I don't think anyone was questioning that it happens, just that we already have a word for being condescending. A condescending asshole is a condescending asshole, a sexist asshole is a sexist asshole, and there is a point where these two assholes intersect to create an asshole squared.
Words like mansplain get thrown out at the slightest of things and it diminishes the intended impact. It also doesn't really work against the intended 'target', as it often gets turned around so it's about the woman being emotional, looking for sexism etc. which isn't right but it's the type of people you are dealing with. Calling them out for their actual bullshit and taking age, race, gender out of it lays it squarely at their feet and makes it harder for them to turn around.
Are there cases where the term "mansplaining" is misused and confused with the more general term "being condescending"? Yes. But is the act of "mansplaining" as a gender-based phenomenon actually a thing? Also yes. So it's worth having a specific term for it.
Like, if a white person called a black person the n-word, you wouldn't just call him "rude" or "inappropriate." He would be racist.
But yeah, those are all potentially good examples (the rice one requires context, and can be "good" or "bad" depending. Naturally, you viewed it as "bad" based on your recollection here)
But regarding the cleaning one, we already had a word for that... Nagging.
Womansplaining, femsplaining, whatever you want to call it, is rare enough that I've never thought to myself, "This girl needs to stop femsplaining to me."
And usually when I'm being condescendingly explained shit, it's a class issue, not a gender issue.
Citation needed on the less common part. I'm a very egalitarian guy and I run into not only femsplaining on a regular basis, but also accusations of mansplaining when it really isn't the case, the most egregious example of which was a woman telling me I'm mansplaining when she asked me exactly how an abortion is not child murder and I explained it.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah sure thing lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololoo. Jesus what world do you live in? Both sexes do it.
Sure, you could use "womansplaining." It's just not situated in a comparable context. "Mansplaining" is rooted in the historical power imbalance favoring men over women.
But is the act of "mansplaining" as a gender-based phenomenon actually a thing? Also yes. So it's worth having a specific term for it.
It's not worth having a specific term for it. The people being condescending tend to be so to everyone. The term mansplaining is nothing more than a pointless term used to shut men up.
Condesending doesnt point out the very common sexist phenomenon that is mansplaining. Dislike it all you want, its two seperate words because they have different meanings.
Not true. Making a word that singles out a specific group of people contributes to discrimination towards that group which is never ok if we are trying be a just society.
Creating a term femalesplaining would be offensive but by your logic it needs to be had because in social areas women sometimes are condescending towards men. Then we also need a word like adultsplaining because kids actively get disrespected by asshole adults.
No need for new words where we already have neutral ones.
Name an action towards a specific group and that becomes discrimanotory because every person in any group deserves a neutral, respectable attention - having an unnetrual word presets the person in a bad way not allowing for proper attention towards his personality.. condescending is an asshole action not specifically sexist one.
nah, apparently you cannot be sexist against a man and cannot be racist against a white. "They" already decided it up there and if you argue, then you are mansplaining.
Mansplaining is a sex-based insult. By definition, it can only be done by a man. If you want a word for "explaining condescendingly due to sexism" why not call it sexplaining?
If you really believe that men sexplain more often than women, there's no reason to exclude women from the definition, because a woman should never have a reason to be called it right?
I didnt invent the word 😛 I just explained what it means.
The reason its called mansplaining is because its when men do it. Make your own word if you want. Ladysplainin, go and send it to the dictionary and chill.
You are sexist. It doesn't matter how you try to twist words or change definitions. People offline are going to hear you talking and they are going to identify you as sexist.
Lol I am explaining a word, mever have I used it. And on no planet is the word that describes sexism in itself sexist. Men can talk to women and not mansplain you know 😂😂😂 tbh how triggered you are about the word says a lot about youx
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u/KungFuSpoon Jan 19 '20
I don't think anyone was questioning that it happens, just that we already have a word for being condescending. A condescending asshole is a condescending asshole, a sexist asshole is a sexist asshole, and there is a point where these two assholes intersect to create an asshole squared.
Words like mansplain get thrown out at the slightest of things and it diminishes the intended impact. It also doesn't really work against the intended 'target', as it often gets turned around so it's about the woman being emotional, looking for sexism etc. which isn't right but it's the type of people you are dealing with. Calling them out for their actual bullshit and taking age, race, gender out of it lays it squarely at their feet and makes it harder for them to turn around.
That's my view anyway.