What do you think this means?

[GypsyRoseGarden]

"there is a thin line between mansplaining and explaining"

person saying this line was a male in a work setting

With out knowing the full conversation I would say he was declaring that he isn’t a mansplainer because he just explains things.

I think it's a situational difference.

I'd think he was being a twat.

I would guess they are mansplaining things, but they don't believe they are!

That it’s easy to slip from explaining to mansplaining or the difference between the two is subtle.

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

I would guess they are mansplaining things, but they don't believe they are!

I agree.

it was written into the chat area of a zoom call

my first instinct was he was being a twat and implying that women need things explained to them and therefore mansplain and explain are similar

but maybe I'm wrong

@GypsyRoseGarden

my first instinct was he was being a twat and implying that women need things explained to them and therefore mansplain and explain are similar

but maybe I'm wrong

Tell him if he can’t tell the difference he should just keep schtum.

Without knowing the context, I would assume he’s someone who feels defensive and is trying to paint a picture in which his ‘helpful explanations’ have been misconstrued by ungrateful colleagues as mansplaining.

I'd say he's pissed off with being accused of mansplaining, when he believes he was explaining.

feeling like he'll get it wrong no matter what he says or doesn't say

I'm not at all bossy so would give up trying to explain anything to anyone, if I were him

he reports into my org and someone made a complaint about it and said "its not the first time" (implying previous offensive behavior re men/women relations)

I intend to just talk to him one on one and ask what the background was and what the intention of the comment was ... and then have a chat about how different people perceive things differently ...

I suspect he was trying to be "funny" and didn't realize it could be offensive ... of course, we'll see where the conversation goes .... I am assuming if he meant offense he certainly won't admit it, and in which case, the conversation should be a shot across the bow ... and if he did not mean offense we can have a good old chat about perceptions ... and if he's frustrated about something we can chat about that and try to solve the problem together

I would take it a different way. I would see it as he thought someone else had crossed the line into mansplaining and was trying to hint at them to shut up.
But you'd have to be there to know.