A Crash Course in Feminism Mk. II (or, why everyone should be a feminist)

[daboarder]

Just have to say, as a guy who actually respects women, has stood up for them often, all that, it makes me dislike the movement when they throw all men under the bus with an attitude. Especially the ones who don't consider the other side of things, and would respond to my answers to the above my calling me a liar or claiming I'm missing some point or otherwise trying to invalidate my responses because God forbid someone might not agree with them, especially a dirty, awful male.



What's the issue with acetone? I've used that multiple times in the past to get superglue off figures.

Firstly, brilliant responses, of course that will just reinforce the idea that your an misogynist though, sorry.

Secondly, queue the copy pasted responses about how not just being fine with all men being thrown under the bus also makes you an misogynist
Or the one where eldargal comes in and posts "NOT ALL MEN" like she's doing you a favour or something rather than just not being a dick about someone else's gender.

And as to chemicals affecting sperm, Morgrim, I was under the impression that because the sperm still needs to reach the egg, and given that there are millions of the flipping little things (baring chemicals that lower sperm count) that even if some are affected by the chemicals its less likely to impact the fetus. All this being said of course a person should be entirely aware of what the chemicals they are working with and around could be doing to them. MSDS's FTW!

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I wonder if Germans have the #notall****s whenever anyone mentions the Holocaust or if they are profoundly apologetic of the actions carried out by people they are loosely connected to.

If you read history there is a trend of the same sentiment, but its more like "not all Germans".

One example of history softening the rough edges on a german WW2 leader is Erwin Rommel, dude was as deep as it gets in the **** part, but because he was respected by his men and his opponents and ultimately assassinated by hitler his inclusion in that group is always down played

But then I suppose you'd be totally ok with walking up to Albert Einstein and ranting about all Germans being scumbags, safe in the belief that he should be belittled and subjected to what you personally object too, just because he is German.

[Erik Setzer]

oh of course, because you personally don't see those questions applying to you, then clearly they are not actually real issues at all. idiot.

No. It's because they are NOT real issues, "idiot." There *are* real issues out there, but people instead seek to find the dumbest things to complain about, because they are, to use your own term, idiots.

I answered the questions properly. They did apply. The thing is, I didn't take offense to those situations, because I don't have to validate myself by taking offense at every little thing and claiming the world is against me. You can choose to play the victim and whine and moan and call others idiots for not agreeing with stupid, childish behavior. I choose not to. Someone makes beefed-up male characters? I won't play them, if I can help it. Someone asks me to let them know I got home okay? I appreciate their caring about me. Cheerleaders are mostly female so people note the male ones as male but not the female ones as female? I understand it's a female dominated hobby/profession. A show that talks about topics tailored to women has an all women cast? Yeah, I call it a women's show. A show that talks about topics tailored to men has an all men cast? Yeah, I call it a men's show.

You want equality, cool, I will treat you no different than anyone else... which means I'll call you out for being offensive, rude, and whiny. You think someone caring about you is bad? You suck as a person. That's not a real problem, except that you are a sociopath. I will call it like it is. You want to take offense? I don't care. I'm being honest. I know that's a horrible word in today's politicized world, but frankly I'm sick of people pitting men against women, black against white, Muslim against Christian, business owners against employees. You are hatemongers. Seriously! You love hate! You loathe love. You think loving someone is offensive. No surprise, then, that you would be so invested in helping drive a division in people, rather than seeking to use love to unite people.

You are not a victim, except of your own making. If you want to free yourself from the prison you put yourself in, I'll be happy to welcome you into the world. If you choose to cage yourself with your hate and self-pity, don't whine about it, or at the very least, don't expect me to be nice about it when you insult me for pointing out what it is. To think I should be is just being an idiot.

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And as to chemicals affecting sperm, Morgrim, I was under the impression that because the sperm still needs to reach the egg, and given that there are millions of the flipping little things (baring chemicals that lower sperm count) that even if some are affected by the chemicals its less likely to impact the fetus. All this being said of course a person should be entirely aware of what the chemicals they are working with and around could be doing to them. MSDS's FTW!

