Gender essentialism has convinced men that understanding women is impossible, while women are still expected to understand, anticipate, soothe, and explain men.
If women are so complex, mysterious, impossible to decipher and we exist to understand everyone and also give life...why are they not revering us as the near god like oracle's we are? Is it possible its all bullshit? Oh yeah...its all all bullshit
I have always hated the narrative that “women are a mystery, but men are simple creatures.” Human beings are inherently complex, and men are no exception. Men are only seen as “simple” because patriarchy pressures them to suppress that complexity since masculinity norms reward emotional restriction, rigid behavior, and a flattened identity, making men seem less layered than they actually are.
Denying men’s emotional and psychological complexity is one of the reasons so many men remain emotionally unhealthy and misunderstood. And yet male influencers online who are supposedly “male advocates” push this glorified narrative. If they want to address men’s struggles seriously, they have to stop treating them as one-dimensional and start recognizing the full humanity patriarchy denies them.
"Understanding the TermsMurphy’s Law: An adage coined from a 1949 engineering test meaning that a foul-up is bound to happen if a mistake is possible.Mansplaining: A blend of "man" and "explaining," describing a patronizing and unsolicited explanation delivered with unwarranted confidence.The Intersection: The predictable, frustrating occurrence where a man feels compelled to over-explain a basic topic uninvited, proving that whatever can annoy you in a conversation certainly will."
Grey is just one more jagoff shooting off his …mouth. He is frankly not worth this much time or consideration.
My answer to this sort of nonsense when I was working was to ignore it when possible and do the job I was being paid to do better than any of the “men” I was working with and to do everything I could to mentor the women I was working with in first doing the job better than anyone else they were working with or for and in, second, not putting up with any crap any guy tried to pull.
Having started out as a very junior attorney with a great mentor/sponsor and one more senior male associate who played the role of counselor, I was well grounded.
While I wish he wasn’t worth this much time, he was unfortunately EXTREMELY influential for an entire generation of Americans and understanding what those influences did is important.
John Gray either forgot or never knew that Venus has an atmosphere made up primarily of ammonia and that that atmosphere is in constant, violent motion. If you approach incorrectly, Venus won't criticize, Venus will kill you.
“This is a familiar form of sexism because it does not always arrive snarling. Sometimes it arrives smiling broadly while explaining that women are magical, inscrutable beings whose peculiarities men must patiently endure.” Oh yes, so much smiling as they tolerate us. Good for them! 🙄
“Someone phrases the complaint carefully because otherwise he will become defensive and the discussion will shift from what he did to how bad he now feels about being told.” Yup! You nailed the dance of walking on eggshells around fragile egos. So many fantastic points as per usual. Thank you for naming these double standards.
If women are so complex, mysterious, impossible to decipher and we exist to understand everyone and also give life...why are they not revering us as the near god like oracle's we are? Is it possible its all bullshit? Oh yeah...its all all bullshit
“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them”
Margaret Atwood
I have always hated the narrative that “women are a mystery, but men are simple creatures.” Human beings are inherently complex, and men are no exception. Men are only seen as “simple” because patriarchy pressures them to suppress that complexity since masculinity norms reward emotional restriction, rigid behavior, and a flattened identity, making men seem less layered than they actually are.
Denying men’s emotional and psychological complexity is one of the reasons so many men remain emotionally unhealthy and misunderstood. And yet male influencers online who are supposedly “male advocates” push this glorified narrative. If they want to address men’s struggles seriously, they have to stop treating them as one-dimensional and start recognizing the full humanity patriarchy denies them.
Well said. The myth of the mysterious woman only serves man who benefit more from pretending they don’t understand what is required of them.
How richly amusing that he calls himself Murohy.
"Understanding the TermsMurphy’s Law: An adage coined from a 1949 engineering test meaning that a foul-up is bound to happen if a mistake is possible.Mansplaining: A blend of "man" and "explaining," describing a patronizing and unsolicited explanation delivered with unwarranted confidence.The Intersection: The predictable, frustrating occurrence where a man feels compelled to over-explain a basic topic uninvited, proving that whatever can annoy you in a conversation certainly will."
Grey is just one more jagoff shooting off his …mouth. He is frankly not worth this much time or consideration.
My answer to this sort of nonsense when I was working was to ignore it when possible and do the job I was being paid to do better than any of the “men” I was working with and to do everything I could to mentor the women I was working with in first doing the job better than anyone else they were working with or for and in, second, not putting up with any crap any guy tried to pull.
Having started out as a very junior attorney with a great mentor/sponsor and one more senior male associate who played the role of counselor, I was well grounded.
While I wish he wasn’t worth this much time, he was unfortunately EXTREMELY influential for an entire generation of Americans and understanding what those influences did is important.
John Gray either forgot or never knew that Venus has an atmosphere made up primarily of ammonia and that that atmosphere is in constant, violent motion. If you approach incorrectly, Venus won't criticize, Venus will kill you.
“This is a familiar form of sexism because it does not always arrive snarling. Sometimes it arrives smiling broadly while explaining that women are magical, inscrutable beings whose peculiarities men must patiently endure.” Oh yes, so much smiling as they tolerate us. Good for them! 🙄
“Someone phrases the complaint carefully because otherwise he will become defensive and the discussion will shift from what he did to how bad he now feels about being told.” Yup! You nailed the dance of walking on eggshells around fragile egos. So many fantastic points as per usual. Thank you for naming these double standards.
Also, women as a species. Wow.