Or is Mansplaining getting worse?

[PaperwhiteTheGhost]

Filling up my car screen wash on my driveway. No hose or outside tap at the front so I'm using a big watering can.

Random man: you know that's a watering can right? It's for watering plants. You can put a nozzle on the end to make it sprinkle the water out.

Me: Umm. Yes. I do know.

RM: It's not actually for filling up the car.

Me: Yes. I know. I also use it in the garden.

RM: You can use a hose to fill up the car.

Me: I know, but I don't have an outside tap, so I used this to move water from inside my house to outside. Because its a water moving receptacle.

RM: It wasn't made for filling up the car though.

Me: ........

RM: Hurumpf.

And off he wanders.

I mean.... what!?

Screen washes can make it easier to remove grime and dead flies from a windscreen, although washing up liquid also does the job. We used to use that years ago.

Dealing with mansplainers in everyday life is easy, you just tell them to fuck off and mind their own business. It’s at work where they’re a pain in the butt. My job is a particular magnet for people who think they know more about it than me.

IMO the concept of manssplaining should not be watered down, but reserved exclusively for those occassions where a man explains things to women who are already a) experts in the field in question (as per the original coinage of the term) or b) woman-centred issues, like periods, explained by a man who is not an expert on women's health and whose opinion therefore matters very very very little.

The rest is just people who are socially inept/rude (but I do see the point of "would they do the same to a man", still don't think it's mansplaining). Twatsplaining you might call it - I don't like using female genitalia in vain but can't think of a better term. I used to carry my child in a baby wrap and was approached many times by older women helpfully explaining how this was bad for baby's head and neck. Which it isn't. Twatsplaining.

It's recommended to use some sort of additive in the wiper wash bottle all year round due to the risk of legionnaires disease of plain water sitting in a warm bottle and then sprayed in the direction of people.

Its thought 20% of legionnaires cases may stem from windscreen wiper bottles

https://www.nicswell.co.uk/health-news/legionnaires-risk-from-wiper-water

I had a weird one the other day where a man cycling past stopped his bike (which was a folding brompton, same as mine) to tell me I didn't need to lean my bike against anything as I can just flip the back wheel under and it acts like a kickstand. But I was attaching bags to the rear rack which I can't do if the rack is on the ground. I suppose he was just trying to be helpful but it was strangely unobservant as I had the bag on the rack already. We may need a specific category for bikesplaining actually, it's rife!

I think the likelihood of him having stopped to tell a man this is absolutely zero.
Why do random men think women are interested in engaging with them and hearing their bland opinions. Yes, using a bike stand is an option (although not in this specific case) but so is leaning the bike against the wall. What on earth does it matter to him if you choose to take the latter approach? Absolutely mind boggling.

Im not sure these are examples of mansplaining, it seems non technical / knowledgable / dunderheaded men spouting cack.
Ive had many straightforward, obvious things mis-explained and lectured to me over the years from both women and men ( Usualy women ).

Theres just a lot of woodenheads out there.
Just reminds me of Harry enfield "You dont wanna do thaat!"

I don’t know if it’s getting worse, it’s always been a thing. I did have a man stop me when I was running recently to try to give me advice on running and exercise. Total twat who talked bollocks and didn’t look at all fit. Imagine actually stopping someone who was running, I thought there was something wrong.
I’ve noticed the mansplaining has stepped up on mumsnet in the last year or so. One or two are unbearable.

About four years ago I was topping up my tyres and a man approached and asked if I wanted him to help me (I was doing it perfectly competently having done it many times before). I said ‘no thank you’ and have spent all the intervening years regretting I didn’t say ‘oh God, I didn’t realise it was penis-operated’

Sorry, that was meant to be in reply to @Slothmomma

I still remember using my cheap old lawnmower outside the place we were renting, older local man goes to walk by before stopping and loudly commenting, "You're doing SUCH a good job!" then he proceeded to lecture me how I could mow the stupid grass in a more efficient way, "you know, if you go in lines back and forth, it also makes a nice pattern? Why don't you try doing that". Because I don't give a shit about grass patterns, I know how to mow grass, now kindly bugger off.

VWrabbit,that’s the best answer!

He'd have a conniption with me and my plastic jug for drinking water!

I love the description "a water moving receptacle". Genius! I'd never think of something like that on the spur of the moment.

RM congratulated my reverse parking. I didn't give him the opportunity to utter another word.

My favourite is standing in the way of where I need to reverse into, while I'm reversing the car, purporting to direct me. Thanks, I have parking assistance on the car. In fact the car parks itself if I press the right button.

Where does this happen? I have only ever had someone direct me into a spot if 1) they have offered or 2) I have asked.

It last happened when I was visiting someone in hospital.

Me: skiing happily along, not brilliant but confident on the slopes and keeping up with everyone.

My husband: suffering from paralysis on the slope. Finding it hard. Nervous.

Now to which of these does my BIL offer unasked-for ski advice?

Me.

Also FIL does it when I need to turn the car outside their house, and always stands exactly where I need to turn the car to, causing me to do a five point turn instead of a three.

dunderheaded men spouting cack 😂

Also FIL does it when I need to turn the car outside their house, and always stands exactly where I need to turn the car to, causing me to do a five point turn instead of a three.

My dad does this although he also does it to my brothers and actually to both my sisters in law - you could be one of them! 😂

I got a man the other week, stop me and pulled on my work pass that's on a lanyard round my neck. He told me that I shouldn't wear it driving as apparently if I had an accident it would spear me in the heart and kill me instantly. A hospital worker told him this......right!!

I felt this was highly unlikely tbh and I'm short so when i sit down it's in my lap...I've seen him twice since and he points it out every time he see's me!

I like this helpful chart for mansplaining

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180727-mansplaining-explained-in-one-chart

Yes there was a lot of publicity about this a few years ago! It's a thing

https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2019-05-22/safety-alert-issued-after-serious-injuries-caused-to-drivers-wearing-lanyards

The problem is that women are conditioned to be nice, and instead of shutting men down when they make daft suggestions or assumptions we try to hard to be polite and not antagonise the annoying man. It's probably a survival thing.