I just wasted a few minutes arguing about sexism and language. Always a waste of time! And yet I keep doing it.
The issue this time is the insult of telling men they’re not men. The claim is that it’s not always insulting to women, because it doesn’t always mean “you’re a woman”; sometimes it just means “you’re a failed man.”
No. I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that the qualities implied to belong to men by this whole line of talk are valuable qualities, and that it’s insulting to women to imply that they are unique to men. Can I?
Like the phrase “man up.” I hate that phrase. Why do I hate it? Because it implies that courage is more of a guy thing.
I hate language that treats courage as inhering in testicles, too, such as “it took balls to do that” and “he doesn’t have the cojones to say that to your face.”
I hate the stupid made-up “man cave” – because what the hell makes anyone think it’s only men who need rooms of their own?
He throws like a girl. You’re such a girl. You assholes played like a bunch of girls today.
Yes, Virginia, it’s all sexist.