A brilliant presentation that goes straight to the empty heart of equity and also demystifies equality, seeing it as reality, not as an idea. My own experience writing about these disparities (e.g., Modern Masculinity, ch. 9, disposable men) is that people either do not believe them or dismiss them, saying, for example, "if that is true, it is only because . . ." and so on. People need to believe that they are right, not that they need to know more. They want cake, not spinach.
Imagine trying to get this presentation shown in a high school or university. To do something about the problem, which I see as the power of equity over equality, you have to get educators to see it as a problem. They know that they don't acquire power by telling students to work to achieve their goals; they acquire power by showing students that they have been prevented by white men from reaching those goals.
In some cases, the opposition has an argument. For example, to be seen as a genius you have to be recognized and have to be around people who can see it, know what it is. I do not doubt that many brilliant people, including white men, have been overlooked because they were not visible and were not in a place where their brilliance was expected. If, as was true centuries ago, you didn't believe that women could reason or write, you would not educate them, no matter how smart they seemed.
Doesn't talent have to be discovered and nurtured by somebody looking for it, who knows what it is? Lots of outstanding boxers have been left behind because nobody was looking to them for greatness, being focused on somebody else's greatness. Or so it seems to me. Thanks for a thoughtful, informative piece.
'I do not doubt that many brilliant people, including white men, have been overlooked because they were not visible and were not in a place where their brilliance was expected.'
Yes indeed, which prompts a thought about how much 'toxic masculinity' is actually the barely suppressed but none the less controlled, until the point of unavoidable explosion, frustration of men unable to express their genius or pursue their visions and creative urges. The work of the Special Unit at Barlinnie Prison comes to mind.
Thank you for your comment. I wasn't able to find out anything about this unit from the prison website (I have never visited a prison website before, but I could search this one). We always hear that men stuff their feeling, but, as you say, men's modes of expression are socially limited, and lots of things men are good at are mocked or deprecated. I have heard of some creative programs in prisons in the U.S.
How could you forget that 50% of rapists would have to be sent to a female prison! We can not have the male prisoners taking all the risks!
Our equal protection laws (already in the constitution) would not permit female prisoners to get extra protections that male prisoners do not get! So the practice of only sending male rapists to male prisons would have to cease! Women are protected by have male rapists excluded from female prisons but mandated to be sent to male prisons!
How could I forget!!?? LOL Great ideas to spread the risks of prison life equally. That's one I hadn't thought of....and while we are at it....spread the length of sentences for the same crime so women would get longer sentences and men shorter. Right?
That sort of androcentric mischief making must stop Mr Golden. You know very well that women were never intended to do the disagreeable, difficult, dirty or dangerous jobs, that is what men are for.
PS: The figures you list for women in various trades only show the number in any particular field and not the rôles within the field they perform. As an example, I would be very surprised to find, anywhere in the world, a female hod carrier, scaffolder, steel erector, bricklayer, tunneller, hammer operator or any of the physically demanding and high risk jobs in building and construction. Women in that economic sector tend to do the softer administrative jobs, the sort of thing that was once reserved for older men who were approaching retirement, jobs now effectively closed to those men.
There are many intangible costs to men of so-called female 'equality'.
A brilliant presentation that goes straight to the empty heart of equity and also demystifies equality, seeing it as reality, not as an idea. My own experience writing about these disparities (e.g., Modern Masculinity, ch. 9, disposable men) is that people either do not believe them or dismiss them, saying, for example, "if that is true, it is only because . . ." and so on. People need to believe that they are right, not that they need to know more. They want cake, not spinach.
Imagine trying to get this presentation shown in a high school or university. To do something about the problem, which I see as the power of equity over equality, you have to get educators to see it as a problem. They know that they don't acquire power by telling students to work to achieve their goals; they acquire power by showing students that they have been prevented by white men from reaching those goals.
In some cases, the opposition has an argument. For example, to be seen as a genius you have to be recognized and have to be around people who can see it, know what it is. I do not doubt that many brilliant people, including white men, have been overlooked because they were not visible and were not in a place where their brilliance was expected. If, as was true centuries ago, you didn't believe that women could reason or write, you would not educate them, no matter how smart they seemed.
Doesn't talent have to be discovered and nurtured by somebody looking for it, who knows what it is? Lots of outstanding boxers have been left behind because nobody was looking to them for greatness, being focused on somebody else's greatness. Or so it seems to me. Thanks for a thoughtful, informative piece.
'I do not doubt that many brilliant people, including white men, have been overlooked because they were not visible and were not in a place where their brilliance was expected.'
Yes indeed, which prompts a thought about how much 'toxic masculinity' is actually the barely suppressed but none the less controlled, until the point of unavoidable explosion, frustration of men unable to express their genius or pursue their visions and creative urges. The work of the Special Unit at Barlinnie Prison comes to mind.
Thank you for your comment. I wasn't able to find out anything about this unit from the prison website (I have never visited a prison website before, but I could search this one). We always hear that men stuff their feeling, but, as you say, men's modes of expression are socially limited, and lots of things men are good at are mocked or deprecated. I have heard of some creative programs in prisons in the U.S.
Thank you very much Allen. I value your feedback and am flattered.
Rapists in prison!
How could you forget that 50% of rapists would have to be sent to a female prison! We can not have the male prisoners taking all the risks!
Our equal protection laws (already in the constitution) would not permit female prisoners to get extra protections that male prisoners do not get! So the practice of only sending male rapists to male prisons would have to cease! Women are protected by have male rapists excluded from female prisons but mandated to be sent to male prisons!
How could I forget!!?? LOL Great ideas to spread the risks of prison life equally. That's one I hadn't thought of....and while we are at it....spread the length of sentences for the same crime so women would get longer sentences and men shorter. Right?
That sort of androcentric mischief making must stop Mr Golden. You know very well that women were never intended to do the disagreeable, difficult, dirty or dangerous jobs, that is what men are for.
Oh! Woe is me!
PS: The figures you list for women in various trades only show the number in any particular field and not the rôles within the field they perform. As an example, I would be very surprised to find, anywhere in the world, a female hod carrier, scaffolder, steel erector, bricklayer, tunneller, hammer operator or any of the physically demanding and high risk jobs in building and construction. Women in that economic sector tend to do the softer administrative jobs, the sort of thing that was once reserved for older men who were approaching retirement, jobs now effectively closed to those men.
There are many intangible costs to men of so-called female 'equality'.
Yes, the figures are likely low balled. At the time they were all I could find and they are likely close. Maybe. lol