Only one can be the "winner," and if the "winner" happens to be the one that's messed up... that's not good. But then, the same could be said about a number of situations. There's no guarantee ever that the "winner" egg and/or sperm will be the best ones. That said, it's best to take care of yourself just in case, if you want to have kids at some point and want the best chance at a (relatively) normal child. So, yeah, maybe keep the acetone away from your junk.

[daboarder]

Only one can be the "winner," and if the "winner" happens to be the one that's messed up... that's not good. But then, the same could be said about a number of situations. There's no guarantee ever that the "winner" egg and/or sperm will be the best ones. That said, it's best to take care of yourself just in case, if you want to have kids at some point and want the best chance at a (relatively) normal child. So, yeah, maybe keep the acetone away from your junk.

its more breathing that stuff, but yeah, not great. Lucky for me I just need to wash my stuff with nice safe chemicals like Piranha and Aqua Regia.

[Erik Setzer]

I expect there's a wide range of feelings on that subject... every single person on Earth is connected to a country or people that have done (or continue to do) terrible things, they just have the bad fortune of it being recent.

One half of my family's lineage is mostly German, the other is mostly English. It makes it harder to take just one side in all of that. But there isn't a side to take, really. The German people got screwed over post-WWI, thought Hitler might do them right, found out he was a maniac after he made sure they couldn't do anything about it, was going about killing Jews and gays which all the other Europeans were cool with, then decided to start a war, which they didn't care for. The Brits bombed civilians just to get Germany to bomb civilians instead of RAF. The Allies launched a terrorist attack on Germany and obliterated two Japanese cities and left the survivors a mess. And then Israel was created to shove all the Jews into in the hopes that the Arabs would just kill them all in a war, which obviously failed (people should really stop discounting Jews... preferably after they stop hating them, first). Eventually gay people started getting treated like people, too, but that's taken a while.

That's the horrible thing about the Holocaust... Europe wouldn't have given a damn if Hitler had just not attacked anyone. Oh sure, they might eventually publicly say it's awful, but privately they'd have cheered it on, because Europe as a whole was pretty bad about Jews, blacks, gay people, and other groups.

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its more breathing that stuff, but yeah, not great. Lucky for me I just need to wash my stuff with nice safe chemicals like Piranha and Aqua Regia.

Ah. I immerse my hands, didn't breathe it much. Finally learned elbow-length gloves are best.

One would hope they have masks for working around that stuff...

[daboarder]

no, no masks its the second most common solvent in labs

[Charon]

oh of course, because you personally don't see those questions applying to you, then clearly they are not actually real issues at all. idiot.

It is not that that "we" do not see issues here. It is more that this is a perfect demonstration of issues happening in BOTH directions but somehow one "side" does not spend a second thinking that these very things also happen to males a lot.
Best example is:

Would u be comfortable w only women weighing in on the debate about your productive organs? Or proposing policy/law re: it? #QuestionsForMen

The most honest answer would be: I do not know because I never had ANY rights/weight about my part of the reproductive cycle and policy/law is just asking "who pays for the kis"

[Mr Mystery]

If you discount anti-abortion laws, you're spot on.

There are few laws, if any that relate directly to what I can and can't do with my twig and berries after all.

[Charon]

If you discount anti-abortion laws, you're spot on.

There are few laws, if any that relate directly to what I can and can't do with my twig and berries after all.

Depends on the country.
Also if you want to have the child but the woman does not, there is nothing you can do.
Other way round. If you don't want the child but the woman does, there is only one thing you are allowed to: pay upkeep.

It does not matter in which direction you lean, this point will never be equal. No chance. There is no (juridical) solution that is fair for everyone.
I lean towards "it is her body, so she has the last word" but then again I am always amazed how the males side on this is discarded as a "non issue".

[Erik Setzer]

There are few laws, if any that relate directly to what I can and can't do with my twig and berries after all.

