4 thoughts on “Tom: ‘The difference between men and women’”

  3. I love your blog, Mike, there is just so much true-to-life representation contained within and I feel encouraged that other men (and women) are contacting you with their observations and concerns about feminised society as we know it today. I’m glad i’m not the only one out there noticing these double-standards. Men really are viewed as second-class citizens. Only the other day there was an accident in the workplace. It was an accident that occured outdoors; an incident which involved a vehicle and an on-site, working female who got injured by that vehicle. Fortunately, the incident wasn’t fatal but the woman did suffer some fairly significant injuries which has rendered her bedridden for a few weeks. Now, I don’t know what you make of this but this is what I overheard another female colleague say when she heard the news (none of the listening audience – consisting of men and women – reacted in any way shape or form to what she said). This is what I heard her say: “Oh my God, that is so terrible, I can’t believe it, I hope she’ll be ok, how awful – and especially happening to a female as well”.

    I know that doesn’t sound like much but there is just so much more meaning that sits behind that little statement. People’s perception of men and women has been severely manipulated and conditioned via a continual bombardment of feministic viewpoints, often carried by the media and it’s so deeply entrenched that it has affected the way everyday people think. A woman who I thought was ok has somehow managed to successfully perpetuate the notion that women are more important and valuable than men. Whether she said what she said knowingly, or unknowingly, I shall never know. Perhaps the rest of the people who overheard the statement have subconciously bought into the idea that woman = valuable, men = expendable. Or maybe they’re thinking along the same lines as me and just can’t say anything. Who knows!

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  4. Vadark your experience is a good example of the deeply held surprise that women can or should be in the way of harm. This is so deeply held that it makes such comments as you relate almost inevitable. For two reasons. The first that women coming to harm is usually so rare that it is a genuine surprise because it is factually rare( this is certainly so in the case of industrial/work accidents resulting in injury). So it is noteworthy because it is so out of the norm. The second is the related concern to protect women from harm through ensuring that dangerous activities are reserved for men and in fact self sacrifice in men is lauded. Thus men are actively encouraged to put themselves in harms way(think of all the pictures and stories in the recent UK floods from fixing power lines to piling sand bags). I have to say this didn’t start with feminism, indeed any feminist with intellectual integrity should oppose such gender roles. Yet in fact feminists ride the urge men have to protect women while then turning this reality on it’s head to cry “rape culture” and “domestic abuse” pushing the idea men are base selfish and dangerous to women. And using the male protective urge to claim protection from criticism. Both in social mores and in fact most harms are very much more often visited on men, our society couldn’t function without numbers of men being willing to take the risk of harm to support our modern life and deal with the tes chance or nature disrupts our comfortable lives. So your colleagues comment may be no more than a reflection of the sheer surprise .

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