tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post539884994463791087..comments2023-10-19T20:24:30.761+08:00Comments on Orpheus Sings the Guitar Electric: REBECCA SOLNIT | Men Who Explain Thingsdarkorpheushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02565452271408221461noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-5227519112755677572008-04-28T01:48:00.000+08:002008-04-28T01:48:00.000+08:00Yogamum I think every woman has more than their fa...<B>Yogamum</B> I think every woman has more than their fair share of stories like this. They probably also know quite a number of men who loves to pontificate. <BR/><BR/>It happens everywhere. <BR/><BR/>My boss is one who loves to hold court. Oh, what a prick he is. I respect him for his capability, but he is still a pompous jerk.darkorpheushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565452271408221461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-50027612454691560152008-04-28T01:35:00.000+08:002008-04-28T01:35:00.000+08:00This took me back to a conversation I had with a p...This took me back to a conversation I had with a philosophy professor in college. His standard cocktail party question was "Why do you think there aren't many women in philosophy?" Whatever answer you came up with, he would proceed to shoot down as wrong. I wished I could say, "Because philosophy is full of obnoxious, argumentative men" but I never got up the guts! <BR/><BR/>Why do men feel the need to pontificate? Sheesh.Yogamumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02736784200874589271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-18159571999605860922008-04-27T20:50:00.000+08:002008-04-27T20:50:00.000+08:00Nymeth You're right. It's so ingrained that we oft...<B>Nymeth</B> You're right. It's so ingrained that we often do these things without realising it's wrong. So sometimes when we bring it up, people actually think you're crazy or over-reacting.darkorpheushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565452271408221461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-6118910813925732392008-04-27T03:43:00.000+08:002008-04-27T03:43:00.000+08:00"When I was very young, my mother would make me he..."When I was very young, my mother would make me help out with the housework. I asked why did I have to help, when my brother did not. It is not fair. My mother's million dollar answer?<BR/><BR/>"Because he is a boy.""<BR/><BR/>This happened in my house as well. And my mother was not raised in a particularly conservative manner, and if you asked her, she'd probably tell you she was all for equality between men and women. And yet things like this still surface. There are many people who do and say certain things without even realizing how discriminatory they are.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for sharing the link to the essay. And thank you for this post.Ana S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16092495983972185943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-15864873928945068982008-04-27T01:55:00.000+08:002008-04-27T01:55:00.000+08:00Stefanie Thank you. After I posted it, I realised ...<B>Stefanie</B> Thank you. After I posted it, I realised it was really long.<BR/><BR/>Your dad sounds cool -- but I don't get the skateboard are allowed but not basketball. Basketball teaches teamwork and hand-eye coordination.<BR/><BR/>Your dad is definitely right on this count: Girls are better than boys. They are more sensitive and they smell better.<BR/><BR/><B>Gartenfische</B> Thank you. And oh yes, I cannot recommend Rebecca Solnit's books enough. She is a great essayist -- and I love how she makes connections and leaps of thoughts so effectively in her writing.<BR/><BR/><B>Dorothy</B> I knew I had to post the Solnit essay the moment I read it. Things has improved from our parent's time of course, but it's still not perfect.darkorpheushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565452271408221461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-28335895730098286662008-04-26T07:02:00.000+08:002008-04-26T07:02:00.000+08:00I love that Solnit essay (and all of Solnit's writ...I love that Solnit essay (and all of Solnit's writing, in fact). Sadly these messed-up gender dynamics still exist and we need to be reminded of just how messed up they are now and then.Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-24445504440686502612008-04-26T05:17:00.000+08:002008-04-26T05:17:00.000+08:00Great post. I do resent how feminism has been tur...Great post. I do resent how feminism has been turned into a dirty word because at the root of it, it's about respect and equality, not about women pretending to be men.<BR/><BR/>I love Solnit's anecdote. I'm going to have to check out her books (add yet more to my ever-growing pile).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15914227.post-10621651917796985142008-04-26T04:04:00.000+08:002008-04-26T04:04:00.000+08:00What a fantastic post. Thanks for the link to the ...What a fantastic post. Thanks for the link to the article too, I will read it forthwith. I got lucky with my family of two girls. While my mom was very supportive, for the most part, it was from her that I heard I couldn't do things because I am a girl. But then my dad would ignore her and take me and my sister out to go get ice cream and we'd come home with skateboards. My dad always told his friends who felt sorry for him because he had no sons that his girls were better than boys. But yet, he never allowed us to have a basketball hoop because it was a boy's game. Go figure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com