37 year old man here

[BlueStahli]

Hello,

I'm a 37 year old male, married, with two children--a boy and a girl.

I've always had an issue with sexism. But only recently have I been delving headlong into it. I've been researching facts and studies, talking to people, getting opinions, and voicing my own views. In the process, I stumbled across this site. So I joined. I hope to learn much here. Needless to say, I'll be spending most of my time hanging out in the feminism forum.

My reasons for being here are three-fold:

1. I want facts! I want to know how sexism and discrimination have been measured/studied scientifically and what results have been found. I want to know what kinds of government policies and human rights have been instated (or removed) and where in the world this has happened. I'm tired of anecdotal stories and questioning how biased people's claims are and I feel I'm ready to take a position on more secure grounds--but I need to build those grounds first.

2. I feel I can contribute much to feminism by offering a man's perspective. I wear my heart of my sleeve and I'm not afraid to reveal personal information. But I also feel that if I'm going to give my perspective on certain issues, I'm going to have to earn the right to do it first (so you won't get it in my first post :)). I'm confident that I can do this in a constructive/non-offensive way, and if I ever do step out of line (never advertently), I'm open to being corrected. Ultimately, I feel that if two groups are trying to settle their differences, there's no better way than to hear the perspectives on both sides.

3. I've got issues! :) I really do! Like I said, I've always had issues with sexism, and lately I've been on a self-induced "therapy kick". I've been forcing myself to "get over it". Diving into the issue with other peopleother womenis how I'm doing it. I don't think I'll ever be "cured" of my issues, but if I'm going to be stuck with them, I figure I might as well have them for the right reasons (i.e. educating myself--as in #1 above).

So that's my spiel.

So first order of business: I'd like to ask if there are any males on this forum--particularly ones that frequent the feminism forum. I'd like to ask their advice on how a man conducts himself on a forum devote to moms and feminism.

Thanks :)

I must say I'm very impressed withgarlics...well I usually hesitate to use the word heroism but I feel I have to in this case, dusting

And incredibly concerned with the curtain fingering

Not sure that's very hygienic

I'm honoured, Rufus Excuse me, I have a hot date with a curtain.

Buffy, I copied your lunch for my dinner! Thanks.

Talking about frying pans is more fun than talking about/to men!

Back again, dagee?

Fingering curtains is definitely not hygienic, men wipe their nobs on them.

David Niven wouldn't do something like that.

Surely men wash their knobs in penis beakers, then dry them on the curtains? These technical details do matter.

I bet David Niven would have, he was apparently a bit of a goer. A gentlemanly goer, but a goer nonetheless.

Well I saw him in a film with Lauren Befall(sp) and all he did was smoke a cigarette through a holder and wear a paisley dressing gown.
Maybe you've seen the directors cut or something.

They were all goers in the old days. No paparazzi or Twitter to find them out.

lol, neil... As Abbie says, they were all goers back in the day, the newspapers were kept well away. However, I have some insider info about David Niven.

Do, tell, Puffins dahling.

If you want facts not regurgitated rhetoric I'd recommend The Factual Feminist www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLytTJqkSQqtr7BqC1Jf4nv3g2yDfu7Xmd

Or you could read something decent, like Cordelia Fine.

lol Abbie, a couple of members of my family were acquainted with him in the 40's. Nothing too shocking, certainly not by today's standards, but he was, as I said, a bit of a goer lol.

And yy to Cordelia Fine as opposed to some random person a believer in evopsych recommends.

Also this on the general necessity of dissent (as opposed to group think) for progress and democracy www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind?language=en

I think many have become so accustomed to freedom of speech they think it's a right not a hard won privilege that is always under threat

Women don't have freedom of speech. Well, not about issues that matter anyway. A woman exercising what she believes to be free speech is very quickly reminded by men and even some women that they need to just shut up.

We do have a level if free speech here, but even here we have random men coming to tell us to make them metaphorical sammiches.

It gets so dull when they do that. There's a whole site, an entire internet to go and annoy. Why come here and drool over this one board all the time?