their biology. They celebrate it. I would like to see women celebrating their own biology instead of trying to deny it. Which is not to deny that ideas of male and female are so heavily constructed that it is hard to sort out what is biology and what is culture. I want to deny the negative cultural constructs associated with being female, while celebrating my essential femaleness -- whatever that may be. Although the discussion has moved on to other things, this has been bothering me so I thought I would get it off my chest. This is also posted on Apostate's site -- as well as my own. I am a feminist, but I have some problems with the feminist argument that there are no essential differences between men and women– just culturally constructed ones, although I readily agree that our ideas of male and female are largely the result of patriarchal construction — especially the differing values assigned to male and female roles. First, it seems like in protesting against the “men and women are different” perspective, feminists seem to be wanting to join the male club, i.e., in a patriarchal culture, the logical conclusion to the argument “there are no differences between men and women,” is women are just like men. (If this is not the logical conclusion, please set me straight.) Anyway, no one ever makes the argument that men are just like women. Men don’t want to be just like women — even liberal feminist men never (rarely) argue that they are just like women, although they are willing to concede that women are no different from men. This may be a small point, but it seems important to me.

Since patriarchy was created by men for men and since patriarchy not only sucks, its continuance represents a threat to the human species, if women are no different in our mental processes, does that mean that, if women had the power, women would also create a patriarchy-like social structure based on the concentration of power in the few for the exploitation of the many? I hope not.

(The July 19-25 issue of “New Scientist” has an interesting article on male and female brains — cover story, in fact.)

There is no doubt that patriarchy has constructed both what it means to be masculine and what it means to be feminine and has set up the human male as the standard for what it means to be fully human. But do we women have to buy the argument that the human male is the standard and therefore that the only way to be fully human is to strive to emulate male behavior as constructed by our society?

I, for one, devoutly hope that women are different from men so that as we get more and more power we can offer a different way of being in the world and a different value system which might promote the survival of the human species. If we are no different from men, then I don’t hold out much hope.

Men have no problem with the “biology is destiny” idea as patriarchy constructs male biology as essentially superior to female biology. Women need not fight against the biology is destiny point of view; we just need to reevaluate that destiny and not accept the patriarchal judgment that female biology is innately inferior.

Men are very happy with their biology. They celebrate it. I would like to see women celebrating their own biology instead of trying to deny it. Which is not to deny that ideas of male and female are so heavily constructed that it is hard to sort out what is biology and what is culture. I want to deny the negative cultural constructs associated with being female, while celebrating my essential femaleness — whatever that may be.

Although the discussion has moved on to other things, this has been bothering me so I thought I would get it off my chest. This is also posted on Apostate’s site — as well as my own.

]]> By: denelian http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124683 denelian Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:47:41 +0000 http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2008/07/31/how-bigotry-works/#comment-124683 this meme has been bugging me. i graduated in 93. at the time i was in high school, GIRLS were better at math and were EXPECTED to be better at math - my AP calculus had 15 students, 11 of whom were girls. da fuck? or did i just go to a strange school? this meme has been bugging me. i graduated in 93. at the time i was in high school, GIRLS were better at math and were EXPECTED to be better at math – my AP calculus had 15 students, 11 of whom were girls.

da fuck? or did i just go to a strange school?

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