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Why to be bothered: Because by strongly gendering arbitrary actions, you effectively do constrain people. You make it difficult for anyone to perform the actio

by emmett 17y ago

Why to be bothered: Because by strongly gendering arbitrary actions, you effectively do constrain people. You make it difficult for anyone to perform the action and still be considered masculine/feminine, when that action should have nothing to do with it. Not sure I think the gendering of changing car tires is really a terrible offense (or in need of change at all), but that would be the justification for why you should be bothered.

gamache 17y ago
Because by strongly gendering arbitrary actions, you effectively do constrain people. But what if it isn't me that's "gendering arbitrary actions" -- what if a majority of the gender itself is doing it?
marketer 17y ago
But some actions are inherently masculine or feminine, and there shouldn't be anything wrong that. A lot of these things are innate. Why are boys more likely to play with firetrucks and police cars? Why are auto mechanics overwhelmingly male? Men see a flat tire. It's a problem with a clear outcome. So they take action and solve it. I'm not saying that women can't do it. But I can see why it's something men are more inclined to do.
ahoyhere 17y ago
OK, everybody who's More Feminist Than Thou, let's back the truck up. There is a huge difference between... 1. Observing aggregate facts, or even trends, that say "Population Y doesn't do X much," and commenting on them. 2. Extrapolating from those aggregate facts/trends, and saying to an individual (as opposed to an aggregate population), "You can't / shouldn't / won't / won't be good at x." There is a big, huge, fat, hairy difference between the two. And #1 is totally blameless, even innocent, and that's what's happening here. You can be angry that the facts show that more men than women know how to / will change a tire. But you should keep that anger to yourself and certainly you shouldn't blame somebody who points it out. Unless they are saying "And this goes to show, women are useless with cars!" Which the above poster isn't.

by emmett 17y ago

gamache 17y ago

Because by strongly gendering arbitrary actions, you effectively do constrain people. But what if it isn't me that's "gendering arbitrary actions" -- what if a majority of the gender itself is doing it?

marketer 17y ago

But some actions are inherently masculine or feminine, and there shouldn't be anything wrong that. A lot of these things are innate. Why are boys more likely to play with firetrucks and police cars? Why are auto mechanics overwhelmingly male? Men see a flat tire. It's a problem with a clear outcome. So they take action and solve it. I'm not saying that women can't do it. But I can see why it's something men are more inclined to do.

ahoyhere 17y ago

OK, everybody who's More Feminist Than Thou, let's back the truck up. There is a huge difference between... 1. Observing aggregate facts, or even trends, that say "Population Y doesn't do X much," and commenting on them. 2. Extrapolating from those aggregate facts/trends, and saying to an individual (as opposed to an aggregate population), "You can't / shouldn't / won't / won't be good at x." There is a big, huge, fat, hairy difference between the two. And #1 is totally blameless, even innocent, and that's what's happening here. You can be angry that the facts show that more men than women know how to / will change a tire. But you should keep that anger to yourself and certainly you shouldn't blame somebody who points it out. Unless they are saying "And this goes to show, women are useless with cars!" Which the above poster isn't.