Yes MA, men and women do want different things from sex. Men will fornicate with anything that allows them entry. Women are built to select whom she will allow entry. That includes selecting for power, wealth, or looks, because they seek commitment and stability. Men have no such qualms. They will use any woman, as long as they need not commit to a relationship.
I believe the ratio of men to women in sexual predation is a persuasive argument.
Yes MA, men and women do want different things from sex. Men will fornicate with anything that allows them entry. Women are built to select whom she will allow entry. That includes selecting for power, wealth, or looks, because they seek commitment and stability. Men have no such qualms. They will use any woman, as long as they need not commit to a relationship.
I believe the ratio of men to women in sexual predation is a persuasive argument.
Very timely post. I am currently reading Jerry Coyne, Why Evolution is True and in particular the chapter on sex. I had no idea that this behavior (males=promiscuous; females=selective) is not only genetically programmed into us, but also applies to nearly every other species on Earth that reproduces sexually. The reason seems to be that males produce large numbers of gametes (sperm) at very little biological cost, while females produce far fewer gametes (eggs) at a much higher cost (not to mention the cost of actually bearing and raising the offspring). So each strategy makes perfect sense. For males, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by “sowing” indiscriminately, while females must be highly selective to avoid costly mistakes.
Is she saying Men can’t be feminists? How sexist is that?
IMO, a feminist is anyone who stands up for the rights of women as human beings, women who participate in non-traditional sports, believes women should make the final decisions in their health care, not someone else, allows women to have the final say in what they do or do not do in life, and/or believes they should have control of their own bodies. They do not need to be or do all these things, like participate in non-traditional sports, but the bottom line is that the person, who considers themselves a feminist, allow all women to make these decisions for themselves, not someone else forcing them to make traditional choices or be forced to have a man decide for them. For example, I love dancing and skating, but said woman weightlifter (I forgot her name) probably does not, but because we believe in freedom of choice, we are feminists. Like wise, a man who insists a woman has the right to make the final decisions about things that concern her life, her body, etc are feminists. Being a woman helps and is obviously a plus, but it is not a necessity to be a feminist and is not the end all or be all in the definition of a feminist. However, being female makes one feminine, but some males can be effeminate or even have a feminine side to them.
According to this definition of a feminist, I happen to be both a feminist and a masculinist!
I smile at the meandering path this thread has taken: The arguments about gender differences, what it means to have certain views, prejudices, etc.
It seems to me that the real question is, “Is one really a humanist?” and how broad is your definition of that philosophy? If you differentiate in your general behavior between the genders to the detriment of either, then you aren’t really a full-fledged humanist, and possibly not a feminist (or not a masculinist).
Is she saying Men can’t be feminists? How sexist is that?
IMO, a feminist is anyone who stands up for the rights of women as human beings, women who participate in non-traditional sports, believes women should make the final decisions in their health care, not someone else, allows women to have the final say in what they do or do not do in life, and/or believes they should have control of their own bodies. They do not need to be or do all these things, like participate in non-traditional sports, but the bottom line is that the person, who considers themselves a feminist, allow all women to make these decisions for themselves, not someone else forcing them to make traditional choices or be forced to have a man decide for them. For example, I love dancing and skating, but said woman weightlifter (I forgot her name) probably does not, but because we believe in freedom of choice, we are feminists. Like wise, a man who insists a woman has the right to make the final decisions about things that concern her life, her body, etc are feminists. Being a woman helps and is obviously a plus, but it is not a necessity to be a feminist and is not the end all or be all in the definition of a feminist. However, being female makes one feminine, but some males can be effeminate or even have a feminine side to them.
According to this definition of a feminist, I happen to be both a feminist and a masculinist!
Héctor
I think that we should all be feminists, masculinists, and ambiguous-genderists. But males have been doing ok for some time, now. So they don’t need much support. Females still need help, as control over their bodies and reproductive rights remain under attack, and, amazingly, they still don’t get equal pay for equal work. People of ambiguous-gender are just laughed at. So they may need the most support of all.
