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

[FastidiaBlueberry]

I think this article explains quite well, the concept of mansplaining and why it's so bloody irritating.

It's often said that it's "explaining something while being a man". Not quite.

Happy reading.

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/08/problem-men-explaining-things-rebecca-solnit

Beachcomber Wed 29-Aug-12 11:41:09
Thanks OneMoreChap for the link. Now we need one on 'cis scum'. Non?

Didn't say I agreed with the poster in that link.

Wasn't SCUM a back formation from the (satirical?) Society for Cutting Up Men?
I was never really sure if it was genuine, but certainly used to finger-point at some feminists, so I suspect if genuine it was hijacked anyway.

Explaining? Why do you do that? I was politely answering a question!

She has the privilege of being my mum, having my love and respect and having been a parent longer than me. Between me and her, the privilege is ALL hers. If I try to pull the male superiority thing on her, it would not be pretty.

In my incredibly humble opinion, you want to pin a phenomenon of men being rude or ignorant simply down to them being men. Some of us are saying it is a far more widespread and complex problem than that, and that like my mum, they abuse a position of respect or privilege that they have to get their point over.

And there I go, explaining again....flipping heck, what am I like?!?

OneMoreChap

Written by the Valerie Solanas who also shot andy Warhol

"I like radsplaining, though. "

Erm.. if only it made sense....

Yes! No matter who, where or what you are, become a radfem and your whole life up til then will have been privileged over the non-be-radfemmed.

That's good to hear SGM.

Better late than never I suppose. Perhaps they decided it was bad for their site/traffic/reputation. Or something.

'SigmundFraude "And you're rude."

I think its quite rude to take the p*ss out of what someone is saying when you haven't actually grasped it. Especially when it was explained upthread.'

I know what you are saying Food Unit, I understand, I comprehend. I know you believe that mansplaining is a valid term with special connotations.

'It feels like you just want to joke with the boys as women's expense.'

Oh yes, I'm just desperate for acceptance by men.

'Although understandable given males' higher social status and the advantages associating in their camp,

Did you actually just type that? You're funny.

'its still rude- especially in a feminist/women's rights context.'

I am a woman, with rights. We are at the same privilege level, although I'm broke (unless you're more broke, which is unlikely, cos I'm really broke), so you probably have more privilege. Which then, by your reckoning, means you should check your privilege and apologise for having a go at me.

Namechangeguy - when I said 'thanks for explaining' I meant it with no sarcasm or snideness.

I was just thanking you for having a go at answering my question. And I replied to you in good faith explaining why I disagreed with you.

I wasn't accusing you of mansplaining so sorry if that was how it read. I just typed 'explaining' like I could have typed 'replying' or 'answering'. Bad word choice considering the thread - shake?

So, is transexuality part of a patriachal myth, then? With reference to cisplaining?

The irony of men mansplainin' mansplain hasn't gone unnoticed either

What men?

The Ultimate Irony here is women mansplaining "mansplaining" to other women and then getting huffy when the other women object to being "mansplained" to.

And in the process proving the lie to the assertion that women can't mansplaln, of course...

Beach, apologies, I misunderstood too. Have a on me.

Is the issue that from some feminist theory, men have engendered privilege (game settings on easy) and thus can't speak knowledgeably to the issues experienced by the less privileged.

I think it is a very interesting idea, hence my link, but am interested about the hackles that cissplaining seemed to raise. The feminist movement as a whole seems to go through regular shifts - but then as an external observer you would possibly expect me to say that.

Cheers namechangeguy.

Have a

( joke )

'Being labelled by others with a word that erases your personal lived experience is offensive.'

So very, very true. And applicable to so many people and situations.

"I am a woman, with rights. We are at the same privilege level, although I'm broke (unless you're more broke, which is unlikely, cos I'm really broke), so you probably have more privilege. Which then, by your reckoning, means you should check your privilege and apologise for having a go at me."

I don't know how broke we are in relation to each other - how often do you see the luxury of £0 as your bottom line? But thats by the by and not what its about.

I don't really want to have a go at you, I just felt your 'women can't mansplain therefore women can't whitesplain, straightsplain, poshsplain, etc' was being deliberately obtuse - all for a joke, which is pretty rude IMO.

The problem many feminists have with 'cis' is that it doesn't simply mean 'not trans'. It comes from the Latin prefix 'cis-' meaning 'on the same side', the idea being that your physical sex and internal gender identity are 'on the same side'. Many feminists believe that there's no such thing as a natural gender identity - gender is a hierarchy imposed upon us by the patriarchy. So to accept the term 'cis' makes a nonsense of my beliefs about gender.

Being labelled by others with a word that erases your personal lived experience is offensive.

So from my 'privileged' position, I understand that.
Note, I didn't choose that word.

'I don't really want to have a go at you, I just felt your 'women can't mansplain therefore women can't whitesplain, straightsplain, poshsplain, etc' was being deliberately obtuse - all for a joke, which is pretty rude IMO.'

I didn't say that.

One More Chap, as an aside, SCUM were, back in the day, the Scottish Council of Unmarried Mothers. The name being chosen to be deliberately ironic.