Female posters incapable of original thought?

Originally posted by Jenna


That was neither the purpose nor the topic of the thread, as I'm sure you are well aware. What I have to wonder is if you disapprove of the the thread topic so much, why are you keeping it alive by nit-picking about the title and the imaginary purpose you've come up with?

Originally posted by Jenna
Over the years since I first joined ATS, something has been bothering me. There seems to be a persistent belief that women are somehow incapable of understanding some issues or that they should essentially know their place. This isn’t an opinion voiced by all male posters, nor is it my intention to imply such a thing, but it has been voiced on occasion and it typically shows up in the middle of an otherwise civil discussion. What I’d like to understand is why this view is held at all. How did it come about? Why, in this day and age, is it still held at all?

I’ve never considered myself to be much of a feminist, though I suppose this thread would indicate otherwise. I don’t believe that women are oppressed (not any more anyway), that we are victimized or exploited by men daily, or that women are in any way the superior sex. Nor do I believe that we should need to prove ourselves anymore than a man does in order to be taken seriously. I’m not out to demonize all men or call them all sexist pigs, though I’m sure someone will inevitably post without fully reading what I’m saying and claim that I am. In my mind, gender is not an indication of intelligence or worth and no one gender has a monopoly on either. Men and women are equal, different but equal. But I digress, back to the topic at hand.

Literature, mythology, and folklore from virtually every part of the globe contains tales of women who were fierce in battle, leaders of armies, revered leaders of their people, heroines, goddesses of war, etc. Women were not always seen as weak, helpless, and incapable of intelligent thought. This seems to be a relatively new development in the history of mankind. One that I find irritating in general, but significantly more so on a website such as this where we all come to discuss and learn.

As much as I’d like to do otherwise, I’ll refrain from providing direct quotes to avoid pointing fingers at any one poster. The comments that I’m referring to either flat out state or infer that:

• Women are incapable of understanding an issue so complex as the one being discussed;
  
• They should stick to neutral topics where they will be better capable of contributing;
  
• Men in a group will each speak their own mind, women in a group will just develop mind-think and agree with the majority because they have no individual opinions;
  
• Women cannot have an independent/rational/correct thought without first having it explained to them by a man;
  
• Claims of sexism are unfounded because women irrationally believe that everything is a conspiracy against them.
  

That’s to say nothing of the rest of the sexist comments one can find here with a quick google search. My focus for this thread though isn’t sexism in general, but the mistaken belief that being female makes someone incapable of original thought and/or incapable of understanding a topic put forth for discussion. What is it that has caused some posters to believe that's true? More importantly, why is it brought up mid-discussion in an attempt to invalidate and demean female posters for doing nothing more than discussing the topic at hand?

Originally posted by Wobbly Anomaly
Of course i'm aware that the thread was not meant to do anything other than to re-affirm that females are just as worthy as males, even if there is a minority that wont accept it.

Thats why i'm following the thread too, i dont disapprove, i find the subject of what sets humans apart from the rest of nature and how we view ourselves and create stereotypes and mental molds for our experiences to be one of the most interesting subjects there is.

Originally posted by galadofwarthethird
reply to post by orangetom1999

 

You know it might be true abouth fine hair or it could be they shave more often, since men dont regularly do the finer smaller hair just hasent had time to grow its in a state of constantly being removed. But still if you take a female and male and dont let them shave for a couple of months to a year who will have more hair.

Some men may just be afraid of a woman getting the better of them, in a intellectual debate, so they end up going onto the offensive.