Is she saying Men can’t be feminists? How sexist is that?
IMO, a feminist is anyone who stands up for the rights of women as human beings, women who participate in non-traditional sports, believes women should make the final decisions in their health care, not someone else, allows women to have the final say in what they do or do not do in life, and/or believes they should have control of their own bodies. They do not need to be or do all these things, like participate in non-traditional sports, but the bottom line is that the person, who considers themselves a feminist, allow all women to make these decisions for themselves, not someone else forcing them to make traditional choices or be forced to have a man decide for them. For example, I love dancing and skating, but said woman weightlifter (I forgot her name) probably does not, but because we believe in freedom of choice, we are feminists. Like wise, a man who insists a woman has the right to make the final decisions about things that concern her life, her body, etc are feminists. Being a woman helps and is obviously a plus, but it is not a necessity to be a feminist and is not the end all or be all in the definition of a feminist. However, being female makes one feminine, but some males can be effeminate or even have a feminine side to them.
According to this definition of a feminist, I happen to be both a feminist and a masculinist!
Héctor
I think that we should all be feminists, masculinists, and ambiguous-genderists. But males have been doing ok for some time, now. So they don’t need much support. Females still need help, as control over their bodies and reproductive rights remain under attack, and, amazingly, they still don’t get equal pay for equal work. People of ambiguous-gender are just laughed at. So they may need the most support of all.
IDK, women are in a pretty good position, at least in my generation, and ambiguous gender people are on a whole other plain.
Is she saying Men can’t be feminists? How sexist is that?
IMO, a feminist is anyone who stands up for the rights of women as human beings, women who participate in non-traditional sports, believes women should make the final decisions in their health care, not someone else, allows women to have the final say in what they do or do not do in life, and/or believes they should have control of their own bodies. They do not need to be or do all these things, like participate in non-traditional sports, but the bottom line is that the person, who considers themselves a feminist, allow all women to make these decisions for themselves, not someone else forcing them to make traditional choices or be forced to have a man decide for them. For example, I love dancing and skating, but said woman weightlifter (I forgot her name) probably does not, but because we believe in freedom of choice, we are feminists. Like wise, a man who insists a woman has the right to make the final decisions about things that concern her life, her body, etc are feminists. Being a woman helps and is obviously a plus, but it is not a necessity to be a feminist and is not the end all or be all in the definition of a feminist. However, being female makes one feminine, but some males can be effeminate or even have a feminine side to them.
According to this definition of a feminist, I happen to be both a feminist and a masculinist!
Héctor
I think that we should all be feminists, masculinists, and ambiguous-genderists. But males have been doing ok for some time, now. So they don’t need much support. Females still need help, as control over their bodies and reproductive rights remain under attack, and, amazingly, they still don’t get equal pay for equal work. People of ambiguous-gender are just laughed at. So they may need the most support of all.
IDK, women are in a pretty good position, at least in my generation, and ambiguous gender people are on a whole other plain.
More succinctly, I think that we should be supportive of humans, striving for equality of rights, regardless of their gender.
Speaking of feminism - I’ve virtually met a neat old gal who’s put together an excellent website HotWhopper.com [ http://blog.hotwhopper.com/search?q=WUWT ].
The most of it deals with looking at some of the stupidity climate science deniers like Anthony WUWT have been putting out there.
Highly recommended if you are interested in a step by step deconstruction of misleading stories.
But, it turns out she’s got a thing or two to say about this topic too.
And since she’s got one of those websites that has impressed me I want to share:
Women are not welcome on HotCopper (unless they know their ‘place’)
Until recently, the last time I was seriously and blatantly discriminated against because of my sex (that I know of) was the year before Equal Opportunity Legislation was introduced in NSW way back in the mid-1970s.
