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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

"If I could I would slap her"

136 replies

FrustratedFeminist · 16/05/2015 18:44

Title says it all really, comment said by a young guy to me (relayed by my sister).

For context, I made an ill-advised trip to visit my sister recently who's in her final year at a very academic uni. They start final exams late next week and everyone is naturally very stressed. I came over to deliver a food/treats parcel to her and then was going to head home straightaway (only 40 min train journey). Unfortunately she flipped when she saw me and got very angry that I was distracting her (can see how it came across that way but not my intention).

Anyway, to cut a long story short I went back to her room in college accommodation (walls paper thin) and we had a small argument about this. It was late at night (think 12-1) and she was a bit physically aggressive and I shouted at her and called her names. Unfortuantely, people heard me shout which I truly regret and someone knocked on her door to complain. Again I really regret this.

She has forgiven me, and I ended up moving to a hotel for the night. Unfortunately the male "friend" of hers who knocked on the door (also a finalist) told her this morning that he was very angry about the incident. He would have heard some shouting and me howling (awkward) which I am really sorry for. I did leave before 2 in the morn though so it would have been a few mins of disruption between say 1-2am. He told her that if he could meet me/see me now (i.e. Sat morning) he would slap me!

This is a pretty misogynistic insult no?? He had time to cool off about things this morn and to threaten physical violence (slapping) anyone is pretty disgusting. I find it intersting that his specific choice of dealing with the incident would be "slapping" too... Ironically, he is in his final year doing Law...

OP posts:
Sashimiii · 26/05/2015 13:00

Baltimore I'm afraid I'm finding it difficult to follow your argument too... Like Basil said, why should we not consider the cultural assumptions regarding both comments? I don't think OP's own comment devalues her argument at all actually, and I also can't see how she's holding the bloke in question to a higher standard than herself in all honesty.

What do you mean by that?

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 26/05/2015 10:23

i agree Basil but in the OP's case there was more than a bit of the pot calling the kettle black on that score! She is holding this bloke to a some sort of higher standard than she holds herself.

AskBasil · 26/05/2015 10:16

I'm a bit puzzled by this discussion.

I agree that "grow a pair" slipped out, but that doesn't mean it's meaningless. Casual throwaway remarks are based in deep cultural assumptions - in this case, that you need testicles to function as an adult. In the case of the OP's original question, that men hitting women is justifiable if we piss them off enough. Both are throwaway thoughtless comments and we all make them. But just because we don't think about them or mean them literally when we make them, doesn't mean we shouldn't think about them and discuss with each other what they mean afterwards.

BeCool · 26/05/2015 09:44

Baltimore on the FWR boards there have been many many discussion on "grow a pair". We know exactly what it means. Usually it sits snugly on the shelf with "man up".

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 26/05/2015 09:23

Oh come on. We all know what 'grow a pair' refers to. It just slipped out of her mouth out of habit without any real thought to the etymology of the phrase or any attached social inference.

Just like 'I would slap her.'

Anniegetyourgun · 25/05/2015 23:01

Might not have meant a male pair then.

BeCool · 25/05/2015 20:04

No, just "a pair".

Anniegetyourgun · 25/05/2015 18:48

Did they say a pair of what? I've seen the expression used on here with "ovaries" as the last word.

ItsRainingInBaltimore · 25/05/2015 11:32

LOL BeCool totally agree - I think the OP has just proved our point really, that as Lass put it, 'off the cuff remarks used by men and women in a hyperbolic sense' don't necessarily mark you out as an evil misogynist. Grin

BeCool · 25/05/2015 10:38

I should qualify I'm on phone and haven't read entire thread. Most of it but not all the shenanigans above.

BeCool · 25/05/2015 09:46

The least feminist thing I've read on this thread is the op concluding she needs to "grow a pair" as a solution.

Anniegetyourgun · 24/05/2015 16:16

That's better :)

Anniegetyourgun · 24/05/2015 15:37

Three... two... one...

yallsexist · 24/05/2015 14:39

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AskBasil · 20/05/2015 21:01

zayyele clearly thinks all men are really violent out of control savages who just go round assaulting people whenever they're annoyed.

Then I'm guessing, he accuses feminists of being man haters.

But most of us think most men aren't as vicious as he does.

Funny that

FrustratedFeminist · 20/05/2015 20:09

Zayyele, short of your offensive and quite frankly ridiculous comments, I strongly doubt that the male in question would have decked me if I were a man... Your argument plays right into his hands.

OP posts:
PuffinsAreFictitious · 20/05/2015 18:40

And you wonder why so many men and women hate feminists?

Nope, because I know that people who do aren't very emotionally intelligent. Anyway, you've been banned again, because you're a tedious troll.

zayyele · 20/05/2015 18:10

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zayyele · 20/05/2015 18:10

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PuffinsAreFictitious · 20/05/2015 18:09

Fuck off, there's a dear.

zayyele · 20/05/2015 18:04

Check your female privilege, don't sweep it under the carpet and play ignorant.

YonicScrewdriver · 20/05/2015 17:55

Back again, zayele?

PuffinsAreFictitious · 20/05/2015 17:54

Oh, do bore off zay... being banned means something.

zayyele · 20/05/2015 17:54

Perhaps you should check your female privilege.

If you were a guy and caused that sort of disturbance at that time, he wouldn't have said he would slap you, he would have came to you and actually done it. Being female grants you leniency and getting away with a lot more than a male would in the exact same circumstances.

messyisthenewtidy · 19/05/2015 19:06

That's what I mean OP, it's not very nice of her. I can't imagine a situation where I would tell someone that this had been said about them unless I wanted to hurt them.