AIBU to think that 'patriarchy chicken' isn't the whole story?

[AliceMaforethought]

Hear me out, as I reckon that this will be an unpopular opinion, but I am keen to know if my experience is just me or if others experience the same.

I hear a lot on this site about 'patriarchy chicken': simply put, the admirable notion that women deserve to take up space and not have to stand aside for men. Last week, I was in London, (I'm from a smaller UK city) I was STAGGERED by the utter lack of spatial awareness of women. I am a woman, for context: youngish (I'm 42 but look a lot younger) I found women knocked into me constantly and let their kids blunder into me and other people. I didn't have a problem with men at all. The other thing that I did notice was that all these women were white, and were all ages from young to late middle age (old women weren't an issue at all) I am mixed race. Before anyone thinks that I was the problem and was just out of my depth in London, that isn't the case. I am a trained dancer, I have a lot of spatial awareness, and I am used to London even though I haven't lived there for a while. I am starting to wonder if I need to play 'white supremacy chicken'!

People are rude in London, particularly since Covid, it’s like everyone forgot their manners and social etiquette.

As a white middle age woman I can’t say I ever experienced what you describe but I do believe you when you say race might play a part.
Despite being diverse, xenophobia in London is real! I’ve experienced it as a white non British person. It’s all very low level and underhanded but real!

I was about to say you should have elbowed them back but then you’d be the aggressive one…. so no wise words only sympathy.

Humans are primates, and social signalling of hierarchy is A THING with primates.
Ask anyone who has studied chimps or baboons.

Most of the time is is not even consciously done. Hence the startled look of someone with a "higher status" when they barge into you because you didn't move.

I recall being on Oxford St in London with DH during a very busy shopping period. It was packed.
I naturally had the skill of weaving in and out of the crowd, darting into spaces that opened up. DH was soon many meters behind me and I had to back track to where he was. He was completely incapable of navigating the pavement like I did, because his whole life he had been walking in straight lines with other people automatically moving out of his way, without him even realising.

I don't find patriarchal chicken is a thing.

There is "middle aged couple holding hands and we won't let go in case the world stops turning" chicken though.

And family groups who won't go single file unless you stop and force them to do so to get by you.

Edited - and people staring at their mobile phones instead of where they're going.

I would describe this as prejudice rather than racism.

Everyone can be on the receiving hand of prejudice because everyone has bias about ethnicity, religion, class, accent, looks….

Racism is much bigger issue, it’s a systemic discrimination only really felt by the minorities.

Though I understand what you're saying, if someone treats someone like shit because of the colour of their skin, be that white, black, Asian etc, that's racism. It's really simple and completely wrong to make out like it's not as bad if it's towards white people

Here is the response that you were expecting.
Having been well travelled nationally and internationally, I have found that all colours, both sexes and all genders that have people that bang/bump and barge into people of all colours, both sexes and all genders.
It can depend on where you are but being a fuckwit is not just something that affects white people.

You would be wrong.
Racism can be a a personal level as well as a systemic level.
Lets not rewrite racism just to make ourselves feel better.

I don't agree with you that that is what the word means. I would say that racism is a subset of prejudice, like ageism or sexism and that systemic racism is a subset of racism (important and exists, but a more specfic form).

However, even if I did agree with you, racism against white people would - by your definition - exist in countries where white people are a minority and are discriminated against at a system level because of their skin colour.

So the OP's sweeping statement would still be incorrect.

I also think it's interesting that the OP's sweeping statement suggests a very UK or West-centred outlook that they may not even be aware of.

I do also wonder if it betrays a bit of disdain, at the very least, for white people; the idea of even considering that white people as a group may be wronged in the same way as another minority, anywhere ever (and therefore also be deserving of some consideration) seems to be viscerally rejected out of hand.

"Letting their kids"? I'm guessing all of these kids were products of immaculate conceptions. I wonder why a woman with children trying to navigate around the busiest city in the country might be more distracted than a man.

You still haven't answered whether you think that you can be sexist against men. Why are you so averse to answering that?

I answered it on.page 2. Yes sexism against men exists.

Omg really ? This world is fucked

Ok, that is at least consistent. I don't see where you answered it, you were too busy frothing about how victimised white women are.

Do you even realise how annoyingly patronising you come across?

I think you are just out to get a reaction to be honest. Trying to goad and stir people up.
Saying you don't think racism to white people doesn't exist! Such rubbish, there have been two accounts within schools given now.
What sort of dancing do you do by the way?

Frothing🤣 I at no point said white women were victimised. Maybe you should just stay away from all us mean white women when walking down the road. Possibly get one of those men who you say are checking you out to help you. And definitely do some research about racism because your whole "racism against whites doesn't exist" is pure barmy🤣

You're right. Id assume interpretative dance. That way she can interperet her bullshit views

I’ve never experienced any of the chicken stuff which makes me fairly confident I’m a barger into not a bargee

sorry everyone

Why would anyone think that people couldn't be racist towards white people? Think we've been listeningbto nonsense again. We need to get out of this silly mindset that black people are an oppressed group. For a very small part of modern history some suffered as slaves and it was terrible. We should be proud however that we are from the nation responsible for abolishing that trade.

OP if you are a dancer, you will have better spatial awareness than most. I have none, I am dyspraxic. Most people will be somewhere on the continuim between me and you but few will be as good as you

@AliceMaforethought As a Londoner who also has done a lot of dancing, an awful lot of people have dreadful spatial awareness here!

I'm white but find men are generally more polite. Although young men are less polite than middle aged or older men.

assuming as an ex dancing you have superior spatial awareness

I definitely do!

I do. I found it hilarious that the poster thought I didn't. Do people not know what skillsets dance uses? It has been actually very very useful in my general life, I can read body language incredibly well (I've been dancing since I was three)

Of course you do. You wouldn't last long as a dancer if you didn't. I have to imagine that that poster has two left feet and is proud of it.