20h ago

Snakes

228 comments

I think the point is that people who say (shout) "Not All Men" are usually frustratingly insensitive and the thought of throwing them into a snake pit is fun. We know it's not all men, we aren't stupid, but we also know that even 1% would be one percent too many to feel safe alone with a stranger (and, unfortunately, statistics suggest harassment is certainly more than 1%!).
Well, most people aren't that stupid. There's a few who are, but I don't think they'd be posting here, lol.
That said, reading the comments, I get why some are offended even though being male is the privileged class in this comparison (after all, I don't feel afraid to walk home at 1am). Men are fucked by the patriarchy, told to repress their emotions, degrade people who break from masculinity, and so forth. But instead of saying "you're being sexist against men," please try to think of the systemic problems that led to that X% of assholes who make it unsafe for a woman (or POC, LGBTQ, etc) to walk alone on a street in America.
- after all, I don't feel afraid to walk home at 1am
  That is not because you are part of a "class". It might be your fully personal thing, it depends on your previous experiences, it depends on where you live or go (and this can also be an expression of being in a privileged social class), etc.
  Depending on where I go, I do not feel safe walking alone all the time. I do not consider being sexually assaulted among the possibilities, but instead perhaps being mugged, or be bothered by someone looking for trouble or wanting to feel "alpha male" (as someone who grew up in rough neighborhoods, this is way too common during teen years).
  I really don't understand where this idea that males have the privilege of going outside without ever worrying about anything comes from. I have seen it multiple times in discussions around this topic.
  
  There can be multiple factors, we call it intersectionality. You're feeling unsafe because of social class or nationality or another factor. That does not mean you do not benefit from being male in a world ultimately built around men. That's why people use the term privilege, since you have at least one advantage (others could include health, straightness, etc). And fortunately it's less of an advantage today than it was a hundred years ago.
  And that's not to say life is perfect under that category-- I literally just mentioned some men's issues. I'm just not exactly worried about someone stalking or kidnapping me over it.
  
  You're feeling unsafe because of social class or nationality or another factor.
  Not in this case. I just do not feel safe because crime exists, and I can become a victim roughly as much as anybody else (probably slightly less than an elder person, in some cases for example). Some other people might have additional worries (like being attacked for racial motives), of course.
  That does not mean you do not benefit from being male in a world ultimately built around men.
  Which is something I have never claimed. What I challenged is the view that such privilege materializes in being able to roam free and fearless everywhere and whenever.
  I'm just not exactly worried about someone stalking or kidnapping me over it.
  Of course, there might be a qualitative difference in which worries I have vs someone else, but the original comment suggested "not worrying", which I find it absolutely unrealistic.

228 comments