For all those who have wondered why mansplaining is even a thing

God, actually, I could go with this one. I am incapable of talking shite, or splaining or anything. This is working for me.

I'm off to test this theory. Thanks for the heads up.

Yes, I am deliberately excluding women on this thread from mansplaining. There are some female posters who disagree, or don't have a full understanding of the politics behind the term (why it is not merely the same as 'patronising', for example). However, none of them actually have the privilege of being male in this society, therefore when they post gubbins to women who do have more understanding of the term, I do not describe them as mansplainers.

That ok?

'I would love someone to explain to me how a woman can mansplain.'

But you said a woman can't womansplain, so what kind of splaining can a woman do? Or is everything a woman says fragrantly valid and righteous? On account of them being a woman, and thereby special.

Thanks OneMoreChap for the link. Now we need one on 'cis scum'. Non?

Beachcomber "I see the tedious adversarial pot shots at radical feminism (and therefore individual posters) are still the favourite post content of some here."

Don't worry. Join in with me "CHOICE! CHOICE! CHOICE! CHOICE! RA! RA! RA!"...... Piff.. paff.. pouf.... and.... patriarchy was never there.

Job done

I would love someone to explain to me how a woman can mansplain.

Genuinely would.

Did the revolution happen and I missed it?

Cisplain?

not by me, I'd add

Eldritch, great minds...glad I hadn't imagined it!

SuperBOF, are you deliberately ignoring the female contributors on here? Tut tut...

I see the tedious adversarial pot shots at radical feminism (and therefore individual posters) are still the favourite post content of some here.

How boring.

Haven't most of the radical feminist posters stopped posting here? And yet folks are still going on about them. How Bizarre.

Thought I'd pop my head in and chew the fat on MN for a bit and it turns out to be the same old same old groundhog day. Quelle surprise.

SuperB0F
"I think the ultimate irony is actually demonstrated by this thread: mansplaining being mansplained to women."

Surely the ultimate irony is that the "mansplaining" is being done by women.

'You just don't know because the patriarchy has brainwashed you and your thoughts are not your own'

I know, my fingers are forced to the keyboard and all kinds of stuff appears on the screen. And I wrote it, but I have no recollection of it. I also have a Bic for her pen, not sure how that appeared on my desk either.

'I think what is meant is spaces where people don't have different opinions to the truth.

It actually fits your definition of Radsplaining rather well.....'

I have a 'splain for all occasions .

In all seriousness though, you have to smile. When I read what they think about my boys (and everyone else's boys) I tend to despair.

Cross posts!

Didn't Arabella Weir write a load of sketches about this on The Fast Show? She would be in a meeting with the blokes. She would raise an issue, which they would ignore, then 5 seconds later they would pipe up with exactly the same point as if it where their own! I think there was one about getting into a car after someone had locked their keys inside.

Apologies to the under 30's if they have no idea what TFS was, but she beat us all to this phenomenon by about 20 years.

God, I loved that show .

I hate the word 'mansplaining' (or anything else 'splaining) as clumsy jargon, but I recognise it as something that does happen. My mother is very amusing on how bad it used to be when she was young.

Anyone remember that long-running Fast Show sketch where all the men talked over and ignored Arabella Weir, until one of them repeated what she had just said, to the applause of the others? Very good illustration of it.

Actually Patronising sums it up perfectly, at root being the concept of the Patron - the boss, the one with power, the one used to getting their way, the one whose jokes are always funny.

In days of yore it was nearly all men, and men still predominate - but I'd argue there are increasingly patronising women as more reach positions of power and influence. I've seen exactly the same effect with women in corporate life, and politics

IMO "splaining" is just naff. And over-American.

But I wonder why "patronising" is no longer acceptable - possibly because its increasingly clear women do it too, so a new man-only word is required by our Radfem Truth-seekers?

I think the ultimate irony is actually demonstrated by this thread: mansplaining being mansplained to women.

Yeah, summerflower, that's exactly the sort of thing - when a man repeats something a woman already said and everyone applauds his genius.

S'okay FoodUnit - it merits repeating.

'Cissplaing' takes far too many mental contortions with reality for my ladybrain to compute I'm afraid OneMoreChap.

summerflower "they are just accorded/expect more respect"

I agree that it works on both the listener and the speaker - the entitlement to have opinions respected, but I would say your DH and uncle were (by not challenging their own entitlement) being rude.

My FIL mansplained the difference between acrylic and glycerol paint to me the other day.

My mouth just kind of hung open as he splained that you need to dilute one with water and the other with white spirit.

I have just spent two years completely gutting and renovating an old house - I can plaster walls, make render, fit kitchens, do electrics, and, um, paint.

Sorry Beachcomber X posted and didn't see you say this already: A woman can be patronising. Or she can whitesplain or straightsplain. She can't mansplain (or the female equivalent thereof) though cos we live in a male dominated society.

And as far as 'cis-splain' - just don't even go there OneMoreChap