Eh... I'm not really sure about that. There's an obscene number of laws out there, and I'd bet there's more than anyone realizes with relation to twigs and berries or whatever the similar metaphorical name for lady bits is.

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Also if you want to have the child but the woman does not, there is nothing you can do.
Other way round. If you don't want the child but the woman does, there is only one thing you are allowed to: pay upkeep.

It does not matter in which direction you lean, this point will never be equal. No chance. There is no (juridical) solution that is fair for everyone.
I lean towards "it is her body, so she has the last word" but then again I am always amazed how the males side on this is discarded as a "non issue".

This is my problem... The old default like "It's my body" will only work right up until science can just let the kid grow outside of a body. Then what? How could anyone have a right to destroy the child once it's no longer inside the woman? The child can't exist without sperm from a man, so some part of that child came from a man. And outside of any kind of non-consenting sex, I don't understand how people can act like a guy should get no say in the child he helped create, just because he doesn't have the organs to carry the child himself.

But then, personally, I'd rather men and women both show more responsibility and either get themselves some birth control or, if they can't afford that, don't have sex. If you want to have sex, accept that its sole purpose is to create children, so you are likely to end up with a child. If you don't want a child, don't perform the biological act that exists for that specific purpose. But people argue they should have a right to engage in reproductive activities as much as possible and be able to just kill the offspring if it happens, rather than keeping it in their pants. Meh.

But that's never going to happen. Society has been taught that sex is some prize to attain in a relationship, something to do for fun, something to be carefree about, without regard for the fact it exists to create a human life, and if you do it, there's a chance you'll create a human life. They ignore that last bit, give in to the carnal urges that society has shoved into them with sex, sex, sex everywhere all the time, and then when inevitably a sperm meets an egg and a kid is born, they don't want to deal with the consequences of actions they chose to engage in. Thanks a lot, society. Especially the marketers.

[Mr Mystery]

And compare to the other well established and documented issues women face in a male dominated world?

Even when it comes to contraception, the onus is on the woman not to get pregnant. Available methods show that.

Men? Jubber Rays or Vasectomy are it. Just the two options, and culturally we're told Dunkies are kind of optional.

Women? Off the top of my head.... The pill, the morning after pill, the coil, diaphragm, tubes cut, implant. Three of those muck about with the natural biology of the woman, and are not without risk because of that.

Onus is clearly 'don't get pregnant' rather than 'don't impregnate'

As a man, if you don't want to have kids.....don't sleep around. If you're in a relationship where you and your partner are diametrically opposed on the issue of sprogs, that is not a relationship you should be in, because it's bound to go horribly wrong any way.

More culture. Single Dads - noble, wise. Clearly they fought for their kids. Single mums? Dirty sluts who should have kept their legs closed and clearly only had the kid(s) to leech off the state, the whore.

The trick is not to see your life as free of hurdles. That's foolish and untrue. We all have them. But a white man in western society has far, far fewer. Indeed perhaps unfairly, I consider white males who have failed to make anything of their lives particularly pathetic creatures for squandering the advantages handed to them by dint of birth. We may not have it all, but like or not it is our world to rule.

Take me. Mid thirties, good job, excellent prospects. I'm strong, I'm independent. Yay. Well done me. Except..... I'm a young(ish) White male. I'm also 6'3", reasonably good looking, blue eyed, above average intelligence. In short, ever since I left school, nobody has habitually stood in my way. Sure some have crossed my path for peculiar reasons, but there is nothing culturally out to get me. The only thing to have ever held me back? Was me. That particular realisation was odd. I am the master of my own destiny, and ever since I twigged, I've put a boot up my own arse and just crashed on.

And I want that for everyone. Makle, female, trans, cis, gay, bi, lesbian, straight, black, white, brown, Asian, green, blue, right wing, left wing. Religious, agnostic or atheist.

I want freedom of choice for all. I've had that all my life - just took me a while to realise the bad decisions were mine and mine alone.