Benevolent sexism

[onejayhawk]

This is not oxymoronic. Here is a paper covering the subject: http://pwq.sagepub.com/content/21/1/119

An example would be where a parent tells a daughter that she is a little princess. The theme is endemic in cinema targeting preteen audiences. See also party costuming.

There is strong evidence to support the position that this is helpful in forming a well rounded self image. For example, father's tell daughters they are beautiful when they are not sexy. Mothers are much more inclined to equate beauty and sex appeal. Both attitudes are sexist. The first is much healthier. Hence "benevolent" sexism.

J

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Another example...I once told a woman who was glaring at me in a parking lot that if a man gave me that look it would very quickly be coming out his ear hole. Despite having been raised on a firm footing of gender equity it is unlikely that I would have beaten her to a pulp where a man would have been on extremely dangerous ground at that point.

Benevolent sexism.

 

[squadbroken]

Another example...I once told a woman who was glaring at me in a parking lot that if a man gave me that look it would very quickly be coming out his ear hole. Despite having been raised on a firm footing of gender equity it is unlikely that I would have beaten her to a pulp where a man would have been on extremely dangerous ground at that point.

Benevolent sexism.

Yes, threatening women is definitely benevolent

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Yes, threatening women is definitely benevolent

I considered it 'socializing' her. Glaring at people can have negative consequences. Apparently no one had taught her that when she was younger. Men who aren't taught that need to have it benevolently explained to them as well, and I would have done the same for a man under the same circumstances, just with slight variation in language.

 

[de Maistre]

Both forms of sexism serve to justify and maintain patriarchy and traditional gender roles.

It doesn't sound as though they're in favour of benevolent sexism, they're merely differentiating between overt misogyny and the more backhanded stuff.

 

[Senethro]

Dude, if you're the sort of person who threatens violence so casually then its easy to imagine you're the type who deserves weird looks.

 

[squadbroken]

I considered it 'socializing' her. Glaring at people can have negative consequences. Apparently no one had taught her that when she was younger. Men who aren't taught that need to have it benevolently explained to them as well, and I would have done the same for a man under the same circumstances, just with slight variation in language.

Or maybe you're a violent idiot that threatens people with bodily harm over a look

 

[Gori the Grey]

The article is from 1997. In the social sciences, that's forever-ago. Only in the humanities can articles from that long ago be taken seriously.

 

[Tahuti]

The article is from 1997. In the social sciences, that's forever-ago. Only in the humanities can articles from that long ago be taken seriously.

I have to dispute the latter sentence. For CS I have actually handled papers from the 1950s alongside ones released only months ago.

 

[onejayhawk]

It doesn't sound as though they're in favour of benevolent sexism, they're merely differentiating between overt misogyny and the more backhanded stuff.

Indeed. The forum is one of the most hostile to sexism. Anything short of blanket condemnation merits attention.

The article is from 1997. In the social sciences, that's forever-ago. Only in the humanities can articles from that long ago be taken seriously.

Point of origin. Frll free to track the evolution.

J

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Or maybe you're a violent idiot that threatens people with bodily harm over a look

Dunno about the idiot part, but violent for sure. Yeah if people want to play the glare game I don't just glare back. I also tell people regularly that 'sticks and stones will just break bones, but calling names can leave scars that never heal'. Generally they get the point as well. Personally I think lessons backed by threat of bodily harm tend to stick better.

Senethro...at the time I drove a pretty large truck for work. I parked, admittedly hanging slightly over the next space. I was also the only vehicle in a row of eight spaces so six were totally unaffected, and most of them were closer to the door. I went in fast, got my lunch, and came out fast, and there were still six empty spaces...and she was parking in the one space where she could justify to herself acting offended. Then she proceeded to act offended with a big drama of squeezing out of her car and a look that would have curdled milk had that been what I was drinking instead of soda. If you think she was giving me weird looks because I deserved it, fine. I think she just never learned that going out of your way to pick a fight might sometimes land you in one so one should be discrete.

 

[Tahuti]

If 'sexism' means recognition that genders because of biological gender dimorphism may be better suited for certain tasks along gender lines, I wholehartedly consider myself a sexist.

 

[Leonel]

Oh boy.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Point of origin. Frll free to track the evolution.

J

I was actually just joking (at the expense, I had thought, of my own favored disciplines).

I know the concept, and, for all I know, I know it indirectly from this article. It sounds from the abstract as though they might be coining the notion (though I'd actually think that recognition of benevolent sexism would long predate 1997).

Anyway, yeah, one can be sexist with the best of intentions.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Oh boy.

Or possibly girl.

Maybe princess.

Or perhaps child of unspecified gender.

 

[JollyRoger]

Another example...I once told a woman who was glaring at me in a parking lot that if a man gave me that look it would very quickly be coming out his ear hole. Despite having been raised on a firm footing of gender equity it is unlikely that I would have beaten her to a pulp where a man would have been on extremely dangerous ground at that point.

Benevolent sexism.

What is benevolent about beating someone to a pulp based on his gender?

 

[Rhymes]

These kind of actions have minimal impact on the development of a child. If he/she knows he/she is loved and has a good, confidence building and supporting family, the rest is not worth mentionning.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

What is benevolent about beating someone to a pulp based on his gender?

It wouldn't have been based on his gender, it would have been based on his actions. The point is that the actions generate a different response based on gender, which is absolutely sexism, but if the person in question is getting a relatively 'toned down' response that sexism is in fact benevolent.

FWIW I am not really very sexist and had it been a man I would likely have said 'unless you want that look coming out your earhole point it somewhere else', which is only marginally more harsh.

 

[Borachio]

I considered it 'socializing' her. Glaring at people can have negative consequences. Apparently no one had taught her that when she was younger. Men who aren't taught that need to have it benevolently explained to them as well, and I would have done the same for a man under the same circumstances, just with slight variation in language.

Hilarious.

My my.

Someone looked at you funny and you didn't like it!

Yeah. I've heard this one before.

I knew someone who was prosecuted for Grevious Bodily Harm and his defence was he was worried his victim was going to attack him.

I've spent my life glaring at people. Usually because my mind's been preoccupied with something completely unrelated.

But consciously glaring at dogs is something of a hobby of mine. Also noisy school kids and... others.

 

[JollyRoger]

if the person in question is getting a relatively 'toned down' response that sexism is in fact benevolent.

If the person in question is a man, he is not getting the relatively toned down response.