Yeah, I think you're right that it does infantilize them. But I think that's maybe more of an unintended consequence? Or--well, if you have a predator in your midst, you want to both placate him (by praise) and make him less dangerous (by infantilizing), right? Not that I think that women consciously think either thing, but they don't HAVE to, because culture thinks it for them. You know what I mean?
It's a protective measure, in other words, like all femininity. That's my take.
Recently on Pandagon there was a post about how some female journalist was all yelling at the MEEN FEMNISTS for picking on menz all the time, you know? We have such high expectations of men, this journalist complained; we're so hard on them! This Lady Journalist then laid out how men just can't help being idiots, how they just can't cope with housework and treating women like humans and all that, and how women should be patient with them.
The Pandagon writer countered, dryly, with, "Yeah. Feminists just hate men. We hate men so much, in fact, that we think they're full human beings and expect them to act as such." OH SNAP.
Yeah, I think LJ allows for the possibility of gender-neutralness because we don't usually sign our posts and comments. Maybe in e-groups it's different because we often do, so we actually have the info.
I've seen lesbian ladies be totally groovin' on the Patriarchy without even realizing it, sadly, but it DOES seem like it's not a common thing. Thank the lard. But yeah, all that sexist stuff is awful insidious.
no subject
It's a protective measure, in other words, like all femininity. That's my take.
Recently on Pandagon there was a post about how some female journalist was all yelling at the MEEN FEMNISTS for picking on menz all the time, you know? We have such high expectations of men, this journalist complained; we're so hard on them! This Lady Journalist then laid out how men just can't help being idiots, how they just can't cope with housework and treating women like humans and all that, and how women should be patient with them.
The Pandagon writer countered, dryly, with, "Yeah. Feminists just hate men. We hate men so much, in fact, that we think they're full human beings and expect them to act as such." OH SNAP.
Yeah, I think LJ allows for the possibility of gender-neutralness because we don't usually sign our posts and comments. Maybe in e-groups it's different because we often do, so we actually have the info.
I've seen lesbian ladies be totally groovin' on the Patriarchy without even realizing it, sadly, but it DOES seem like it's not a common thing. Thank the lard. But yeah, all that sexist stuff is awful insidious.