Who runs the universities nowadays?
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I wouldn’t say that gender imbalance “benefits men”, it simply makes things harder for women. I think a lot of men who live difficult lives don’t feel particularly in benefit of the system, it’s simply that they don’t have to climb up as much of a ladder as a lot of women do to reach the same destination. I think phrasing things correctly is important. It is not as though most men are given these free passes that make like easier. It’s simply that they don’t face the kind of invisible obstacles that a lot of women face. That’s what makes it so difficult for a lot of men to symapthise, because they don’t greatly benefit from inequality, they simply face less hurdles and they don’t even see or recognize the hurdles that women face. And of course that’s not a surprise:
- These days office sexual harassment is not so brazen and happens when others don’t notice
- People don’t so openly compare their salaries
- It’s difficult to objectively assess who has been promoted and why
- It’s easy not to notice that a person is not taking someone else in the room as seriously as they are taking you
- Sexual harassment and assault is still an uncomfortable and taboo topic in many ways and not easily discussed
- It’s easy for some to observe disparaging comments as a joke rather than as it appears to those receiving it: a frequent stream of demeaning assholtry
- You aren’t there in the interview when the interviewee asks inappropriate questions
- You aren’t the person at the bar where someone won’t stop hitting on you or leave you alone
- You don’t receive the belittling comments that wear you down
- You don’t notice the make-up that covers up bruises or don’t see the person who stays home “sick” while those bruises heal so they aren’t as visible anymore
- You aren’t there while someone is being gasslighted
- You don’t have to work twice as hard to get the same amount of approval.
So yeah, again, I can understand why a lot of men react with bewilderment when told they “benefit” from patriarchy. A lot don’t. It’s simply difficult to observe or take seriously (or easy to just dismiss and explain away things like salary disparity) claims that women have more of an uphill battle, especially when its true that a few women are lucky enough to not face those battles and a few men actually do face similar hurdles. It’s not so cut and dry, but to say that in general one gender has a lot of catch up to do…is a very fair statement. And no…that doesn’t mean men are bad. We are all indirectly responsible for this inequality and we all help sustain it with indifference, not noticing it or helping to change it.
Women like other kinds of men as well. Those men are called friends. Some women will eventually settle if they must.
And men aren’t attracted to witty, ultra-intelligen, funny women unless they are sexy. Imagine a young and sexy Camille Paglia. Interesting to hang with, perhaps, but she’s hardly the profile of a woman men are attracted to sexually. unless (and because) all of that is overridden by her sexiness.
And men aren’t attracted to witty, ultra-intelligent, funny women unless they are sexy. Maybe some men find witty, ultra-intelligent, funny women to be sexy.
So, you’d like to have sex with Paglia? Or, let’s imagine a younger more attractive Camille Paglia-like woman who simply cannot stop talking at twice or three times the pace of most people? Dear me. I realize that “some men” could mean precious few.
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