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I believe that we're generally speaking advanced enough as a society that men and women are accepted as equals by a majority. That being given, when someone as

I believe that we're generally speaking advanced enough as a society that men and women are accepted as equals by a majority. That being given, when someone asks about gender or sex, I'm assuming that they are in fact interested in my biological properties, not my self-identification (which is/should be obvious).

DavidSJ 17y ago
Obvious face-to-face, maybe.
pbhj 17y ago
Men and women are not equal and never will be.
- lionhearted 17y ago
  I'm surprised you haven't been downmodded unto oblivion - your idea is quite unpopular these days. Perhaps even "What You Can't Say" unpopular territory: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html A Harvard President lost his job over remarks similar to what you just made. And yet, we could observe that in aggregate, men and women have different hormone balances, biochemistry, reproductive systems, feel different degrees of different emotions, account for very different sorts and frequencies of crime, purchase very different products and services, and so on and so forth. So yes, while you are factually correct in many ways, I am surprised you are still standing. The idea is not a pleasant one to most people. Perhaps because it can too easily be carried too far, or misapplied, or that the generalization will be mis-applied to a particular individual who will be offended, and certainly our society puts a very high premium on not offending anyone. Or maybe I am off in my thinking, but truth aside, I remain surprised that you have not piled on for making such a comment.
  - olliesaunders 17y ago
    I think you greatly exaggerate the taboo here. I've spoken with men and women about issues of gender inequality. Men and women are not identical, there are situations when they should not be treated the same. I think it's a shame people incorrectly treat them the same because of fear of being labelled sexist where there are generally differences in behavioural preferences between men and women, most obviously when you observe body language. There are very reliable statistics that show pay discrepancies in the favour of men. For discussion of that to be taboo would be very bad.
WinterAyars 17y ago
"(which is/should be obvious)" Not always as obvious as you might think! It's the exceptions that are important, here. Shouldn't your biology actually be more obvious than your gender? I mean, being somewhat of a devil's advocate here.

DavidSJ 17y ago

Obvious face-to-face, maybe.

pbhj 17y ago

Men and women are not equal and never will be.

lionhearted 17y ago
I'm surprised you haven't been downmodded unto oblivion - your idea is quite unpopular these days. Perhaps even "What You Can't Say" unpopular territory: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html A Harvard President lost his job over remarks similar to what you just made. And yet, we could observe that in aggregate, men and women have different hormone balances, biochemistry, reproductive systems, feel different degrees of different emotions, account for very different sorts and frequencies of crime, purchase very different products and services, and so on and so forth. So yes, while you are factually correct in many ways, I am surprised you are still standing. The idea is not a pleasant one to most people. Perhaps because it can too easily be carried too far, or misapplied, or that the generalization will be mis-applied to a particular individual who will be offended, and certainly our society puts a very high premium on not offending anyone. Or maybe I am off in my thinking, but truth aside, I remain surprised that you have not piled on for making such a comment.
- olliesaunders 17y ago
  I think you greatly exaggerate the taboo here. I've spoken with men and women about issues of gender inequality. Men and women are not identical, there are situations when they should not be treated the same. I think it's a shame people incorrectly treat them the same because of fear of being labelled sexist where there are generally differences in behavioural preferences between men and women, most obviously when you observe body language. There are very reliable statistics that show pay discrepancies in the favour of men. For discussion of that to be taboo would be very bad.

WinterAyars 17y ago

"(which is/should be obvious)" Not always as obvious as you might think! It's the exceptions that are important, here. Shouldn't your biology actually be more obvious than your gender? I mean, being somewhat of a devil's advocate here.